Submission

Ephesians 5:22-24

Submission is a scary word. It means letting someone else have power or authority over you, and it comes with the sizable connotative baggage of fear. Notice again how Paul adds context to the statement, though. A wife is to submit to her husband as to the Lord, modeling how the church should submit to Christ. The church is always ready to follow Christ’s lead, because Jesus loves the church with a deep, unending love. A wife’s role in the marriage relationship is not to relinquish her will out of fear, but to hold a respectful readiness to follow her husband’s lead when the time comes. In this way, the husband and wife will be unified, able to work through conflict and hold each other up through the trials of life.  


Questions for further thought:
1. Why does the concept of submission cause so much fear?

2. What do you think of God’s design for marriage? Is it different/similar to the marriages demonstrated in your life?  


Challenge: Examine the roles of both husband and wife in the scriptures.