Paul was no chauvinist. He taught the spiritual equality of women and men (Gen 3:28) and wrote eloquently about husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church-sacrificially and unconditionally (Ephesians 5:25-33). But to a church in a corrupt culture where marriages were in disarray, the brave Paul argued that submission was essential for any institution-government, church, or family. Without authority, chaos reigns.      Submission of wives to husbands does not suggest inequality or inferiority. In the same way a wife is responsible to her husband, Christ is responsible to the Father. If being under authority suggests inequality, then Christ would be “inferior” to God the Father. That would contradict everything Paul ever wrote about Christ.

Submission achieves cooperation. It is not surrender, weakness, withdrawal, or apathy. It is a choice that honors God. Authority and submission rooted in humility and love produce good (Ephesians 5:21).