What is the meaning of Colossians 3:18? Wives • In Scripture, marriage begins with God’s design: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). • God describes a wife as a partner of strength and dignity (Proverbs 31:10–12). • Being addressed first underscores a wife’s unique, God-given role. She matters to the Lord and to the health of the home (1 Peter 3:7). • The call is personal. Each wife answers directly to her Savior for how she walks out this verse (Romans 14:12). submit to your husbands • Submission is a willing choice to honor her husband’s God-ordained headship (1 Corinthians 11:3). • It mirrors the church’s posture toward Christ: “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22–24). • What it looks like: – Respecting his leadership decisions and contributing wisdom (Proverbs 31:26). – Encouraging him with words that build, not belittle (Ephesians 4:29). – Joining him in prayer and spiritual growth (1 Peter 3:1–2). • What it is not: – Blind obedience to sin (Acts 5:29). – Inferiority; both husband and wife are “heirs together of the gracious gift of life” (1 Peter 3:7). – Silence of gifts or personality; her strengths enrich the marriage (Proverbs 31:20–21). as is fitting in the Lord • “Fitting” roots the command in Christ’s lordship. The wife’s first allegiance is to Jesus (Colossians 3:17). • Her attitude flows from reverence for Him: “Submit… out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). • Limits are clear: if a husband asks for what Christ forbids, loyalty to Christ prevails (Matthew 10:37; Acts 5:29). • When lived out, the marriage becomes a living picture of the gospel—Christ’s self-giving love and the church’s trusting response (Ephesians 5:25–27). summary Colossians 3:18 calls wives to voluntarily align themselves under their husbands’ leadership, not as an act of inferiority but of devotion to Christ. This submission is thoughtful, respectful, and bounded by obedience to the Lord. Lived biblically, it honors God, strengthens marriages, and testifies to the watching world of the beauty of Christ and His church. |
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