A word that is unpopular today is submission. Yet a person cannot be a Christian without submission because it is basic for Christians to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus. His lordship is comprehensive in that it covers every area of life. There is nothing in our lives that is beyond his authority. Obedience to him is not limited to external conformity but must flow from a heart that is delighted to obey him. It is not surprising that Christians want to obey him because he was prepared to give his life for them. Dedication to him is an inevitable consequence of gratitude to him for providing salvation.
Obedience to him results in Christlikeness. In every area of life, his people model who he is and what he is doing. They do this not only as individuals but also in all their relationships, including that of marriage. The primary aspect that onlookers should observe is that a Christian couple illustrate who Jesus is and what he is doing.
What is a wife called to illustrate? By submitting to her husband in a comprehensive way she illustrates how the church submits to Christ. This does not mean that she is losing out because her husband, by his life, has to illustrate in a comprehensive and sacrificial way what Jesus has done and is doing for the church. In everything that they do together, this twofold path of opportunity and blessing occurs. She illustrates the ideal church and he illustrates the ideal Saviour. Both of them have to give their all to fulfilling this God-given opportunity.
It is inevitable that each of them will fail to some extent. The wife will not always be submissive and the husband will not always be sacrificial in his displays of loving care. When that happens, they should both be glad that each of them has a perfect Saviour who lived a perfect life as their righteousness and died an atoning death to pay the penalty their sin incurred.
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