Cheryl

Tarun,

I am glad that you popped by.

You said:

True but on an examination of the relationship of Christ and the church , you must admit that Christ is the “High” Priest of the church…

There are many things that Jesus is to the Church that the husband is not. Although Jesus is “head” of the church and the husband is “head” of the wife, Jesus is also Savior of the church and Lord of the church and God of the church. The husband is none of these things. We cannot just input everything that Jesus is to the husband unless the scripture tells us so.

Jesus is the only High Priest and the husband is not a secondary high priest of the wife. Jesus is unique in this aspect.

You said:

Granted the husband is not designated the “title” priest of the home but would it also be correct to say that he is the High priest of His wife in replication of Christ’s leading of the church.

No it would not be correct. If the husband was the high priest of his wife then the husband would have to offer the sacrifice for his wife and would be responsible for her salvation. Are you prepared to go that far? I am not nor does scripture say a word about the husband as functioning as any kind of high priest responsible for the spirituality of his wife or for her salvation.

You also asked:

If wives are called to submit to the husband in “everything”, shouldnt the husband be responsible if not solely at least to the greater extent of his calling in the spiritual direction his wife and children are taking. And if that be the case would’nt “The priest of the Home” be an appropriate title to describe his calling.

This is simply not scriptural. If it were we would find places where the husband is responsible for his wife’s spiritual direction. Adam was never held responsible for Eve’s choice and neither was Sapphira exonerated because she followed her husband’s suggestion that they both lie about the piece of property that they sold. Unfortunately many women have been influenced to believe that they are not responsible for their actions as long as their husband oversees them and guides them. God says this is not true when he judges women separately from their husbands. God never gives us any indication that husbands will be held responsible for their wives or that wives are “home free” by following their husbands. All of us are required to be mature Christians and to follow the Lord individually. Also no where does God ever give the man the mandate of a priest who makes the spiritual decisions for his wife.

The issue of submission is a big one and one that we will explore further in this blog after we are done with the spiritual gifts of men and women.

Lastly you said:

You are right in saying that it is a responsibility which men sometimes feel a tendency to find burdensome but that would not be the case if the couple were “equally yoked” and the Husband realizes that his burden is light and his yoke is easy. All he needs to do is trust and obey the leading of the mighty Holy spirit and keep his home surrounded with the love of God.

Women too need to trust and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit and keep their homes surrounded with the love of God. Nowhere are women exempt from finding out the Holy Spirit’s will for them by trusting in the husband’s “hearing from God”. Women too are to have an intimate relationship with God and they too are to hear from God. To make women’s responsibility with God any less is to deny that men and women are equal before God and equally can have an intimate relationship with God.

I hope that helps 🙂