| Wife Submit |
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The church institution, because of a distorted interpretation of God’s word, has promoted the extensive abuse of authority it supports worldwide based on the chauvinist, patriarchal and hierarchical interpretation of the Bible.
Wives submit yourselves to your husband as to the Lord. For the husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church his body. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
If there is a passage in the Bible that has been most abused is Ephesians 5:22-24. To understand these verses and free women from spiritual abuse, we need to clarify what Paul is saying. At the beginning of Ephesians chapter 5, Paul began declaring:
Be imitator of God v.1
Live a life of love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us v.2
It is not right that any manner of immorality, indecency or greed should be mentioned v.3
Nor language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar v.4
Be sure that no immoral, impure or greedy person has any inheritance in the kingdom of God v.5
Do not let anyone deceive you with foolish words v.6
Have nothing with these kind of people v.7
You are in the light. Live like people of the light v.8
For the light brings every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth v.9
Do not get drunk but be filled with the Spirit v.18
Speak one another with psalms, sacred songs to the Lord and praises in your heart v.19
Always give thanks to God for everything v.20
Submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ v.21
To whom is Paul talking? Of course, he is talking to husbands and wives. After Paul identifies everything that is not OK in godly people, especially those in a marital relationship, he goes on to explain in detail what kind of behavior should be in a godly marriage.
Submit, give up, lay down your arms to one another v.21
Submit to your husband like you do to the Lord—which is voluntary and with love and gratitude, because He is good with you—v. 22
Paul is stating that we should submit to one another and he goes on further to explain that wives should submit to their husbands like to the Lord, which is voluntary and out of gratitude.
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church v.23
The husband is the source of life, love and power of the wife as Christ is the source of life, love and power of the church. Christ delivers the church from darkness and brings life and freedom as a river of life. What Paul really meant was that husbands in a patriarchal and hierarchical system are the source of life and power for their wives to come out of oppression. For wives to be free and experience the abundant life in Christ on a male dominant society husbands need to be like Christ, to allow their wives to flourish; and this has been the constant message that Paul has expressed through all his letters.
As the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything v.24
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