Submission, Even to Unbelievers

Saturday, May 17th

Have you ever seen an elderly couple walking hand in hand? It's a wonderful sight. Perhaps you've wondered what that couple has going for them. You may have even been a little jealous of their seeming serenity. Well, you can be sure that this same couple have had their share of problems and turmoil. Yet they have hung together. Why? For one thing, people like this have learned to give in to each other. They love each other. So they don't always demand their own way. The Bible defines love like this. It says, "Love does not demand its own way" (1 Corinthians 13:5, RSV).

Now this matter of giving in to each other lies at the heart of being submissive. Again, the Bible says, "Wives, be subject to your own husbands" (Ephesians 5:22). You see, if a wife really loves her husband, she will not always demand her own way but she will bow to the wishes of her husband.

This is even true in the special cases where the wife is a follower of Christ and the husband claims no allegiance to Christ at all. Listen, "In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior" (I Peter 3:1-2). In other words, as a Christian wife you have the responsibility to be submissive to your husband even if he does not share your convictions about Christ. You should not be preachy but trust God to bring your husband to Christ through the testimony of your loving behavior.

The point in all we've said is that the loving submission of a wife can be the glue which holds a marriage together for years.

Listen to a sermon on the same subject on SermonAudio.com