Now we come to the final topic older women are to teach the younger: submission to their husbands. Why does this get such a bad rap? When we look at the teachings in the Bible to women specifically to submit to their husbands, it always involves a women submitting herself, not having submission thrust upon her. For example: Colossians 3:18 "Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." Paul didn't say to men, "Husbands, make your wives submit." He directed his attention to the women themselves. To the husbands, in verse 19, he told them to love their wives. Again in Ephesians 5:22-24:
"Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives should submit to their husbands in everything."
We all know how nasty it can be when the church doesn't submit to Christ. Oh, but how beautiful it is when women are submissive to their own husbands! People usually adore these couples even when they can't put their finger on what it is about them that they love.
1 Peter 3:1-2 "Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, even if some disobey the Christian message, they may be won over without a message by the way their wives live, when they observe your pure, reverent lives." Submission is so powerful, that a woman can win over her lost husband to Jesus!
Is it always easy? No. Is it always for my good? Yes. Even when it doesn't make sense, God uses it to make me more and more into Christ's image. Death to selfish desires = more like Christ.
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