I am Discouraged

September 9, 2008

Instead of challenging your husband's spiritual God-given authority...you should go to him if you have questions and doubts. Its not your place to try and usurp your husbands spiritual authority in the home. If you genuinely have concerns about your husbands spiritual leadership then it is your responsibility, as his mate, to lift him up before God and trust God to guide him.

It doesn't sound to me as though your husband is not trying to lead you spiritually...its sounds as if you are refusing to follow your husbands leadership. The bible doesn't allow for women to quit following the leadership of their husbands just because the wife 'thinks' the husband is wrong.

"You wives must submit to your husbands' leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of his body, the church...So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the church obeys Christ...and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her husband - obeying, praising, and honoring him." (Eph. 5:22-24,33) The Living Bible

Well stated!

September 9, 2008

It is a good discussion though.

How far should a wife follow a husband spiritually? Ax what would you say if the husband in this case was a Roman Catholic? Should she as a Christian wife join that Church and have thier children baptized there? How about a Morman husband? Or simply a husband who believes something the women honestly in her heart believes to be heresy? Should she for the sake of her marriage and her role believe things that go against what she believes as Gospel truth?

If a woman chooses to marry outside her faith, which we are commanded not to do [2 Cor 6:14], then her problem with the Lord started in her heart long before her husband asked her to join a church that went against her beliefs. Clearly, her relationship with Jesus Christ would be in question, not her husband's choice to lead his wife.

I know of a woman who did just this very thing. She will spent the rest of her life warring against the spirit of Darkness for chosing a man who did not share her belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Floatingaxe · September 9, 2008

"You wives must submit to your husbands' leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of his body, the church...So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the church obeys Christ...and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her husband - obeying, praising, and honoring him." (Eph. 5:22-24,33) The Living Bible

This applies to Godly marriages.

No it doesn't. This verse makes no distinction.

However, this section of verses does.

1 Peter 3:1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your 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 braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
4 Instead, 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 make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands,
6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

I have a very dear friend who can attest to the fact that submitting to an unbelieving husband will bring him to the Lord. In His time, in His manner.

There are no variables in submitting to one's husband. We are commanded to submit. Period.

The passage was speaking to Christians. Not all Christian women had believing husbands, and vice versa, for in the first churches, there was no scriptural command to marry equally. This was the first they had heard of it. Consequently, there were many marriages where a husband or wife was not a believer. It is the same today, where unsaved couples marry, and one will find Christ before the other.

Peace in the marriage is achieved by the Christian wife adhering to this excellent advice from Paul.

mrs · September 9, 2008

Don't be silly Floating. Do you honestly think that in the first churches, just because there was no command against it, a Christian woman would choose an unsaved man?

My reason for only choosing Christian men is not primarily because there is a verse that says don't be unequally yoked, but because I want a man who follows God! Back then they would have had the same mindset.

I fail to see what you are disagreeing with Biblicist on, if you agree that some Christian women will be married to unsaved men and must still submit to them.

*asks herself how everyone got so far off the original topic of the thread?*

September 10, 2008

"You wives must submit to your husbands' leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of his body, the church...So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the church obeys Christ...and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her husband - obeying, praising, and honoring him." (Eph. 5:22-24,33) The Living Bible

This applies to Godly marriages.

No it doesn't. This verse makes no distinction.

However, this section of verses does.

1 Peter 3:1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your 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 braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

4 Instead, 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 make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands,

6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

I have a very dear friend who can attest to the fact that submitting to an unbelieving husband will bring him to the Lord. In His time, in His manner.

There are no variables in submitting to one's husband. We are commanded to submit. Period.

The passage was speaking to Christians. Not all Christian women had believing husbands, and vice versa, for in the first churches, there was no scriptural command to marry equally. This was the first they had heard of it. Consequently, there were many marriages where a husband or wife was not a believer. It is the same today, where unsaved couples marry, and one will find Christ before the other.

Peace in the marriage is achieved by the Christian wife adhering to this excellent advice from Paul.

Since I do not want to drag this thread down another path, I will simply state that there are many examples of Believers in the OT who were specifically instructed NOT to marry outside of their faith [i.e. tribe], and those who did ended up in trouble. Solomon is one I can think of right off the top of my head. So, frankly put, this is not new to them.

I do believe, Smiles, that the OP is about submission, or a lack therof.

Floatingaxe · September 10, 2008

Don't be silly Floating. Do you honestly think that in the first churches, just because there was no command against it, a Christian woman would choose an unsaved man?

Why not? They do it today in droves. Now who is silly?

OnFire4God · September 10, 2008

*asks herself how everyone got so far off the original topic of the thread?*

lol, because I asked everyone's opinion on how far submission goes out of curiousity.

Floatingaxe · September 10, 2008

*asks herself how everyone got so far off the original topic of the thread?*

lol, because I asked everyone's opinion on how far submission goes out of curiousity.

"Curiosity killed the cat"!!

OnFire4God · September 11, 2008

*asks herself how everyone got so far off the original topic of the thread?*

lol, because I asked everyone's opinion on how far submission goes out of curiousity.

"Curiosity killed the cat"!!

HAHA! This cat must have more than 9 lives!!!

mrs · September 12, 2008

Don't be silly Floating. Do you honestly think that in the first churches, just because there was no command against it, a Christian woman would choose an unsaved man?

Why not? They do it today in droves. Now who is silly?

1. Considering that to be a Christian in Paul's time meant literally living life on the edge, it would tend to a more sincere and dedicated faith than that of todays's "American Christian"

2. You really believe a true genuine dedicated Christian would want to and even willingly marry a lost person? I don't think so. You are imposing on the Christians of the apostle's day, the characteristics of western "Christianity".