Ephesians 5:21-26-KJV
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Reading these scriptures in the context of living under the authority of Jesus Christ makes so much sense to me. Oftentimes, I hear the first part of this passage being reinforced but not the second part.
As a matter of fact, if we take the time to study this passage, I believe this is not applicable to all marriages. If a couple has not submitted to Christ, how can they show reverent or respect to his authority. Therefore, I believe Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 pleaded for those who profess Jesus is their Lord and Savior not to Yoke with someone who does not have the same standard. It is evident by the scripture that the instruction is to wives who are under the Lordship of Jesus as their Lord. Likewise, the instruction for husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church is applicable to men who are walking under the Lordship of Jesus. As we read the entire instruction, the apostle taught as if the people he is writing to already know about Christ and his church. If you want a submissive wife, ask yourself is your wife under Jesus’ authority? If you want your husband to treat you as Christ treated the church, have you married a man who is under Jesus leadership? Yes, in order for this beautiful Godly union to be created, both individuals must be under Jesus’ Lordship. Does that mean if one spouse is a Christian your marriage will not work? No! Apostle Paul gave us instructions how we can win our non-Christian spouse over (1peter 3:1-7, 1 Corinthians 7:14). Even these scriptures must be read in the context that you are living with a non-Christian and the knowledge that Jesus commands are above all authority in our lives. Your spouse may ask you to do something that is not according to God's commands, and you must obey God instead of mankind. That is why Jesus says Matthew 10:34-36, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law---a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' God's standard for marriage is that it is built under his clear authority. Therefore, as we see many marriages that take place around us, we can easily differentiate the ones that are not under his authority. Sometimes a marriage starts under God's authority and like many other things, we allow Satan to get in and change the course of the marriage. Or, a marriage starts under Satan's authority and through repentance and reconciliation in Christ Jesus, their marriage gets restored under God’s authority. Let's examine our marriage and make every effort to stay or restore our marriage under Jesus Lordship. If you are single, heed the warning of Apostle Paul and decide which marriage you want when choosing a spouse.
