The material I am going to share with you came about as a result of a series of Sunday School lessons in the book of Ephesians. When I got to chapter 5, I realized that there was a lot more here than I had previously observed. In this chapter, beginning at verse 22, you will find a section on the relationship between husband and wife as compared to that of Christ and the church. While there is plenty here that could be addressed to women, my main emphasis is toward the men – the husbands and fathers.
The passage we are going to study reads as follows:
Wives, submit to your
own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is head of the wife,
as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24Therefore,
just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to
their own husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, just
as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26that He
might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27that
He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28So
husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his
wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but
nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30For
we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31“For
this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.” 32This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let each
one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see
that she respects her husband.[1]
Section 1: Covenantal Headship
Since we are talking primarily to men in this study, let’s consider verse 23. 23For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Usually when a man realizes that he is the head of the wife, he interprets this as being the boss or dictator over his wife. He often sees himself as being superior in some way. However, this is not the meaning we should come away with.
Look at I Cor 11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.[2]
According to this verse, list the order of headship beginning with God:
God à_________________ à_______________________ à _________________________
Since God is the head of Christ, does that mean God is superior to Christ or the dictator of Christ?
I’m not suggesting that the responsibility to submit to the head is not spoken about. Christ said that he always did those things that pleased the father. Our passage says that as the church is subject to Christ, so the wife is to be subject to her husband. So, I am not minimizing the importance of submitting, but I am saying that headship implies so much more than what the typical man understands when he thinks of the term.
Another way that the headship of Christ is described is that Christ is the head of the church.
How did Christ get to be the head of the church? Eph 1:22
Headship has to do with roles and order. It has to do with authority and responsibility. In discussing headcoverings in I Cor 11:10, Paul says that the covering is the symbol of the authority under which the woman lives.
I like to think of man’s headship as being a covenantal headship. By that I mean that the covenantal head has the authority and bears the responsibility for those he represents. Those under him are thought of as being “in him”.
We find that Levi who hadn’t been born yet when Abraham met Melchizedek, paid tithes to Melchizedek because he was “in him”.
Hebrews 7:9, 10 Even
Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10for
he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
This kind of covenantal relationship is seen in the position Adam had as the head of the human race.
In Romans 5: 18, 19 we have the following
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
We see the same thing in I Cor. 15:22 For as in Adam all die.
Adam is pictured as the head of the race and those in him are judged guilty based on his sin.
Look back at the Romans 5 passage and the I Cor. 15 passage to see that Christ also is a representative or covenantal head. Think through what an important aspect of our salvation this is.
In a way similar to the examples already discussed, you who are husbands and fathers are the covenantal head of your family. You are the responsible party. Your family stands or falls in you. Under God, you answer for the family. Every aspect of family life is your responsibility – financial, educational, spiritual.
Questions to Ponder: