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Biblical Headship (3) According to Paul — 11 Comments

  1. Motive and Source, are two words that come to mind. Am I as important
    or respected as much as I deserve? Is egotism a factor in my self evaluation? Motive, has been a steady drum beat with me. What is my goal? We may often say we are something that we are not in order to be elevated.
    Being truly honest with ourselves isn't easy sometimes. Jesus reproached the Pharisees for seeking the most coveted places and respect. Humility is high on the ladder to sanctification. Jesus came to serve not to be served.

    (12)
    • Paul, it seems to me that as soon as we think, "Am I as important or respected as much as I deserve?" we are demonstrating our self-focus. And self-focus is the polar opposite of the focus of Christ and what He calls us to. In His life, Christ demonstrated that His focus was service, and He calls us to follow Him in having the same focus.

      Arguments about "headship" have generally consisted in arguing over who gets to have the highest place, who gets to be "boss." Thus I find Nicole's articles to demonstrate a refreshing perspective - which is actually the biblical perspective. Paul makes clear that husbands who want to fulfill their "head" position in marriage need to be fully subject to Christ and demonstrate His spirit, which would make them willing to lay down their lives for their wives. This would result in a mutual attitude of serving each other.

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      • Ing I think we are on the same page. The question about importance, was rhetorical. An example of motives that we keep to ourselves. We show the façade but the true structure is quite different. If the article by Nicole was about headship specifically, it seemed to be directed to a number of different applications.

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    • Paul, it seems your first question is to wake us up to focus on our motives! Whether husband, wife or man or woman, God asks us to be witnesses for Him demonstrated by our willingness to "agape" each other and serve (like) one another! There is a difference between loving and liking! Praise God he loves me (and you) even though he may not like my actions at times!

      (2)
      • Sharon yes I think that is the most important question, because we deceive our selves as well as others when we profess or shape a belief with ulterior motives to accomplish a self serving endeavor. This is not easily accepted if we find that it is applicable upon self examination. WE look for the mote in the eye more often than we want to admit.

        (2)
  2. As I read it, in Eph 5 Paul is telling husbands to love, nourish and cherish their wives and he is telling the wives to submit to this loving, nourishing and cherishing from their husbands and thus they will fulfil the LORD's instruction for the husband to leave his family and cleave to his wife and they will become one flesh.

    I understand Paul to be saying that just as Jesus came to cleanse us from the effects of sin and to make us holy, in the LORD the curse of the husband ruling his wife will become the blessing of the husband loving his wife.

    (10)
  3. Nicole.....I see it! I get the whole picture! Our Father is more lovely than we could have ever known. It all makes sense now. Why we can love (agape) Him. HOW to agape Him. As I read it was as though I was having Jesus speak audibly to me. It triggered a closer experience. I'm hungry for more. PTL for you and your deep studies have led me to my knees. I have been telling everyone in my path. I can now explain His love and I believe this understanding to be a piece of the puzzle that was missing. Out people needed it. It is part of the latter rain. I gladly welcome these trials if they will lead my iniquitous heart to repentance. This is a beautiful faith that works! I hope my family members get it too. Wow I hope everyone in the world learns about this amazing truth. Blessings to all and Happy sabbath.

    (4)
  4. It is useful to read the whole of the argument in 1 Cor 11. It is really not a discussion about headship but rather an argument about men and women's head coverings and haircuts and their visibility or otherwise in public worship. I don't want to start a tangential discussion but I observe that current hair styles and head coverings in church in our modern society are quite different. Does that mean that we are wrong today, or that Paul was trying to get through to the Corinthians was that it made a lot of sense to be sensitive to the cultural norms of his day.

    It is quite possible that by taking the part of 1 Cor 11 that suits us to discuss headship, without considering and the whole argument, we are missing something reasonably important. There was a time when, even in our society, women wore hats to church. Now-a-days very few women wear hats to church.

    There is clearly an element of cultural conformity in the argument and we would do well to consider its significance.

    (2)
    • Maurice, so true we need to consider the passage in context. The bigger context is the whole of 1 Corinthians. In this letter we see Paul quoting from various sources and then saying in effect "this is what you say BUT this is what I say". I was wondering if the beginning of chapter didn't fall into this pattern because of the word HOWEVER in 1Co 11:11-12 "However, man is not apart from woman, nor woman apart from man, in the Lord. (12) For as the woman is out of the man, so also the man through the woman; but all things are from God."

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  5. I like the point that has been made as it pertains to submission in marriage, especially to averting conflict and maintaining harmony in marriage. A soft answer turneth away wrath comes to mind, and it is a wise person that knows when to speak and when not to. The reality is that we are living in a sinful world, and Christian wives submitting to their husbands in the lord have a key role to play in witnessing and setting an example about maintaining family relationships.

    The point of your argument that I disagree with the most is the suggestion that teaching male headship is somehow teaching superiority or ruling over (a sin). I would have loved to hear your thoughts on the Patriarchal system in the Old Testament is this system only based on cultural? And what of the priesthood and the fact that the priests are all males, these systems take headship in a context outside of marriage do you think these systems were sinful? (Think of Abraham ordering his House).

    Taken the patriarchal system of the Old Testament into consideration Paul could be speaking about woman generally and not wives specifically.

    I like that you are discussing the character of God in your arguments. Ultimately Christ is the chief corner stone.

    (0)

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