Is Submission Stupid?

IDENTITY: A Journey Through Ephesians

Ephesians 5:22-24

      This week we will carefully consider a passage from Ephesians that could scarcely be any less politically correct. We’ve come in our study to some striking verses addressed to wives.

      “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 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. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

     What do you do when you read something in the Bible that you don’t like? People respond to upsetting passages in a variety of ways:

1.     Some strongly reject them. They think this kind of command is simply stupid and wonder who would dare to teach such antiquated ideas.

2.     Some people, who have respect for God’s Word, know they shouldn’t flat out reject such problem passages so they just neglect them. They ignore the difficult verses in the Bible.

3.     Yet there are people who realize these embarrassing passages won’t just go away on their own, so they change them, essentially explaining them away. They figure this can’t mean what it clearly says so they feel the need to engage in some interpretive gymnastics to make it conform to what they want it to say!

4.     Another way to deal with these difficult passages is to carefully study them, depending on God for the wisdom he promises. That is what we will do with these verses this week. Come participate with us and worship.