Ephesians 5 provides instructions on how God has structured the family unit and how they are called to interact. One way to do this is for the husband to lead his wife (23) and the wife to submit to her husband (22).

The husband is not to lead in an authoritarian way but sacrificially and lovingly (25). She is to follow him as he follows Christ. One exception is if he leads her away from Christ (22). 

This passage does not intend to teach that the wife has no opinion or say about their life. I Peter 3:7 tells us that a husband is to listen in an understanding way to his wife. The main point of Ephesians 5 is that at the end of the day, the buck stops with him. Here are five practical ways a wife can submit to her husband’s lead.

#1 Defer to his knowledge in a situation. We have already covered that this does not mean she has no opinion. A leader should always think through an entire situation. In the end, someone may have to make a final decision.

#2 Prioritize what he wants you to prioritize. This does not mean a wife gets marching orders from the husband every day. But sometimes, there is only enough time to do some of your to-do lists. Sometimes, a husband, as the household leader, may say, “I think x is more important than y this week.” Take his lead on this.

#3 Do not nag. With leadership comes stress. He may need to be reminded about things, but sometimes he cannot get it all done. 

#4 Where there is disagreement, go with his decision. There are times when there should be few and far between if both husband and wife follow Christ, when there may be disagreement about a subject after much prayer and discussion. If so, the wife should let the husband decide at the end of the day. As the leader, he is the tie-breaker.

#5 Don’t rub it in his face when his decision turns out poorly. Sometimes, he makes the tie-breaking decision and will make the wrong decision. He is only human. If this is the case, don’t flaunt that to him.

For women who may say, “Tim, it’s easy for you to say these things if you are a man,” I had my wife make this list while listening to her. 

Think About It

As a wife, do you let your husband lead?

Do you submit to his leadership?

Do you do it out of obligation for God or the joy of the Lord?

Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes  or Googleplay.