A husband had better be submissive---and so should the wife. That is the point of Eph 5:21. Do you think freeing slaves distorts the picture? We are to be slaves to Christ, maybe we are out of God's will by outlawing slavery? Be careful in pushing the context. I think the emphasis is on both submitting to each other and working together. I believe when the entirety of the context is reviewed that this teaching for this portion of scripture should be the emphasis. It is less about roles and more about cooperation as team---look at the entirety of Ephesians. Yes, God puts people in different areas/functions, but submit to each other and work together for Christ wherever you find yourself. Honestly, in many of the men in "conservative" circles there is not enough humility or submission. Remember, meekness is not weakness, but strength under control. However, most men I see telling their wives to submit are actually out of control. Teach servanthood rather than forcing submission and much of the rest will fall into place. Look to the example of Oogway...<giggle> OK, that last line was to make you smile. Blessings, Randy > Randy, > > I don't think that my view of sovereignty "spills over" into this. > > I see this as an important issue for today because there is much confusion > over gender roles. I believe that the Bible teaches that God created > gender > and gender roles for a reason. That reason was to portray His love for > His > Bride, the church. There are many passages of Scripture in both the OT > and > the NT that describes this. > > When anything distorts that picture -- a submissive husband, a domineering > wife, "gay marriage," divorce, women pastors -- then it distorts the idea > we > are suppose to have about God's love for His Bride. > > Is the grace of God made void? No. But, just as having an abusive father > may make it more difficult to understand our Heavenly Father, a distorted > picture of what marriage was designed to be makes it more difficult to > understand Christ's covenantal love for His church. And a church were > these > distorted gender roles are displayed front and center in the pulpit every > Sunday is portraying a very twisted picture of Christ and the church. > > On Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 5:25 PM, <shieldwolf@...> wrote: > >> Kevin: I understand your point, but I honestly think you are pressing >> it >> further than what was intended from the context---especially the >> Ephesians >> 5 passage. I Timothy may well be a prohibition for women >> *pastor-teachers* but I would not push the Ephesians 5 >> passage---especially in light of verse 21, nor would I say "it distorts >> the Gospel." Somehow salvation by Grace through Faith is distorted? >> Some >> how the Grace of God fails? I don't think you can press it that far >> based >> upon the text. >> >> I realize you are coming from a point of emphasizing sovereignty and I >> wonder if that is spilling over into this area---I don't know that it is >> I >> am just trying to figure out why you are so insistent on this point, >> that's all. :) >> >> Blessings, >> Randy >> >> > > -- > > Grace and peace, > Kevin Sigafoos > --------------------- > For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory > forever. Amen. (Rom 11:36) > > To subscribe, send a message to: pastorsforum-join@... > > To unsubscribe, send a message to: pastorsforum-unsubscribe@... >