In 1 Corinthians 11:3 we read, “But I want you to know that the
head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the
head of Christ is God.” In our bodies, the head gives direction to
the rest of the body. So when the Bible says man is the head of the
woman, it means he is the one setting the direction for the family.
From this verse, we know the order of hierarchy is God, Christ,
man then woman. God the Father and Jesus Christ are equally
divine, yet there is a difference in their roles. One submits to the
other. In the same way, man and woman are spiritually equal, but
their roles are different. By God’s design, one is to lead and the
other to follow. So although the wife is not inferior, it is her role
to submit to her husband’s direction.
Ephesians 5:22 says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands,
as to the Lord.” Some husbands use this Scripture to force their
wives into submission. This is not God’s way.
It is the right thing for the wife to submit willingly to her husband.
But she does this knowing that she is obeying the living God,
for it is God who has asked the wife to submit to her husband.
The principle of headship is something God established from
the beginning. It says in 1 Corinthians 11:7, “Woman is the glory
of man.” Woman was created to manifest man’s authority, just
as man was made to manifest God’s authority. Eve was made for
Adam’s sake, to be his helper.8 Obviously the helper follows the
one being helped. Before the fall, it was natural for Adam to lead
and Eve to follow.
Just as woman’s submission is directly linked to creation, it is
also tied to the fall. First Timothy 2:14 (niv) reads, “And Adam
was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived
and became a sinner.” She acted independently, and she was deceived.
The fall involved a violation of God-ordained roles for
the husband and wife.
Why is the subject of a wife’s submission to her husband such
a touchy subject? It is due to the curse that came upon mankind
through this rebellion and fall. In Genesis 3:16 (niv) we read
the consequence of Eve’s sin: “I will greatly increase your pains
in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your
desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” The
word desire comes from the Hebrew word teshuwqah. In this
case, it does not mean “sexual desire,” but rather “deep longing
for power and control, to be in authority.”
The curse is not that her husband rules over her, for in the beginning
Eve was created to be under Adam’s authority. It is her
desire to be in control of her husband that is the curse. It should
be no surprise, wives, that you find submission to your husbands
difficult, for this was passed down to you from Eve, just as pain in
childbirth was. This inherited desire, however, does not have to
determine the choices you make.
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