Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
The biblical definition of submitting is to willingly yield to another. God wants us to willingly trust Him and willingly submit to His authority over us.
Take a moment to ask yourself the following question and be honest with yourself. How am I showing God I trust him in every area of my life and that I have willingly submitted to His authority?
Psalm 18:30 says God's way is perfect, and His Word is flawless. He shields all who take refuge in Him.
According to biblestudytools.com commentary on Psalm 18:30, "the Word of the Lord is tried, like silver, refined in the furnace. The doctrines are glorious. The precepts are pure, and the promises are faithful, and the whole revelation of superlatively, full of grace and truth."
God's Word is full of grace, and it is full of truth, and it is glorious. And he wants us to willingly trust what He tells us to do.
Ephesians 5:21 says to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Reverence means to have deep respect. So, when we follow God's Word, right and true, to submit to one another, we honor our Lord.
Submission in Marriage
Colossians 3:18 instructs wives to submit to their husbands and that it is good to do. I know that this is a hard one.
Women often cringe at hearing the Word, submission when mentioned in marriage.
You might think that is an "old way of thinking," but we know that God's Word is the same today as yesterday. And, we know from earlier that God's ways are better than our own understanding.
Let me share with you two principles.
When it comes to submission, the first principle is that we are to submit ourselves for the Lord's sake, to every human authority, because it is by God's will that submission is good by doing good. ~ 1 Peter 2:13-17
The second principle is to live as God's slaves. ~ 1 Peter 2:16
So, again, two principles.
For the Lord's sake, submit yourself to every human authority.
Live as God's slaves.
I know for some of you, what I am about to say right now will turn your stomach a bit. I know this because when I really understood this, it turned mine.
But I didn't write this; I am only the messenger for God's Word.
We serve a God of order, and there is an order in marriage. God has given our husbands authority in our marriage.
Ephesians 5:23 says 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. And then in Ephesians 5:24, now as the church submits to Christ, so also Wives submit to their husbands in everything.
The Word of God does not say only submit to your husband if your husband is a believer. The Word says wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
What if my husband wants something that doesn't align with what God wants?
How then can I be obedient to both my husband and God in this situation?
Those are fair questions, and this is one of the most challenging parts of being married to someone who isn't living for Christ.
The short answer is you can't. Obedience to God has to come first.
It's okay to verbalize your beliefs, what you stand for, and what you don't. There have been times in my own marriage where I have said that isn't right, and I disagree with it because it goes against God.
God will honor your obedience to Him, even if things are out of your control in your home and your husband makes a wrong choice. God sees and hears you.
You can take these things to God in prayer.
Submission is NOT Permission for Abuse
While husbands have been given authority and marriage, their authority is to love you and lead you in a Godly way. Submission is not permission to be a doormat, meaning you take whatever comes and never express your views, opinions, or concerns.
Submission is not permission for physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual abuse. Submission does not mean to go along with your husband in sin.
Obedience to God has to come first. I can't say that enough!
I want to be transparent with you right now and tell you that not going along in sin has been a struggle for me within my own marriage.
I would blame my husband for my shortcomings until God woke me up and said, hey, you can't blame him for something that you're doing too.
So, then I had to deal with those sins in my own life and let God work through me. I wanted to share this with you because it's very easy to go along with your husband to avoid conflicts and to want to connect.
I am a Faith Coach and work with Christian wives who are disconnected spiritually from their husbands. If submission and knowing how to honor both God and your husband is a challenge, I would love to invite you to my Facebook Community, Christian Wives With Unshakable Faith. Please answer ALL three questions to be approved.
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