Ephesians 5:22-24

[mrveggieman]

I was on another website having a discussion about females submitting to their husbands and why a lot of them refuse to do. Now they will take the part of the bible where it says that the man should financially provide for her but then when she is told to submit she balks. Your thoughts.


Ephesians 5:22-24

New International Version (NIV)

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

[notes2us]

This verse is one taken out of context on a consistent basis....

To understand the meaning behind that verse, you need to take the rest of it into account.

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Yes, this states wives should "submit" to their husbands.....but read the remaining verses below.


²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy,cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Husbands are to love their wives like Christ loved the church. Husbands are to give themselves up (or "submit") to their wives. So, the wife "submits" to her husband, and the husband "submits" to his wife.


Now, if you take another step back and read Ephesians 5:21-33, you see the meaning of christian marriage.

[mrveggieman]

This verse is one taken out of context on a consistent basis....

To understand the meaning behind that verse, you need to take the rest of it into account.

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Yes, this states wives should "submit" to their husbands.....but read the remaining verses below.


²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy,cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Husbands are to love their wives like Christ loved the church. Husbands are to give themselves up (or "submit") to their wives. So, the wife "submits" to her husband, and the husband "submits" to his wife.


Now, if you take another step back and read Ephesians 5:21-33, you see the meaning of christian marriage.

I don't have a problem with any of what you just mentioned. I do have a problem with females expecting a man to take care of their every need but when the man asks her to do something she turns around and says "You ain't my daddy!!"

[notes2us]

I don't have a problem with any of what you just mentioned. I do have a problem with females expecting a man to take care of their every need but when the man asks her to do something she turns around and says "You ain't my daddy!!"

Well, in that context.......I would agree with you. When one (either husband or wife) is taken care of by their spouse, but refuses to do the same for them........not the makings of a good marriage.

[shrewsbury]

veggie, this is the work of Paul, and though he was a great man, he was a man. Jesus taught equality for all.

notes2us, great job keeping it in context. the funny thing is when I was in highschool, my girlfriends parents were atheists and asked me about what I thought about women having to submit to men, I told them to keep reading to find the answer.

[habsheaven]

Makes you wonder why all the verses never mention husbands "submitting" to their wives? You can read into the verses whatever you want but they made sure not to say the words, "husbands submit to your wives".

[shrewsbury]

habs, they were sexist men and wanted to keep in control, look at what they did to Mary!!

[mrveggieman]

Makes you wonder why all the verses never mention husbands "submitting" to their wives? You can read into the verses whatever you want but they made sure not to say the words, "husbands submit to your wives".

Ephasians 5:25-33

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^{[b] 32} This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

[notes2us]

Makes you wonder why all the verses never mention husbands "submitting" to their wives? You can read into the verses whatever you want but they made sure not to say the words, "husbands submit to your wives".

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

How is this not submitting? Just because "submit" was not used in the verse, it does not that was the intent. If you know what Christ did for the church, you would know how powerful of a verse this really is.

[habsheaven]

veggie - already seen the verse, my point still stands.

notes2us - it's not submitting because they do not use the word SUBMIT. The question is WHY do they not use the same terminology?

Jay explained the obvious. They don't use it because the verse was written in a sexist era by a sexist individual. You guys can "interpret" it however you want, just like everything else in the Bible. A bunch of double-speak that can be interpreted and re-interpreted with the changing societal norms.