Jesus Is Significant
As we currently walk through Jesus the Messiah, one learns quickly that the entire Bible is about Jesus. When Jesus came, he brought the kingdom of God with him and established a new order under the New Covenant that restores our rest with God, among other things.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Due to this righteousness, we are given when joining into a union with God, we put on a new self and are renewed to God’s true nature.
Colossians 3:10
10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.
So, does this mean that we are liberated from sin? Are men no longer bound to their consequences? Are women also free of their consequences? No more pain during childbirth. Maybe no more husbands rule over their wives. No more death. Or did something else happen? Since Jesus established a spiritual kingdom, could it mean that the spiritual consequences are removed, but the physical ones remain? Let’s find out.
Are We Equal?
I think the problem begins when we take a scripture like this:
Galatians 3:26-29
26 for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. 27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
And begin to say. Aha. Do you see? We are all equal to Jesus; no man or woman will tell me what to do. Nobody is the boss of me anymore.
It seems plain to see that Paul is helping us understand how we are viewed in God’s eyes and that we are equal through Christ. But what does equal mean here? We already established that men and women are not the same. So while it is true that we are the same in Christ, as in he is showing no favoritism (Romans 2:11), Paul isn’t saying there are no longer differences between men and women.
But Who Has To Submit?
Let’s see another scripture that Paul says about males and females becoming a little more well-rounded in this discussion before we conclude that we are all the same in the eyes of God inside a marriage.
Ephesians 5:22-24
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything.
So what are we supposed to do here? Did Paul say two seemingly very different things? What do you think? Let’s read the whole chapter of Ephesians 5 to get a better idea of what is going on. First, Paul reminds us of God’s example and how to follow it. First, he brings attention to the fact that we were once dead, and now we’re alive and not to do evil things. Then he reminds us to do what is wise, be filled with the spirit, and live praising God. At that point, he addresses family inside the church and tells wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to give themselves up for their wives (Ephesians 5:25-27).
That’s it. Husbands, you lay your wants and desires down and present your wife holy to the Lord. Wives lay your wants and desire down and prioritize your husband. What is wrong with that? We live in a culture celebrating individualism, self-gratification, status achievement, etc. No wonder why this sounds backward. The world’s wisdom is foolishness (1 Corinthians 3:19). Are we living around as fools who do not understand the ways of God? Repent. Serve one another in love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25), and consider reading The Kingdom That Turned The World Upside Down.
