Love and Submission...Continued from page 7

Of course, Paul understands that the women to whom he is writing won't question it; but God knows that this letter will find its way into the Bible and be read 2,000 years later in America. Now, that's an entirely different situation because that 21^st century American woman will say: "Why should I submit to him?" And he gives us the answer here. Not for the folks he's writing to, it's for us today.  

What's the answer? Why should I submit to him? Answer: Because the husband is the head of the wife. That's why! The husband is the head of the wife. Notice what he doesn't say. Paul doesn't say, the husband is the head of the family! And he doesn't say, the husband is the head of the house. He never does say that, because he isn't! The husband is the head of the wife! Now, a lot of women have got the idea the husband is supposed to be the head of the family, and that means he says "Grace,” and he leads the children in devotions. A lot of women get very frustrated because their husbands won't do it, when they're better equipped to do it than the men are.

It doesn't say, "He's the head of the family." It doesn't say, "He's the head of the house." It says, "He's the head of the wife!" But what does that mean? Well, it isn't left up for grabs. The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church.

In what way is Christ the head of the Church? Now this is where it gets really tricky. The Greek word for head is kephalé. Kephalé – like many words in many languages – has different shades of meaning. It can mean the head in terms of "authority," or it can mean head in terms of "headwaters." In fact, just a few weeks ago, Jill and I were in Uganda near the headwaters of the Nile. So, the head can be an authority figure or a source of supply, and theologians have been arguing this forever. If you look in Ephesians Chapter 1, the word head relating to Christ and the Church seems to convey the idea of Him ruling and being in authority. But in Chapter 4, it seems to convey the idea of Christ being the headwaters or the source of supply.

It isn't an either or thing. The husband – not by virtue of being a man, but by virtue of being a husband – in a marital situation has been invested by God with responsibility to oversee the well being of the wife. In overseeing the well being of the wife, he is responsible to God to see that through him flows all that is necessary for her to be all that she was created and redeemed to be.

Let me ask you a question, ladies, and don't shout out the answers! If you were married to a man who took seriously the fact that – having decided to be married because no one put a gun to his head – he had all the world to choose from, and he chose you; and having chosen to be married to you, he now recognizes that God joined the two of you together. In joining the two of you together as Christians, you understand that Christians are known for their love and their submissive attitude.