What does "having dominion" over women really mean?

[Logan]

OK, should men have dominion over women in today's world?  Is that biblical.  What does it truly mean to "wives submit" to your husbands?

I believe that God said 'husbands over wives', not men over women.  Women are not subject to be ruled over by bosses, friends or male relatives.  I am totally amazed at how many men think the Bible puts them in authority over women.  It doesn't. 

Well...actually the whole point of being the boss is that you make the rules...as for the rest, I agree 

[missmuffet]

The secret is to let the guy "think" he is the boss but we really know who runs the household. 

[Guest Butero]

It means exactly what it says.  The husband is the authority in the home under Christ.  Whatever he says goes.  The modern church has perverted that and created the false teaching of mutual submission making the teachings in scripture null and void, much as the Pharisees used to take liberties with the teachings on honoring Father and Mother.  There are many who think that man being the head of the woman is just because of the curse, but that is not entirely true.  If you go back to Genesis, the Bible tells us why God created woman to begin with.

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone:  I will make him an help meet for him.  Genesis 2:18

That means that she was created for the purpose of not only being a companion to her husband, but she was created to assist him in life.  We may have questions over why God created man, but the Bible is clear about why God created woman. 

For the man is not of the woman:  but the woman of the man.  Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.  1 Corinthians 11:9

What of the fall, and how it effected things?  I believe what happened as a result of the fall is not that God changed his original order or plan for man and woman, but that there was no longer unity of purpose, and because of sin, the woman was no longer going to automatically be on the same page as her husband.  Strife would now exist that didn't before the fall, so God had to lay down the order.

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow thou shall bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  Genesis 3:16

There is no way to misunderstand this.  Rule means just what it says.  The husband is the supreme authority in his home.  Whatever he says goes.  After God pronounced the judgment on Eve, he went on to give Adam his punishment for his transgression.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou has hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.  Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.  Genesis 3:17-19

The curse on the man would require him to do labor if he wanted to eat, and he became responsible for providing for his family.  In reality, when women are made to feel like they have to work a job in addition to being a housewife and Mother, they are actually willingly taking on the curse placed on the man.  It is not really their responsibility.  Feminism is responsible for messing up the original order of things.  This scripture goes hand in hand with the following scripture.

Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.  For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.  1 Timothy 2:11-13

Women are not to take the leadership in the home.  The husband is the head of his household.  In the first recorded sin, the first man chose to obey his wife over God.  The Lord doesn't want that repeated, so the woman is not to be the spiritual leader in the home, but the man is.  Christ is his head, and he is to learn from him through his Word, and instruct his wife and children. 

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:  and he is the savior of the body.  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.  Ephesians 5:22-24

Wives are commanded to obey their husbands in the same way the church is commanded to be subject to Jesus Christ.  How are we to obey Christ?  Think about that, and then consider that wives are to obey their husbands in the same manner. 

Let your women keep silence in the churches:  for it is not permitted unto them to speak:  but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home:  for it is a shame for women to speak in church. 1 Corinthians 14:34,35

But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ:  and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.  1 Corinthians 11:3

What of women who are married to men who are not following Christ?  The order remains the same.  Wives are to be an example by their behavior.

LIKEWISE, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands:  that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;  While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.  1 Peter 3:1,2

A lot of people try to get around God's order by claiming the husband isn't following Christ so the wife isn't obligated to obey her husband.  That is clearly not the case.  It continues:

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel.  But let it be the hidden man of the heart; in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.  For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands.  Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.  1 Peter 3:3-6

The example is given of how Sara obeyed her husband Abraham, and it goes so far as to say she called him lord.  That represents he fact he was the supreme authority in his home.  The husband is lord in his home, and Jesus Christ is his Lord.  This is the order God set up.  Mankind has rebelled against it, and we see the results in how things have turned out.  The church won't teach this for a variety of reasons.  First of all, there is the cultural changes that have taken place.  We are so used to it, we can't really believe this is what the Bible is teaching, so we make it fit in with our pre-conceived beliefs.  There is the influence of women in the church who reject God's order.  There is the matter of false teachings being passed down from one teacher to another, and the church has accepted what they are saying as true and passed it on.  Finally, there is the matter of not actually taking the time to study it out and put all the scriptures together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[other one]

if a man is loving and treating his wife as Jesus does the church, why in the world would a woman not let him alone and let him be the head/leader of their relationship/home.

[Guest shiloh357]

Cardinal rule of marriage in my parents' house:   "What's hers is hers;  what's yours is hers."

[1to3]

Quote from Butero :

'The example is given of how Sara obeyed her husband Abraham, and it goes so far as to say she called him lord.  That represents he fact he was the supreme authority in his home.  The husband is lord in his home, and Jesus Christ is his Lord.  This is the order God set up.  Mankind has rebelled against it, and we see the results in how things have turned out.  The church won't teach this for a variety of reasons..."

 

Actually Sara may have called Abraham Lord, but she made the same mistake as Eve in that she did not believe or fully understand what God had said to both Adam and Abraham and both men ended up yielding to the women's doubts, over yealding to Gods word and with these yieldings from the doubts and lack of full trust in their men came big consequences that we are still having to deal with today.

In both cases it was up to the leader man to stick strong to his convictions about what God told him and not bend to Eve or Sara's doubts about what God had told the men -leaders- to not do or to do.-

I think DOUBT and a lack of /faith is what makes women not always believe that what their husbands are saying is 100% correct.

And since in this life not everything humans do is 100% without flaws, it leaves room for someone to question another decision about anything.

-What remedies more than less, is for the man to being a good leader with more consistency than inconsistency.-

Why do we trust certain companies?

Because they offer a reliable service with a good product.

When a company becomes unreliable, it is usually because the leader of the company is not doing a good job running-managing- his company.

In women choosing a mate, a women always looks for leadership qualities in a man for the security of her and her offspring .

But top leaders are few and far apart. and even then when sin enters into the mix even the top leaders can be subject to sins down fall if they themselves fall to their own weakness and shortcomings.

Women can become better people with a good competent male leader.

Men who rely on their woman to make them become better people, take on the woman side in them and end up loosing their true manhood.

 

 

 

 

 

[missmuffet]

Cardinal rule of marriage in my parents' house:   "What's hers is hers;  what's yours is hers."

That is exactly the way it should be.

[Willa]

Quote from Butero :

'The example is given of how Sara obeyed her husband Abraham, and it goes so far as to say she called him lord.  That represents he fact he was the supreme authority in his home.  The husband is lord in his home, and Jesus Christ is his Lord.  This is the order God set up.  Mankind has rebelled against it, and we see the results in how things have turned out.  The church won't teach this for a variety of reasons..."

1to3 continues with:

Actually Sara may have called Abraham Lord, but she made the same mistake as Eve in that she did not believe or fully understand what God had said to both Adam and Abraham and both men ended up yielding to the women's doubts, over yealding to Gods word and with these yieldings from the doubts and lack of full trust in their men came big consequences that we are still having to deal with today.

In both cases it was up to the leader man to stick strong to his convictions about what God told him and not bend to Eve or Sara's doubts about what God had told the men -leaders- to not do or to do.-

I think DOUBT and a lack of /faith is what makes women not always believe that what their husbands are saying is 100% correct.

And since in this life not everything humans do is 100% without flaws, it leaves room for someone to question another decision about anything.

-What remedies more than less, is for the man to being a good leader with more consistency than inconsistency.--------.

In women choosing a mate, a women always looks for leadership qualities in a man for the security of her and her offspring .

---------

Women can become better people with a good competent male leader.

Men who rely on their woman to make them become better people, take on the woman side in them and end up loosing their true manhood._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Willa replies:

Some of this seems wierd to my thinking.  I chose my husband due to his gentle yet strong nature, his sense of humor, genuineness, honosty,  and because he is strong in talents that I am weak in.  We complement each other.  Both of us rely on God to make us better people.  He is our good, competant male leader, and I can trust Him to correct hubby when he has erred.  Hubby has delagated certain chores to me and some are his domain, but he is willing to help me when needed.  We are prayer parters, but he always leads.  When we disagree he has the last word but I am free to give input.  He definitely has a servant's heart and makes me feel cherished and appreciated.  As said, why wouldn't I follow him?

I am glad your marriage is working for you.  We are going on 53 years.

[MorningGlory]

OK, should men have dominion over women in today's world?  Is that biblical.  What does it truly mean to "wives submit" to your husbands?

I believe that God said 'husbands over wives', not men over women.  Women are not subject to be ruled over by bosses, friends or male relatives.  I am totally amazed at how many men think the Bible puts them in authority over women.  It doesn't. 

Well...actually the whole point of being the boss is that you make the rules...as for the rest, I agree 

Let me clarify that 'boss' thing; yes, a male boss (or even a female one) makes the rules at work but has no PERSONAL  authority over women. 

[MorningGlory]

if a man is loving and treating his wife as Jesus does the church, why in the world would a woman not let him alone and let him be the head/leader of their relationship/home.

I can answer that for you, O.O.  Some men are simply poor decision makers, poor authoritarians and poor stewards of resources.  Some women are all of those things too, of course.  But my point is that sometimes a husband may be a good man but be unable or unwilling to make good decisions for a family and the wife has no option except to take on those things herself.