Ephesians 5:24

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

The church is the Body of Christ, the holy temple, the household of God. By its very nature the church is subject to Christ.

there are times when the church as an institution has been corrupted by politics and an exaggerated power over the state. This was particularly true in the Middle Ages in Europe. It is also true that parts of the church have departed from sound doctrine and biblical standards of behaviour.

But the true church is not necessarily the same as the ecclesiastical structure. The church is the total of the individuals who are truly born again and submitted to Christ.

the submission of the church to Christ is a living, dynamic process. The born again people who comprise the church have the indwelling Holy Spirit directing and leading them. This is not about following a set of rules carved in stone and handed down from on high. When Christian submit themselves to Christ, they do so in the context of relationship. We submit ourselves to Christ out of love and because we have the Holy Spirit in us.

wives submitting themselves to their husbands, then, do so out of love for Christ and in submission to Him They submit to their husbands in the context of a loving relationship involving husband, wife, and Christ.

those who are of the world fail to look at this context. They see the word “submit” and assume it means “obey” and, in particular, to obey without thinking. This interpretation overlooks the key aspect that both parties are subject to Christ.

The phrase “in everything” seems to say that unconditional obedience is required. But again context is important. Wives are not required to do anything illegal, ungodly, degrading, or against their conscience. A husband who demands that his wife engage in life threatening behaviour is not acting in love, and the wife should not submit to this.

we could produce a great list of things that are wife must not, or may not, submit to. The point is that submission “in everything” does not mean slavish obedience.

where a husband engages in violent, abusive, or coercive behaviour, it is not against God’s intent for a woman to leave the relationship, seek outside help, or go to the police. Marriage is a covenant of love, and when one partner breaks that covenant, the other partner is no longer bound.

all of this is straightforward where both husband and wife are followers of Jesus. In many marriages, the christian wife is married to an unbelieving husband. How should wifely submission happen in these cases?

it has been stated previously that wives are to be subject to their husbands out of reference (or fear) for Christ (vs. 21-22). Where both husband and wife are christians there is a mutuality of submission included within the concept of headship.

peter gives wise advice for all wives: “Wives in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives conduct, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” (1 Peter 3:1-2)

Regardless of whether their husbands are believers, christian women should seek to submit themselves as an expression of love for their husband and for Christ. This can be a very powerful witness over many years in a marriage.

key points in this verse:

• the church submits to Christ joyfully .

• wives should submit to their husbands in the same way.

• Christian marriage involves mutual submission

• While Paul says wives must submit in everything, this is not absolute blind obedience.

• When a husband is an unbeliever, his wife's loving submission can be a witness to him.