Submission is willingly coming under the authority of another. This is why every true Christian is a submissive person. The new heart that God gave us when he saved us, and made us his own, pumps submissive life all through our new selves. We submit to God — who is the Author of our lives and, therefore, our true Authority in every way.
It’s from this ultimate submission to God that every other earthly submission makes sense. He has ordered his world and, in our submission to him, we take our place within that order. So, when God says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord,” we don’t shrug it off because, in minimizing this command, we minimize and make light of our submission to God himself.
quiescent wife silently goes along with something she disagrees with and even perhaps despises. She will not raise an objection because she thinks she’s being noble or godly by keeping her thoughts to herself. But a godly wife can and should raise an objection if she has one. She should ask questions of her husband and seek to understand why he is leading them the way he is.
A good marriage is one filled with agreement. A wife ought to seek to get on the same page as her husband as much as she can. Sometimes this means raising objections and asking him to change his mind. Other times this means drawing him out or letting him know you aren’t sure where he’s leading you. In any case, silently acquiescing (while inwardly living in anger, fear, or contempt) can do damage to the marriage relationship by concealing distrust and leaving your husband in the dark about the true state of your heart.
When we communicate truthfully and in good faith with our husbands, it doesn’t automatically make submission easy, nor does it mean we will always agree, but it will give us deeper peace as we entrust ourselves first and foremost to God and, next, to the man God has joined us to.
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