Commentary on First Peter (91)
Paul leaves no room for doubts and excuses when he writes, "Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything" (Ephesians 5:24). Any exegetical maneuver that strips the husbands of their authority over their wives must also strip Christ of his authority over the church. And anyone who would strip Christ of his authority over the church, of course, cannot rightly claim to be a Christian at all.
Since there is no biblical escape, anyone who denies that wives must submit to their husbands in everything and as to the Lord is a blasphemer as well. In other words, because Paul has so joined them together by analogy, one relationship cannot be discussed in a way that is inconsistent with the other. Once it is known that the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23), anyone who denies that the wife must obey the husband in everything also defies Christ's authority and renounces the Christian faith.
For at least three reasons, we understand that the biblical command for wives to obey their husbands is a universal teaching that transcends culture, tradition, and even the fall of man. First, it is rooted in creation. It did not arise from sin, although sin has made it likely for men to abuse their authority and for women to resent this authority. Second, all of the passages related to the topic are immune from being neutralized or condemned to irrelevance by an appeal to the culture in which they were written.
Third, because the marriage relationship is analogous to the enduring and transcultural relationship between Christ and the church, and because this is stated in the context of the submission of wives, the command is therefore likewise enduring and transcultural. It will apply until there is no longer such a thing as marriage between men and women. As Jesus says, "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven" (Matthew 22:30).
Even then, it will be different not so much because the divine command will be annulled, since Christ will still rule over his church, which is his bride. But the command will no longer apply between human creatures only because they will become as the angels, who do not marry one another. Therefore, until the resurrection, the command that wives must obey their husbands remain in force.
That said, the next question is why Peter mentions it here in our passage. In other words, the command itself is universal and not occasional – it is for all times and not just for a particular situation or period in history – but Peter brings it up here for a purpose. What is this purpose?
July 31 2006 | Expositions