What Does Marriage Submission Mean?
Thought For Today:
I've already searched "what does marriage submission mean" on Google for you, and here's what I found.
Marriage submission means a mutual, loving yielding to one another, often rooted in faith (Ephesians 5:21), where spouses serve each other's needs, prioritize the relationship, and share leadership, rather than one person dominating. It involves selfless support, respecting each other's roles (husband as leader, wife as supporter), and creating unity, but it's not about weakness, blind obedience, or tolerating abuse.
Key Aspects of Mutual Submission:
Serving & Supporting: Putting your partner's needs before your own desires, like helping with chores or sacrificing career goals.
Respect & Honor: Valuing your spouse's input, trusting their judgment as a leader, and not invalidating them.
Shared Leadership: Working as a team, with the husband taking responsibility (headship) and the wife encouraging that leadership, often by yielding in final decisions.
Spiritual Foundation: For many, this stems from a biblical call to mirror Christ's love for the Church, meaning selfless sacrifice for each other.
What it's NOT:
Not Blind Obedience: A wife can disagree and voice opinions; submission is choosing not to resist overtly.
Not Weakness or Control: It's about strength and partnership, not a hierarchy where one rules over the other.
Not Abuse: Healthy submission is based on love, trust, and mutual well-being, and does not excuse neglect or abuse.
Here is what the Bible says on this matter.
Ephesians 5:21-33 (KJV)
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Ephesians 5:21 establishes guidelines for marital submission, emphasizing that both spouses have a balanced responsibility to support each other equally. Many readers start with Ephesians 5:22 and overlook key guidelines as they focus on finding scripture to support their perspective. The apostle Paul was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit when he recorded verse 21.
I'd like to point out a few gems in verses 22 and 23 that are often missed. “As unto the Lord”, is used as an attitude that we should have as we give of our selves sacrificially. The subject of tithes and offerings is a sensitive subject because its calls for us to let go of something that our lives revolve around, money. In short, although we may hesitate, if we act “as unto the Lord,” our sacrifice will be rewarded, and the Lord will be the source of that reward. So whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord and the Lord will bless you for it.
“He is the saviour of the body”, Meaning, he is supposed to be the rescuer, liberator, deliverer, emancipator, champion, or knight in shining armor. It did not say that the husband is supposed to be the dictator, bully, or the slave driver, so you better coward down and do what he says or else. If the husband is acting like an oppressor, he is most likely destroying the life of his wife and or the children who witness this barbaric behavior. That’s not a savior, that’s a destroyer.
Verse 31 states, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. The husband is instructed to leave his father and mother, what does this mean? It means, become responsible by securing a dependable job and a safe place for you and your wife as you now begin to build a new life. It’s saying, grow up and quit depending on your mom and dad to bail you out of your own responsibilities and failures. It does not say the husband is now banned from having a relationship with his family. Neither does it say that the wife is now banned from having a relationship with her family. Typically, the wife observes her husband tactfully shielding their family from outside interference and follows his example. But the Bible does not tell us that husband/wife can no longer communicate with you mom, dad, kids, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friends because the husband/wife doesn’t like them.
Conclusion: I believe the God’s word is clearly outlining the balance and responsibilities that the husband and wife should have towards one another. Husbands and wives should share the responsibility of self-sacrifice equally.
