Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Wives are to submit to, obey, respect and reverence their own husbands as the divinely appointed heads of the family. That submission is only as is fit and right in the Lord, not blind and entire submission in all things, for entire submission belongs to Jesus Christ alone who purchased her as His own, leaving her a conscience she cannot violate and an individuality that cannot be merged into her husband. When husbands demand complete subjection with no voice or will of her own they act contrary to Scripture and do violence to the design of marriage, and a wife need not obey a harmful direction, as Abigail showed by acting without Nabal's consent to prevent disaster. The command belongs to the life of those risen with Christ and chosen as God's holy and beloved, who put off the deeds of the old man and put on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, forgiveness and charity, doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus in home and work. Within a marriage where the husband loves his wife and is not bitter against her, the wife loves her husband above all others on earth, yields herself to him as blessing and comfort rather than ruling or embittering him, and upholds him with sympathy, kind words and prayers while keeping an orderly, happy home.
Meaning and Right Limits
The husband is the divinely appointed head of the family, given the preference by God, and the wife is to submit herself to, obey, respect and reverence her own husband. This yielding is obedience to God's Word and is fitting and right in the Lord. Together with a husband's love without bitterness, it supports a godly home and helps close doors to temptation.
That submission is only as is fitting in the Lord, not blind, entire submission in all things with blind devotion. Entire submission belongs only to Jesus Christ, who purchased the wife with His life as His own child. She must therefore keep the fear and glory of God before her, keeping a conscience she cannot violate with impunity and an individuality that cannot be merged into her husband, for she is Christ's purchase. This holds especially where obedience would injure her ransomed body and spirit freed from the slavery of Satan.
One stands higher than the husband to the wife, her Redeemer, and her submission to her husband is to be rendered as God directs and as God has directed. When husbands require complete subjection, declaring that women have no voice or will of their own in the family but must render entire submission, they place their wives in a position contrary to Scripture. Such a demand does violence to the design of the marriage institution and exercises an arbitrary rule that is not the husband's prerogative.
Respect that is fitting in the Lord does not require obeying a husband's harmful direction. Abigail shows this, for when Nabal's conduct threatened disaster and he would not hear counsel, she acted promptly without his consent to prevent evil. God approved her course, which displayed discretion, godliness and noble character.
Place in Christian Life
Wives submitting to their own husbands as is fitting in the Lord is part of the character that God's holy and beloved elect must put on to make their calling and election sure. It belongs together with mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiving one another even as Christ forgave, charity, letting peace rule, thankfulness, and doing all in word or deed in the name of the Lord Jesus. Kept in this way it marks the clear distinction between those who honor God by keeping His commandments and those who disobey, lived separate from disobedience with respect to the future reward.
It is part of the life of those risen with Christ who seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Such have put off fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying with the old man with his deeds. They have put on mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness and charity, letting the peace of God rule in the heart and the word of Christ dwell richly while doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus, living the heavenly order here below in preparation to appear with Christ in glory with glorified immortal bodies in the new heaven and new earth wherein dwells righteousness.
It is part of the chapter's directions for Christian conduct, giving duty and doctrine from the Word to be learned under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It stands with instruction for parents and children and for masters and servants, for employers and employed, showing God's order for home and work. All in these relationships are Christ's ambassadors with a message of truth to bring to the people, to consecrate the whole heart to God for Him to mold and fashion after the divine similitude. So kept, these directions leave unbelievers with a favorable impression of the truth.
The rule applies to all husbands and wives regardless of race, and when followed it produces Christlike lives and shows the converting power of God. Marriage is a sacred union in which both spouses serve the same Lord and are accountable to God. The wife's submission belongs within a marriage in which the husband loves his wife and is not bitter against her. Together her respect and reverence as part of obedience to God's Word and his love support a godly home and help close the doors to Satan's temptations. Her commitment to God is to draw her closer to her husband, leading her to cleave to him and make his wishes her own, and both are to live in unity sharing the responsibility of training their children.
Loving Duty at Home
The verse lays down the wife's plain duty to yield herself to her own husband as right in the Lord. That yielding means being a blessing and comfort to him, not dragging him down and embittering his life. It is shown in treating him with respect and reverence rather than ruling him with a strong, stubborn, rebellious spirit.
She is to love her husband with tenderness above anyone on earth, cleaving to him above father, mother, sisters, brothers, friends and all others. She makes his wishes her own and lives with him in harmony and happiness. Her commitment to God does not draw her away from him but draws her closer to him.
In daily life she is yielding and careful with words, not wounding him with idle talk nor teasing and fretting him into impatience. She does not divide her affections to please relatives and friends above God. She stays at home making it orderly, comfortable and happy for husband and children and doing her duty to them instead of burdening others.
When her husband returns from labor weary and opposed, she must not burden him or expect him to hold her up. She is prepared to sympathize with him, comfort him, hold up his hands by kind words and by her prayers, and cheer and encourage him. She keeps him free for God and lays no hindrance in his way. Husband and wife live in unity in their sacred union under the same Lord, sharing the responsibility of training their children with accountability to God.
Doing this requires being fully given up to God, with the will swallowed up in His will and the eye single to His glory. So lived, it prepares her for Christ's coming and will be noticed and rewarded by God.
Wives are to submit to, obey, respect and reverence their own husbands as the divinely appointed heads of the family. That submission is only as is fit and right in the Lord, not blind and entire submission in all things, for entire submission belongs to Jesus Christ alone who purchased her as His own, leaving her a conscience she cannot violate and an individuality that cannot be merged into her husband. When husbands demand complete subjection with no voice or will of her own they act contrary to Scripture and do violence to the design of marriage, and a wife need not obey a harmful direction, as Abigail showed by acting without Nabal's consent to prevent disaster. The command belongs to the life of those risen with Christ and chosen as God's holy and beloved, who put off the deeds of the old man and put on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, forgiveness and charity, doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus in home and work. Within a marriage where the husband loves his wife and is not bitter against her, the wife loves her husband above all others on earth, yields herself to him as blessing and comfort rather than ruling or embittering him, and upholds him with sympathy, kind words and prayers while keeping an orderly, happy home.
Meaning and Right Limits
The husband is the divinely appointed head of the family, given the preference by God, and the wife is to submit herself to, obey, respect and reverence her own husband. This yielding is obedience to God's Word and is fitting and right in the Lord. Together with a husband's love without bitterness, it supports a godly home and helps close doors to temptation.
That submission is only as is fitting in the Lord, not blind, entire submission in all things with blind devotion. Entire submission belongs only to Jesus Christ, who purchased the wife with His life as His own child. She must therefore keep the fear and glory of God before her, keeping a conscience she cannot violate with impunity and an individuality that cannot be merged into her husband, for she is Christ's purchase. This holds especially where obedience would injure her ransomed body and spirit freed from the slavery of Satan.
One stands higher than the husband to the wife, her Redeemer, and her submission to her husband is to be rendered as God directs and as God has directed. When husbands require complete subjection, declaring that women have no voice or will of their own in the family but must render entire submission, they place their wives in a position contrary to Scripture. Such a demand does violence to the design of the marriage institution and exercises an arbitrary rule that is not the husband's prerogative.
Respect that is fitting in the Lord does not require obeying a husband's harmful direction. Abigail shows this, for when Nabal's conduct threatened disaster and he would not hear counsel, she acted promptly without his consent to prevent evil. God approved her course, which displayed discretion, godliness and noble character.
Place in Christian Life
Wives submitting to their own husbands as is fitting in the Lord is part of the character that God's holy and beloved elect must put on to make their calling and election sure. It belongs together with mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiving one another even as Christ forgave, charity, letting peace rule, thankfulness, and doing all in word or deed in the name of the Lord Jesus. Kept in this way it marks the clear distinction between those who honor God by keeping His commandments and those who disobey, lived separate from disobedience with respect to the future reward.
It is part of the life of those risen with Christ who seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Such have put off fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying with the old man with his deeds. They have put on mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness and charity, letting the peace of God rule in the heart and the word of Christ dwell richly while doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus, living the heavenly order here below in preparation to appear with Christ in glory with glorified immortal bodies in the new heaven and new earth wherein dwells righteousness.
It is part of the chapter's directions for Christian conduct, giving duty and doctrine from the Word to be learned under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It stands with instruction for parents and children and for masters and servants, for employers and employed, showing God's order for home and work. All in these relationships are Christ's ambassadors with a message of truth to bring to the people, to consecrate the whole heart to God for Him to mold and fashion after the divine similitude. So kept, these directions leave unbelievers with a favorable impression of the truth.
The rule applies to all husbands and wives regardless of race, and when followed it produces Christlike lives and shows the converting power of God. Marriage is a sacred union in which both spouses serve the same Lord and are accountable to God. The wife's submission belongs within a marriage in which the husband loves his wife and is not bitter against her. Together her respect and reverence as part of obedience to God's Word and his love support a godly home and help close the doors to Satan's temptations. Her commitment to God is to draw her closer to her husband, leading her to cleave to him and make his wishes her own, and both are to live in unity sharing the responsibility of training their children.
Loving Duty at Home
The verse lays down the wife's plain duty to yield herself to her own husband as right in the Lord. That yielding means being a blessing and comfort to him, not dragging him down and embittering his life. It is shown in treating him with respect and reverence rather than ruling him with a strong, stubborn, rebellious spirit.
She is to love her husband with tenderness above anyone on earth, cleaving to him above father, mother, sisters, brothers, friends and all others. She makes his wishes her own and lives with him in harmony and happiness. Her commitment to God does not draw her away from him but draws her closer to him.
In daily life she is yielding and careful with words, not wounding him with idle talk nor teasing and fretting him into impatience. She does not divide her affections to please relatives and friends above God. She stays at home making it orderly, comfortable and happy for husband and children and doing her duty to them instead of burdening others.
When her husband returns from labor weary and opposed, she must not burden him or expect him to hold her up. She is prepared to sympathize with him, comfort him, hold up his hands by kind words and by her prayers, and cheer and encourage him. She keeps him free for God and lays no hindrance in his way. Husband and wife live in unity in their sacred union under the same Lord, sharing the responsibility of training their children with accountability to God.
Doing this requires being fully given up to God, with the will swallowed up in His will and the eye single to His glory. So lived, it prepares her for Christ's coming and will be noticed and rewarded by God.