Chapter 13: Biblical Submission Basis of the Wife's Protection

Martha Peace iterates 5 biblical principles concerning submission. They are as follows:

1. Submissive to her husband in all things unless he asks her to sin.
2. A submissive wife is not afraid to do the right thing.
3. She is to be submissive even if her husband is a non-believer.
4. A submissive wife does not dishonor the Word of God.
5. She will seek counsel and training from a godly older woman.

From here Ms. Peace gives various examples of each principle. I would like to focus my comments here on principle #2 and principle #4.

Using 1 Peter 3:6 as a basis, Martha Peace shows that one of the keys to overcoming fear is love. There are some wives who have much to fear. Fortunately the only thing I have to fear is not getting my own way.

Principle #2 A submissive wife is not afraid to do the "right thing"

Micah 6: 8 it says: He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Christ wants the same thing from us today...not outward religiosity but an inward spiritual commitment of the heart from which right behavior will be the fruit. This inward commitment will be reflected in our outward behavior...like Sarah we will do what is right without being frightened by any fear. Or as it says in 1 Peter 3:4 that our adornment would be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of the Lord. I am not sure what is meant by precious here but I am going to go with rare and very valuable.

As I do this study I am consistently confronted with my own selfishness. (The opposite of love) I dislike not having my own way or what I want. I willfully forget that I am suppose to be that living sacrifice in Romans 12:1. (I keep jumping off the altar) Some of my lack of obedience and "not doing the right thing" does stem from fear. We as human beings do not take well to surrender and loss of control. We like to be autonomous. We like to think we are in control. It is an illusion. Fortunately if we belong to the Lord He will consistently pull the rug out from under us to show us where our trust is being misplaced. He is a jealous God. He wants our whole heart. For me lately it has been my focus on what I thought I had put behind me....a desire for appreciation, a desire to be treated special, a desire for something back. I HATE that they have returned and am praying that I can be ruthless with them. Admittedly, the past few days have been better for the "other side." SIGH! But thanks be to God, that His word tells me that His grace is sufficient for me and that when I am weak, He is strong. I am thankful that I can go boldly to the throne of grace to find help in the "nick of time." I can by the power of the Spirit put on love for those around me...putting off my desires and my agenda. When we are afraid of loss of control and our desires are for ourselves it wreaks havoc in our families day to day lives. (See James 1:13) They can't see Christ..you are in the way. Making His desires your desires will bring peace to your life. Psalm 37: 4-6 says it best:

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

As you trust the Lord, do good (without fear) and delight in Him...His desires will become your desires. You will want only his glory reflected in your life. Christ revealed to others through your words and actions. Whoo Hoo.

Principle #4: A Submissive Wife does not Dishonor the Word of God

Titus 2:3-5 says the following: 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

We bring shame to the Word of God and become a reproach to Christ when we dishonor His Word. Does your outward confession of faith reflect your inward heart attitude to submit to the authority of your husband? Nancy Missler once said truth is where word and deed match. Do your word and deed match?

Is obeying God more important than having your own way? (Romans 12:2) Do we have an appropriate reverential awe of the Lord? A friend of mine used to have a paper mural hanging at the bottom of her stairway that said "for our God is a consuming fire." Her children (and she has many) saw it everyday as they came down the steps in the morning...what a great reminder. God is holy..He cannot abide sin. Matthew 10:28 says to fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Does the Word of God dwell in you richly? Do your children see you study the word daily and once again does your outward profession reflect your inward heart. Are God's desires really your desires? Are you only submissive when it is convenient and easy or do you do it whether you feel like it or not? Do you outwardly do the right thing but inwardly struggle with bitterness? Confess it to the Lord and take every thought captive unto Him. Remind yourself of what the Scripture says. Again my favorite one that never fails is 1 Cor 13: 4-8. I have never had to recite past "Love suffers long and is kind," to be convicted. Remember Christ endured the cross, despising the shame.

Spend some time on pages 151, 152 and 153. Ask the Lord to convict you of the ways in which you are not submissive to your husband. The past two chapters have been especially challenging for me. Conviction at my lack of true submission to my husband came on every page. Hebrews 4:12 says this: 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. As an encouragement look at the list of OT heroes and heroines that are in the Saints Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11. These were all imperfect people like you and me. Yet their names are written here as a testimony to their faith evidenced by their obedience to God. As you submit to your own husband from your heart, you are evidencing your faith and obtaining a good testimony.