Should Christian wives submit to their husbands?

Question

Does it work both ways, or what?

Answer 1

They can do whatever they want. I sure as hell won't.

Answer 2

Christians: Should Wives Submit Their Husbands?

Answer 3

Yes, the Bible clearly says so. Now for the huge debate about the definition of what it means to submit...never mind, I don't have the energy!

One thing I can tell you is that each couple is made up of two people with different personalities, and therefore the dynamics between them will be different. What it means to submit to one husband is not necessarily what it means to submit to another husband.

You and your husband need to pray to find the most loving, workable way of relating for you as a couple. Your relationship doesn't have to look exactly like some one else's. In other words, people will give you rules: if you are a submissive wife, then you must do x, y, and z. That's legalistic, and does not leave breathing room for your individual styles.

Ask your husband in what ways you can best help him and express your support of him.

One site I have personally found helpful is:
http://www.loveandrespect.com/

P.S. to Eds,
What a wonderful testimonial!

Answer 4

I gotta say I think you're taking a wrong tack on this. This is all personal opinion but husbands and wives don't "submit" to each other. They love and sustain and support each other regardless of their religion. If someone you're supposed to love with all your heart is demanding "submission" from you he's hiding behind a Bible or Torah or Koran to get his own selfish way. Stop using the Bible to lead you in every aspect of your lives. Think for yourself, and live in the 21st century. I'm not saying give up on Christianity, I consider myself to be Christian too, Just live together loving, sustaining and supporting each other, and solve your problems together, not by one or the other of you saying "this is how it's going to be, like it or not."
If you're talking about submitting to him in the bedroom, my advice is the same. Sexual relations between a husband and a wife should be mutually desired because you both desire each other. Your sex life should be mutually fulfilling, not a mandatory chore demanded upon by one or the other partner. And if he's hiding behind some page in the Bible to get his own way, he's treating you like chattel with absolutely no respect for you at all. Respect is one of the strongest pillars a marriage should be founded upon. Demanding "submission" from a spouse is the dynamite that destroys that pillar, and brings the whole marital house down

Answer 5

The Bible does say, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it."

A man who understands that Jesus Christ gave His life's blood for the Church will love his wife with passion. He will honor her, respect her, protect, love and cherish her as much as he does his own body. He will never say or do anything to harm or demean her. He will even give up his life and die in order to save her if it becomes necessary.

It is in this atmosphere of love and security that a godly wife willingly submits herself to the protective arms of her husband. She does this not because he is better than she is, rather, simply because this is God's order for His creation.

A lion rests while his mate prepares the food he brought home from the hunt. He lies under the shade of a tree and now and then roars to let everyone know that he is king of the jungle.

The world stands in awe at this order in nature, but refuses to acknowledge that the same One who ordered nature, orders mankind.

A godless world rejects the God-given formula to make marriage work. It thinks it knows best, and suffers the heart-breaking consequences of destroyed marriages and ruined lives.

The Christian ideal of marriage is not one of an authoritarian and chauvinist male, holding his cringing wife in submission like an obedient dog. It's the very opposite.

While most of the great religions treat women as inferior beings to be beaten and ordered around, the Bible gives them a place of dignity, honor, and unspeakable worth, expressed so evidently in Proverbs chapter 31 Verse 10: "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels."

Answer 6

The issue is spiritual authority.
In Genesis 3, we see where God spoke to Eve and said you shall be toward him(your covering), but he shall rule over you. This isn't a iron fist, but a godly woman will gladly submit under the authority that God placed over her.

Wives, submit to your husbands, AS UNTO THE LORD. If the wives aren't humbly submitted to their husbands, they're not truly submitted to the Lord. Not to say men are better, but someone needs to be the authority in the family.

Answer 7

Yes submit means goes both ways. Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the Church and Wives are to respect their husbands.

Answer 8

If a woman IS a Christian, she DOES submit to her husband. The Christian husband protects his wife and cherishes her. Wives can negotiate with the husband but the husband has the last word. This is only in a true Christian family.

Answer 9

Yes. Men have the primary responsibility to keep and defend the family and the country and their wives should support them and submit to them. Of course if they have fundamental disagreements on what her man expects, she should tell him so and she is free to seek a divorce if necessary.

In your job, if your boss ask you to do something, you may point out to him that it is not good, but if he insists you do it. Why not your husband? Any organization works better if there is one head. Note that a husband is the head, not the boss.

Answer 10

If it wasn't in the Bible, could you come up with a logical reason for it. Be honest with yourself.


1. Do men have more common sense?
Ever heard of the Darwin awards? (Awards given to people who take themselves out of the gene pool by getting themselves killed while doing something stupid) they're almost always won by men.

2. Are women capable of supporting themselves and their children financially, without a man helping them?
Western women have proved that the answer to this question is a definite YES.

3. Can women protect themselves adequately if trained properly?
Laila Ali! Need I say more? http://www.lailaali.us/main.htm

4. Are women capable of telling right from wrong as well if not better than men?
Ask any 2nd grade teacher which gender is most likely to bully and hurt the other kids and you'll get the answer to this one.

5. Aren't women known to be a lot more law abiding that men?
Check out the statistics on the number of male prison inmates compared to female. You probably already know about this, though, since It is very common knowledge.

It is obvious that women are very capable of making their own decisions, taking care of themselves and being good citizens without the help or interference of anyone else. Why then should they have to hand over their ability to control their own lives to a gender that has proved time and time again to be a lot worse at making peaceful, law abiding and common sense decisions that are best for this world and humanity.

Remember that the word of God was written down by men and just as God allows people free will to deny him, he also allows people the free will to misrepresent him. The idea that God would not have allowed the Bible to become corrupted is about as naive as the belief that God wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to His followers. It is up to you to find the truth among the lies by using that very advanced brain that God gave you.

Edit: Louis,
Women are not at all helpless during pregnancy and when caring for infants (unless they're ill)! In fact, I pretty much took care of everything while I was pregnant and when my kids were small, as do many, many women.

Wow, a lot of you guys are living in Macho Ego LaLa land!

Answer 11

The Bible is filled with things people do not do and this is one of them. It's hard to find a woman that will shut up let alone submit. Husbands like the wives are out of their place. Pretending that they are Christians when they are lost as goats. This is all part of the, the time of the end.