gengwall

Tiffany – “I think you and I have very different views about the lordship of Christ over the Church.”

I will return to an earlier discussion. The head/body metaphor is in use here. Does the anatomical head exercise lordship over the anatomical body, or are they instead in a symbiotic relationship? Is a husband really to exercise “lordship” over his wife? Are you really going there? Can he establish commandments? Can he force her obedience? Can he bring about her salvation? These are all aspects of Jesus’ lordship. Do you really believe husbands are even remotely qualified, let alone ordained, toperform such actions within the marriage?

Just because Jesus is Lord in some contexts doesn’t mean His lordship is being addressed by Paul in this passage. Such a universal approach to Jesus puts Jesus in a box. It says “Jesus always and only acts in this mode” or “Jesus is only capable of one relational paradigm”. Jesus, in fact, in the bible, when being spoken of in a marital context, and especially when head/body metaphors are in use, never exercises authority over the church. He does as High Priest and as brother, and God certainly does also as father, but never as husband. The marital paradigm in Jesus’ relationship with believers has a unique dynamic which does not mirror His relationship to believers (or the world) in other paradigms.