Tuesday 26 October 2010

Background

This passage from Ephesians is a controversial one. Sometimes itgets distorted and used to give men unlimited power over theirwives. But submission is not about power. Submission is aboutrelationships, and compromise and love. In fact Paul gives moretime to explaining how husbands should love their wives than hedoes to exhorting wives to submit to their husbands!

Submission is not the same as obedience. Nowhere are wives told toobey their husbands. Obedience is reserved for slaves. This passageis about relationships, not ownership. Wives are not property andPaul is reminding husbands of this.

Relationships are complicated things, and our primary relationshipis often the most complicated of all. The person we share our lifewith in a faithful and permanent bond has a huge influence oneverything we do. It is important that we get this relationshipright because this is where we find love and support when times gethard. Very few people live in total isolation. We each have someonewe turn to when things get tough. This may be our spouse, ourpartner or even our closest friend. This passage can help us in allthese situations.

The key points are that sometimes we need to submit; to back downand let the other be in charge. We need to be pulling in the samedirection and working towards the same goal. Equally, we need tolove one another. If someone allows us to be in charge, then wemust not exploit them. Rather we must love and respect them in thesame way as we love and respect our own body. Jesus tells us tolove our neighbour as ourselves (Mark12:31). Love and submission go hand in hand, and should not beseparated. Submission is an act of love; love is an act ofsubmission.

To Ponder

In what areas of your life do you have authority?To what extent do you remember to always exercise love alongsidethat authority?

When do you find it hard to submit to someoneelse? Offer these moments up to God.

How can we show love and submission to a worldthat seeks power and authority?