Importance of Spousal Submission in Christian Marriage
The concept of spousal submission in Christian marriage is rooted in biblical teachings, particularly in the New Testament epistles. The apostle Paul instructs wives to "submit to your husbands as to the Lord" [3]. This directive is part of a broader discussion on the relationship between husbands and wives, where Paul draws a parallel between the church's submission to Christ and the wife's submission to her husband [1].
The biblical basis for spousal submission is found in several passages, including Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Peter 3:1-6 [1, 2]. In Ephesians 5:22, the apostle Paul commands wives to submit to their husbands, while in 1 Peter 3:1, the apostle Peter exhorts wives to be submissive to their husbands, even if they are unbelievers, as a means of winning them over to the faith.
The interpretation of these passages has been subject to various understandings across Christian traditions. Some view the submission as a mutual concept, where both spouses submit to one another out of reverence for Christ [5, 8]. For instance, the Tyndale House commentary on Ephesians 5:21 notes that the verb form links the instruction to submit to one another with the command to be filled with the Spirit, applying to all relationships within the Christian home [8].
one commentary tradition by Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 5:22 suggests that the submission of wives to their husbands is grounded in the idea that the husband is not a stranger, but "your own husband" [6]. This commentary also highlights the church's relation to Christ as the foundation for the relationship between husband and wife.
In the Nonconformist/Puritan tradition, Matthew Henry interprets 1 Peter 3:1 as emphasizing the duty of wives to submit to their husbands, even if they are unbelievers, as a means of winning them over through their conduct [9]. Similarly, John Gill's Baptist/Reformed commentary on Ephesians 5:20 explains that the submission of wives to their husbands involves honor, reverence, and obedience, including managing the household according to the husband's will [7].
The concept of spousal submission is not limited to the wife's role; it is part of a reciprocal relationship where husbands are also instructed to love their wives sacrificially, as Christ loves the church [1]. The Tyndale House commentary on Ephesians 5:22 notes that Christian marriages become a reflection of the union between the Lord and the church, with both spouses playing their respective roles [4].
The historical development of the doctrine of spousal submission is closely tied to the interpretation of biblical passages. The early Christian church understood the relationship between husbands and wives within the context of their faith, emphasizing mutual respect, love, and submission [5].
Sources
- Ephesians “Ephesians 5:24 (BSB) — Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”
- I Peter “I Peter 3:1 (BSB) — Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands, so that even if they refuse to believe the word, they will be won over without words by the behavior of their wives”
- Ephesians “Ephesians 5:22 (BSB) — Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 5:22: 5:22-33 Christian wives are to submit to their husbands, showing them respect. Equally important, Christian husbands are to love their wives (see Col 3:18-19). Christian marriages become a reflection of the union and relationship between the Lord and the church. 5:22 Submission is part of the life to which the wives’ Christian commitment calls them (see 1 Cor 11:3-10; 14:34-35; Col 3:18; 1 Tim 2:11-12; Titus 2:5; 1 Pet 3:1-6).”
- Ephesians (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ephesians 5:21: Here the apostle begins his exhortation to the discharge of relative duties. As a general foundation for these duties, he lays down that rule Eph 5:21. There is a mutual submission that Christians owe one to another, condescending to bear one another's burdens: not advancing themselves above others, nor domineering over one another and giving laws to one another. Paul was an example of this truly Christian temper, for he became all things to all men. We must be of a yielding and of a submissive spirit, and ready to all the duties of the respective places and st”
- Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 5:22: (Eph 6:9.) The Church's relation to Christ in His everlasting purpose, is the foundation and archetype of the three greatest of earthly relations, that of husband and wife (Eph 5:22-33), parent and child (Eph 6:1-4), master and servant (Eph 6:4-9). The oldest manuscripts omit "submit yourselves"; supplying it from Eph 5:21, "Ye wives (submitting yourselves) unto your own husbands." "Your own" is an argument for submissiveness on the part of the wives; it is not a stranger, but your own husbands whom you are called on to submit unto (compare Gen 3:16”
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 5:20: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands,.... This is an instance, explaining the above general rule; which subjection lies in honour and reverence, Eph 5:33, and in obedience; they should think well of their husbands, speak becomingly to them, and respectfully of them; the wife should take care of the family, and family affairs, according to the husband's will; should imitate him in what is good, and bear with that which is not so agreeable; she should not curiously inquire into his business, but leave the management of it to him; she should help and assist”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 5:21: 5:21–6:9 Paul gives specific instructions on how believers are to relate to one another in a Christian home (see also Col 3:18–4:1; 1 Pet 2:18–3:7). Love and respect are to characterize all relationships in the body of Christ as an expression of believers’ commitment to the Lord himself. 5:21 And further, submit to one another: The verb form links it with the command to be filled (5:18). This general instruction (cp. Phil 2:3) applies to all three relationships that Paul discusses: wives and husbands (Eph 5:22-33), children and their parents (6:1-4), and slaves”
- 1 Peter (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 1 Peter 3:1: The apostle having treated of the duties of subjects to their sovereigns, and of servants to their masters, proceeds to explain the duty of husbands and wives. I. Lest the Christian matrons should imagine that their conversion to Christ, and their interest in all Christian privileges, exempted them from subjection to their pagan or Jewish husbands, the apostle here tells them, 1. In what the duty of wives consists. (1.) In subjection, or an affectionate submission to the will, and obedience to the just authority, of their own husbands, which obliging conduct would”