Embarrassed by the Bible: What "Wives Submit to Your Husbands" Really Means (Ephesians 5)

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2017

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How the misunderstood “wives submit to your husbands” passage in Ephesians 5 unlocks a transformative and egalitarian vision of marriage rooted in mutual submission, sacrifice, and love. Mike Erre and Andy dive deep into the cultural, linguistic, and biblical context of this controversial scripture as they launch a new series, “Embarrassed by the Bible”—tackling tough and awkward verses that have long caused confusion and damage within Christian spaces.

Key Takeaways:
• Mutual Submission as the Heart of Discipleship – The verse “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” is the foundation, not an add-on. Spirit-filled relationships begin with mutual surrender, not hierarchy.
• Reframing Ephesians 5 – Understanding how Greek grammar links verses 21 and 22 shows “wives submit” is part of broader mutual submission, not a blanket endorsement of male dominance.
• How Culture Shapes Misreading – Paul worked within patriarchal Greco-Roman household codes not to affirm them, but to subvert them by planting gospel-centered seeds of equality and sacrificial love.
• Redefining “Headship” – Being the "head" doesn’t mean control or final say; it means sacrificial love modeled on Christ’s love for the church—being the first to serve, forgive, and selflessly uplift the other.
• Marriage as Gospel Embodiment – Christian marriage isn’t about rigid gender roles, it’s about embodying the love, humility, and mutual care of Christ and the church.

Resources Mentioned:
• Ephesians 5:21–33 – Bible Gateway
• Genesis 1–3 – The biblical foundation of male/female equality before the Fall
• Past Episode – “Household Codes and Subversion of Power” (playlist coming soon)
• Interlinear Bible Tool – biblehub.com/interlinear

Join the “Embarrassed by the Bible” series as we uncover how scripture, when properly understood, reveals the revolutionary heart of Jesus. Have a verse that confuses or embarrasses you? Email us at [email protected] to share your questions.

Subscribe, leave us a review, and follow the conversation on social media to keep this dialogue alive!

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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford | IG & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Baby Watch
0:12.9	is still in process.
0:17.4	I thought perhaps I was going to get to do an Andy-less episode, which people
0:22.0	have been asking for for a long time. Because Andy's wife, Mercedes, is not just pregnant,
0:27.9	but now overdue. They were due on Mother's Day, which would have been wonderful. Yeah. But instead,
0:33.2	Shepard, as we call him, Shep to the Shep. Yep. He's heard. He's heard far too much going on outside the womb and he's like, no, I'm good. He's good. I'm good. So it's, uh, it's four days. It's due date plus four today. And so we're on baby watch. We could get a call right now. Yep. And right now. And, um, as the great Patch Adams, you know, would say, I'm a doctor at your cervix.
0:57.3	Okay.
0:57.9	So, oh, Robin.
1:00.8	Yeah, I know.
1:01.5	Seriously.
1:01.8	Seriously.
1:02.6	Did you get that, though?
1:03.8	Yeah.
1:04.1	The cervix bar.
1:04.8	Oh, yeah.
1:05.5	Yeah.
1:05.7	Okay.
1:05.8	I did.
1:06.2	I didn't get it initially.
1:07.7	My wife had to explain it when we watched the movie. So, so I just have stored that one away. Oh, I thought it was an EDM band. That's, uh, probably. That would be
1:15.3	a great. Okay. So, um, we're, we're cutting the small talk. The ducks suck. I mean, so they did.
1:21.9	Oh, that wasn't even my small talk today. They broke the curse. And then now they're just going to get tromped by the predator.
	...

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