Wives and submission (3)

The Curse

God’s institution of Marriage.

Genesis 2:18 ESV

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Gen 2:18

Genesis 2:21–25 ESV

21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Gen 2:21-

Genesis 3:16 ESV

16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

gen 3:

She will desire him. The same desire was used in getting Adam to eat of the fruit. The word desire here has a broad context. This is a struggle for mastery. This is the battle of the fallen marriage.

The Marriage of the fall can only be saved through the Gospel

Christian marriage

1 Corinthians 9:5 ESV

5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

Wives submit to your own husbands

Ephesians 5:21–24 ESV

21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

eph 5:21-

verse 21 is a hinge statement. Speak about the verses # not being there.

Believers are to submit to one another or be subject to each other with reverence for Christ

1 Peter 5:5 ESV

5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Romans 12:10 ESV

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Romans 12:10 ESV

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Rom 12:10

Philippians 2:3 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

The original text vs 22 reads without the verb, the imperative tone of verse 21 is being repeated as Paul introduces what is known as the household texts.

Begins with wives in relation to their own husbands, then husbands to their wives, the children and their parents and fathers with their children and then slaves and masters.

Why has Paul placed a high emphasis on the marriage relationship? Perhaps living more like their non believing neighbors. Perhaps the ramped sexual immorality. The Apostle Paul addressed marriage often in his letters. 1 cor 7 and col 3 as did Peter in his letters.

Colossians 3:18 ESV

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Col 3:

The middle voice

This is the Gospel restoring order to the Christian home

The wives are told to submit themselves to their own husbands. They are not told to subject themselves to every man. The use of the middle voice of the verb is a emphasis of the voluntary nature of the submission

This is very important to understand. Paul’s admonishment to wives is to a free and responsible person.

Never to eliminate or break, or Destroy the human will. Oppression and exploitation is to be deeply resented. The is a beautiful willful submission to her husband as to the Lord

The unity between the Christian husband and wife is vital to the display of the divine purposes of God

NO other relationship within the family so fully mirrors God’s purposes in the universe

The husband is the head of the wife

Ephesians 5:23 ESV

23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

The husband is the head of the wife

Eph 5:23

The heart of this verse is the restoration and revelation of the ordered will of God

1 cor 14 says that God is a God of order. The display of the universe explodes with order.

This is not a passage of inferiority but a passage of divine order of God’s will

There is no barrier between male, female, Jew of Greek

Galatians 3:28 ESV

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Here in eph Paul isn’t breaking down what he has said in Gal. Here in the household Paul invokes the power of the Gospel Christ being the head of the Church in the same way the husband is the head of his wife. Paul says Christ himself is the savior of the Church- in the same passage describing the relationship of Husbands and wifes

This has HUGE implications for Husbands- next week

Lets look at a passage

1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV

3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

1 co 11:3

Is Christ inferior to the father? Certainly not.

Christ subjected himself to the will of the Father for a display of Glory

The verb submit or subjected self is used in 1 cor 15:28 for Christ Submission to the authority of the father. There is no implying inferiority, less honour or less Glory.

The Church submits to Christ

Ephesians 5:24 ESV

24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

The motivation for submission is imbedded in the text at the beginning of the passsage and at the end. The phrase as to the LORD.

Her trust and love for Christ motivates her to place herself within the will of GOD in this divine order of Marriage.

The example of Christ and the church is given for motivating the wife. As the Church submits to Christ so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands

Her submission to her husband is a way she serves Christ, because it’s the will of Christ, for this restoring of The order in the house hold. In this she brings Glory to God.

CONCLUSION