Excuses and Exceptions
Filed under {!-- ra:000000001eb278ce000000003a7be9d9 --}{if 'Excuses and Exceptions' == '52home' && category_name == '52home'} Marriage {if:else} Marriage {/if}Some of you might be asking, “I want to be a gospel wife. I agree with what Scripture says about the responsibility of a bride—for other women. But what about my case? Does God really expect me to submit to my husband?”
“My husband is lazy and inconsiderate.”
“My husband spends all his free time watching ESPN.”
“My husband is irresponsible with the finances.”
“My husband never helps with the children.”
“My husband doesn’t lead our family well.”
“My husband isn’t a Christian.”
Not surprisingly, Scripture anticipates that question. While it does not fail to offer hope to women in difficult marriages, 1 Peter 3:1 clearly stipulates that wives are to submit to their husbands “even if some do not obey the word.” Unless a moral issue is at stake, we are obliged by Scripture to submit to our husbands. As Elisabeth Elliot bluntly puts it, God’s Word does not “give us any footnotes.”
Of course, we must never follow our husbands’ leadership into sin. For while their leadership is genuine, it is by no means absolute. Our preeminent authority is God Himself, and a no time should our submission violate any of His expressed commands (Acts 5:29).
And neither do we ignore our husbands’ sin or its potential consequences for our families. We’ll talk more about what a gospel wife’s submission looks like in every day life when we continue our series.
(adapted from Feminine Appeal)