July 29, 2015
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:22-24
22Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Questions for Reflection:
Bret described these verses as “nails on the chalkboard” in our culture. Why does it elicit that response? Is that interpretation fit the original intent of Paul when he wrote the church at Ephesus. As you study the Bible, here’s a tip for you to aid your understanding: the Bible can never mean what it never meant. So individuals who use the verse that we read today to promote husbands acting like “domineering jerks” (to use Bret’s language from Sunday) aren’t reading it accurately. The command for wives to submit is not a commentary on gender, but rather a prescription for order within the family.
How does understanding the parallel that Paul draws between Christ and the church help you understand the command for spouses? If you’re married, how are you loving your spouse better because you follow Jesus? What action can you take today to do a better job of loving and honoring your spouse?