A Marriage Unto God: A Wife's Role, Part 1

The issue of submission in marriage is hotly contested. On one extreme are proponents of heavy-handed male authority, and on the other are those who want to erase gender roles altogether. But what matters is God’s design for marriage, not our own passion-driven opinions. God intends for the wife to submit to her husband, but biblical submission doesn’t mean living in fear, or giving up your reason, intellect, or spiritual gifts. Our best example of submission is within the Godhead. Each member of the Trinity is equally God, yet each has a specific role, with the Spirit submitting to the Son, and the Son submitting to the Father. Just as within the Godhead, the principle of submission in marriage is sacrificial love. The wife loves her husband, and so offers him wise counsel even as she submits to his leadership. The husband loves his wife, and so puts her needs before his own even as he leads the home. Marriage is not a contest of wills, but a godly relationship where both husband and wife work to out-serve the other.