Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Summary: Paul uses the church as an example of unity, but in today’s world, that example leaves something to be desired.
I would be interested to know what St. Paul thinks of the church today. Does it submit to Christ? Is the church really a good example for wives to follow?
Consider churches that teach people to do things contrary to what Jesus taught. Have you ever seen church leadership impose their will on others? Jesus taught that “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) Are church leaders who put themselves first submitting to Jesus?
What about churches that condemn other church groups? Perhaps you’ve heard Christians say something like, “People who go to that church are going to hell because they don’t believe such and such.” Haven’t they read the Scriptures that quote Jesus saying, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)
Have you ever been to a church where people argue about things? Not important things, but little things. Things like the color of the paint on the wall or whether people should drink coffee in the sanctuary. I understand that certain behaviors can seem offensive. Sometimes it feels like the offense is intentional and stinks to high heaven. But you know what really stinks to heaven? A lack of unity in the church.
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he prayed for his church saying:
“May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17: 21-23)
Unity in the church is supposed to be the mark of Christ. If that is true, what is disunity?
Finally, along the same line is something called a “church split.” People who part ways in the name of Jesus is a confession of ultimate theological dysfunction.
To all wives who might be reading this, I beg you to forgive the church. I hope that you will see Paul’s words for what they are. They are not a declaration to follow in the missteps of the modern church but rather an invitation to love as Christ loves us.
Application: Strive to love as Christ loves us.
Food for Thought: How can people with different ideas about God find their way to unity in Christ?
How can people with different ideas about God find their way to unity in Christ?
Have unity with Christ as individuals, then have unity in Christ as a collective people.
I have, on a few rare occasions, been in a room where people were talking about me as if I weren’t in the room. It is a bit unsettling!
I spent a long time in the military, and toward the end of it, I was of a rank and position that I had the authority to affect people’s lives greatly. I had to be very careful what I said or wrote, because people would take that as policy, and argue about “what [I] wanted” citing an email or something I said during a staff meeting. We called that “codifying” behavior. Thing is, they would never just ask me. Some didn’t want to “bother” me, some wanted to be seen as “unquestionably devoted,” and some just wanted to do whatever it took to “not garner my attention.”
Fear, pride, and self-preservation. It is difficult to walk with Jesus when you hold onto these three things. It prevents us from having a conversation with Jesus, and certainly keeps us from including Him in our conversations with each other. Unity comes when we can give those three to Him, individually, and collectively.
Jesus taught us how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. That passage is not a “formula to success”, or something to recite mindlessly. It’s context, it’s an invitation to open your heart, it’s insight into what God wants us to give to Him. I believe unity comes when we spend less time “codifying” and more time praying.
Chris,
Thank you for your thoughts today! What an interesting perspective!! I appreciate how you bring this around to having a relationship with Jesus instead of just knowing about Jesus.
Fear, pride, and self-preservation are three powerful tools of the Enemy. You just showed us how to neutralize their effectiveness.
The Bible itself gives great guidelines both in what it teaches and how it describes how conflicts were dealt with in the early church. Conflicts and disunity are not new to the church. The NT is rife with descriptions of divided churches over the same issues we face today: immorality in the church, false doctrine, arguing about unimportant things, wolves infiltrating the flock, false teachers, the roles of men and women, how a church service should run, the use of speaking in tongues, circumcision, etc. Acts 15 alone is an interesting lesson on dealing with conflict.
I think if we keep our eyes on Jesus and agree on what is essential that will help. A famous theologian once said (it is debated who actually said this, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity,” I think that is a fairly healthy perspective. Now we can debate on what is essential 😊.
Not all disunity is bad. I am not going to compromise to the point of accepting the sparkle creed. I will not unite with that. But Christ Himself is essential and can certainly unite His true followers. And someday His prayer for unity in John 17 will be answered with a yes.
Well said, Rich!
Thank you!
How can people with different ideas about God find their way to unity in Christ?
Finding unity or peace will ultimately be about finding what is commonly held that is more important.
Unity in Christ tells us that Christ is more important and therefore will bring us back to unity. But the catch is that both must believe Christ is better.
I got caught in a (somewhat forced and silly) debate where the other person started saying a certain group was the ‘ultimate authority’. This coming from a well grounded Christian, I responded with, ‘God is the ultimate authority’. He agreed and debate eased because God was on the throne of both our hearts.
I’ve been caught in another similar debate where this (different) debater was accusing others for some small action. It was brought to their attention that scripture tells us to take our offense directly to the offender to try to resolve the issue. This debater pushed the correction to the side and insisted on continuing to complain about every detail of the offender. They chose to usurp God’s throne on that day, and the issue was not resolved or deflated.
It should hurt your heart if you cannot find enough common ground with a brother or sister in Christ to remain unified. One or both parties has chosen something other than Christ to be most important.
Resolving a conflict can take a big dose of humility, and a bigger dose of the fruit of the Spirit. You can make the right argument harshly or forcefully and it won’t have the same effect as the same argument made gently and kindly. Self control to not say the first things in our heads, but take it captive and submit it to Christ before speaking. And sometimes we’re the ones being silly and need to let it go. All of that is hard to do.
T&A
You mention self control and humility. Two very important points. Thank you!
09-08-2023, How can people with different ideas about God find their way to unity in Christ?
We cannot!
How can imperfect beings ever hope to effectively serve our perfect God who is beyond all human understanding? It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit who convicts and unifies us, by the power of Christ placed in the hearts of each of us that we can become one body.
Of ourselves we are imperfect people, yet throughout the Bible, we see imperfect people effectively serving our perfect God as they submitted to the power of the Holy Spirit placed in their hearts by God.
Psalm 106:2, Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Or can declare all His praise?”
Psalms 106:43, Many times He delivered them; but they rebelled against Him by their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:22-23, 22 And He put all things, in every realm, in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as supreme and authoritative head over all things in the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all believers. AMP
Thanks Ron
The Holy Spirit is indeed the key to unity and harmony in the body of Christ.
That is the first I have ever heard of sparkle creed. I had to look it up.
Sorry to pollute your mind with it CH. it is a good thing not to know about. I appreciated your comments as always