1 Peter 3: Wives in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands. (NRSV)
What is submission? Submission is voluntarily cooperating with someone, first out of love and respect for God, and second, out of love and respect for that person. Submitting to nonbelievers is a difficult but vital part of leading them to Jesus. We are not called to submit to nonbelievers to the point that we compromise our relationship with God, but we must look for every opportunity to humbly serve in the power of God’s Spirit.
Submission is:
Functional: distinguishing our roles and the work we are called to do
Relational: loving acknowledgement of another’s value as a person
Reciprocal: mutual, humble cooperation with one another
Universal: acknowledgment by the church of the all-encompassing lordship of Jesus Christ
Submission of the wife to the husband is an often misunderstood concept, although it is taught in several places in the New Testament (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:24; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:5). It may be the least popular Christian teaching in society. The principle of submission does not require a woman to become a doormat. – Life Application Commentary. It is cooperation with love and respect. The door swings both ways, however. Men also are to love their wives as themselves, which we will cover in future posts.
I love what Bryan Chapell writes in his book Each for the Other: Marriage As It’s Meant to Be. “Submission is an act of worship whose primary purpose is to honor God.” Except in matters clearly prohibited by Scripture, a wife is to submit to her husband as to the Lord. In all things!
Submission also doesn’t mean not having an opinion or input in the marriage decisions. It is an act of voluntary yielding. A corporate VP, an airline copilot, a sea captain’s first mate. Different functions with equal dignity. – Nancy Kennedy, When He Doesn’t believe.
What would a wife do if her husband is an unbeliever or very difficult to live with? Peter says she should accept the authority of her husband….To cooperate voluntarily with someone else out of love and respect for God and for that person.
So how does this play out in real life with a nonbelieving husband? My story next. Blessing to you my friends, Lynn
Leave a Reply