Reply To: Principles Of Marriage And Family Discussion Board

[Pchris]

MY REPLY TO PAUL
I totally agree with your point that a wife’s status as a believer is not suspended in her marriage relationship with her husband.
Love in the biblical sense is never gender exclusive, Paul himself affirms in Romans 12:10 ” Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves”. This verse applies to all believers and certainly to spouses. The Greek word “agape” the unconditional love God shows us is not gender based .
If husbands are to love with agape and wives are not expected to love back , then the picture of Christian marriage becomes distorted and imbalanced.
A theological analysis of the Trinity also offers a unique perspective, the relationship between Father , Son and Holy Spirit is one of mutual submission , honor , love and not inequality.
Marriage which Apostle Paul likens to the relationship between Christ and the Church in (Ephesians 5:32) is to reflect this divine harmony , not domination or emotional detachment.
Therefore, does Paul mean that wives are not supposed to love their husbands?
Absolutely not, rather his choice to emphasize submission for wives and love for husbands reflects a strategic correction of cultural dysfunctions not a full exclusion of reciprocal duties .
Apostle Paul is not assigning love only to husbands and limiting submission only to wives, his teaching is a call for complementary devotion where love and submission intertwine to form a union that mirrors Christ and the Church.
Lastly, I will like to state that love is the atmosphere which submission can thrive. A wife who loves will naturally submit joyfully , not out of fear but out of reverence for Christ ( Ephesians 5:21).
A husband who loves will lead not with domination but with service and self- sacrifice.
If we extract Paul’s teachings from the cage of cultural literalism and interpret them through the lens of the gospel, we will find a powerful, timeless model of marital love ( mutual, sacrificial and Christ centered).