Eph 5:22-24 What does it mean here that wives have to be submitted to their husbands in everything?
Eph 5:22-24 What does it mean here that wives have to be submitted to their husbands in everything?
This means exactly what it says, providing that whatever it is conforms to God's word. God must come first (CP Mt 10:37; 22:36-38).
It does not mean, as some teach, that a wife only needs to be submitted to her husband on the basis that he loves her as Christ loves the church (CP 1Pe 2:21 with 3:1-6).
These scriptures teach that even though a woman may be the wronged party in a marriage, she should suffer the wrong without complaint as Christ also suffered for our example. Eph 5:22 teaches that everything a wife does to, or for her husband, she does to, or for Christ.
The words submit, subjection and obedience are all derived from the same Greek word hupatasso, which comes from a military term that meant ranking or order. It carries with it the idea of voluntarily giving up or relinquishing rights.
Thus when a wife is submitted to her husband she has voluntarily subordinated herself to him. The same principle applied in our previous study on Eph 5:21 (CP Eph 5:21).
When Christians give way to each other they voluntarily relinquish their right to assert themselves. Being submitted to her husband does not mean that a wife is lower in quality to her husband - she is only lower in rank (CP Gen 3:16; 1Cor 11:3-12; 14:34-35; Eph 5:33; 1Ti 2:11-13; Tit 2:3-5; 1Pe 3:1-7 with Ga 3:28).
Power on her head in 1 Cor 11:10 refers to a woman's long hair as the sign of her subjection to her husband (CP 1Cor 11:10). And reverence in Eph 5:33 means to honour (CP Eph 5:33).
Sadly, many women in the church find it hard to agree with this teaching. They have been taught that the words submit and submission simply mean "being agreeable, flowing together", or "seeing as the other sees".
But as is clear from the above scriptures that is not what God means at all. Consequently wives who are not submitted to their husbands are out of divine order. Women have also been taught that head simply means "source", but again that is not correct. Head in this context means "ruler, authority over" (CP Eph 5:23 with Col 1:18).
To replace head with source here undermines Christ's authority in the church. It has even been taught by some in the church that acknowledging the husband's headship is idolatry.
These teachings all contradict the clear teaching of scripture.
We also learn from this that if scriptures teach that wives are to be subordinate to their husbands, then it is totally unscriptural for wives to hold any office in the church that places them in a leadership role over their husbands (CP 1Ti 3:1-13).
See also comments on Ro 16:1-2; 1Cor 14:34-35; Eph 5:21, 5:25-32; 1Ti 2:8-15, 3:1-7, 3:8-13; 1Pe 3:1-6 and 3:7 and author's studies The Church and Women and God's Order for the New Testament Church in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1), and Husbands, Wives, Children - their Duties and Obligations to Each Other in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2).