in the Bible it says that a wife should be submissive to her husband... what does that mean?

Question

submissive in what sense?

just wondering...

Answer 1

give it up when asked.

tounge and check answer it means a great deal more. The best example is Christ and his bride. His treatment of her and her adoration of him and of wanting to please him seams to me to be the very best example of how husbands and wives should treat each other.

I just love the thumbs down. enjoy the truth much?

Answer 2

The husband is considered by God,to be a covering for His wife...The wife should not feel intimidated or less than capable of making decisions but the submission to her husband is unto God and should be viewed as being liberating with a sense of relief.

The same passage in Ephesians also states we should submit,one to another....Also the Husband is commanded to love His wife in the same way that Christ loves the church(body of Christ)...this is a tall order for men and leaves no room for "Lording it over his wife",as a harsh task master,but rather taking up the responsibility of his role in the family seriously as the spiritual leader...Too often,this role is sluffed off on the wife,as the husband is unwilling to accept the responsibility.

Answer 3

I am glad you stated; "in what sense" when you posed your question. Almost everyone that quotes that particular Scripture, has missed a vital point of reference. They concentrate on the attitude of "submission" or being submissive. The passage reads:

Ephesian 5:22 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."

The woman has charge of her own body, and therefore in that frame of reference the instruction if for the wife to (VOLUNTARILY SUBMIT) herself (WILLINGLY) to her (OWN) husband. Can you see the distinct qualification of the request.

If a wife truly loves her companion, she will have no problem "submitting" her will to the care of her husband, whom: the Lord has provided that since only one has been authorized to be the head of the family or household:

Eph 5:23 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.

But in order that the wife should not be abused or taken advantage of GOD instructs the wife but COMMANDS the husband:

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Answer 4

and you will find that many love to throw that out there, but they never mention how the Bible says the husband is supposed to treat the wife. I'm not accusing you of that. I don't think you are doing that. Yes, the Christian wife is supposed to be submissive to her husband, and the Christian husband is supposed to respect his wife and protect her with his life. Being submissive does NOT mean you can't tell him your opinion on important decisions. It does NOT mean you are just supposed to be quiet and take any disrespect he dishes out

Answer 5

A husband and wife should serve each other in the household. They should care for each others needs. Being submissive towards each other like it says in the Bible.

Answer 6

Hey Velvet,

Everyone seems to be pretty correct I think. However, I just want to add that the reason the men are the head of the household is due to the punishments that were issued after we(Adam and Eve) ate from the tree of Good and evil.

If you will notice in Genesis Chapter 3 you will see that the serpent(the devil) was talking primarily with Eve. Many will try to get you to believe that Adam was not present and that he was somewhere fishing or something, but the truth is that he was right there with her says vs 6......she also gave some to her husband, who was with her.....

This fact alone clearly shows that Adam was not the head of the household or Eve at this time. Otherwise, he would have taken over the conversation and spoken to the serpent for her, thus making the final decision himself. But, as you will notice he clearly said nothing, and willingly followed Eve's instruction to eat from the tree.

Thus, you have the reason that he is now in charge. Once they had failed the test, God came to ask them what happened(because he already knew) and as you will read, there was some serious blame going on. Nobody was willing to admit they had messed up of their own. So, God demoted the woman (Gen 3:16) because she sinned 1st, and caused another person to sin as well, thus giving Adam the rule, so that in the event another catastrophy happens, there will be someone who is going to be held accountable.

So, now men are going to be held accountable for most of what goes on in this world, while we will be held accountable if we don't submit to the heads of our households. Fathers, older brothers, husbands etc. See Numbers Chapter 30 for a complete understanding of how the men in our lives now have the power over our lives.

But let's not get this confused with some sordid fact that men have permission to hurt women physically or mentally. Your temple(your body) is too be protected at all times, and God will not excuse you if you willingly do things to harm your temple or let others harm your temple. (1 Cor 3:16)

So, our job is to assist the men in our lives with as much as possible, while at the same time assisting ourselves with our own needs.

Yes we have a voice, but his voice should have the last word, and as always he and everyone else will forever be under the rule of loving your neighbor as yourself, and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. If he can get these two things down, you won't have any problems.

Answer 7

Bobby got it right.
Husbands and wives are partners. God asks the husband to love his wife as Christ loved the church. The biblical definition of love is in one of the answers above - but Christ also GAVE UP HIS OWN life for his church (us).
In the same way, a husband must love his wife.
A wife submits in the sense that she is protected, loved, assured of the best care and attention.
This can only happen when both husband and wife are in harmony with each other and with God as their head.
It doesn't mean conflict won't come, but it does make it a heck of a lot easier when it does.

blessings :)

Answer 8

The whole passage reads: (Ephesians 5) "22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her...,"

Verse 22 does NOT mean she should be a door mat or a slave to her husband. He is the head of the family and final decisions should rest on him (and when his decisions are wrong, then he should be willing to take the consequences). Too often people take one verse out of the Bible and twist it to suit their own agenda. We need to read before and after, know WHEN it was written and to WHOM it was written.

Answer 9

Not in a sexual or slavish sense. What it means when the Bible says that women are to be submissive to their husbands is this: As husbands, we are instructed to love our wives as God has loved us, which is abundantly and unconditionally. Women in turn, are instructed to be 'submissive' to us, but that simply means to honor, cherish, and recognize us as the head of the houshold.

This by no stretch of the imagination means that we're allowed to abuse our wives in any manner. It's merely a 'trickle down' so to speak from God. God loves us, we love our wives as He loves us, and our wives 'submit to' and honor us.

Answer 10

Ephesians 5:22-25, 28, 29: “Let wives be in subjection to their husbands as to the Lord, because a husband is head of his wife as the Christ also is head of the congregation, he being a savior of this body. In fact, as the congregation is in subjection to the Christ, so let wives also be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, continue loving your wives, just as the Christ also loved the congregation and delivered up himself for it. In this way husbands ought to be loving their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, for no man ever hated his own flesh; but he feeds and cherishes it, as the Christ also does the congregation.”

Paul urged Christian husbands to be Christlike, not tyrants controlling every detail of their wives’ existence. Being treated with honor makes it easier for Christian wives to be in subjection to their husbands. This does not mean abject slavery, however. God decreed that a wife was to be, not a slave, but a “complement”.

Submission did not mean that a wife could not take responsible action when necessary.

Answer 11

It means to love your husband unconditionally. Not just in a sexual sense. A wife should stand with her husband and allow him to be the dominate figure in the relationship. The husband should also love his wife unconditionally and show her the utmost respect.