Submit to Your Own Husbands

Mutual Submission in Marriage

(Ephesians 5:22)

“Isn’t submitting to my husband an outdated idea?” “How can I submit to my husband when he doesn’t even respect me?” It is true that the Bible’s teaching on wives submitting to their husbands is not easily accepted in today’s world.

1. The Heart of God
However, rather than hastily concluding that the Bible is outdated, we should seek to understand the heart of God who gave this command. His will is not about taking sides. For this teaching to be realized, both partners must submit to God’s will, and the right conditions must come together in harmony. But in reality, that is often not the case. Even so, we must first understand the essence of this teaching.

2. The Order of Creation
The first thing we must acknowledge is that men and women are equal before God; they simply have different roles. Within God’s created order, wives submit to their husbands, and husbands love, protect, and serve their wives. Fallen humanity has continually challenged this order, but God has called us in Christ so that we may return to the original order of creation.

3. A New Way
When Eve was tempted by the serpent, she acted arbitrarily without consulting her husband. As a result, God declared a curse: “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” This means, “You will seek to take the authority given to your husband, and he will respond by forcefully subduing your challenge.” A relationship that was meant to be filled with love and harmony was instead turned into one of conflict and struggle. In this broken reality, the Lord commands Spirit-filled Christians to submit to one another in marriage. Let us accept the truth of God, who desires to lead us on the path of happiness.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim