City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

²¹ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Ephesians 5:21-24 (ESV)

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses address something I’m sure we’ve all wrestled with: submission. Interestingly enough, the word “submission” has two meanings: 1) the action or fact of yielding to another; or 2) the action of presenting a proposal or application for consideration or judgment (definitions from the Oxford languages). 

But what does submission look like in the Body of Christ? Ephesians 5:21 gives us the underlying motivation and basis on which we are to submit to one another: “out of reverence for Christ.” Reverence for Christ displaces the discomfort of submitting to flawed and imperfect people. Even though people are in the not-yet glorified stage of existence, Christ remains unchanging and holy, and it’s out of reverence for Him that we are to submit to each other. When we submit to those God has delegated authority to, we are ultimately submitting to God. 

What’s more, reverence for Christ should guide us in whether or not to submit. In other words, submitting to others should not require us to disobey or dishonor God–for then we would no longer be submitting “out of reverence for Christ.” 

Verses 22-24 of Ephesians 5 address wives specifically–calling them to submit to their husbands. It’s important to note that the call of wives to submit to their husbands does not mean that they are somehow subpar or not equal to their husbands. In his commentary on Ephesians, John R.W. Stott quotes J.H. Yoder: “Equality of worth is not identity of role.” 

Jesus dignified and honored women throughout His earthly ministry. Some examples include His conversation with the woman at the well (John 4), submitting to His mother’s request at the wedding at Cana (John 2), and giving Mary the opportunity to sit and soak up His teaching (Luke 10), among others. God made man and woman in His image and affirms our value to Him in Christ. However, just because both men and women are of equal worth and value does not mean we have identical roles. 

When we submit to one another as God calls us to: wives to their husbands, children to their parents, and employees to their employers, we are submitting (for consideration or judgment) to the world that we are called to a higher order: God’s Kingdom. The fact that we can obey God by submitting to others according to God’s design shows the world the victory we have in Christ. We are not our own. We are His, and we live out of reverence for Christ. 

Application

In what ways do you struggle with submission? Why is it difficult? (If you are not a wife specifically, think of the other ways God calls us to submit: to Him, to our employers/teachers, to our parents if you’re not yet an adult). 

God institutes submission to make life orderly, peaceful, and more enjoyable, not harder. Think of ways to submit to the authority figures God has placed in your life. Ask God to help you. It could be a simple change in demeanor or attitude, or perhaps an act of service, but whatever you do, do it out of reverence for Christ. Rest assured that your worth and value is secure in Christ. 

Prayer

Father God, thank You for placing ____________[insert husband, parent, employer, pastor, authority figure] over me. Living in a world that idolizes autonomy does not make it easy, but I choose to submit out of reverence for Christ. Empower me to submit, that I may glorify Your name. In Jesus’ name, amen.