Troublesome Topic: The Foundations for the Two Major Views on the Authority of Men and Women

Some people teach that a wife should be under her husband’s authority in anything related to the family, while others teach that there is no difference in their levels of authority in the home or in society.

Let’s look at the foundation each of these ideas is built on.

The concept that “there is no difference in their levels of authority in the home or in society” is based on the following:

• Bible verses that speak about everyone’s value in God’s eyes, how God accepts everyone, how He loves everyone, etc.
• Verses that speak of God’s redemptive plan and its all-inclusive quality
• Verses about the role of women that are taken from their context and thus sound more negative than they really are. (For a detailed look at the passages that cause the most “trouble” in this way, please finish reading what is below, then hit the backup button twice and then go to the category called “in the New Testament.” There you will find my translation and paraphrase of these passages that so many find offensive.)
• The way our culture functions and the assumption that the parts of the Bible that speak to this issue were culturally motivated and do not relate to us

The concept that a wife should be under her husband’s authority is based on the following:

• Bible Verses that explain a man’s role and those that explain a woman’s role
• Verses that clearly say that the husband is the head of the wife (Eph 5:23, I Cor 11:3)
• Verses that tell a woman to submit to her husband Eph 5:22, Col 3:18, Titus 2:5, I Tim 2:11-12, I Peter 3:1-6, I Cor 14:34)
• Verses that instruct a woman to respect her husband (Eph 5:33, I peter 3:2)
• Verses that refer to the order of creation (Gen 2:20-24, Gen 3:16, 1 Cor 11:8, 1 Cor 14:28, 1 Tim 2:13)
• Eve was more easily tempted than Adam (I Tim 2:14)
• Certain angels that had 6 wings (called seraphim) used two of them to cover their faces (I Cor 11:10)
• It was the recognized authority structure for all ancient societies
• All authority structures have been established by God (Rom 13:1)
• Jesus established a New Covenant, doing away with some aspects of the Former Covenant, such as the sacrificial system and the teaching method of the Law (the laws regulations). However, Jesus did not remove the principles of the Former Covenant, and He did not change the lines of authority which were established at creation.

The next lesson is Ways Males and Females Are Equal and Ways They Are Not Equal