Today we touch on a somewhat sensitive subject, namely a women’s role in marriage. Many times, the world is perceived as a man’s world, a place where men are the stronger sex and those in charge. As such Ephesians 5 is frequently quoted where Paul says “wives ... submit to your husbands as to the Lord”. But it was never God’s intention for a woman to be inferior to a man, yes - He created her differently but as equal to the man. “A helper suitable, just right for the man” according to Genesis 2.

God, therefore, did not intend for a woman to compete with a man, but as a unique being to compliment him! Therefore, a wife demonstrates her love for her husband by respecting and supporting him, despite his many weaknesses. Accepting God’s intention for men to lead in love, never implies that a woman must accept that she is inferior or to lose her identity or to ignore her gifts. On the contrary, before Paul instructed a wife to submit to her husband he firstly instructs couples to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).

In marriage, the glory of God is at stake because the Bible proclaims that marriage was God’s doing. Genesis 1:27 reads: “So God created humans in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female (husband and wife) he created them” – a unique unity of 2 different people that are not the same but equal – and then the Bible declares that God looked at the man AND the women and He said, “this creation is very good”.