Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Into the Text
The concept of submission to a husband has been totally despised and ridiculed in our western society. Our culture has rejected the biblical idea of different roles between men and women in marriage, and the result has been countless family breakdowns.
Yes, God’s Word tells us that men and women are equal in value, equally loved by God, and equally in need of His grace. Submission does not impact this equality. Rather, it is a choice by the wife to submit to her husband because God has made him the head of the family. He is not the head, or leader, because he is more gifted, capable, or spiritual. Rather, God has given him that authority. It’s so important to marry someone we feel we can respect and follow.
Submission means to willingly (even joyfully) surrender myself under my husband’s leadership. It means responding to him with the kind of respect that is due his position. It means doing whatever I can to help my husband do what he’s supposed to do. It means accepting the decision he makes, even if I had to state my arguments for why I disagree.
A wife is to submit as a response of obedience to Jesus, knowing that He would not ask her to do anything that would harm her. Because Jesus is still her ultimate Lord, she can never follow her husband into sin nor is she to submit to abusive behavior. Husbands are to model their actions after Christ.
It’s true that the man we are called to submit to is far from perfect. Yet, our role is to submit to him in such a way that it will be easier for him to lead and love. When things are difficult, we need to look up, put our hope in God, and ask Him to renew our respect toward our husbands.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, please help me to honor you in the way I respect my husband and submit to him. Amen.