Husband and wife relationship: (5:22-33)
Reasons for wife’s submission. (5:23-24)
- Bible says the man is the spiritual head of the family and his wife should acknowledge his leadership. The real spiritual leadership involves service.
- The motive of her submission must be obedience and respect to Jesus, instead of obedience and respect to her husband.
- In (1 Cor.11:1-34; 1 Tim. 3:1-16), the emphasis is made on the fact that the man was created first and not the woman. So there is a natural priority for man. Since woman was made out of the man, taken out of the man to show a connection to him, and that she was meant to be a ‘help’ for man.
- Since Man was created first he was made to be the steward of God’s creation. He was given the authority to govern the animals and beasts. Creation. It was man who was called upon to give them names. All these are the indications that man was put into a position of leadership, lordship, and authority and power. He takes the decisions and he gives the rulings. That is the fundamental teaching with regard to this whole matter.” (Lloyd-Jones)
- In (1 Cor.11:7-10) Paul again gives the same principle to the issue of leadership in the church: For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
- The Bible very clearly says: woman should seek to be manly. In other words, a woman should avoid to behave as a man, or that a woman should seek to usurp the place, the position, and the power which have been given to man by God Himself. It is not slavery; Paul is exhorting his readers to realize what God has ordained.
- When a woman gets married, she gives up her name, she takes the name of her husband. That is biblical, and also the custom of the whole world. It teaches us the relationship between the husband and the wife. It is not the husband who changes his name, but the wife.
- A woman is a complement of man.
- Christ is head of the church just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands. The relationship of the husband and wife is a model of the union between Jesus and the Church.
- God created Adam first, and gave Him responsibility over Eve. This happenedbefore the fall. Therefore, this passage makes it clear that before and after the fall, God ordained, there be different roles between husband and wife. The difference in roles between husband and wife are not the result of the fall, and are not erased by our new life in Jesus
Husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the Church: (5:25-33):
Paul had more to say to the husbands than to the wives. He gave a profound statement “love your wives “even as Christ also loved the church.” Paul was lifting marriage to the highest level possible, for he saw in the Christian home an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church. God established marriage for many reasons. Marriage fulfils man’s needs. It meets his emotional needs. Marriage also meets the social purpose in the bearing of children to continue the race (Gen.1:28).