18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Nowhere else can we find the best counsels for family life other than in God’s Word. God, Creator of man and woman, has provided His perfect wisdom for His people to enjoy peace and happiness in their domestic life. Through the apostle Paul, the Lord has provided specific advice for Christians on how each family member ought to carry out his / her role in the home.
The God-given role of a Christian wife is mentioned first. The wife, who conscientiously carries out her responsibilities in her home, will be a woman of honour and praise in the eyes of her husband and children, as well as before all who are acquainted with her family. To her own daughters and many younger women in the church, she will be a pattern to emulate. Proverbs 31:28-29 declares in no uncertain terms, “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.”
The Christian wife’s duty is to be submissive to her own husband. The word “submit” denotes “to subject or be subordinate”. Her submissive conduct is demanded by the Lord because He has appointed the husband to be the “head” or the leader of the household. This divine command to the wives is repeated several times in the New Testament (see Ephesians 5:22; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1). This divine call to conduct themselves submissively is unambiguous, which should not be taken lightly. In Ephesians 5:24, Christian wives are exhorted thus: “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”
The submission of Christian wives to their husbands must be voluntary, for it is said, “Wives, submit yourselves”. When their hearts are engaged, submission to their own husbands will be a pleasure and honour. When wives joyfully submit to their husbands, they shall enjoy the satisfaction and joy that God has purposed for them in their home life.
As far as human relationship is concerned, a Christian woman’s first duty is to her husband, for wives are told to submit “unto your own husbands”. She is created and assigned by God to be her husband’s “help meet” (Genesis 2:18). Unfortunately, many Christian women respect and submit to their bosses more than their husbands, busily serving others’ businesses instead of their own homes. What is most fitting in the Lord is that every Christian wife submit joyfully and willingly to her husband.