God’s Concept of a Wife
Ephesians 5:24 (NIV)
“Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” – Ephesians 5:24 (NIV)
Men of God, the aforementioned Scripture should be read in its entirety and not partially!
Some husbands are known to use part of the Word of God: “…wives should submit to their husband in everything” to misinterpret the Word of God and mistreat their wives deliberately. This misinterpretation, which leads to the misapplication, is tantamount to heresy. It is important to note that the second part of the Scripture does not hang by itself; it is dependent on the first part, which states, “Now as the church submits to Christ…”. This portion of Scripture ties the woman (easily) to submission to a Christ-like husband. It begs the question that if a husband behaves like the son of the devil, should the woman submit to his ungodly demands and unholy treatment? Certainly Not!
Scriptures begat Scriptures. We see God command husbands to love their wives (Ephesians 5:25,28,33), while in (1 Peter 3:7), it is to be noted that having our prayers answered as husbands is dependent on how we treat our wives. Thus, from the foregoing, the submission of wives in no way gives a husband the license to move into dictatorship mode in the family and so impose his will (which is not necessarily God’s will) on his wife, meanwhile ignoring the “help role” of her invaluable contributions in Ministry, home and work relationships.
Indeed, in order for a husband to understand how to treat a submissive wife, he has to understand what it is to be a bride, for Christian husbands are also brides of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-28). As brides of Christ, we, too, have to be submissive to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ in everything that we do. As such, it must be noted that although Christ has authority and power over us, He showers us with love, forgiveness, and compassion even when we don’t deserve it. When we feel insecure, fragile, and filled with low esteem, He provides us with security, comfort, and protection. Christ, therefore, does not use His Bridegroom status to treat us with disdain and contempt. In fact, He loves us with all our faults, and He acknowledges that all of us are “works in progress.”
Beloved, God did not create the institution of marriage for us to compete with each other but rather to complete each other. Paula Sanford, author of the book, ‘Restoring the Christian Family,’ stated that submitting her life to her husband does not mean being wiped out as an individual but being offered the privilege of complementing another in a unique way that enables the Lord to bring a new dimension of life to both. As husbands, let us love our wives and help them to fulfill a purpose-driven life.
Read: 1 Corinthians 7:3-5; Colossians 3:19
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 35:1-10; Luke 2:21-40; Numbers 7:1-65
Hallelujah. Indeed we must not misinterpret GOD’s WORD.