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Ephesians 5

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands,...
         submit: to yield to governance or authority
                    to commit to the discretion or judgment of another
                    to yield oneself to the authority or will of another

         Greek is hupotasso:
            hupo: under, of inferior position or condition
            tasso: to arrange in an orderly manner

      ...as unto the Lord.
          In the same manner that the wife would submit to the Lord Jesus Christ
          she should submit to her husband. There should be no significant difference
          between the way the wife submits to, yields to, and obeys her husband,
          and the way she submits to, yields to, and obeys her God. The wife's
          respect for and submission to her husband is a very good indication of her
          general holiness and submission to God.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife,...
head: Director, leader, one in charge of a division or department in an office
or institution. Marriage is an institution: a significant relationship type.

      ...even as Christ is the head of the church:...
          Just as Jesus Christ is the head, boss, leader, and Lord of the church, the
          husband is the head, boss, leader, and lord of the marriage and family.

      ...and he is the saviour of the body.
          He has rescued the church, provides for the church, and protects the
          church from spiritual harm.

24 Therefore...
For this reason, because Jesus Christ is the Head, Leader and Ruler of the
church...

      ...as the church is subject unto Christ,...
          subject: owing obedience and allegiance to the power or dominion of
                       another
          ...just as the church is subject to, submits to, obeys, respects and
          reverences Jesus Christ,...

...so let the wives be to their own husbands...
...the w ife is to respond to and treat her husband in the same manner...

      ...in every thing.
          ...in any facet of life that is of legitimate concern to her husband.
          What does this include? Is anything excluded?

33b and the wife see that she...
The wife should make a diligent and focused effort to...

      ...reverence her husband.
          r everence: to regard or treat with honor or respect, to show devotion and
                            honor to
          Suggests:    profound adoring, awed respect, a self-denying
                           acknowledgement of what has an intrinsic and inviolate claim to
                            respect
          Greek is
          phobeo:     to be frightened, alarmed; by analogy, to be in awe of,
                            reverence
          translated:   be (sore) afraid (Luke 2:9), fear (exceedingly) (Mark 4:41),
                            reverence (only here)

DISCUSSION

What does this truth imply about a wife's overall, foremost and primary purpose, calling, priority and duty in life? (Gen 2:18, 1 Cor 11:9, Pr 31:12,
1 Peter 3:5)

Can a wife be right with Jesus Christ if she has a defiant, insolent, rebellious, disobedient, disrespectful, argumentative, critical, condescending, sarcastic, contradictory, neglectful, careless or otherwise irreverent attitude toward her husband?

Can a Christian wife not be doing well here? (1 Peter 3:6, 1 John 3:7-8)

When the husband is brutal, bitter, harsh, selfish, wrong, misled, unwise, foolish, unloving, insensitive, careless, or otherwise neglectful, does this alter how the wife should obey and reverence him? If so, how wrong does he have to be? (Gen 20; Ex 21:10, 11, 26; 1 Sam 25, 1 Peter 3:1) Who decides this condition? (Acts 5:29, Rom 7:2)

Does a wife have to agree with her husband about everything he says? (Acts 5:9, 1 Peter 3:1) If not, how should she express concern or disagreement? (1 Peter 3:1,4)

Should a wife's teaching to the children be consistent with her husband's? (Pr 1:8, 6:20) What does contradiction and inconsistency in the home do to children?

It is ever appropriate for a wife to require personal privacy? (Lev 15:5, 18:19) What should be her motive in this?

How should a wife respond to her husband's intervention in her spiritual life? (Num 30 7:8, Acts 17:11, 1 Pet 3:15-16)

Who should correct, rebuke or challenge the husband when he is wrong?
(1 Sam 25:37, 1 Peter 3:1, 1 Tim 4:2)

What happens when the wife is not submissive, obedient and respectful to her husband? (Titus 2:5, Esther 1:18, Mark 3:25)

Must the wife actually obey her husband? Does submission really imply obedience? (Titus 2:5, 1 Peter 3:6) Under what conditions?

Should a wife ever deliberately sin in order to please her husband?
(Acts 5:1-9)

How does Jesus Christ deal with disobedience in the church? (Rev 3:19a) How should the church respond? (Rev 3:19b) How should a wife respond to correction from her husband? (1 Peter 3:2-5)

Where should a wife first look for counsel and instruction? (1 Cor 14:35)

How should wives additionally encourage each other in this regard?
(Titus 2:3-5)

How should a wife address her husband? (1 Peter 3:6)

How should a wife converse with her husband? Is this consistent with reverence?

Mary is asleep. Don't wake her up.	Just so you know, Mary was asleep last time I checked.
Take those out of the bag. Don't leave them in there.	There is frozen food still in the bag. Would you like me to take care of it?
Turn your head when you are talking to me; you have bad breath.	Would it be OK if I step back a little? Your breath smells bad to me right now.
Go ahead and get it now. I don't have time to keep running back to the store.	If you purchase it now, I think it might save some time later.
Don't chew with your mouth open!	(Father, please remind him...)
Honey, its time for you to clean out that garbage can for me again. It's disgusting!	My lord, I think the garbage can needs cleaning again. I really don't like doing it, but I am more than willing to do it for you if you wish. Would you like me to?
Don't boss me around like that!	Yes, Sir. I'll have it done shortly. Is there anything else you'd like me to do?