Inconvenient Biblical Teaching - Submission
-The Apostle Peter, writing to the first believers, 1st century
1 Peter 3:1-2
Why I Don't Believe Series
[This would be the 1st message of this new series]
So many people who reject Christianity do so because they cannot accept one or two "inconvenient" biblical teachings. And this whether they understood the context or not, or if they just cannot find a way for their personal views to align with it. Or they just want to make a stand and don't want to be swayed one way or another from it.
This is understandable. We all want to be independent, to be free thinkers, to be our own person, and to be free from whatever we believe we should be free from. God allows us that freedom, that is free will.
[Note: Christ didn't come for the all-knowing but for the rest of us with a lot of questions. In His short public ministry, Jesus welcomed questions from anybody. Today, He still is answering them, through the Holy Spirit. Long ago some one cleverly came up with this catch phrase "God comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comforted". Verbatim, this does not appear in the bible. But it is biblical.]
Sexism
So one of the more common concerns why people cannot make themselves to believe Christ is because of Scriptural messages which are sexist or misognyistic (prejudistic against women).
The fact is ancient writings, classical writings and old societies (old civilizations) were misognyistic. This is because societies were patriarchal (a social system where the father is the head).
Humanity just evolved like that. I know this sounds like an excuse and that a few old socities were matriarchal (women rather than men has supremacy) and we can still find small isolated matriarchal societies even today. But written manuscripts, from ancient times were all basically patriarchal (not just religious texts).
Submission
The Jewish, Christian and Islamic Scriptures are patriarchal. Most religions are, with one or two being a mix of patriarchy and matriarchy.
In the New Testament bible there are a handful of references for wives to submit to their husbands or even for wives to be silent in the church. These and similar texts reflected the times when these writings were put to paper.
Now when we read that passage above, from the Apostle Peter (also taken from the New Testament bible), we can see a glimpse of the context on why wives were being told to be subject to their husbands.
[The New Testament bible is basically the Christian Scriptures, while the Old Testament bible is the Jewish Scriprures]
Peter was writing to the first believers, who were mostly Jewish (a mix of men and women, with the women probably having unbelieving husbands).
Peter stated that wives should accept the authority of their husbands, even if their husbands were refusing to obey the Word, the Good News of Jesus Christ, because their attitudes or their conduct will speak loud and clear to them without using words.
And this will win their husbands* (and others) over, not by arguments or discussion, but by the love they have received from God, the same love they extend to others.
4 Wives Who Led Their Husbands (& the World) in Trouble
So the bible (both the Old an the New Testament) has records of wives who got themselves and their own husbands (and the world) in trouble.
These are hard lessons for husbands and for wives, and those intending to get married.
1. Jezebel, wife of Ahab
She became one of the first poster children for the worst wife and worst queen. Her power over her husband, who was a king mind you, resulted in disaster for both King Ahab and herself, and their subjects.
Through all these years, the name Jezebel became synonymous to an unsavory reputation. And the Jezebel spirit is considered to be one of the more destructive evil spirits. And their story has become a practical lesson for any marriage.
4 Wives Who Led Their Husbands (& the World) in Trouble
So the bible (both the Old an the New Testament) has records of wives who got themselves and their own husbands (and the world) in trouble.
These are hard lessons for husbands and for wives, and those intending to get married.
1. Jezebel, wife of Ahab
She became one of the first poster children for the worst wife and worst queen. Her power over her husband, who was a king mind you, resulted in disaster for both King Ahab and herself, and their subjects.
Through all these years, the name Jezebel became synonymous to an unsavory reputation. And the Jezebel spirit is considered to be one of the more destructive evil spirits. And their story has become a practical lesson for any marriage.
2. Eve, wife of Adam
On a lesser evil scale, the Old Testament bible tells us that the first wife led her husband (the first man and the first husband) to their downfall and the downfall of humankind.
The story goes that Eve kind of twisted Adam's arm to do what she wanted him to do. In fairness, it wasn't Eve's fault entirely, she was deceived by that old liar, the master schemer, the cunning serpent -- the worst of the evil spirits. Adam allowed himself to join in on the scheme (he should be more to blame). Most husbands just cannot make themselves to say no to their own wives (even if it means that they have to disobey God Himself).
[I know we speak of the spirit world so nonchalantly, but the spiritual realm is as real as the one you can see. And it is real, even if you believe it or not.]
[I know we speak of the spirit world so nonchalantly, but the spiritual realm is as real as the one you can see. And it is real, even if you believe it or not.]
3. Sarah, wife of Abraham
In the Old Testament, God promised Abraham that He will be the Father of many nations, Mind you, he and his wife were way too old to have kids. So when more years past and this promise was becoming even more unbelievable, Sarah (like Eve) somehow convinced her husband that maybe he heard wrong and had Abraham father a child not with her but with their female servant.
Yes, the bible doesn't hold back, it airs all it's dirty laundry for all to see. After Abraham gave in to his wife, and got Sarah's maid servant to bear him a son, they had to banish this son (and his mother) because he soon got in conflict with the promised child plus the conflict between the two mothers.
So yes, Sarah did bore Abraham a child. Granted it took 25 years for this promise to be fulfilled. But if Sarah didn't talk her husband to do the unthinkable and if they would have just waited, there wouldn't have been any conflict with the first child's mother, the first child and his descendants with the promised child, his descendants and his mother. Well it's all water under the bridge now.
[It has been accepted that the descendants of the first son are the Islamic nations and the descendants of the son of promise is the Jewish nation.]
4. Herodias, wife of Herod Antipas, Tetrarch (Roman Ruler) of Galilee
During the time of Jesus, we find another "queen", one who used and schemed even her own daughter to force the hand of her husband -- the "king" appointed by the Roman Empire to rule over Galilee.
Herodias (and her daughter, Salome) schemed to force her husband, Herod to have John the Baptist killed. This singular event caused hers, her husband's and her daughter's destruction, and that of their kingdom.
Chain of Command
Now it is not hard to understand why the bible seems to lay down order or a degree of a chain of command as far as a husband and wife are concerned, much like concerning the hierarchy or the responsibilities of a king and a queen. Yes much like how a government, the military, any business or everything else is run. Order in the court, as a judge may say. Without order, disorder will be inevitable.
So the queen answers to her husband the king, as the king answers to a higher power. In King Ahab's and even to an extent Herod's, Abraham's and Adam's case, this higher power is our Father in heaven, the Creator of heaven and earth.
4. Herodias, wife of Herod Antipas, Tetrarch (Roman Ruler) of Galilee
During the time of Jesus, we find another "queen", one who used and schemed even her own daughter to force the hand of her husband -- the "king" appointed by the Roman Empire to rule over Galilee.
Herodias (and her daughter, Salome) schemed to force her husband, Herod to have John the Baptist killed. This singular event caused hers, her husband's and her daughter's destruction, and that of their kingdom.
Chain of Command
Now it is not hard to understand why the bible seems to lay down order or a degree of a chain of command as far as a husband and wife are concerned, much like concerning the hierarchy or the responsibilities of a king and a queen. Yes much like how a government, the military, any business or everything else is run. Order in the court, as a judge may say. Without order, disorder will be inevitable.
So the queen answers to her husband the king, as the king answers to a higher power. In King Ahab's and even to an extent Herod's, Abraham's and Adam's case, this higher power is our Father in heaven, the Creator of heaven and earth.
Hierarchy
Everyone else have someone over them -- a President is over a Vice President, a General over a Colonel, over a Major, over a Lieutenant and so on, the CEO is over a Manager who is over a Supervisor.
This goes the same to a child who is under the authority of his/her parents, the wife is under the authority of her husband and the husband is under the authority of Christ. Each one directly answerable to the one above them. God instituted marriage in the Book of Genesis, their marriage and both husband and wife are subject to the authority of the One who instituted it.
Outside Looking In
I know this is all simplistic, if not archaic and would not convince most who have taken a hard stance against this biblical teaching. But an outsider (looking in from the outside) hardly will understand.
Real Christianity is not a religion. It is not merely a set of rules that tell people don't do this or don't do that.
Christianity is a way of life -- a belief in the finished redemptive work of Christ. Once this is believed, then the teachings of Christ will make sense (not before).
This goes the same to a child who is under the authority of his/her parents, the wife is under the authority of her husband and the husband is under the authority of Christ. Each one directly answerable to the one above them. God instituted marriage in the Book of Genesis, their marriage and both husband and wife are subject to the authority of the One who instituted it.
Outside Looking In
I know this is all simplistic, if not archaic and would not convince most who have taken a hard stance against this biblical teaching. But an outsider (looking in from the outside) hardly will understand.
Real Christianity is not a religion. It is not merely a set of rules that tell people don't do this or don't do that.
Christianity is a way of life -- a belief in the finished redemptive work of Christ. Once this is believed, then the teachings of Christ will make sense (not before).
(Apostle Paul's take)
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