Love and Submission

“I’ll love you if you submit!”

“I’ll submit if you love me!”

How does either position honor God?

True authority proceeds from the throne of God: Moses was a man who himself acknowledged his flaws, and yet, God chose an imperfect man to lead Israel from Egypt to Canaan. God delegated His authority to Moses. There were also instances when this authority was challenged. When Miriam and Aaron took issue with Moses by using his Cushite wife as justification for their actions:

“While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. They said, ‘Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?’ But the Lord heard them.”¹

No man should ever think that being the head in the marriage relationship is about hierarchal authority or privilege. No wife should ever think that being subject to her husband is about lower rank and limited rights. In both instances, it has to do with the willingness of each (husband and wife) to submit and obey God. Just as I question God about my wife being subject to me, I too am questioned whether I’m obeying the command to love her. Just as I question my husband’s love for me, I too am questioned whether I’m obeying the command to be subject to him.

“Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?’”²

It may seem so easy for a wife to believe, "I can do this better than Him", or "I can do this without him". But what you’re actually saying is that, “I can do this better than God.” Is God unaware of the flaws in your husband’s life? Perhaps God has succumbed to Alzheimer’s; forgetting how prone your husband is to being wrong.

The authority a husband has is not one that can be siezed by any man, it is given by God. No man of God who loves his wife imposes authority over her; he recognizes the authority he has is delegated from God. No woman of God who subjects herself to her husband does so under the duress of human authority; she recognizes the authority of her husband is delegated from God.

Until Death: A question I’ve pondered goes back to the garden; it was there where sin came into the world and consequently death to all from one man’s sin (Romans 5:12). The moment Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she died. Some might even argue that Eve died the moment she decided to eat (James 1:15). What we must understand is that Eve believed a lie and disobeyed God’s command because she was deceived. Adam however, was not deceived (1 Timothy 2:14), he understood the consequences of disobedience, but he chose death rather than obey God.

The question I've asked myself is:
Did Adam choose to die with Eve because he loved her to the extent that he freely chose to give up his life?

In Adam, I see a type of Christ that represents fallen man. Adam chose death through disobedience with the resulting consequence being all have sinned, and therefore all die (Romans 5:12). Christ chose death through obedience with the result producing salvation to all, and therefore all who believe are alive in Christ (Galatians 2:20).
Let’s examine the wife as a type of church to her husband:

1. Church equips the saints/wife prepares her husband (Ephesians 4:6, 11-12)
2. Church performs the work of ministry/wife ministers to her husband (Ephesians 4:6, 11-12; Colossians 3:23)
3. Church edifies the body of Christ/wife builds her husband (Romans 15:20-21; Matthew 16:18)

To what end?

That the true purpose of a husband and wife might be revealed to a world shaped and imprisoned by sin and deception. God wants those around you to see what true love is, how that love operates, and who that love accurately reflects.

What does Wives, be subject to your own husband mean?

The dictionary defines it as, one that is placed under authority. The Greek word Paul uses is, hypotassō (hü-po-tä's-sō), which means, to arrange under, to subordinate, to subject, put in subjection, to subject one's self, obey, to submit to one's control, to yield to one's admonition or advice, to obey, or be subject. This word was a Greek military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader”. In non-military use, it was “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden”.

A wife cannot be made to “be subject to her own husband”; that would violate the scripture. Her decision must be “voluntarily made”, as she seeks to please God. A husband cannot be made to “love his wife”; that too, would violate scripture. His decision must also be “voluntarily made”, as he seeks to please God.

Why must being subject to Christ be a good thing while being subject to my husband be a bad thing?

Living this command out in a woman’s life requires faith; the same faith necessary for a woman to be subject to Christ in her life. When a wife is obeying Christ, she is obeying her husband as well. I see that this is more of a partnership in marriage because it takes the faith of both husband and wife, representing Christ and the church to navigate the waters of marriage.

Heavenly Father,

You have given us the example of Christ and the church to ensure that both husbands and wives share a loving relationship with one another. Sin corrupts our view and understanding of Your truth; it is only through the power of the gospel that we are transformed into the image of Your Son. We seek to be willing participants in the heavenly calling; to be a living testament of the covenant established by Jesus Christ on the cross when He died for the sins of the world. We have been made alive by Your Holy Spirit and the life we now live is a life of love and submission.

I ask You Lord to bring about healing in the lives of husbands and wives who find themselves struggling in a marriage that is lifeless, and without purpose; a marriage lacking direction. Give them a vision of Christ and the church; a relationship born of love. May they see with clarity of mind, and a willing heart that You empower them to obey the scriptures. May they experience the grace that You freely shower upon them; enabling them to love one another as Christ loves the church. Give them a renewed passion for one another, fulfilling and enriching one another.

Thank You for those husbands and wives who walk before us as living testimonies of what it means to be one. Unified in spirit, mind and body. Thank You for singles who live a life of celibacy and commitment to Christ; choosing friendship with Christ over friendship with this world. All of us, whether married or single are commaned to submit ourselves to one another. May we discover true love through submission. Amen.

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte and Ginger).

Footnotes:

1. Numbers 12:1-3, NLTB
2. Numbers 16:1-3, NIV

References:

1. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, By James B. Strong, S.T.D, LL.D., Riverside Book and Bible House, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
2. Unger's Bible Dictionary, By Merrill F. Unger, Moody Press, Chicago
3. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
4. The Amplified Bible, by The Lockman Foundation, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, ISBN-13: 978-0310951414
5. King James Version, The Crusade Analytical Study Edition, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc., PO Box 90011, Nashville, Tennessee 37209
6. The Message Bible, by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress Publishing Group, Colorado Springs, CO, ISBN-13: 978-1600060250
7. New King James Version, by Nelson Bibles, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., PO Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee, ISBN-13: 978-0840713704
8. The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA
9. The New Living Translation Bible, by Tyndale Charitable Trust, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, ISBN-13: 978-0842384896
10. Matthew Henry's Commentary, McDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia 22101, ISBN 0-917006-21-6