Martin Bucer on Caring for the Poor

I really enjoyed reading Martin Bucer's book Concerning the True Care of Souls. It is pastoral theology at its best. His first three chapters are excellent as he discusses what is the Church and how Christ rules in the Church. Here is his definition of the Church from the first chapter:

"The church of Christ is the assembly and fellowship of those who are gathered from the world and united to Christ our Lord through his Spirit and word, to be a body and members of one another, each having his office and work for the general good of the whole body and all its members."

He then goes on discuss this definition in more detail.  Here are the last four points Martin Bucer makes in his opening chapter.  He says that Christians should be sharing their possessions and then gives some rules for that sharing. I thought this was helpful in thinking about how to address needs in the body.  His points are in italics and my notes follow.

1. Christians have their fellowship not only in spiritual matters, but also in temporal ones. (Acts 4:32, 34, 35) His point here is a vital one. We often think of sharing in Scripture and prayer, which are of course important, but material possessions matter. Our love for the Church must be expressed in tangible, physical ways.

2. Christians dedicate themselves and their possessions to the help of the poor and the promotion of godliness. (II Corinthians 8:1-5)  Here Bucer puts up some fences around our aid. First, it must actually help the poor. Second it must promote godliness. Our aid cannot be such that it promotes ungodliness.  It is unbiblical to give money to subsidize laziness or drunkenness or any other form of sin.

3. The sharing of Christians takes place in such a way that those in need are helped and the others not burdened. (II Corinthians 8:13-15) Bucer's point here is not that our giving shouldn't cost us. Our giving must be sacrificial and that means it should hurt. His point is that by giving we shouldn't make ourselves poor or others poor. It does no good to replace one poor person with another.

4. Anyone among the Christians who does not want to work and is a burden to the other people is not only not to be fed by the congregation, but also to be cast out as one whose life is disorderly. (II Thessalonians 3:11-13)  Bucer puts up one final fence around our giving. A man who is a financial burden to the Church, yet refuses to work should be kicked out of the Church. Of course, Bucer is assuming the man is physically capable of working.

Book Review: John Calvin's Sermons on Ephesians

Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians by John Calvin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love the variety in Calvin's writings. There are really five strains: The Institutes, his commentaries, his polemical writings, his letters, and his sermons. Technically his sermons were not written by him, but transcribed by a faithful man in his congregation. Each of these types of writing shows a different aspect of Calvin's ministry though they interconnected. I have now read his sermons on Deuteronomy,Micah,the Beatitudes, and now Ephesians. I find his sermons thoroughly edifying. He does a good job of opening the text. He speaks to the people, which gives the sermons a very different feel from his other writings. There are of lot "let us" and "we must", etc. He is not afraid to take tangents when he feels it necessary. For example,he spends an entire sermon explaining baptism following Ephesians 5:26. The sermons are straight forward and not hard to understand. He repeats himself throughout each sermon to add emphasis. While there are not "points," he will often say something like "And that is Paul's point here." Or "so that is what we need to see for our first point. He will occasionally take shots at the papists or the libertines, but this is not frequent. A good help to anyone preaching through or studying Ephesians.

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Other People's Dung

John Calvin is known for his spicy language. His polemical writings are filled with invectives against the Pope, the Anabaptists, the Libertines, etc. His sermons are less that way, but sometimes he can't help himself. I am almost done reading his sermons on Ephesians . The language in his sermon on Ephesians 5:11-14 was striking even for Calvin. He spends a large portion of the sermon talking about rebuking those who do wickedly. That is the context for the following quotes:

"Behold, God has a fatherly care over us, and yet we allow his name to blasphemed, his majesty to be robbed and spoiled of all reverence, his Word to be torn in pieces, all (that he has commanded) to be broken, the church (which is his wife) to be corrupted and misused, and his children to be debauched, and in the meanwhile we keep our mouths closed. I ask you, whether such silence does not sufficiently show that we are not worthy to eat one morsel of bread, nor to be counted in the number of earthworms, lice, bugs, and all the vilest an filthiest things in the world."

"Therefore when God's Word is put before men, and we show offenders their faults with such liberty as is necessary, it is as though we show them a mirror and said to them, See what you are: you are as filthy as possible. Are you not ashamed to see yourself? Go and wash your face."

"Most men and women nowadays wink at all manner of evil and disorder, and stop their ears at the things they might hear, and every man seeks to conceal his fellow's wickedness, men of men's, and women of women's They might remedy a great number of enormities [sins] that are committed, but they would rather go and pollute their gowns and coats with other people's dung and filthiness, than expose their vices." 

Equip the Saints to Do What?

Context is king. But we often ignore this king, especially when we are trying to make a point. For example, last week I read an article which stated that the congregation needs to understand that they are supposed to do the work of the ministry and not leave everything up to the pastor. The pastor is there to equip. So far so good. The author used Ephesians 4:11-12 as exhibit A. Here are those verses:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ

The author was particularly concerned that women get their rightful place in ministry. The author understood that women cannot be pastors/elders. But this verse along with some others proved that they could lead book studies, Bible studies, Sunday school classes, etc.  After all, the entire congregation is supposed to do the work of the ministry. And the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers demands that women can and should do whatever men can do unless they are explicitly excluded from it, such as pastoral ministry. To have a church that really honors Christ women need to be fully involved in ministry.

There are numerous problems with this argument, including a faulty understanding of the priesthood of all believers. But I want to focus on the context of Ephesians. For this author when Paul uses the word "ministry" he means "official church work." It may be mercy ministry or leading Bible studies or serving on the building committee or a host of other things, but ministry means official church work.

But is this what Paul means when he says "do the work of the ministry?" Does Paul mean that pastors are there to equip the saints to lead Bible studies? Does Paul mean that elders are there to equip the saints to serve on building committees or to be involved in official mercy ministry? Does Paul mean that pastor/teachers are there to equip women to be involved in every area of official church work except preaching?

When we ask this question in context the answer is no. There are two reasons for this: First, most of those things did not exist when Paul wrote. He cannot be telling us that women really can lead Sunday school because Sunday school was not around. Were there Bible studies or building committees in 58 A.D.? The most probable answer is no. Second, this is not his point in Ephesians. We must ask what does the word "ministry" mean in Ephesians? Not what does it mean in my mind and how can  I make Paul's words flexible enough to include what I want it to include.

Ministry (or service or building up the body) in Ephesians has nothing to do with "official church work." Paul does not lead up to or follow the exhortation in 4:11-12 with a description of official church work and how the members of the body can get involved. He begins chapter 4 with a calling for us to walk worthy, which means loving one another, bearing with one another, and keeping the unity of the peace. He then reminds his readers that Christ has given them the gift of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers to help them in this calling. The leaders are there to equip them for this ministry work. He then goes on to describe this ministry work: doctrinal faithfulness (4:14), speaking the truth (4:15), putting off the old man and putting on the new (4:17-24), which means not lying, guarding your anger, working hard and giving, watching your speech, putting away evil, being kind and forgiving each other (4:25-32).

Chapters 5-6 contain the same types of exhortations.

In other words, when Paul says that the leadership is there to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry he does not mean anything official. He means that pastors are there to equip the saints to love one another, bear with one another, submit to one another, forgive one another, speak kindly to one another, give to one another, teach one another through singing, etc. In Ephesians doing these things is ministry. And thus in the end, reading Ephesians 4:11-12 in context actually expands the ministry of the saints. A woman does not need to teach Sunday school to do ministry. A man does not have to serve on a building committee to be building up the body. When we love on another, when wives submit and children obey, when husbands die for their wives, when we put on the whole armor of God, when we obey at work, when we forgive, we are doing the work of the ministry, serving one another, and building up the Body of Christ.

A New Creation in Ephesians

Four things are created in Ephesians:

First, we are created for good works (2:10).

Second, God created one new man from the Jew and Gentile (2:15).

Third, God created all things (3:9).

Fourth, God created a new self in his likeness (4:24).

Our salvation is viewed as a new creation, a making something new which is equal to the making of the world. By His Word and Spirit the worlds were made. By His Word and Spirit we are remade. By His Word and Spirit Heaven and Earth made. By His Word and Spirit Jew and Gentile are made into one new body. By His Word and Spirit Adam and Eve were made in the likeness of the living God. By His Word and Spirit we are remade into the likeness of express image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. By His Word and Spirit that which was formless and void was made into the stars, sky, Sun, moon, and earth. By His Word and Spirit our dead souls are made alive in Christ. 

We should stand amazed at the beauty of the world, the stars hanging in the black heavens. But we should also stand amazed at the 4 year old who loves to lift her voice like the children in Psalm 8 in praise to her Savior.  And we should stand in awe of the 94 year old whose body is broken, but whose soul is being remade in the likeness of Christ. The new creation of a fallen human is no less a feat than the original creation of the world from nothing. 

A Good, Firm Support

"We have already seen how God has sufficiently declared to us that if we have and possess his only Son, Jesus Christ, we have the full perfection of all good, so that if we cast our eye upon him, we may see all that can be desired. And thus, although there are many blameworthy things in us, and even though we find nothing but frailty in ourselves, yet we have a good, firm support to lean on, in that our Lord Jesus Christ call us to him an tells us that the things he has received from God his Father are for us all, and that although we do not yet enjoy them  to the full, we cannot come short of them.  In short, our Lord Jesus Christ is set at the right hand of God his Father, in order that we might be sure that all things are under his control, and that he rules the whole world, and that all good things are from him and he is able to prevent all injuries, so that if we are under his protection, we may defy the devil and our enemies." (John Calvin, First paragraph of a sermon on Ephesians 1:19-23)

Sermon Notes: Ephesians 6:5-9

Here is the application portion of my sermon from this past Sunday. 

1.       This passage makes all of our jobs holy. It breaks down the divide between secular and sacred. It means you can honor God typing in data just as much as you can honor him in prayer. In the Kingdom the man is holy because he is united to Christ. Thus his vocation becomes holy.

a.       O’ Brien: Any and every task, however menial, falls within the sphere of his lordship and is done in order to please him.

b.      Why is the view that there are levels of holiness so deadly for the Christian life?

                                                              i.      It creates 2^nd class citizens in the Kingdom. There are the less holy ones who are auto-mechanics and the more holy ones who are missionaries. It drags us back to the Old Covenant.

                                                            ii.      It leaves the world to the Devil. Both the dominion mandate and the great commission go unfulfilled.  Journalism, medicine, art, politics, building cars, etc. are all part of the world. We tolerate these things, but they are not really spiritual or holy. Thus we leave them to Satan. Which means the whole world is left to Satan except my devotions and Sunday worship.

                                                          iii.      It creates a spirit only view of the Christian life.  The Christian life becomes something primarily internal. It can be the life of the mind or the life of the heart, but what it is not is a life of the body.  Thus our Christian life is not worked out in making casseroles, building houses or mowing lawns, but primarily in Bible study and prayer.

c.       We should not assume that more Bible reading and prayer will make us holier. Even in our free time we should not assume this. Yes, we should read our Bibles and pray. But then we should live. We should build houses and fix cars and write briefs and cook meals and read books and make movies. This passage makes the whole world our workshop. There is no area of human endeavor where we cannot honor Christ.  

d.      We do not need to continually add more “spiritual disciplines” to our lives.  God has called us to work, to labor, to a vocation. Our calling is to productive labor. There are biblical disciplines that should be cultivated. But too often we add extra disciplines, such as fasting or personal evangelism or numerous Bible studies, to our lives. God wants us to honor him with productive labor in our vocations.

2.       Christ is honored when we are skilled in our labors and productive for your employers. We do this because it is right not because we are trying to manipulate the system.  Everyone here should be striving to do their jobs better. If we are working for the Lord then we should want to do our best. Wives in your homes there should be regular evaluation of your labor.  Are there things you could do better? Is your home a place of joy? Why not?

3.       External obedience is not enough.  We must throw ourselves into our vocations with joy and vigor. Paul, indeed the Bible, never leaves us with only external obedience.  In our work, we are to honor Christ by doing our jobs with our whole being.  This includes a heart that is sincere, joyful, and seeks to please God in all things.

4.       There are rewards for obedience.

Sacrificing Like Christ

On Sunday I preached that we are to walk in love, which means that our lives are to be lives of giving, lives of sacrifice. This came from Ephesians 5:1-2 and also reflecting on Romans 5:6-8.  I then gave four ways we can know that we are learning to sacrifice like Christ.

1. We are learning to sacrifice without resentment. Sacrifice with bitterness is not sacrificing like Christ.

2. We are learning to sacrifice when there is nothing in it for us. If we have a "I do this for you, but you will do something for me" mentality we are not sacrificing like Christ. What can you give to Christ for what he has done for you? This is a great danger for parents who often give to their children in the hopes that the children will give back to them.

3. We are learning to sacrifice for those who do not deserve it.  Let's state the obvious: Jesus gave for those did not deserve, you and me.  Go and do likewise. It is a great twisting of grace to only give to those who we think deserve it.

4. We are learning to sacrifice with joy.  A sacrifice that is sour is a sacrifice tainted with sin.  This does not mean you ignore the difficulty of sacrificing for others. (See Jesus in the garden.) But it means that we should be glad to lay down our money, time, energy, and dreams for those around us.

Quick Sermon Outline: Ephesians 4:28-30

My Translation

Let the one who is stealing, steal no longer

            But rather let him labor hard by means of working with his hands

                        So that he might have something to share with the one who has need. 

Do not let any corrupt/foul word come out of your mouth, but only what is good

            To build up according to the need

                        In order that it [the word] might give grace to the one who hears

      And do not grieve/pain the Holy Spirit of God

                        By whom you were sealed to the day of redemption

Points from verse 28

1. We earn through hard work, not from theft or chasing pipe dreams. 

2. We earn more so we might have more to give. 

3. There are often legitimate needs in the Body of Christ. Just because someone has a need does not mean they were lazy. 

4. The first line for meeting needs is the individual members of the body, not the deacons. 

Points from verses 29-30
1. Words are powerful. See Proverbs 18:21
2. Our words are to meet need of the moment. This requires wisdom, which in turn requires listening. 
3. Corrupt words grieve the Holy Spirit. One excellent way to not grieve the Spirit is to biblical language. This does not guarantee that your words are not corrupt, but it will help.

The Privilege of Preaching

Charles Hodge commenting on Ephesians 3:2:

"Paul esteemed the office of a messenger of Christ as a manifestation of the undeserved kindness of God towards him, and he always speaks of it with gratitude and humility. It was not its honours, nor its authority,  much less any emolument [payment] connected with it, which gave it value in his eyes; but the privilege which it involved of preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ.

A Second Helping: Ephesians 4:25-27

Here are some additional notes on from my sermon preparation on Ephesians 4:25-27. The sermon can found here.

1. The connections between Zechariah 8 and Ephesians 4 are intriguing. Zechariah 8 envisions a new restored Israel where God dwells in "truth and righteousness." (8:8) The Hebrew word for truth is used six times in Zechariah with five of those times coming between 8:1-19. The use of truth in Zechariah 8 along with the its use Ephesians 4:15, 21, 25 makes one commentator say, "It is difficult to resist the conclusion that the brief citation of Zech. 8.16 in Eph. 4.25 is but the tip of the iceberg in terms of the role Zech. 8 plays in the thought of the author of Ephesians."  The Old Testament community that is promised in Zechariah 8 has become reality in Ephesians 4.

2. We have all heard the phrase "little white lies." Satan loves to seduce us into believing that our sins are not as great as they actually are. Is lying really a problem. Listen to the Apostle John,  "...all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8) If lying is a habit, Hell will be your habitation.

3. St. Chrysostom: "There is nothing, no nothing, so productive of enmity [hatred] as deceit and guile."

4. Should we be worried if we get angry often? Is it really a big deal if we have a sharp temper?  Listen to John Calvin, "Be assured, then, that we are, as it were, banished from the school of Christ and his church when we stir up hostility and conflict among men." (Sermon on "Blessed are the Peacemakers")

5. We lie because we want to look better than we are or to get something we want. We get angry because we have lost sight of God's sovereignty over our situation.  Both of these show a lack of trust in God to provide what we need and to vindicate us when we are harmed.

Sermon Notes: Ephesians 4:25-28

Exordium

            Coming down from the mountain can be painful. Remember Moses. He spent forty days in the glory cloud, surround by the Shekinah glory of Yahweh.  had to come down from the mountain. He had been up there with God, getting the Ten Commandments. God’s glory shone all around him. But then he had to come down.

Paul moves from the lofty and abstract, putting off and putting on, to the “nitty gritty specifics of the Christian life.” (J. Stott)

Exegesis

Paul does not just tell what we shouldn’t do, but also what we should do.  We must put off and put on. The absence of weeds does not make it a garden. If you do not put on what is right, while also working putting off the sin, you will not win the battle.

a.     Illustration: Catechism questions

 

As a church we want to be connected with one another. One aim and goal at Christ Church is that there is deep fellowship with one another. It is the explicit vision of the leaders of Christ Church that you are involved in one another’s lives. We want to hear about you eating with one another. Playing games with each other. Working over at one another’s houses. Why? Because this is the vision of the Scriptures.  This entire section assumes close contact with other believers. It assumes an interconnectedness with one another.  But his interconnectedness does not mean less problems it actually means more.

      Think about when you got married or maybe when you became close friends with someone. From afar people are often a lot more lovable than they are close up.  It is not until we close to someone that we see the warts.

     Do not lie, but instead speak the truth. (Zech 8:16)

a.       Reason: We are members of each other

Who We Were and Who We Are

Throughout Ephesians Paul loves to compare our former, lost, and hopeless condition with our present state of glory and salvation in Christ. Paul did not want us to forget who we had been outside of Christ.  Reminding us of this should keep us from pride, give us joyful hearts, and lead us to praise God.  There are many contrasts, both implicit and explicit, in Ephesians. Here are three of the most explicit in the epistle.

Ephesians 2:1-4 We were dead in our sins, but now we are alive in Christ.
Two notes about this contrast. First, it puts God's power, love, and mercy at the center of our change.  Dead men don't get up and walk out in their own power.  We played no part in being born again. Second, the transformation is total. You are either dead or alive. There isn't any middle ground.

Ephesians 2:12-13 We were strangers, but now we have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Three notes about this contrast. First, salvation is about being brought near to God. It is about our relationship with him. As John Piper says, "God is the Gospel." The aim of our salvation is not simply the saving of our soul and bodies. It is a saving so that we might be close to God. Second, we have become part of the New Israel. We were outside, aliens to nation of Israel. Now we are inside, citizens with all the rights that come with that title. Third, this contrast has priest and Temple written all over. Who could come near to God in the Old Testament? Well, it wasn't us Gentiles. But now we are priests in the Temple of God.

Ephesians 5:8 We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. 
Two notes about this one. First, we are light. We don't become light when we do this or that. Jesus says the same thing in Matthew 5:14.  Just by existing we expose darkness. Just by existing we shine for Christ. Second, like the previous two contrasts, we are light because we are in Christ.  Christ is the fountain of every blessing we have believers. He is head from which all good things flow. Outside of him we are dead, aliens, and darkness. In Him, we are alive, citizens, and light.  Every good thing we are or will do has come about because of our union with Christ.

Second Helping: Ephesians 4:17-24

Here are some additional notes from my sermon on Ephesians 4:17-24. The sermon itself can be found here.

1. I have really enjoyed St. Chrysostom's homilies on Ephesians. His illustrations have been a particular delight. My preaching is not strong on illustrations. He has been a great prod for me to get better at illuminating my points by illustrating them. For example, as he preached on Ephesians 4:19 and the phrase "being past feeling" he said this: "Though thou apply the word to them like fire or steel, yet nothing touches, nothing reaches them; their limb is utterly dead." Most of his illustrations are like this one, short and taken from everyday life. John Calvin's sermon illustrations are a lot like Chrystostom's.

2. There is debate on whether the phrases in Ephesians 4:22-24, "put off and put on" should be translated as something past or something we are to do.  Have we put off the old man and put on the new? (See Colossians 3:9)  Or are we to put off the old man and put on the new? (See Romans 13:14) There are good arguments for both.  I think the context, especially 4:25-5:2, would point towards the latter translation.  In this section, Paul is exhorting us to action. He has already devoted several chapters to discussing who we are. (Chapter 1-3)  Now he is telling us how we are to live.

3. Charles Hodge and John Calvin both think the last part 4:24, (which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness, NKJV) is about the restoration of the image of God in us, which was lost when Adam fell. Here is what John Calvin says, "The regeneration of the godly is indeed...nothing else than the formation anew of the image of God in them."  And later, "The design contemplated by regeneration is to recall us from our wanderings to that end for which we were created."

4. "Truth" in verse 21 is a reference to moral truth, or ethical truth. Paul is saying, "how we are to live is found by looking at Jesus."

A Second Helping of Ephesians 4:1-16

Pastors are collectors. We collect books, notes, anecdotes, quotes, oddities about the Greek/Hebrew text, etc. Most of this collecting is done during sermon preparation. However, when we preach a lot of this collected data gets left at home.  It seems a shame to let it go to waste. So here are some additional notes on Ephesians 4:1-16 that I scavenged while preparing to preach. If you would like to hear the sermon you can go here.

1. Verses 4-6 have a Trinitarian shape. There is one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father of us all. This Trinitarian shape is why we can have unity (verses 1-6), but a diversity of gifts (verse 7).

2. Charles Hodge on the unity of the Spirit. "As hatred, pride, and contention among Christians cause the Spirit to withdraw from them, so love and peace secure his presence. And as his presence is the condition and source of all good, and his absence the source of all evil, the importance of the duty enjoined [unity] cannot be over estimated."

3. Verses 11-12 are  some of the most debated verses in the New Testament. Two problems are presented. Is verse 11 talking about 4 offices (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor/teacher) or 5 offices (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor, and teacher)? Second, is verse 12 talking about three things the teaching offices do or one the teaching office does (equip) and two things the saints do (the work of the ministry and the building up of the body)? It is interesting how interpretations shift over time. In the reformation era the 5 office view and teaching offices doing all three were the dominant interpretations of the verses.  Today the ground has shifted to exactly the opposite.

4. A diversity of gifts does not harm the Body of Christ, but on the contrary makes it healthy.

5. The only other verse in the New Testament where word for "tossed to and fro" is used is James 1:16. 

6. "Speaking the truth in love" in verse 15 is talking about speaking doctrinal truth. It is connected with verse 14. It is not talking just about lying, but rather about false teaching.  Paul uses "truth" in a similar way in 4:21.

7. The body is built up/edified when each part does its share. (verse 16)

Marriage as Death: The Wife's Role

Here are some notes from a sermon I preached two weeks ago. These are bare bones. I will try to post some on the following sermon for husbands some time next week.

Marriage as Death: Ephesians 5:22-33

Introduction
Having a good marriage is not simply about studying the “practical” stuff in the Scriptures. Men you want to be good husbands study the life of Christ. Matthew can be as big a help in marriage as Proverbs. Women if you want to be good wives study the Church. Revelation can be a big a help in marriage as Ephesians 5 is.

Context
Here in Ephesians 5:22-33 Paul is expanding on his discussion of what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Paul tells the church at Ephesus that they are not to get drunk with wine, but rather are to be filled with the Spirit. This filling is described by four characteristics.
1. Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
2. Singing & making melody in our hearts
3. Giving thanks always
4. Submitting to one another

Then under this final category of submitting Paul goes on to give us three specific relationships in which submission is required and how that submission looks.
1. Husbands and Wives
2. Parents and Children
3. Slaves and Masters

Body of the Sermon
Wives and husbands are each given one central command. Wives are told to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord. Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. For wives what is in view is Christ’s office. When they see their husbands they are to see a lord and king, who loves them. For husbands what is in view is the work of Christ. Husbands are to constantly be asking themselves does my work in my wife's life bear resemblance Christ's work in and for the life of the Church.

For many wives this passage is very familiar and therefore we can assume that we know what is being said. More than that we can assume that we are obeying the commands put forth here. With familiarity often comes assumptions. This can be deadly if we do not put our lives under the spotlight. Wives do not assume that just because you know this passage that you are actually obeying it.

It is also very easy to take the edge off of this passage. We like to add qualifiers and “yeah, buts” to Paul’s admonition. But Paul never backs away from what is said here. It is the straight stuff. When a wife hears her husband she is supposed to hear the voice of Christ. She is supposed to listen as the sheep listen to the shepherd. (John 10:4, 27)

A wife by submitting to her husband is protected from submitting to other men who would seek to degrade or take advantage of her. By following the commands given by Paul she is actually setting up a barrier around herself. Too many women do not see this and end up submitting to various people, especially employers, because they do not submit to their husband.

It is important to have a proper view of the Church if we are to have a proper view of women. The picture Paul has is not a meek, quiet woman who is stuck in the corner somewhere why her husband does the important work. The picture of the Church given to us in Scripture is quite different from what we see in many Amish cultures and the like. The Church is glorious, powerful, a queen who has the King of Kings as her groom. She is not to be trifled with. The Church cries out to her Lord and regularly lifts prayers up to Him. The Church in the end will be robed with glory and garments of white. A wife should seek to be a living, incarnate image of the Church. As we will discuss next week, a husband should seek to make sure she becomes that.

Here are a few diagnostic questions for wives to ask to see how they are doing.

Is your default set to yes? Do you regularly question your husband’s decisions? Is your initial reaction to one of his ideas positive or negative? Are you constantly reviewing in your mind the things that could go wrong if your husband decides to go through with it?

Do you see your husband as lord? (I Peter 3:6) We do not live in the Middle Ages anymore, but you still need to see him as a king. More specifically your king.

Do you seek to glorify him? This is a primary purpose of the Church. She is to bring glory to Christ. Are you imaging the Church in this area. Are his vocation and interests central for you? Do you find yourself downplaying the importance of what he is doing? Do you publically lift him up?

Do you make small things big? Do you take minor disagreements and make them into major ones? If you do this is a sign that you are not properly submitting to him.