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Let Your Women Keep Silence!
PART 4
Table of Contents
PART 1
IN THE BEGINNING
THE OLD TESTAMENT VIEW OF WOMEN
HAS GOD EVER EMPOWERED WOMEN?
A PROPHETESS IN ISREALPART 2
DEBORAH ARISES IN ISREAL!
THE UNHERALDED PROPHETESS
THE WOMAN WHO CHANGED HITORY
MORE OF GOD’S LEADING LADIESPART 3
THE ROLES WOMEN PLAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
MARY’S EXEMPLARY ROLE
A WOMAN SPEAKS OUT
THE ACID TEST-CHRIST’S ATTITUDE TOWARD WOMEN
THE PENTECOST EXPERIENCE—NOT FOR MEN ONLY!
I SUFFER NOT A WOMAN!PART 4
ROMANS 16—WHY SO MANY WOMEN?
DID WOMEN PROPHECY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?
ARE THERE SEPARATE GIFTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN?
THE ISSUE OF SUBMISSIONPART 5
THE DIFFICULT WORDS OF PAUL
1 CORINTHIANS 14:34-35—WHAT DID PAUL REALLY MEAN?
I TIMOTHY 2:11-15—MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!
THE FINAL ANALYSIS
ROMANS 16—WHY SO MANY WOMEN?
The 16th chapter of Romans is somewhat unusual in that it contains greetings from Paul to nearly 30 individuals by name, giving us additional insight into some of the people that were deeply involved in the first-century assemblies and the work of the apostle Paul. Right from the beginning of this chapter we read first about a woman–a woman name Phebe from the church at Cenchrea. Paul writes:
“I commend unto you Phebe our sister, who is a SERVANT of the church which is at Cenchrea: that you receive her in the Lord, as become saints; and that you ASSIST HER in whatsoever BUSINESS she has need of you: for she has been a SUCCORER of many, and of myself also” (Rom. 16:1-2).
These are some awfully fine words that Paul is penning as he begins the final portion of his letter to the Romans. Interestingly, of all those to whom he sends personal greetings, the first one is a woman. And quite obviously not just any woman!
Phebe is clearly someone that Paul knows well, highly admires, and even more highly approves. When he says that he “commends” Phebe, he is paying her a significant tribute, since in the Greek the word has the meaning of standing with or beside. In other words, he is telling the church at Rome that Phebe is not just a female believer he happened to have met. He is saying to the brethren that Phebe is someone special, someone who stands with him in the work of the gospel.
He doesn’t stop there, but continues to describe her function, calling her a “servant of the church.” We could simply read over this word or the whole verse, but it will pay us dividends in understanding if we take a moment to realize that the Greek word employed in this case is diakonos. You might be interested to know that this particular term is found 31 times in the New Testament, and is translated servant only 8 times. It is far more often rendered as the English word minister, and is used a few times for the term deacon.
Now I am aware that the term minister has a special meaning to most believers. On the other hand, the word servant has much less stature, and yet here we see that the same Greek word can be understood by either term. In fact, Paul uses this same word in Colossians 1, where he says:
“If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; where I Paul am made a MINISTER (Gk. diakonos). Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you...in my flesh for His (Christ’s) body’s sake, which is the church: where I am made a MINISTER (Gk. diakonos), according to the dispensation of God” (Col. 1:23-25).
Paul could easily have chosen another word to describe Phebe if that had been his intention, but instead he called her by the identical term which he used to refer to himself. Now I ask you, had you rather be a minister like Paul, or a servant like Phebe? There is no doubt that in the past, many, particularly men, would say without hesitation that they preferred the term minister. This, of course, is a by-product of our past religious associations where ministers were considered a special elite class separate from the so-called laity. Very few people in times past truly connected a minister with a servant. A minister would almost always have been considered occupying a higher position in the church than a servant, and yet we see that Paul uses the very same term to describe both Phebe and himself.
Going back to the question just posed, let’s pretend that you chose minister over servant. If so, then that raises yet another question. Would you rather be a minister like Paul, or a servant like the Messiah referred to in Matthew 23, when He said:
“But be you not called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Messiah; and all you are brethren...neither be you called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is GREATEST among you shall be your SERVANT (Gk. diakonos)” (Matt. 23:8-11).
I think that you can see where I’m coming from. There is, of course, no difference. In fact, the term diakonos, even though it may be translated minister or servant, almost always means, when used in the New Testament, a Christian teacher or pastor. Can we therefore deduce that Phebe may well have been involved in more than just waiting on tables in her service or ministry? Most assuredly we can! Phebe was not a housekeeper for the church. She was involved at a much higher, more responsible level. In fact, the Romans 16 passage where she is mentioned by Paul makes it perfectly clear that she was on some kind of mission on behalf of the church, for the apostle himself instructs the Roman brethren to welcome her and give her all the assistance that she requires.
He then states that she has been, as the King James Version puts it, a succorer of many, including Paul. What exactly does this statement mean? The Greek word utilized in this instance is prostatis, and significantly, it is only used once in the entire New Testament. It means a patroness or protectress. It is derived from the term which means to stand before, i.e. (in rank) to preside, maintain, be over, and rule. Now I do not wish to take any part of the Bible out of context, or give a word or passage a meaning that it simply doesn’t have, but such is simply not the case with respect to this term.
It would therefore seem quite likely that Phebe, a woman, was indeed a key leader of the assembly at Cenchrea, and furthermore that she on occasion traveled great distances to take care of business having to do with the churches under Paul’s care. It is thought that Phebe probably took the epistle to the Romans to the brethren in that part of the world. Paul instructs the Romans then to help her in other church business that is on her agenda. This indicates that Phebe was a person of high respect and responsibility among the early believers.
With respect to the list of names in Romans 16, it is interesting to note that a number of them are women. In a typical man’s world, it would seem quite unlikely that a very high ranking church official would, in writing a letter to one of the assemblies under his supervision, mention almost as many women as men by name, saluting and praising them all. And yet this is precisely what the apostle Paul did. Why? The answer is simple, if it can be accepted. The fact is that women formed a major force in Paul’s widely scattered ministry. They traveled with him, were sent on missions by him, hosted churches in their homes (Acts 12:12—Mary the mother of John Mark; Acts 16:40—Lydia; I Cor. 1:11—Chloe; Acts 16:9—Priscilla; Col. 4:15—Nymphas; II Jn. 1;1—the elect lady), served as teachers, and labored side-by-side with the apostle in the preaching of the gospel and all that such an endeavor would require. It would be safe to say that Paul was very comfortable with women serving in the churches, and did not consider them to be second-class citizens as did most men of that era.
In addition to these individuals already mentioned, notice what is said in Romans 16:7:
“Salute Andronicus and JUNIA, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who ARE OF NOTE AMONG THE APOSTLES, who also were in Christ before me.”
The proper name Junia is feminine, and can only be therefore referring to a woman. Some have tried, howbeit unsuccessfully, to argue that this must be a man’s name, and yet no trace whatsoever can be found in any of the ancient texts where this name applied to anyone except a woman–never a man. What then is the significance involved? Paul tells us that both Andronicus and Junia were “of note among the apostles.” What can this statement mean? S. F. Hunter, writing in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, states:
“This may mean that they were well known to the apostolic circle or distinguished as apostles. The LATTER is probably correct” (ISBE, Vol. II, p. 1166).
One at least must entertain the possibility that in the early first century Church there may well have been female apostles. This, of course, does not mean that they were considered apostles in the same sense as the original Twelve. In fact, no one else could be equally compared to them in this regard. It most likely does not mean that they were considered apostles in the same way Paul or James were viewed either. In the first-century, the term apostle could be applied to one who was sent on a mission, although it is true that the term is used far more to describe a delegate or ambassador of the gospel, a commissioner of Christ. Nevertheless, the use of the word brought with it a very special designation within the early Church, and in the case of Junia, it was applied to a woman. We really ought to get accustomed to the fact that the chances are great there were a number of female apostles during the early Church era, taking care of various responsibilities, depending upon their particular calling, gift, ability, means, and opportunity.
DID WOMEN PROPHESY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?
As you know, we have already encountered a number of female prophets or prophetesses during the Old Testament historical period. Undoubtedly there were more than those mentioned by name. But what about the New Testament era. After all, didn’t the notion of prophecy wane with the coming of the Messiah? Isn’t that what most professing Christians tend to believe?
First of all, we have already met at least two prophetesses early on in the New Testament record. First, there was Mary the mother of Yahshua herself, and then there was Anna, the elder woman who spent her time in the Temple worshiping the Almighty, and, from time to time, speaking the inspired word of the Lord to His people in Jerusalem. So the idea that there could be woman prophets after the time of Christ is already firmly established.
Just as there were prophetesses in the New Testament times, so were there male prophets. One we know by name is Agabus, whom we meet in Acts 21. He predicted a widespread famine, as well as Paul’s impending imprisonment in Jerusalem. In addition, we know there were certain prophets at Antioch when Paul and Barnabus were separated by the Holy Spirit for their missionary journey (Acts 13:1). It is also stated that Judas and Silas were prophets in Acts 15. Undoubtedly there were others whose names are lost to history.
On Paul’s voyage to Jerusalem at the conclusion of his third missionary journey, we read the following passage containing a verse of immense importance with regard to our current study. In Acts 21, we read:
“And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we come to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had FOUR DAUGHTERS WHICH DID PROPHESY” (Acts 21:7-9).
Imagine that! Philip, who was already well known as one of the seven deacons ordained in Acts 6, and who went on to baptize the Ethiopian eunuch, and take the gospel to Samaria, where the well known encounter with the infamous Simon the Sorcerer transpired, had not one, not two, but four daughters, all of whom PROPHESIED!! Now surely there must be a mistake in the text. Surely it must have meant to say that Philip had four sons who prophesied! But, alas, for all of those dominant males in the Body, the text as read is correct.
Here are four women who not only prophesied, but were known as prophetesses, meaning they were recognized with this gift of the Spirit. In fact, the four daughters of Philip became quite well known throughout that region, and are even mentioned in certain non-Biblical literature, namely in the writings of Papias, a follower and companion of the apostle John. The more we learn, the more we see that God used women as prophetesses during the early New Testament times even as He did in the earlier eras of Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah.
ARE THERE SEPARATE GIFTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN?
The Bible speaks about certain gifts or manifestations of the Spirit. We read about them extensively in Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12-14. Paul teaches in Romans 12:
“For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): so we (believers), being many, are one body in Christ, and EVERY ONE members one of another. Having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy...or ministry...or teaching” (Rom. 12:4-8).
When the apostle states that our physical bodies are made up of many members, he obviously means to include every single part, not just a few. In like manner, when he subsequently says that we believers are also many, yet all of one Body, he also means every single member of the Body of Christ, men and women. No one would seriously debate otherwise.
That being
the case, therefore, it is abundantly clear that ALL
members of the Body or the Church, if you prefer, have been given a gift
or gifts of the Spirit. No one has been overlooked or left empty. ALL
are gifted in one way or another, and the specific gift or gifts any one
of us possesses is determined, not by men, but by the Almighty Himself.
In addition, there is absolutely nothing in this passage that separates
the various gifts along the lines of gender. No particular gift is tailor-made
for a man, and another specially for a woman. Who receives what is decided
by God in heaven, not by religious leaders here on earth!
We observe this fact even more clearly when we read I Corinthians 12,
where Paul states:
“Now there are diversities of gifts (divine endowments), but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations (acts of service), but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations (activities affecting others), but it is the same God who works ALL IN ALL. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these work that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to EVERY ONE individually as He will” (I Cor. 12:4-11).
Verse 7 in the above passage is better rendered in almost any other translation you might choose. The New Living Translation puts it this way:
“A spiritual gift is given to EACH OF US as a means of helping the entire church.”
Of course, the idea Paul is getting across here is that every single true believer who has the Holy Spirit will, according to the wisdom and choice of Yahweh, manifest a special quality and ability of that Spirit in which they will excel. There is absolutely no instruction here or any other place in the entire Scriptures that specifies men have different gifts than women. It is simply a given that the gifts are distributed throughout the Body of Messiah without regard to gender or any other human distinction. To believe or assume otherwise is simply to operate outside the Bible and outside the power of the Holy Spirit!
Although there are very, very few Biblical guidelines to precisely how each gift is to be utilized, there are some. For instance, Paul writes in Romans 12 the following:
“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches on teaching: or he that exhorts on exhortation: he that gives let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:6-8).
With regard to the gifts of prophecy, tongues, and interpretation of tongues, there is some additional teaching provided in a couple of passages among Paul’s writings. In I Corinthians 14, for instance, he stresses the importance of prophesying in the church by saying:
“Follow after love, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may PROPHESY...He that prophesies speaks unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort...I would that you ALL spoke with tongues, but rather that you (ALL) PROPHESY...If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that you are mad? But if ALL PROPHESY, and there come in one that believes not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth” (I Cor. 14:1, 3, 5, 23-25).
Paul makes it quite plain in this epistle that not every single believer will have the same gift. He even asks the rhetorical questions:
“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” (I Cor. 12:29-30).
The obvious answer to each of these questions is no, of course not. We clearly understand that not every member of every assembly will be a prophet or a worker of miracles. It is interesting, however, that Paul states his personal wish that all members might have the gift of tongues, but even more so, the gift of prophecy, even though he knows for a fact that all do not possess these particular manifestations of the Spirit. Again, in all of this teaching, there is not even a hint of anything being based on one’s gender. Men and women alike are being addressed, and are being included in Paul’s comments.
Since prophecy is indeed held in such high esteem by Paul, it would stand to reason that there might be a bit more information in his letters on this subject, and that is indeed what we find in the 11th chapter of I Corinthians. Note the following instruction:
“Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you...Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every WOMAN that PRAYS OR PROPHESIES with her head uncovered dishonors her head” (I Cor. 11:2, 4-5).
Although the subject here is centered on head coverings, we still are clearly informed by Paul that both men and women would be praying and PROPHESYING. He even has specific and different rules, one of which applies to a man praying or prophesying, and one regarding a woman praying or prophesying. And no one need spend any time wondering if Paul is referring to a situation in a formal assembly or merely a private conversation with the Almighty! Clearly such instructions concerning the issue of prophesying could only apply to group circumstances. Under normal conditions, no one just prophesies to himself or to the bare wall of a private prayer closet! Of course, this is in reference to a public usage of the gift of prophecy. That is precisely why the gifts of the Spirit are indeed given–that they might enhance and profit the entire assembly, as we have previously established from the Scriptures. It is more than safe to conclude, therefore, that the apostle Paul allowed and expected men and women to pray openly, and he permitted and encouraged men and women to prophesy, all, of course, according to the measure of faith and grace given to each one in such a matter, and always in a decent and orderly manner.
THE ISSUE OF SUBMISSION
There could be no completely thorough discussion of this whole subject without some comment on the Biblical teaching with regard to submission. All of us, as believers, ought to know that we are to submit to the Almighty, and to the Messiah as our Lord and Master. If this is a problem with anyone, it is a serious one indeed, and needs to be taken up with God one-on-one. But are there other forms of submission of which we need to be aware? The answer, of course, is absolutely yes!
Aside from submitting to the divine Father and Son, the next most important type of submission is clearly stated by Paul in Ephesians 5:20-21 as follows:
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; SUBMITTING YOURSELVES ONE TO ANOTHER in the fear of God.”
MUTUAL SUBMISSION is the command and expectation that God has for His children. It is true in marriage, and it is true as brethren within the Church. Peter confirms this fact by saying:
“Yea, ALL OF YOU BE SUBJECT ONE TO ANOTHER, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble” (I Pet. 5:5).
Many believers have been totally misled as to what Paul really is saying in Ephesians 5 with regard to the relationship between a husband and wife. This passage is often used to establish male domination of the Church, a concept that is totally foreign to the Scriptures. Paul writes:
“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church: and He is the savior of the body....Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it...so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies” (Eph. 5:21-23, 25, 28).
The first and foremost point to remember on this subject is that God did not create two human entities, one superior, one inferior. Secondly, this passage, nor any other Biblical statement on the subject, teaches that women are to be subordinate to men. Most people casually and wrongly assume that subordination or subservience and submission are the same, when, in fact, they are not.
The Scriptures indeed teach submission on several levels, but never subordination one toward another. Since there is no intrinsic superiority in either the male or female, submission is therefore a voluntary putting of oneself under another. So let’s apply the principle to Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 5.
The single most important aspect of the discussion is found in the very initial statement which says: “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:21). This is how it begins, and it is frankly rare to find people who will actually do what this verse commands. Do we not understand that a people, whether a married couple, a small assembly, or the entire Body of Messiah, who voluntarily submit themselves one to another, should have no difficulty whatsoever in comprehending and applying the remaining instructions of Paul in Ephesians 5? The main problem in this regard is that MUTUAL SUBMISSION is really not in place in most people’s lives. Mutual submission is a mind-set, an attitude of heart, of true humility on a personal level, of true love on a wider level, and of obedience to the Almighty on the highest level. Mutual submission puts everything else in a different perspective. It affects how one thinks and acts with respect to other aspects of truth.
So, Paul begins his discourse on the roles of husband and wife in Ephesians 5 with the requisite teaching that both the man and the woman should be mutually submissive one to another. In saying this, he has established the foundation upon which he builds the remainder of his discussion.
Then he proceeds to expound on how the husband and the wife fit into the mutual submission format. First, wives are to respect their husbands, and submit themselves to them as unto the Lord. When one subjects himself unto the Lord, does that strip away his brain, does he suddenly lose his ability to think, reason, study, understand, and wisely apply knowledge? Does submission unto the Lord mean that one can no longer make informed decisions, or significantly contribute to anything of true importance, or merely become a shrinking violent? Of course not! Submission unto the Lord is a beautiful concept denoting love, honor, respect, and devotion, all qualities that every wife should have for her husband. There is nothing in this command that should cause us to think that a superior/inferior relationship is being discussed or should ever exist among believers.
Paul’s advice for men in Ephesians is a bit longer, but just as meaningful and really has just as much to do with submission as the instructions for the wives. It is just that the wording is different, and unless we are careful the passage will lead us to assume that male superiority is what is being espoused.
Remember that the overall subject is mutual submission. For the husband, Paul recommends the following:
“Husbands, love your wives, EVEN AS Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That He might present it to Himself a glorious church...So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies...For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord the church” (Eph. 5:25-29).
Believe it or not, these verses actually teach a kind of submission on the part of husbands toward their wives. How? Because Paul is very careful to put this passage in the context of the Messiah’s love and willing sacrifice for the saints. Note that he states that Christ “gave Himself for it.” Can we even begin to imagine the magnitude of what this means? Interestingly, a single verse comes to mind in this regard. It is taken from the episode when Yahshua was in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before He was to “give Himself” for the world. In Matthew 26, we read:
“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death...And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will...He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, Your will be done” (Matt. 26:38-39, 42).
I would suggest to you, whether man or woman, that this was perhaps the single greatest act of submission on the part of any human being in all of history! And this is the precise model that Paul is using to show husbands how they are to relate to their wives. Although not generally explained this way, I believe that Paul’s teaching in this case, whether for the wife or the husband, is still a part of the overall principle of mutual submission, which is the Biblical instruction for every single one of us in the faith, whether married, engaged, single, divorced, widowed, celibate, male or female. The problem is that we have been programmed to immediately associate submission with weakness, with lowliness of position, as a sign of less authority, less ability, and less worth. On the other hand, we have also been misled into quickly assuming that being the head automatically means being in charge, having great authority, being above all others, greater than, more capable than, more worthy than all others involved, whatever the situation may be.
Obviously there are roles to be played out in a marriage relationship, and no one should wish to alter or abolish those. But God simply has not created men superior and women inferior, nor does He expect that service one to another in marriage, or service to the brethren, or service to unbelievers, or indeed, service to Him in any way, be based on the issue of gender! The principle of mutual submission rules out someone being greater than, more powerful than, or ruling over someone else. The Almighty does not expect that a husband should lord it over his wife. Such conduct would be anathema to Him, and should be for every one of us. He does not view a husband as a ruler and a wife as a serf! It is we humans who have had our minds twisted by male-dominated churches that think in such terms. In fact, for many it is almost impossible to think in any other way.
Now we must investigate another passage of Scripture that so many have stumbled over. It is found in I Corinthians 11:3 and reads as follows:
“But I would have you know, that the HEAD of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”
As is the case in a number of particular verses, this one can so easily be misunderstood, the reader merely assuming he or she knows what Paul is really saying here. The operative word in the passage is, of course, head. The vast majority of believers would, upon hearing that word, almost invariably think in terms of rulership, and even that concept would be strictly from a human point of view, much of which would be erroneous in its own right!
The fact is the use of the word head in this passage concerns not who’s in charge or who makes the rules, but rather in terms of the head as giver of life! Woman was taken from man, and thus from the beginning, he was her head, just as in the incarnation, the Father gave life to the Messiah (Lk. 1:35). What we all ought to do is start getting used to the concept of head in this regard as being a servant-provider, which also just happens to fit in perfectly with the immediate context itself, which deals with the significance of origination (I Cor. 11:7-12). And it is in this passage that the apostle Paul makes one of his most definitive statements with regard to how we are supposed to view the
issue of male and female. In I Corinthians 11, Paul writes:
“For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man...Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither is the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman, but all things are of God” (I Cor. 11:8-9, 11-12).
I doubt that the principle could possibly be put any better than Paul’s statement to the Corinthians. The meaning of the head as servant-provider is also precisely in step with the passage in Ephesians 5 that we discussed earlier. There, the Church is described as being subject to Yahshua in the reciprocity of servanthood, because the Messiah, as head, is also servant to the Church as its Savior, and as the source of its welfare. Being the Savior is not primarily concerned with rulership and occupying a position over others, but rather with self-sacrifice and the ultimate in servanthood.
In like manner, the wife is servant to her husband as she submits to him, because the husband is servant to her in radical headship, as he gives himself up for her as Christ did for the Church. This reduces the imposition of hierarchical relations between husbands and wives to irrelevance, and completely fulfils the great overriding principle of mutual submission. It is the only way that a marriage will be fully successful, and the only way that a local assembly or the entire Body, for that matter, can work harmoniously and fruitfully in service to Yahweh.
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