Love and Submission [Part 7]

Love and Submission [part 7 ]



Notice that I've been saying responsibility rather than authority! When Paul writes about "husbands and wives" in marriage, he only uses the word "authority" once; and he uses it in this sense: the husband does not have authority over his own body, and the wife doesn't have authority over hers. Paul is not saying, "The husband is the authority figure who rules the roost, and women better submit!" He doesn't say that! The idea of her 'submitting' to his head ship, as we'll see in a moment, is not so much he is the ultimate authority because he is a man, and she is a woman.


Let’s see if I can illustrate this for you. In the Marines, we used to say: "You don't salute the man, you salute the uniform!" Same with the President of the United States of America; you might not like the man, but he is the President, whether you like it or not! And he's your President, whether you like it or not! So you don't salute the man, you salute the uniform. In actual fact, a man can function in entirely different situations.


Now the women here in Ephesus won't even question it. They say, “What's new? That's the way we spend our lives, being submissive around here.” And the Apostle Paul said: No, you've got to understand that you are fundamentally equal with those men. You are both made in the image of God. You're both redeemed sinners. You're both indwelt by the Holy Spirit. As a man and a woman, you are fundamentally equal, but the husband has been given responsibility delegated by God, and you need to recognize it!