Spiritual Authority in Marriage
Submission is one of those words that at one time made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Every rebellious cell in my body responded to that word. But truly coming to understand authority as God desires causes me to relax and trust Him. It is actually a safe place to be!
God’s desire and intention are for me to submit to my husband as I do to Him. The word submission actually means “to line up under.” God’s design in the family is for Christ to be the head, then the husband, the wife, and the children. Husband and wife are equal in Christ, but with different God-given roles. My responsibility to the Lord is to fulfill the role He has for me. In my marriage, I will answer to the Lord for how I live out this role. I will not answer to the Lord for having a good marriage because that takes two. But I am responsible for being the wife God has called me to be.
When I submit I am lining up under God’s authority and trusting Him to take care of me. There are many examples in Scripture for us to emulate, but the person held up for us in the New Testament is Sarah. In 1 Peter 3, Sarah is commended for submitting to Abraham. If you know their story, you know her husband placed her in harm’s way to protect himself with Pharaoh and Abimelech. But you also know how the Lord came to her defense and visited Pharaoh and his household with tumors and Abimelech with a dream and told him he was a dead man if he didn’t return Sarah to her husband.
As you read the Word of God you will find that He loves to move on behalf of those who put their trust in Him. We are told in 1 Peter 3:6 that Sarah submitted without any fear. First John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love” (nasb). Do you know that God loves you? If you do, then you will not fear!
Father, thank You for Your lines of authority in the home, the church, the workplace, and the government. I pray that You will empower me through Your Spirit to trust You and to line up under authority that I might be like one of the holy women of old that You commend. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.
