This gentleman took I Corinthians out of context. When it comes to authority over your body it means intimately in marriage. He also has wrong with regards to mutual submission. Submission in this context means submitting to each other's needs - he is insinuating submitting to each other's authority. Notice that he NEVER mentions Genesis 3:16 where it states that a husband shall rule over his wife. He conveniently leaves that part out. It appears that he's being safe and trying to avoid offending anyone with his soft explanation by not quoting all relevant scripture, which is sad.
@@dennisallende7214 Hi Dennis, thank you for your comment. This 5 minute video is meant to introduce two different approaches that people may take with the passage. It is not an exhaustive study on the topic, which would be difficult to do in only 5 minutes. There are many more passages that the different approaches each use to back up their claim. It is up to the interpreter to try to discern which is the most consistent with the Bible as a whole. In the end as Christians we should continue to love and honor those, even who hold a different view on this topic from our own. Blessings!
@@robertbrownjr.3802 We fully agree with you, that the Bible is not like modern art, where anyone is free to interpret as he/she wishes. The Bible teaches what is truth, and we are not free to merely choose which interpretation we like best and go with that. However, sometimes we encounter difficult passages where the proper interpretation may not be as clear. A number of people see this passage as one of those. In these cases we have to try our best to allow other passages of scripture to help us understand what was intended. Everyone must weigh the evidence, and decide for themselves which interpretation is the most consistent with Scripture. This does not mean however, that both approaches to a passage like this are correct. With this passage the discussion amongst Christians with a sincere desire to interpret the Bible accurately is still ongoing. Blessings!
I love this! You use great evidence from the Bible! I totally agree. Most videos I see on this topic give into sexist ideas and are NOT what Christ wanted. Favoriting this video now.
That's about sex, not mutual authority. The other is about mutual service between believers in the body of Christ and not about husbands and wives or else you'd have to also apply it to parents and children.
question: So when you and your wife cannot come to a decision ultimately God has called you to show some leader ship and make that decision for your family correct?
This is a good question, and one without a clear answer laid out in Scripture. Some Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians would agree with that statement, while other Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians would say that in a situation like this it does not defer to the husband, but should be deferred to the spouse best qualified to make the decision, or perhaps to trusted outside counsel. Ultimately what I think does not matter in this issue, but our challenge is to seek out what God thinks though His Word. To do that we need to first identify and then try to lay aside our own biases in this issue. After that we need to try to gain a contextual understanding of all that the Bible says regarding the husband-wife relationship. Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect if a stranger bangs on your door you’d protect your family. The idea that I’d send my wife out to feel safe doesn’t seem like her role. Even if my wife was Rhonda Rousey lol I still believe God has called men to step up and show masculine leadership. I think women crave men exhibiting some masculine virtues in a culture where gender roles are so blurred. I’d love you to make a video on how men can explore biblical authentic masculinity in our current culture. Tnx for responding.
@@JoshuaCookLibertyIsRising For some reason, The Bible Effect doesn't want to discuss Genesis 3:16. The answer to your question is the wife needs to submit to the husband's authority - he is in charge of all ultimate decisions made in the marriage. The wife needs to follow her husband. If this is too difficult for her then that's simply too bad - she should have considered this before she got married.
That's what happens when you read a book written by many different people, from many different places, at many different times, and try to make sense of it. You end up with more questions than answers. Look, if I'm the best cook I'll cook. If she's the best gardener she'll keep the garden. If she's the best punch-thrower she'll keep the house safe. My wife's a believer, I'm not, and we don't need a book full of archaic, misogynistic mandates to know how to organize our lives. We only need to talk to each other and understand each other to realize what we can do for each other. It's not that complicated.
What if, in the same situation as you just described, God calls on your wife to take some kind of leadership over you? do you guys fight over whoever had a stronger calling? would you accept that God is speaking to your wife and that you must submit, even if you disagree with her? Why assume that men have some kind of stronger relationship to God, or some inherently superior leadership abilities over women? We are all equal before God, how can we assume men should have the final say? How is that not sexism, to suggest that the feelings, opinions or 'callings' of men are any more valid or superior to those of women's?
I don't understand what "head of the wife" means if your interpretation is correct. It seems like you're saying they're equals, or mutual servants, but why would he call the husband the "head of the wife" to communicate "servant"? Is "head of _____" ever used in this way in the ancient world? Or even today? To have complete equality, wouldn't you have to say the wife is also the head of the husband. If you're trying to find equality in this passage, why not try the move, "This is just for the 1st century Ephesians"?
Very good and insightful comment! The second approach that we mentioned in the video sees Paul as clarifying the nature of Christian headship to the husbands in Ephesus. This view sees Paul not as rebuking the idea of the husband being seen as the head, but in correcting what headship should look like as a follower of Christ. Just as Christ gave himself up for the benefit of the church, so should the husband seek his position of headship to do the same for his wife. As a follower of Jesus and a husband, he should not use his headship to exercise authority over his wife, but should use his headship to serve. This would be in the style of leadership that Jesus mentioned in Mark 10:42-44, "You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them... but it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all." I hope that helps to clarify how that camp approaches this passage. As you mentioned, there are other approaches as well that we didn't mention in the video, such as those who take it as a cultural command for that time and place. We each need to humbly and honestly wrestle with these passages ourselves and come to the interpretation we think is the strongest (as it seems you are doing). Thank you for your great comment and insight!
@@TheBibleEffect Thank you for the response. I appreciate your kindness. It's refreshing. I'm just making an observation from your response above. You are saying that a Christian husband, like Christ, should USE headship to serve. But that still leaves the question--What is headship? If it's a position from which someone serves, it's not the service itself. A king, from his position, can take a towel and wash feet, but that doesn't make his kingdom a democracy. So what is headship?
@@devinsmith2843 This view does not necessarily deny that the husband holds a headship authority in a household setting. Headship throughout the Bible often refers to a leadership position, and that would seem to be the case here in Ephesians as well. In the same way, this view has no problem seeing a husband as a head of a household, but it is what this headship looks like that is the issue at hand. Like the example you gave, a leader can take a position of servanthood, but that doesn't change the person's leadership position. There are no doubt some that would take this question further to ask if this household leadership is a cultural truth or a timeless truth, but that goes beyond the scope that we could adequately cover here. I hope that helps answer your question!
@@devinsmith2843 The Bible Effect completely ignores Genesis 3:16 which states that a husband rules over his wife. It is this type of politically correct, erroneous teaching that harms marriages and gives women the wrong impression that they have equal authority to the man in marriage.
Hello, Thought I posted the other day but I guess not. I think your are close here. Seems to me that the cultural context is one of a Roman Villa where the leader of this household is in fact the Master/Husband/Parent (paterfamilia) of the household. The Husband (paterfamilia) in this context could very well have multiple "wives" including his concubines and slaves. Paul is not writing to a 21 century evangelical christian home here - far from it. We should do better to bring the cultural givens during the writing of this letter to the forefront so we could understand it better. Overall, it seems to me Paul has radically changed everything by saying the leader of this household is to lead for his households sake (to love them which would of been unheard of) - not for the household to serve him. Blessings, Michael
@@TheBibleEffectdear sir if you could approach these verses in the culture context of the ephesians and make a video, it will be of great help. And thank you for the video.
THANK YOU. This helped me a lot. Ephesians 5 is one of those verses (and there are some others) that make me unable to accept or trust the bible, and consequently have often made me question Christianity as a whole. If cannot accept or believe in a particular verse, then how can I trust the bible as a whole? And why should I? It was written by MEN (not God) who lived in a patriarchal society - why on earth should I trust the words of some sexist man? I don't even believe it was Paul's (or any other biblical figure's) fault that he was sexist, he was simply a product of his time. I believe that God's word shines through the bible, but to think that every word in that book is God's word is - in my humble opinion and quite frankly - ridiculous, and more seriously has dangerous consequences for women. I'm just going to try and focus on the words that speak to me and ignore the parts that I disagree with to my very core.
Hi Kate! It sounds like you are wrestling through some very deep questions regarding the issue of divine inspiration vs. purely human authorship. This is a very important issue to wrestle through with regards to the Bible, and I applaud that you are unafraid to do so. We slightly touch on this subject in our video on context (ua-cam.com/video/R-rDUoKmceg/v-deo.html). In short, God inspired the authors of the Bible to communicate the truth about Him, reconciliation with Him, and how one should live in obedience to Him. For the most part, the authors were free to communicate this through their own language, style, and culture. The debate amongst Christians today happens in certain areas where it becomes unclear if the cultural practices of the day are being encouraged, or if a timeless divine instruction are being given (as we looked at in this video on Ephesians 5). What this does not mean is that it is up to us to pick and choose what best fits our current preference (as that is subjective), but like a scientist we examine the evidence to determine what seems to best fit the context and reflects the reality of God. In cases where we are still unsure as to whether the instructions of a passage are timeless or not, it is ok to move on in our study and circle back to the topic after further study of the rest of the Bible. The important thing is that we always stay open and teachable to receive whatever God is communicating to us through the Bible. Thank you for your comment, and blessings as you continue to dig in for truth!
I too, have a lot of trouble trusting the bible. As a woman this is a terrifying book to read, yet it seems like for men, this is their gold given to them on a silver platter. There is a terrible imbalance of worth concerning both genders and I have never been able to get the answers or been given perfect peace about this for over a decade. It is said there is no respecter of person or there's no male and female, slave nor free, etc.. but if you look throughout the bible since to very first page, there's CLEARLY a favoritism going on with men.
@@deynasecret6856 I understand your frustration. I believe that God does not desire that anyone use the Bible to justify any mistreatment of others, including men mistreating women. I do applaud you for seeking answers for so long, and I do hope that you can find more clarity around this issue. There is a book entitled "Good News for Women" by Rebecca Groothuis that you may find helpful. There is also a website by Christians for Biblical Equality that has a lot of resources you may find helpful, and I suggest you check out, www.cbeinternational.org. We pray that God guides you as you continue seeking answers!
Christian feminist here! I think all of the points in these comments are valuable. I believe that while the Bible is the word of God transcribed through men, we can take it into the context in which it was written. We know so much more about science and just how independent and valuable women are today, but the principles and spirit of the Bible should guide us. As women, we KNOW we are not JUST here to help men. We know we have a voice that is valuable. We are all equal in God and He knows this. (I’m using “he” but we know that God is beyond man or woman.)
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God !
So much wrong with what is said in the video. We are "one" in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). This text has nothing to do with a wife not being required to be submissive to her husband, but it refers to our soteriological standing in the eyes of God. We are all equal in terms of salvation. There are no "favorites" in God's eyes as to whom He saves. Notice also that Ephesians 5:33 teaches that a wife is to 'fear' (phobētai) her husband. This is never said in regards to the husband towards his wife.
You gave some good evidence supporting the first possible approach. Our aim in videos like this is to help people understand some ways that Christians approach these passages. We all have to weigh the evidence of Scripture and follow where it leads. Of course there is a larger discussion surrounding this particular topic, however our goal here is to give more of an introduction. The good news is that on topics like this, there is room for discussion while maintaining the unity of the body of Christ. Thanks for your comment! Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect What it appears that you're doing is cherry-picking certain scriptures and leaving others out. You discuss Ephesians 5 and I Corinthians yet are strangely silent on Genesis 3:16 and Proverbs 31:3. Any reason why?
You had to create a 5 min video to explain this and needed to site other books of the canon that weren’t relevant to the Ephesians that received this message from Paul. Do you think the recipients of this message were able to break it down like this and understand the principles you outlined? Or do you think it perpetuated patriarchal abuse in the church community and beyond? Personally, I think Paul is tone deaf here and lacks responsibility in how his words could negatively impact women for generations to come.
If husbands are the head of their wife in the traditional sense of boss/authority... Wouldn’t that mean Christ isn’t the head of the wife? Which then leads to question whether women are part of the church/body of Christ... as Christ *is* the head of the church? And nobody can have 2 heads/masters.
Thank you for your good question. I'm guessing that you have Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 in mind, when Jesus says that you cannot serve two masters. In that context, Jesus is referring to serving God and wealth, saying that you cannot serve both. With regards to the traditional view of husbands/wives, there wouldn't be a problem in the sense you mentioned. Christians are ultimately subject to Christ, however as Paul says in Romans 13 we are also subject to our governing authorities. In the same way Paul can also tell a first century slaves that they are to obey their earthly masters, but they still have Christ as their ultimate Master. Back to the married couple, the traditional view would answer that the wife is subject to her husband, but her ultimate authority is Christ who is over her husband. Thanks for your comment and question!
@@TheBibleEffect that’s true, a wife can be subject to both her husband and Christ... but can both be referred to as her “head”? Surely one wouldn’t be?
@@justonetime6179 Another good question. This one has to do with looking at in which context does this headship apply. A person can have a human as their head in a certain context, such as a household (which would be the case here in the traditional view), but in other contexts as well, while still having God/Christ as their overall head. For instance, in Exodus 18:25 Moses appoints heads over each tribe in Israel, to be in charge of judicial affairs. In Deuteronomy 3:28, Joshua is appointed to be the head who would lead the people into the Promised Land, which is in a military context. Also in 2 Chronicles 20:27, King Jehoshaphat is referred to their head as he was their king, and also lead their military victory. These are just a few examples of people holding a headship position, which did not conflict with God as their ultimate head. In the same way, I don't think the traditional view would run into a problem with the wife having both the husband as her head in one context, while Christ still being her overall head who is above all human heads or authorities (Ephesians 1:20-21). Thanks for your great questions!
That's what happens when you read a book written by many different people, from many different places, at many different times, and try to make sense of it. You end up with more questions than answers.
Hi Piesho, thank you for your comment. Your concern when it comes to the Bible is one that I hope that I can address. In the study of any field, there are always questions and difficulties to overcome, and studying ancient literature like the Bible is no different. As you are no doubt aware, the Bible is a collection of the writings of approximately 40 different authors, over a period of approximately 1500 years. In writing about topics with varying opinions such as God, morality, and justification, they show a remarkable unity, especially for a collection of writings coming from people writing in such a variety of circumstances. In the issue that is addressed in Ephesians 5 the difficulty here does not arise from the diversity of authors in the Bible, but in trying to discern his message to this particular church. In any case, we hope and pray that your search for truth ends with its discovery. Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect "trying to discern [god's] message" is precisely the problem for every single author of the bible. Get 40 different Christians today and ask them the same question; you'll get 40 different answers even when they get their information from the same book. Interpreting god's mind is a problem as old as the oldest gods. That's why some christians condemn homosexuals an other don't. "[w]e hope and pray that your search for truth ends with its discovery" Yes. Thanks. It took me 30 years, but I think it's clear to me now.
This is theological liberalism. This man systematically attempts to dismantle what Paul was clearly teaching. Sadly, some who comment on this clearly understand what Paul was teaching under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and STILL REJECT IT. First, you notice how he jumps to a completely different book and pulls from 1 Corinthians 7:4. While it is important to look at the WHOLE counsel of the Word of God, you must rightly divide Scripture (interpret it correctly). 1 Cor. 7:4 is dealing with sexual relations within the marriage... not headship of the marriage. I noticed he missed the context found in 1 Cor. 7:3 - "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband." Something tells me that this channel would try to explain that passage away as well since it doesn't fit well with the modern culture. The man in the video concludes the passage saying, "the wife has authority over her husband..." No... She has authority over his body... as in he is not to withhold marital intimacy from her for extended periods of time (as explained in v. 5). He then looks to Ephesians 5:21 to explain away the text. This DOES NOT teach that each and every person is to submit to any other person equally without distinction, but rather that everyone has to submit to someone and we are to do that according to God's will as revealed in this text. The text says that the church submits to Christ... if we interpret Ephesians 5:21 as this man does, then we could logically assume that Christ is to submit to the church... that makes no sense at all. Let us not forget that the text continues on teaching about how children are to obey their parents... if we interpret 5:21 the way this man does, then parents should obey their children... See the error here? Then in Ephesians 6:5 we could conclude that masters are to obey their servants... Then if we want to jump around Scripture we could also say that church pastors are to submit to the sheep. The video is correct as far as speaking to humility, sacrificial love, etc. However, headship is more than merely Christ dying for us... it is the church submitting unto him in all things (Ephesians 5;24 also left out conveniently). And that is the chief problem of theological liberalism... it rejects the plain teaching of Scripture. It bounces around frantically pulling verses out of context to deny the plain truth of Scripture simply because it goes against the morals of the day. I do not know the thoughts and intents of the heart... but I do know that this video is simply wrong and denies the plain teaching of Scripture.
Regarding Christ as the head of the church: Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Hi J B! What you wrote is definitely a very possible explanation of the passage. This is a view that we should have also presented in the video as one of the viable interpretations. Thank you for sharing! Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect I really did not expect a response. I appreciate your graciousness in responding. I do acknowledge that my comment was hastily written and did not contain the grace that I usually try to include. I generally try to assume the good intentions of those whom I disagree with. But theological liberalism is an alarming trend in which new meanings are given to passages which had never existed before. Christ's bride has not been ignorant for 2000 years on what the Bible teachings about the differences of sex or the order of the marriage, family, and church. No Scripture is of private interpretation. But getting to the point, Paul did not go into clear detail about order in the church, marriage, and family just to say, "you all just submit to one another without distinction." Sex distinctions are a real thing and they are prevalent in the Bible. Christ is husband, the church is wife... not the opposite. Christ is the head, the church is His body... not the opposite. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. We are not Christ's Savior. The church is to submit to Christ... not the opposite. If we get this wrong then everything else will follow. Furthermore, with regards to the husband being the head of the wife, 1 Corinthians 11 reiterates this point gives many distinctions according to sex (praying without head coverings, women teaching congregation, etc.). Let us remember, he is the same one who wrote that there is neither male nor female in Christ (under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost). He is the one who wrote that we all submit to one another. Yet, he wrote those distinctions and commands. So, we don't throw out all of what He said about distictions... but rather we interpret understand that these truths are simultaneously true. Unity in Christ does not eliminate disctinctions of sex. Also, when Paul stated "let the woman learn in silence with all subjection" (1 Tim. 2:11) he clarified that this order was rooted in creation...not the fall. "For Adam was first formed, then Eve." (1 Tim. 2:12). I could go on and on. Now I will say that every devoted system of theology has created interpretations to try to explain away these truths... but the question one must ask is: Do they hold up? Are they consistently true with what we see in the rest of the Bible? Are we conforming Scripture to the ever changing culture? or are we allowing Scripture to conform us? This all goes back to Christ and His wife. Is Christ our head? Are we submitted to Him in ALL things? If we do not recognize Christ as the head and submit to Him in all, then we will miss the point on everything else.
@@Jeremyb2023 I think we would find that we align quite closely regarding concerns about theological liberalism. As you mentioned, it is important to make sure that our cultural views and personal biases do not color our interpretations of Scripture. We all need to be do our best to come to an honest interpretation of what Scripture is teaching, not what we want it to say. Thank you for your zeal and passion for the Bible and the Truth! Blessings!
I find helpful the homily of st. John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinopole from the 4th century. He comments this passage: "You have seen the measure of obedience hear also the measure of love. Would you have your wife obedient unto you, as the Church is to Christ? Take then yourself the same provident care for her, as Christ takes for the Church. Yea, even if it shall be needful for you to give your life for her, yea, and to be cut into pieces ten thousand times, yea, and to endure and undergo any suffering whatever - refuse it not. Though you should undergo all this, yet will you not, no, not even then, have done anything like Christ. For thou indeed art doing it for one to whom you are already knit; but He for one who turned her back on Him and hated Him. In the same way then as He laid at His feet her who turned her back on Him, who hated, and spurned, and disdained Him, not by menaces, nor by violence, nor by terror, nor by anything else of the kind, but by his unwearied affection; so also do thou behave yourself toward your wife." (Homily, no. 20)
That is definitely one of the possible interpretations of the passage, held by many great men and women of God in the body of Christ. Thank you for commenting, and blessings to you!
While some Christians take these verses as timeless instructions for all Christians, others see this as addressing a specific issue for a specific church in a specific time. Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect Again, this is another case of theological liberalism. All it takes is reading the verse in context to realize that this is not a specific issue for a specific church in a specific time. The following verse bases the truth on the order of creation 1 Timothy 2:13 - "For Adam was first formed, then Eve. "
@@TheBibleEffect 1Co 14:34 Let your women keep silence in THE CHURCHES: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 1Co 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. ... 1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD.
I am sorry, but everything you said is unenlightened and wrong. It is your interpretation. I cannot text the support because it would be a long text. However, if you are interested I will. +God+ bless and enlighten you.
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This gentleman took I Corinthians out of context. When it comes to authority over your body it means intimately in marriage. He also has wrong with regards to mutual submission. Submission in this context means submitting to each other's needs - he is insinuating submitting to each other's authority.
Notice that he NEVER mentions Genesis 3:16 where it states that a husband shall rule over his wife. He conveniently leaves that part out.
It appears that he's being safe and trying to avoid offending anyone with his soft explanation by not quoting all relevant scripture, which is sad.
@@dennisallende7214 Hi Dennis, thank you for your comment. This 5 minute video is meant to introduce two different approaches that people may take with the passage. It is not an exhaustive study on the topic, which would be difficult to do in only 5 minutes. There are many more passages that the different approaches each use to back up their claim. It is up to the interpreter to try to discern which is the most consistent with the Bible as a whole. In the end as Christians we should continue to love and honor those, even who hold a different view on this topic from our own. Blessings!
@@robertbrownjr.3802 We fully agree with you, that the Bible is not like modern art, where anyone is free to interpret as he/she wishes. The Bible teaches what is truth, and we are not free to merely choose which interpretation we like best and go with that. However, sometimes we encounter difficult passages where the proper interpretation may not be as clear. A number of people see this passage as one of those. In these cases we have to try our best to allow other passages of scripture to help us understand what was intended. Everyone must weigh the evidence, and decide for themselves which interpretation is the most consistent with Scripture. This does not mean however, that both approaches to a passage like this are correct. With this passage the discussion amongst Christians with a sincere desire to interpret the Bible accurately is still ongoing. Blessings!
Loved this! Moved me to tears and then made me laugh :D (the end I mean; so good)
Thanks Plamena!
Thank you so much this opened my eyes.
Glad it was helpful!
Beautifully explained. Just came across your videos. Very encouraging. Keep it up
Thank you Ade. We have more coming!
God > Christ > Man > Wife > Children
Thank you for commenting Kieran. Blessings!
I love this! You use great evidence from the Bible! I totally agree. Most videos I see on this topic give into sexist ideas and are NOT what Christ wanted. Favoriting this video now.
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. We aim to provide many resources to help people go deeper into understanding the Bible. Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect That’s wonderful and I think many more people will be curious about the Bible after watching! God bless! ❤️
Thank you very much sir ❤
this guy is full of wokeness and that’s why he is twisting the interpretation to not be canceled for saying the truth
That's about sex, not mutual authority. The other is about mutual service between believers in the body of Christ and not about husbands and wives or else you'd have to also apply it to parents and children.
Yes, thank you EXACTLY!
He hasn’t been through it with his wife yet. Or with his kids if he has any.
Weak interpretation. There is no equality. Is the church equal to Christ? No. The heavenly way is about order not equality.
question: So when you and your wife cannot come to a decision ultimately God has called you to show some leader ship and make that decision for your family correct?
This is a good question, and one without a clear answer laid out in Scripture. Some Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians would agree with that statement, while other Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians would say that in a situation like this it does not defer to the husband, but should be deferred to the spouse best qualified to make the decision, or perhaps to trusted outside counsel. Ultimately what I think does not matter in this issue, but our challenge is to seek out what God thinks though His Word. To do that we need to first identify and then try to lay aside our own biases in this issue. After that we need to try to gain a contextual understanding of all that the Bible says regarding the husband-wife relationship. Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect if a stranger bangs on your door you’d protect your family. The idea that I’d send my wife out to feel safe doesn’t seem like her role. Even if my wife was Rhonda Rousey lol I still believe God has called men to step up and show masculine leadership. I think women crave men exhibiting some masculine virtues in a culture where gender roles are so blurred. I’d love you to make a video on how men can explore biblical authentic masculinity in our current culture. Tnx for responding.
@@JoshuaCookLibertyIsRising For some reason, The Bible Effect doesn't want to discuss Genesis 3:16.
The answer to your question is the wife needs to submit to the husband's authority - he is in charge of all ultimate decisions made in the marriage.
The wife needs to follow her husband. If this is too difficult for her then that's simply too bad - she should have considered this before she got married.
That's what happens when you read a book written by many different people, from many different places, at many different times, and try to make sense of it. You end up with more questions than answers.
Look, if I'm the best cook I'll cook. If she's the best gardener she'll keep the garden. If she's the best punch-thrower she'll keep the house safe. My wife's a believer, I'm not, and we don't need a book full of archaic, misogynistic mandates to know how to organize our lives. We only need to talk to each other and understand each other to realize what we can do for each other. It's not that complicated.
What if, in the same situation as you just described, God calls on your wife to take some kind of leadership over you? do you guys fight over whoever had a stronger calling? would you accept that God is speaking to your wife and that you must submit, even if you disagree with her? Why assume that men have some kind of stronger relationship to God, or some inherently superior leadership abilities over women? We are all equal before God, how can we assume men should have the final say? How is that not sexism, to suggest that the feelings, opinions or 'callings' of men are any more valid or superior to those of women's?
I don't understand what "head of the wife" means if your interpretation is correct. It seems like you're saying they're equals, or mutual servants, but why would he call the husband the "head of the wife" to communicate "servant"? Is "head of _____" ever used in this way in the ancient world? Or even today? To have complete equality, wouldn't you have to say the wife is also the head of the husband. If you're trying to find equality in this passage, why not try the move, "This is just for the 1st century Ephesians"?
Very good and insightful comment! The second approach that we mentioned in the video sees Paul as clarifying the nature of Christian headship to the husbands in Ephesus. This view sees Paul not as rebuking the idea of the husband being seen as the head, but in correcting what headship should look like as a follower of Christ. Just as Christ gave himself up for the benefit of the church, so should the husband seek his position of headship to do the same for his wife. As a follower of Jesus and a husband, he should not use his headship to exercise authority over his wife, but should use his headship to serve. This would be in the style of leadership that Jesus mentioned in Mark 10:42-44, "You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them... but it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all." I hope that helps to clarify how that camp approaches this passage. As you mentioned, there are other approaches as well that we didn't mention in the video, such as those who take it as a cultural command for that time and place. We each need to humbly and honestly wrestle with these passages ourselves and come to the interpretation we think is the strongest (as it seems you are doing). Thank you for your great comment and insight!
@@TheBibleEffect Thank you for the response. I appreciate your kindness. It's refreshing. I'm just making an observation from your response above. You are saying that a Christian husband, like Christ, should USE headship to serve. But that still leaves the question--What is headship? If it's a position from which someone serves, it's not the service itself. A king, from his position, can take a towel and wash feet, but that doesn't make his kingdom a democracy. So what is headship?
@@devinsmith2843 This view does not necessarily deny that the husband holds a headship authority in a household setting. Headship throughout the Bible often refers to a leadership position, and that would seem to be the case here in Ephesians as well. In the same way, this view has no problem seeing a husband as a head of a household, but it is what this headship looks like that is the issue at hand. Like the example you gave, a leader can take a position of servanthood, but that doesn't change the person's leadership position. There are no doubt some that would take this question further to ask if this household leadership is a cultural truth or a timeless truth, but that goes beyond the scope that we could adequately cover here. I hope that helps answer your question!
@@TheBibleEffect Thank you!
@@devinsmith2843 The Bible Effect completely ignores Genesis 3:16 which states that a husband rules over his wife.
It is this type of politically correct, erroneous teaching that harms marriages and gives women the wrong impression that they have equal authority to the man in marriage.
Hello,
Thought I posted the other day but I guess not. I think your are close here. Seems to me that the cultural context is one of a Roman Villa where the leader of this household is in fact the Master/Husband/Parent (paterfamilia) of the household. The Husband (paterfamilia) in this context could very well have multiple "wives" including his concubines and slaves. Paul is not writing to a 21 century evangelical christian home here - far from it. We should do better to bring the cultural givens during the writing of this letter to the forefront so we could understand it better. Overall, it seems to me Paul has radically changed everything by saying the leader of this household is to lead for his households sake (to love them which would of been unheard of) - not for the household to serve him.
Blessings,
Michael
Thank you for adding another approach to the passage, thinking about the historical setting in which Paul was writing. Blessings Michael!
@@TheBibleEffectdear sir if you could approach these verses in the culture context of the ephesians and make a video, it will be of great help. And thank you for the video.
@@asenawood8317 Thank you for your feedback! Blessings!!
THANK YOU. This helped me a lot. Ephesians 5 is one of those verses (and there are some others) that make me unable to accept or trust the bible, and consequently have often made me question Christianity as a whole. If cannot accept or believe in a particular verse, then how can I trust the bible as a whole? And why should I? It was written by MEN (not God) who lived in a patriarchal society - why on earth should I trust the words of some sexist man? I don't even believe it was Paul's (or any other biblical figure's) fault that he was sexist, he was simply a product of his time. I believe that God's word shines through the bible, but to think that every word in that book is God's word is - in my humble opinion and quite frankly - ridiculous, and more seriously has dangerous consequences for women. I'm just going to try and focus on the words that speak to me and ignore the parts that I disagree with to my very core.
Hi Kate! It sounds like you are wrestling through some very deep questions regarding the issue of divine inspiration vs. purely human authorship. This is a very important issue to wrestle through with regards to the Bible, and I applaud that you are unafraid to do so. We slightly touch on this subject in our video on context (ua-cam.com/video/R-rDUoKmceg/v-deo.html). In short, God inspired the authors of the Bible to communicate the truth about Him, reconciliation with Him, and how one should live in obedience to Him. For the most part, the authors were free to communicate this through their own language, style, and culture. The debate amongst Christians today happens in certain areas where it becomes unclear if the cultural practices of the day are being encouraged, or if a timeless divine instruction are being given (as we looked at in this video on Ephesians 5). What this does not mean is that it is up to us to pick and choose what best fits our current preference (as that is subjective), but like a scientist we examine the evidence to determine what seems to best fit the context and reflects the reality of God. In cases where we are still unsure as to whether the instructions of a passage are timeless or not, it is ok to move on in our study and circle back to the topic after further study of the rest of the Bible. The important thing is that we always stay open and teachable to receive whatever God is communicating to us through the Bible. Thank you for your comment, and blessings as you continue to dig in for truth!
I too, have a lot of trouble trusting the bible. As a woman this is a terrifying book to read, yet it seems like for men, this is their gold given to them on a silver platter. There is a terrible imbalance of worth concerning both genders and I have never been able to get the answers or been given perfect peace about this for over a decade. It is said there is no respecter of person or there's no male and female, slave nor free, etc.. but if you look throughout the bible since to very first page, there's CLEARLY a favoritism going on with men.
@@deynasecret6856 I understand your frustration. I believe that God does not desire that anyone use the Bible to justify any mistreatment of others, including men mistreating women. I do applaud you for seeking answers for so long, and I do hope that you can find more clarity around this issue. There is a book entitled "Good News for Women" by Rebecca Groothuis that you may find helpful. There is also a website by Christians for Biblical Equality that has a lot of resources you may find helpful, and I suggest you check out, www.cbeinternational.org. We pray that God guides you as you continue seeking answers!
@@TheBibleEffect Okay, I will check out those resources. Thank you :)
Christian feminist here! I think all of the points in these comments are valuable. I believe that while the Bible is the word of God transcribed through men, we can take it into the context in which it was written. We know so much more about science and just how independent and valuable women are today, but the principles and spirit of the Bible should guide us. As women, we KNOW we are not JUST here to help men. We know we have a voice that is valuable. We are all equal in God and He knows this. (I’m using “he” but we know that God is beyond man or woman.)
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God !
Yes but head does NOT mean author it actually means SOURCE. It says that
"Man is head of woman"
Amen
How does Ephesians 5:24 work in your view?
So much wrong with what is said in the video. We are "one" in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). This text has nothing to do with a wife not being required to be submissive to her husband, but it refers to our soteriological standing in the eyes of God. We are all equal in terms of salvation. There are no "favorites" in God's eyes as to whom He saves.
Notice also that Ephesians 5:33 teaches that a wife is to 'fear' (phobētai) her husband. This is never said in regards to the husband towards his wife.
You gave some good evidence supporting the first possible approach. Our aim in videos like this is to help people understand some ways that Christians approach these passages. We all have to weigh the evidence of Scripture and follow where it leads. Of course there is a larger discussion surrounding this particular topic, however our goal here is to give more of an introduction. The good news is that on topics like this, there is room for discussion while maintaining the unity of the body of Christ. Thanks for your comment! Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect Thank you. And may the Lord draw us unto Himself more and more each day.
@@TheBibleEffect What it appears that you're doing is cherry-picking certain scriptures and leaving others out.
You discuss Ephesians 5 and I Corinthians yet are strangely silent on Genesis 3:16 and Proverbs 31:3.
Any reason why?
Then why
You had to create a 5 min video to explain this and needed to site other books of the canon that weren’t relevant to the Ephesians that received this message from Paul. Do you think the recipients of this message were able to break it down like this and understand the principles you outlined? Or do you think it perpetuated patriarchal abuse in the church community and beyond? Personally, I think Paul is tone deaf here and lacks responsibility in how his words could negatively impact women for generations to come.
If husbands are the head of their wife in the traditional sense of boss/authority...
Wouldn’t that mean Christ isn’t the head of the wife? Which then leads to question whether women are part of the church/body of Christ... as Christ *is* the head of the church?
And nobody can have 2 heads/masters.
Thank you for your good question. I'm guessing that you have Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 in mind, when Jesus says that you cannot serve two masters. In that context, Jesus is referring to serving God and wealth, saying that you cannot serve both. With regards to the traditional view of husbands/wives, there wouldn't be a problem in the sense you mentioned. Christians are ultimately subject to Christ, however as Paul says in Romans 13 we are also subject to our governing authorities. In the same way Paul can also tell a first century slaves that they are to obey their earthly masters, but they still have Christ as their ultimate Master. Back to the married couple, the traditional view would answer that the wife is subject to her husband, but her ultimate authority is Christ who is over her husband. Thanks for your comment and question!
@@TheBibleEffect that’s true, a wife can be subject to both her husband and Christ... but can both be referred to as her “head”? Surely one wouldn’t be?
@@justonetime6179 Another good question. This one has to do with looking at in which context does this headship apply. A person can have a human as their head in a certain context, such as a household (which would be the case here in the traditional view), but in other contexts as well, while still having God/Christ as their overall head. For instance, in Exodus 18:25 Moses appoints heads over each tribe in Israel, to be in charge of judicial affairs. In Deuteronomy 3:28, Joshua is appointed to be the head who would lead the people into the Promised Land, which is in a military context. Also in 2 Chronicles 20:27, King Jehoshaphat is referred to their head as he was their king, and also lead their military victory. These are just a few examples of people holding a headship position, which did not conflict with God as their ultimate head. In the same way, I don't think the traditional view would run into a problem with the wife having both the husband as her head in one context, while Christ still being her overall head who is above all human heads or authorities (Ephesians 1:20-21). Thanks for your great questions!
That's what happens when you read a book written by many different people, from many different places, at many different times, and try to make sense of it. You end up with more questions than answers.
Hi Piesho, thank you for your comment. Your concern when it comes to the Bible is one that I hope that I can address. In the study of any field, there are always questions and difficulties to overcome, and studying ancient literature like the Bible is no different. As you are no doubt aware, the Bible is a collection of the writings of approximately 40 different authors, over a period of approximately 1500 years. In writing about topics with varying opinions such as God, morality, and justification, they show a remarkable unity, especially for a collection of writings coming from people writing in such a variety of circumstances. In the issue that is addressed in Ephesians 5 the difficulty here does not arise from the diversity of authors in the Bible, but in trying to discern his message to this particular church. In any case, we hope and pray that your search for truth ends with its discovery. Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect "trying to discern [god's] message" is precisely the problem for every single author of the bible. Get 40 different Christians today and ask them the same question; you'll get 40 different answers even when they get their information from the same book. Interpreting god's mind is a problem as old as the oldest gods. That's why some christians condemn homosexuals an other don't.
"[w]e hope and pray that your search for truth ends with its discovery" Yes. Thanks. It took me 30 years, but I think it's clear to me now.
ua-cam.com/video/yb8Qj4eQjIE/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/jIZ0--4ZurE/v-deo.html
This is theological liberalism. This man systematically attempts to dismantle what Paul was clearly teaching. Sadly, some who comment on this clearly understand what Paul was teaching under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and STILL REJECT IT. First, you notice how he jumps to a completely different book and pulls from 1 Corinthians 7:4. While it is important to look at the WHOLE counsel of the Word of God, you must rightly divide Scripture (interpret it correctly). 1 Cor. 7:4 is dealing with sexual relations within the marriage... not headship of the marriage. I noticed he missed the context found in 1 Cor. 7:3 - "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband." Something tells me that this channel would try to explain that passage away as well since it doesn't fit well with the modern culture. The man in the video concludes the passage saying, "the wife has authority over her husband..." No... She has authority over his body... as in he is not to withhold marital intimacy from her for extended periods of time (as explained in v. 5). He then looks to Ephesians 5:21 to explain away the text. This DOES NOT teach that each and every person is to submit to any other person equally without distinction, but rather that everyone has to submit to someone and we are to do that according to God's will as revealed in this text. The text says that the church submits to Christ... if we interpret Ephesians 5:21 as this man does, then we could logically assume that Christ is to submit to the church... that makes no sense at all. Let us not forget that the text continues on teaching about how children are to obey their parents... if we interpret 5:21 the way this man does, then parents should obey their children... See the error here? Then in Ephesians 6:5 we could conclude that masters are to obey their servants... Then if we want to jump around Scripture we could also say that church pastors are to submit to the sheep. The video is correct as far as speaking to humility, sacrificial love, etc. However, headship is more than merely Christ dying for us... it is the church submitting unto him in all things (Ephesians 5;24 also left out conveniently). And that is the chief problem of theological liberalism... it rejects the plain teaching of Scripture. It bounces around frantically pulling verses out of context to deny the plain truth of Scripture simply because it goes against the morals of the day. I do not know the thoughts and intents of the heart... but I do know that this video is simply wrong and denies the plain teaching of Scripture.
Regarding Christ as the head of the church: Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Hi J B! What you wrote is definitely a very possible explanation of the passage. This is a view that we should have also presented in the video as one of the viable interpretations. Thank you for sharing! Blessings!
@@TheBibleEffect I really did not expect a response. I appreciate your graciousness in responding. I do acknowledge that my comment was hastily written and did not contain the grace that I usually try to include. I generally try to assume the good intentions of those whom I disagree with. But theological liberalism is an alarming trend in which new meanings are given to passages which had never existed before. Christ's bride has not been ignorant for 2000 years on what the Bible teachings about the differences of sex or the order of the marriage, family, and church. No Scripture is of private interpretation. But getting to the point, Paul did not go into clear detail about order in the church, marriage, and family just to say, "you all just submit to one another without distinction." Sex distinctions are a real thing and they are prevalent in the Bible. Christ is husband, the church is wife... not the opposite. Christ is the head, the church is His body... not the opposite. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. We are not Christ's Savior. The church is to submit to Christ... not the opposite. If we get this wrong then everything else will follow. Furthermore, with regards to the husband being the head of the wife, 1 Corinthians 11 reiterates this point gives many distinctions according to sex (praying without head coverings, women teaching congregation, etc.). Let us remember, he is the same one who wrote that there is neither male nor female in Christ (under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost). He is the one who wrote that we all submit to one another. Yet, he wrote those distinctions and commands. So, we don't throw out all of what He said about distictions... but rather we interpret understand that these truths are simultaneously true. Unity in Christ does not eliminate disctinctions of sex. Also, when Paul stated "let the woman learn in silence with all subjection" (1 Tim. 2:11) he clarified that this order was rooted in creation...not the fall. "For Adam was first formed, then Eve." (1 Tim. 2:12). I could go on and on. Now I will say that every devoted system of theology has created interpretations to try to explain away these truths... but the question one must ask is: Do they hold up? Are they consistently true with what we see in the rest of the Bible? Are we conforming Scripture to the ever changing culture? or are we allowing Scripture to conform us? This all goes back to Christ and His wife. Is Christ our head? Are we submitted to Him in ALL things? If we do not recognize Christ as the head and submit to Him in all, then we will miss the point on everything else.
@@Jeremyb2023 I think we would find that we align quite closely regarding concerns about theological liberalism. As you mentioned, it is important to make sure that our cultural views and personal biases do not color our interpretations of Scripture. We all need to be do our best to come to an honest interpretation of what Scripture is teaching, not what we want it to say. Thank you for your zeal and passion for the Bible and the Truth! Blessings!
I find helpful the homily of st. John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinopole from the 4th century. He comments this passage:
"You have seen the measure of obedience hear also the measure of love. Would you have your wife obedient unto you, as the Church is to Christ? Take then yourself the same provident care for her, as Christ takes for the Church.
Yea, even if it shall be needful for you to give your life for her, yea, and to be cut into pieces ten thousand times, yea, and to endure and undergo any suffering whatever - refuse it not.
Though you should undergo all this, yet will you not, no, not even then, have done anything like Christ. For thou indeed art doing it for one to whom you are already knit; but He for one who turned her back on Him and hated Him. In the same way then as He laid at His feet her who turned her back on Him, who hated, and spurned, and disdained Him, not by menaces, nor by violence, nor by terror, nor by anything else of the kind, but by his unwearied affection; so also do thou behave yourself toward your wife." (Homily, no. 20)
Wow! Thanks for the quote Josip!
Cope harder
This is simple, a women summits to a man just as a man submits to god. Then the man loves the woman just as god loves man. Amen!
That is definitely one of the possible interpretations of the passage, held by many great men and women of God in the body of Christ. Thank you for commenting, and blessings to you!
1 Timothy 2:12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet !
While some Christians take these verses as timeless instructions for all Christians, others see this as addressing a specific issue for a specific church in a specific time. Blessings!
Man is head of woman but it does not mean authority it actually means SOURCE
@@TheBibleEffect Again, this is another case of theological liberalism. All it takes is reading the verse in context to realize that this is not a specific issue for a specific church in a specific time. The following verse bases the truth on the order of creation 1 Timothy 2:13 - "For Adam was first formed, then Eve. "
@@TheBibleEffect 1Co 14:34 Let your women keep silence in THE CHURCHES: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1Co 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
...
1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD.
I am sorry, but everything you said is unenlightened and wrong. It is your interpretation. I cannot text the support because it would be a long text. However, if you are interested I will. +God+ bless and enlighten you.