Ephesians (W10D2) A Word to the Wives
Week 10. Tuesday: A Word to the Wives
PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.
READ: Ephesians 5:22-24
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words
Submit Yourselves (Greek: idios): subject yourselves, an invitation to lead
Submission is freely given as an invitation to the other person.
For the wife, it is an invitation for the husband to be the leader.
As You Do To the Lord (Greek: hōs kyrios): in the same way as to the Lord
Wives are called to invite their husbands to be the leader of the home.
This is why it is very important to marry a godly man.
What if your husband is not a godly man? See 1 Peter 3:1.
As you submit to Christ, He will lead you in how to submit to each other.
Head of the Wife (Greek: kephalē gynē): position of leadership and responsibility
This does not mean that wives are not to think for themselves.
This is a metaphor emphasizing the need for male leadership in the home.
Head of the Church (Greek: kephalē ekklēsia): the source of life for all believers
Christ is the leader, authority, and shepherd of the global church.
Believers are called to each other as we submit to Christ.
In Everything (Greek: en pas): collectively, in whole, in every way
This does not mean that wives should submit to sinful or ungodly behavior.
“In everything” means that we don’t get to pick and choose what areas we want or don’t want to submit. Submission should permeate the relationship and not be limited to our preferences or personality.
APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?
If you are a married woman you may be uncomfortable with what this passage is teaching. But when you read what Paul says to husbands you will find that they have a huge responsibility in leading the home. If husbands lead well, submission to that kind of leadership becomes an easier task.
Wives, in what areas do you struggle to let your husband lead?
What changes could you make that would help your husband to lead more?
PRAY: Ask God to help you understand and apply this passage.
