Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands (Eph. 5:22).

Today, from palaces to campuses, and from churches to our own homes, the question of how a wife is supposed to love, honor, and obey her husband is debated more than ever. Pat explanations that do not consider the challenges of our times, the dignity of each person, and the authority of God will not do.

So, how is a Christian wife to live? The plain answer in Ephesians is clear: a wife is to submit. But simply repeating the word does not explain its meaning. The word submit in the Bible combines the Greek terms for “arrange” and “under.” Those who submit in this context arrange their gifts and resources under purposes that are best for another.

Christ submitted his glory and power to the needs of salvation we had. A wife who submits biblically does not throw away her brain or her talents but arranges them in support of her husband.

Husbands are commanded to love sacrificially, as Christ loved the church! Wives are commanded to love submissively as the church honors Christ. No such honor occurs if the church dispenses with its gifts, but only as it arranges them with excellence devoted to Christ’s purposes.

So, also wives truly honor husbands not by suppressing gifts but expressing them fully and selflessly for the good of a loved one.

Prayer:
Lord, please help me to follow the instruction and the example of Jesus as I honor him and my spouse. It can be against my human reflexes to live for another, but grant me the heart of Christ to find the beauty of loving as he did.