Headship is still authority in marriage and wifely submission is obedience Part 2

And we’re back from arguments on headship, authority, submission, and obedience from Jack’s Invisible Magic Authority. Yay.

We’ve gone over this many times on this blog, though this is probably the most recent on Gentile vs Genuine authority. For those of you who have been around since the beginning circa 2014 or 2015, I did not initially believe that headship meant authority, but as I studied the Scriptures more I came to believe it did.

Derek makes an argument about grammar:

There is never going to be any degree of understanding of the so-called “Peaceful Unity Model” without changes to the metaphysical assumptions of this audience. Perhaps one day the inherent contradictions in the view will make this clear to some, but perhaps not.

Regardless, you didn’t even both to address the points I made in the post you were replying to. You simply repeated that this was wrong…

“Never in the Bible is a Christian wife told to submit to her husband or a Christian husband told to rule over his wife. No such imperatives exist. Deti’s Patriarchy isn’t found in the Greek Bible.”

I’m not sure which translation Derek is using, but it’s quite clear.

…without bringing anything new to the table. But I had already addressed these claims.

* Uses the word “submit / submissive”.
** Uses the word “obey / obedient”.

Titus 2:5,9 says:

“…to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject [Middle Voice] to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. [..] Teach slaves to be subject [Passive Voice] to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them…”

Colossians 3:18,20 says:

“Wives, submit yourselves [Passive Voice] to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. [..] Children, obey [Active Voice; Imperative Mood] your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Ephesians 5 says:

“…submitting [participle; Middle Voice] yourselves to each another out of respect for Christ; Wives [elided verb] to your husbands as to Christ… [..] Husbands love [Verb; Active Voice; Imperative Mood] your wives…”

1 Peter 3 uses the same formula.

In my previous link, there is a pretty clear explanation for this, but let’s expand on that.

If one does not understand what voice means this explanation goes over it well.

In other words,

• Children are told to obey (active) because they are under the authority of their parents and generally have inadequate moral agency to understand why they obey.
• Slaves are in the passive because they are under the Gentile authority of their masters and they know right from wrong. The key being that Christians should go above and beyond to show Jesus in our lives even if they are under potential oppressive Gentile authority.
• Wives are in both middle and passive because while they are under the Genuine/Godly authority of their husbands, but they have moral agency and Holy Spirit to understand to know what is right and wrong and submit themselves to their husbands lead. This is mostly distinguished from slaves (mostly middle as opposed to passive) showing how those under Genuine Authority should act to show how the headship authority-submission is different from Gentile authority.

In the previous post I mentioned how authority was Created by God to be from the beginning. Genuine/Godly authority that Jesus has over the disciples who become the Church versus distinguishing this from the Gentile authority that the world uses. The most relevant passage to start with:

However, what may clear up a potential disconnect is that Jesus makes it clear that authority is present, but it is not “Gentile” authority but “genuine” authority.

Matthew 20:25-28 (ESV)
25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

and

John 13:12-17 (ESV)
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus makes it clear that His authority is to be used to love and serve the disciples and by extension the Church, which makes this a clear analogy for husbands and wives with Christ : Church :: Husbands : Wives.

Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

As we can see, there is a clear parallel not just in the Christ being head of the Church and husbands and wives. Most people see right away. However, if we look at a bit closer at the underlined bolded, we also see a reference to Jesus’ authority as Lord and Teacher over the disciples/Church.

To emphasize further, I’ve never seen the feminists/egalitarians/DR’s argument address the clear meaning of genuine authority and Gentile authority in regard to Christ and the Church as Jesus in John 13-15 because they don’t have an answer for it.

After that, Jesus exhorts the disciples/Church to use authority in the Genuine/Godly way as opposed to the Gentile way.

DR continues:

DS: “Submit implies that the wife has moral agency to understand the right thing to do and to do it, which as you noted for Christian wives is to follow their husband’s lead and respect him as the Church does with Christ.”

DS: “The overarching theme through the Bible is that God wants us as humans to use our free will to submit to him to bring Him Glory. So too through God and Jesus, Jesus and the Church, Husbands and wives, and others. They are all a reflection of His Glory. This means though the word submit is used, it all ends up in obedience if we choose to do the right thing.”

DR: …in that submission is not active, but it is still interpreted within the English-speakers cultural and linguistic framework, because at the very end, he still concludes that it really functions practically as an implied imperative after all, which isn’t an explanation at all.

DR is wrong here because we have clear parallels to Jesus and the Church to understand what is meant by a wife’s submission which is that to properly submit leads to obedience.

• John 13:34 I am giving you a new commandment (as an extension of Jesus’ authority as Teacher and Lord), that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”
• John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments… 21 The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.
  
• Jesus reiterates these points in John 15 on the Vine and the Branches and subsequent commands.

Thus, Jesus reaffirms His commands to us authoritatively as Teacher and Lord to submit and be obedient to Him. We have a choice to submit or not — If you love Me — to do what is right or wrong — obey His commandments or not. Hence, why the majority of the verses for wives containing middle voice are the subject acting on itself. God gains Glory from our voluntary submission which is results in obedience to Him.

You can think of this as salvation and works. We don’t do good works because it earns us salvation, but because we are saved we are transformed by the Holy Spirit and want to do good works. Salvation is an imperative to do good works because they are prepared for us to do and they are excellent and profitable for everyone. But in the same measure, they also show that we have a genuine faith.

• Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
• Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
• Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
• James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

Many newer Christians may get the sense that we need faith with works for salvation from the last two passages, but they are not contradictory or opposed but synergistic. Faith leads to good works, and good works are proof of genuine faith. It’s my choice to submit God or not, but there is still the moral obligation to obey because we know that submitting to Jesus is the right thing to do and places us rightly under the authority covering of God.

• As genuine faith leads to good works, so too submission leads to obedience
• Good works are proof of our salvation for those with genuine faith, just as our obedience to Jesus is proof that we love Him.

If that is not enough evidence, 1 Peter 3 would not also have this clear understanding of the fact that proper submission means obedience.

1 Peter 3:Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

If verbs and tenses aren’t your thing, this part of the passage explains it effectively. Wifely submission is an implied imperative to obey if you want to do what is right.

Yes, the same word — hypakuou — used for Sarah obeying Abraham is the same word used in Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3 for children obeying their parents!

We should also take notice of the parallels between Jesus in John 13-15, Ephesians 5, and this passage of 1 Peter 3.

• Jesus Himself affirms that He is Teacher and Lord to the disciples and Church as does 1 Peter 3 through establishing that righteous wives regard their husbands as their lord — even to an unbelieving husband much less a believer.
• Likewise, Jesus shows us that His Teaching the Church/disciples is to rightly use the authority that is given to those in the Church and families to rightly love and serve others. This is echoed in Ephesians 5 with the commands to the husbands to love and sanctify their wives.
• Finally, we have Jesus telling Christian that “if we love him” that “we will keep/obey His commands.” In other words, we have a choice to submit — “if we love him” — but choosing to obey is loving him. Functionally, submission to Jesus’ commands is obedience.

While this is sufficiently clear evidence, other evidence such as 1 Corinthians 11 where God is the head of Christ who is the head of man who is the head of woman makes a similar case. This also denotes a clear hierarchical structure, as Jesus spoke clearly all throughout the gospels that He was in submission and therefore obedience to the Father. Likewise, the Church and Christians to Jesus.

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To conclude, contrary to DR’s arguments:

• Headship is still Genuine/Godly authority in marriage, but that authority is distinguished from Gentile authority in that Genuine authority should be used to love, serve, and sanctify your wife and children.
• Functionally a wife’s submission to her husband’s authority is obedience. It is distinguished from children in that she has full moral agency to understand what she is doing is right (submission becomes obedience, respect, etc.) or wrong (rebellion, disrespect, etc.).
• Finally, overly delving into one specific verse and grammatical constructs irrespective of the rest of the Scripture not only undermines husbands but also Christ since that is the foundation of the analogy.
• Addendum of Part 2 analyzing 1 Corinthians 11 and 14, and 1 Timothy 2 establishing headship as authority, and women/wives underneath it within the Church and marriage. This passage via the authority of headship indirectly through head coverings also points to the fact that this is not something that is merely cultural. Because the argument is from Creation and nature when God created it perfectly, this is a universal hierarchy structure in Church and marriage. But it must be used rightly as Genuine/Godly authority rather than Gentile.

This illustrates the problematic nature of honing in on grammar while forgetting the full bigger picture of the model that Jesus is teaching about genuine/godly authority and Christ and the Church. Even when genuine Christians can mistakenly lost in the weeds of Ephesians “mutual submission” and grammar tenses, it should be clear they cannot refute the clear examples given to us by Jesus in John and 1 Peter 3.