Equality or Submission?

Ephesians 5 spells things out pretty clearly (v. 22-24). Wives should submit to their husbands. Their husbands should be the head of the family. But what do we see in this day and age? "All people are created equal." Women's rights are advocated around every corner (it is also a large argument for pro-choice groups). We also see women bossing their husbands around, and men in turn, shirking their duties to be lazy. We as Americans have honestly taken women's rights too far. We have taken the average women and told her- not that she is an equal to everyone else- but that she is better than other people. We have put guys down, telling them that if the have the least bit of superiority over a girl that they are in the wrong. And the result? Guys in general are lazy and will not take a stand for anything. I mean, why should they if everyone is just going to shut them up? Well it's time the tables were turned. During this post I'd like to dissect Ephesians 5:22-24. I would like to discuss submission, a topic that is forbidden among women now-a-days.

"Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." -Eph 5:22-24

First off, the Bible commands us to submit. But what does that mean? Well it doesn't mean that you get no say in the family matters. It also doesn't mean that the husband has to do all the work in the family. This isn't an excuse for wives to bow out of participation in their family. But it does mean that everyone in the family answers to the husband/father. Everyone in the family knows that when he says no, he means no.

But the passage goes on to say that the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is to the church. 1 Corinthians 12: 22-25 "On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other." You see? Every part is needed and important to the body of a family. Just because the husband is the head doesn't mean the wife is pushed out of the family for good.

But you see, this where we've gone wrong. Women have always been told they either step up and take the reins, or they'll get no say at all. That is not what I'm advocating here today. I'm merely asking you to take this into consideration, if wives refuse to be the head, what will happen to the guy population? They'll either have to step up or step out. They will be forced to take responsibility for their family. So girls, in obeying the Bible, we are also encouraging the guys to obey. In obeying the Bible, we are putting the family back where God wants it. So wives, I urge you, submit to your husbands.

What does this look like for those of you who, like me, are not married yet? Well we can practice submission everyday. We can submit to our parents, we can submit to those in authority over us. In doing so we are practicing for how we'll treat our future husbands. We can also stop belittling guys. We need to be more encouraging to them, let them know that we believe in them and know that they can step up and be the leader they were called to be!

Love, Kat