The "S" Word

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22

In our culture there are certain “S” words that we should never use publicly or even privately. One such word is “submission.” Everyone submits to someone…privates to generals, citizens to policemen, employees to bosses, and students to teachers. Society could not function without authority and submission. Submission is for everyone.

Within marriage, however, submission has gotten a bad rap. This is a shame, because submission, when understood biblically, is a beautiful thing. It was Christ’s submission to God the Father in going to the cross to die for our sins that paved the way for us to have a relationship with God. In the same way, the way to a harmonious and happy marriage is paved by the wife submitting to the authority of Jesus by placing herself under the leadership of her husband. Does this seem demeaning? If so, look to Christ as your example. If Jesus didn’t have a problem with submitting to the authority of the Father, wives should not have a problem with submitting to the authority of Jesus. The fact that Jesus tells us to do this shows that submission is not a social, philosophical, or intellectual issue. It is a spiritual issue.

Both times that the Apostle Paul uses the word “submit” in Ephesians 5, he connects it to Jesus. Both husbands and wives are to submit to the authority of Jesus. The way this submission is fleshed out in the marriage roles is different. When wives voluntarily submit to the leadership of their husbands, it is because they are lovingly submitting to the authority of Jesus. Simply put, your relationship with your husband will flow out of your relationship with Christ.

The bottom line is this: The primary command is to submit to the authority of Christ, who can always be trusted. When Christ is the head, everything else will fall into place in our lives.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving me such a wonderful example of submission in Jesus Christ. Help me Lord to live my life submitted to your authority and your leadership. Help me trust you above all else and to submit to your will and your plan for my life. Amen.