Craig

Mark said

If ‘submit’ here means ‘put others first and meet their needs’ or it means something like ‘serve’ then I cannot see any substantial difference between Paul’s instructions to wives and to husbands. The ‘submission’ wives offer to husbands is basically the same as the ‘love’ husbands offer to them. Different words are used to indicate the same basic reality. If not, what is asymmetrical at this point? What should wives be doing that is not a requirement for husbands in this context and what is a requirement for husbands that is not for wives in this context?

I think this is an important question. Could it be that there is not a lot of difference and that this is Paul’s point. Submission is to be mutual v21. Yesterday, my wife and I were at a church conference all day. As we looked around, I saw a spot in the auditorium where the type of seats would be more comfortable for my sometimes bad back, but my wife preferred a different seat in a different spot in the auditorium so she could see (she is a little vertically challenged 🙂 ). We decided to try the spot where she could see and I found I could manage with a towel behind my back in that spot. I would see that as a very small example of me submitting to her. Generally she is much better in this than me and putting herself out for me. Is this submission or is it love? I am not sure, but I think it is both. It happens throughout our lives in a mutual kind of way.