Meg Logan’s Blog

This is an answer to some of the questions that Ann had regarding my last post. You can read her post regarding this issue at her site Everyday In Grace. (For the record, the comments are semi-inaccessible because of serious pornographic spam, and I just had to shut them down till I can get a grip on the spam.)

Ann,

It seems to me that the reason you are concerned with my decision is because of fear. You are concerned that I might follow my husband into heresy, or something horrible. And you are concerned with what this might mean for you, and other women in your position. I am not afraid. Here are the two parts of scripture that I think are very important in this case.

First:1 Peter 3:1-6

Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.”

Second: Daniel 3:14-40. I won’t quote that whole thing here. Just what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said to the King when he asked them why they didn’t bow down and worship the golden image of the king.

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

The first section is important because it addresses four things.
1: Even when your husband is not saved you should submit to him.
2: A husband who is not saved may be won by the woman’s “chaste conversation” and that word “conversation[391]” means ” manner of life, conduct, behaviour, deportment” (according to Strong’s).
3:The woman who trusts in God will not be afraid to submit to her husband (even when he is not saved).
4:Submission can extend into doing “wrong”. (The Word holds up Sarah here as a woman to model our submission after. Sarah lied twice out of submission to her husband. We all agree that lying is wrong.)

The second section is important for these two reasons.
1: We see when it is appropriate to disobey. (When to obey would mean forsaking the Lord.)
2: These young men were not afraid, regardless of whether the Lord rescued them or not.

OK, let’s go line by line here for a second. Part one: I already explained the word “conversation” but I need to talk about the word “fear” found in verse 1 Pet 3:2 “[coupled] with fear[5401]” means: 1 fear, dread, terror (a) that which strikes terror and 2. reverence for one’s husband. So the person this fear is directed to is the husband, and it is fair to interpret it as reverence for him. Then later it says in 1 Pet 3:6 “…not afraid with any amazement.” And this word “afraid” is found to mean: put to flight with terror. So I think (after about two hours of contemplating) it could read most soundly like this :be in submission to your own husbands, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him lord (master); whose daughters ye are (meaning inheritors of the promise), as long as ye do well (being good help meets) and are not put to flight with terror, (meaning leaving him due to fear). Now I think it says this because the Lord is the one we are to fear. He told us in no uncertain terms to submit ourselves to our husbands, even those husbands who are not saved, even to the point of lying, and we can do this without fear, for He will either choose to protect us as He did Sarah, and Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego, or not, according to His good pleasure, to bring glory unto Himself.

To sum up. I submit to my husband out of fear of the Lord, I follow my husband’s leading in every area (as best as I know how, and I am continually growing in this way). As for those women who are not so blessed as to be married to a Christian man who seeks the Lord with all his heart (as my man does), well, they are ALSO to submit to their husbands. My husband most certainly isn’t perfect. But it is not my role to be his Holy Spirit. It is my role to serve and submit, “in everything”. (I don’t see how that can be interpreted to mean “everything except…” outside of denying Christ.) I choose to give up women’s bible study, but I am not forsaking God, I am not denying Christ, and I have no fear that my husband will walk into heresy. Of course there is always that chance, but I choose to put my trust in the Lord, and take it one step at a time. Were I to be lead into heresy, I would never deny Christ, I would seek the Lord as to how to proceed in that situation.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 at 3:16 pm and is filed under Recent. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.