Should a wife submit to her Husband's authority?

Answer 1

Ideally, the relationship between husband and wife should parallel the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:23-30). The husband should love his wife "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). The wife should submit to her husband as the Church should submit to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22-24). But it is a misreading of Scripture, however, to conclude that the husband can become dictatorial. The entire passage is introduced by the admonition, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21). It is only after each spouse submits one to another from a heart of love that the head/submission relationship will work. The husband has special responsibility for the spiritual leadership and welfare of the wife and family (Psalms 78:5-8, Ephesians 5:23). While the woman has responsibility as a parent, God has called the husband to be the leader in the home. The woman is not inferior to the man. Both have full dignity and equal standing before God. In homes where the father is not a Christian or refuses to provide spiritual leadership, it is right for the mother to assume this responsibility. Strong spiritual training is essential for children to develop spiritually (Proverbs 22:6).

A happy and complete marriage is realized as both partners make Christ the center of their marriage relationship. With Christ as the head, the marriage has an excellent chance to succeed.

http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/relations_04_marriage.cfm


"Husbands, please note a key verse: "Submit to -one another- out of reverence for Christ" (Eph. 5:21, emphasis added). We all need to submit to one another's needs in love. In the original Greek, the New Testament grammatically links this verse to the next one about wives submitting to husbands. We cannot separate these two verses without losing the Bible's context. If we rob a verse of its context, we steal a vital part of its meaning. The Bible commands husbands to sacrifice their selfish desires by loving their wives as Christ loved the Church. When the bible says submit, it means voluntarily yielding our rights to another in love." (The Christ Centered Marriage: Discovering and Enjoying Your Freedom in Christ Together by Neil T. Anderson and Charles Mylander)


Books that could help:

The Christ Centered Marriage: Discovering and Enjoying Your Freedom in Christ Together by Neil T. Anderson and Charles Mylander

Every Man's Marriage by Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey

Answer 2

Marriage will never be "equal" but what it CAN be is about mutual partnership and sharing or responsibilities and reciprocal caring. There is no such thing as "authority"-- there are going to be times where a wife needs to realize that what her husband has said/thinks/believes they should do is the best decision for BOTH of them, and there are times where the husband will realize that as well.

I consider myself a Christian and I often hear that line get tossed around a lot by people who don't know what they are talking about except to take things literally. What a wife AND a husband should both do is communicate effectively and decide together how things should be done. Instead of having a wife complain about how she doesn't want to "submit" to her husband's "authority" or have a husband complain about his "wayward" wife, both people need to grow up and realize that marriage is about give and take-- not some authority line going along parenting.

Answer 3

I read a book called "Boundaries" written by two Christian-based counselors who talked about the issue of submission in a marriage. They pointed out a few very good and honest points:

1. If you read the Bible closely, it says for both a husband and wife to submit to EACH other, not just a one-sided view as the crazy Phelps family makes it out to be.
2. The Bible says for husbands to care for their wives as they would THEIR OWN BODIES. Would a really loving husband want someone else verbally abusing them or ordering them around? If they are doing so, they are not caring for their wives as they would themselves.
3. Submission was never defined as being ordered around and being told what to do like a child, or even having someone always get their way-- it's about putting aside your own selfish goals and wants and looking at the bigger picture at what BOTH people in the marriage NEED and what is best for the marriage.

The authors even both mentioned that in all their years of work, "submission problems" have really been about issues of controlling husbands.

Don't let Victorian era culture or literal evangelical dogma decide how to run your own marriage.

Answer 4

What authority? My husband has no authority over me, I am NOT his possession or underling! Neither of us "submit" to the other, and are both people in our own right. The only person who has ever had any type of authority over me was my boss, and that was only concerning work. Marriage is a partnership, not an ownership, with one person having authority and the other submitting to it.

Answer 5

OOOH I could be soooo bad!!!!!!!

I like that dirty talk!

No, seriously, it should be compromise, like when it comes to working, relocating, etc. Some things you can't compromise on, like the ethics of the household, which should have been discussed beforehand. Now, if a wife does something out of line, then the husband has authority to tell her like it is. That goes both ways in healthy relationships. Especially if it involves another man irking into his territory!

EDIT: Read Answer 28....you got my vote!

Answer 6

Yes, she should...to a reasonable extent. The great books of history tell husbands to love their wives and in turn, for wives to submit to a loving husbands advice. I didn't want to be submissive, and had an affair and my lover beat me. For my stubborness and desire for independence, I suffered.

I don't know any other way to put it, but alot of women want too much to be like a man. We've literally become a bunch of meat-swinging man wannabees and the truth is that our desire to be equal is bringing us down. Women and men are as different as we can be, and we should cherish those differences. Maybe if i had, my life wouldnt be a wreck now.

Answer 7

What authority as the only authority a husband has
to his wife is to love her, respect her, support her
and take care of her as she does to him, so
controlling authority does not exist.

Answer 8

no way a marrige should b an equal agreement between da husband and da wife if da wife submit 2 da husbands every will it wont last as he will use dis 2 his advantage and anyway how could someone b happy doing dat in da frist place always come 2 a compermise

Answer 9

Regarding Decision Making: Can't husband and wife arrive at decisions together? Is he never going to consult his wife regarding anything?

Regarding Discipline: That's entirely up to you. Draw the line at abuse. Discipline is loving, abuse is angry.

Someone has to steer the ship. As long as he's not making ******** decisions, can be responsible and has the good of his family at heart, and is willing to at least hear your opinion, I don't see where it should be a problem.

Answer 10

That would depend on how it is given and taken. If it's truly demanding to a point of abuse then no, but if it's to of have a sexual pleasure from it ; then YES she should. Everyone, especially women at some point fantasies their husband being controlling sexually and demanding sex with them. It's hot to think your husband will take total control of you like that. A lot of women want their husband to play the rape game too. Not that they want to be" A RAPE VICTIM", they just want their husband to loose control of his urges for them and him just take her and have wild sexual pleasure with her. And don't no women need to said she wouldn't cause there's been lots right here that do admit to it. And maybe some of them that think they wouldn't just need to catch up to the real world. Women like it with their husbands, and want it. Even single girls!!!