Many years ago one of the men in the church I was serving with would tell his wife to, "submit!" She would ignore him, and they would laugh, and she would go on doing what she was doing. It is from this husband that these posts get their title. They had a good marriage and she was on of the most truly submissive wives I have known.

One of the clues to the meaning of Biblical submission is found in the description of the ideal wife of Proverbs 31:10-31. The picture of the ideal wife found here is not one of a woman who waits for a directive from her husband about every detail of life, but of a woman who is capable of making decisions, entering into business deals and administrating a household all in the best interest of her husband. This is what a God-fearing wife does.

The Scripture does not give us a picture of extreme dominance of the husband in the marital relationship, or of unqualified submission of the wife. In other words, the Bible does not teach, "knuckling under," but it certainly teaches submission. The Scripture does teach that, ultimately, "we must obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29). In every case, the will of God comes before the will of any husband who is extreme in the demands he makes on his wife. Just as we all, as citizens, must submit to the civil governing authorities, yet when their demands become immoral, sinful and unlawful, it is right to resist them.

Grace & Peace;
Tom