Key to Life

The subject for this Key to Life is too extensive for a single KTL Article and so we will split it into two sections. One this time and the remainder for next.

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. {23} For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. {24} Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. {25} Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her," Ephesians 5:22-25

This passage talks about two rolls. The headship of the husband and the submission of the wife. We start with the concept of headship. Scripture states that the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is head of the church.

This is not voluntary, the husband is given this responsibility by God and he will have to stand before God in the day of judgement and give an account of the execution of this responsibility. Husbands and fathers, it is a grave responsibility, it is a God ordained obligation. You owe it to your wife and children to be the very best in your roll as the leader of the family.

If we examine the idea of headship here we will find several concepts that are not that evident with a cursory examination: leadership and authority, servanthood, sacrifice, priesthood, and love.

Lets begin with a discussion of leadership. There is in the ideal of leadership ideas of caring for those who are lead and sound, considered thought in the process of decision making. Leadership looks for input from as many sources as possible to insure that every possible angle is considered. Consideration is given to the needs and desires of those who will be affected by the decision. Then the leader weighs the evidence, considers all the input and makes the best decision possible. In any partnership there must be one who is the leader. God has ordained this to be the husband and father. The authority is God given. Those who refuse to recognize that authority will be accountable to God.

The next concept in headship seems out of place, but, I hope to point out that it is right where it belongs, Servanthood. Jesus in Mark 9:35 tells His disciples,"If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Then in Mark 10:45 Jesus told His disciples, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

The husband is to be to the wife, what Jesus is to the church and since Jesus says he came to serve, the husband is to be the servant to his wife and family. Headship means being a servant. Think about the scene at the last supper, Jesus set aside his dignity and took the roll of a servant, washing the disciples’ feet. The husband is to be the servant, the foot washer of his family.

The next concept in headship is Sacrifice. Verse 25 of Ephesians 5 says that Jesus gave Himself for the church, so the husband is to sacrifice much of himself for his wife and family. In my studies I have found that a man often sacrifices a great deal when he marries: Many of his dreams, some of his friends, he may give up his dream job to take one that pays more to insure the survival of the family, he may turn down a promotion because he knows that it would mean uprooting the family, and he will sacrifice much of his privacy.

He must also be ready as Jesus was to offer his life for the life of his wife and family. This is a reality today, many men are success driven because of their family and often fall victim to killing or debilitating conditions because of it. This is only the first installment of this subject. We have more to go.