New Testament Passages on Submission, Subjection,
Obedience and Headship
Genesis 3
12 The man said,
“The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate
it.”
13 Then the LORD
God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said,
“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” . . . [TH1]
16 To the woman he
said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will
give birth to children. [TH2]
Your desire
will be for your husband, [TH3] and he will
rule over you.” [TH4]
17 To Adam he
said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I
commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’
Cursed is the
ground because of you;[TH5] through
painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce
thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the
plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of
your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it
you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”
Genesis 4
(included as passage to illuminate an odd phrase in Genesis 3)
Adam lay with
his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With
the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.”
2 Later she gave
birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3 In the course of
time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.
4 But Abel brought fat portions from some
of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his
offering,
5 but on Cain and his offering he did not
look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD
said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
7 If you do what is right, will you not
be accepted?
But if you do
not do what is right, sin
is crouching at your door; it desires to
have you, [TH6] but you must master it.”
8 Now Cain said
to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”
And while they
were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Col. 3-4
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the
Lord.
.[TH7]
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. .[TH8]
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this
pleases the Lord. .[TH9]
21 Fathers, do not
embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. .[TH10]
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it,
not only when their eye is on you [TH11]
and to win their
favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
23 Whatever you
do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, [C12]
24 since you know
that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. [TH13]
It is the Lord
Christ you are serving. [TH14]
25 Anyone who does
wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. [TH15]
Masters,
provide your slaves with what is right and fair, [TH16]
because you know that
you also have a Master in heaven.
Eph. 5-6
22 Wives, submit to your
husbands as to the Lord. [TH17]
23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church,
his body, of which he is the Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, [TH18] so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. [TH19]
25 Husbands, love your
wives,[TH20] just as Christ loved
the church and gave himself up for her [TH21]
26 to make her
holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27
and
to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any
other blemish, but holy and blameless.
28 In this same
way, husbands ought to love their wives [TH22] as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 After all, no
one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does
the church— 30
for we are members of his body.
31 “For this reason a man will leave his
father and mother and be united to his wife, and the
two will become one flesh.”
32 This is a
profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. [TH23]
33 However, each one of you also must love
his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. [TH24]
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 “Honor your father and [TH25] mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—
3 “that it may go
well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
4 Fathers, do not
exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and
instruction of the Lord. [TH26]
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear,
and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
6 Obey them not only to win their favor
when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from
your heart.
7 Serve
wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know
that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is
slave or free.
9 And masters,
treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he
who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism
with him.
[TH27]
Col 2
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in
bodily form, 10 and you have
been given fullness in Christ,
who is the head over every power and
authority.
[TH28]
Romans 13
Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities,
[TH29]
for there is no authority except that which God has
established.
The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2 Consequently,
he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has [TH30] instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on
themselves.
3 For rulers hold
no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.
Do you want to
be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will
commend you.
4 For he is God’s
servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear
the sword for nothing.
He is God’s
servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities,
not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
6 This is also
why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full
time to governing.
7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you
owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if
honor, then honor.
Titus 2 & 3
You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate,
worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in
endurance.
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way
they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much
wine, but to teach what is good.
4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, [TH31]
5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be
kind, and to be subject to
their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
6 Similarly,
encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by
doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness
8 and soundness
of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed
because they have nothing bad to say about us.
9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in
everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, [TH32]
10 and not to steal from
them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they
will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. [TH33]
11 For the grace
of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to
ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright
and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed
hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us
from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15 These, then,
are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do
not let anyone despise you.
Remind the people to
be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do
whatever is good,
[TH34]
2 to slander no one, to be
peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived
and enslaved
by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being
hated and hating one another.
4 But when the
kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not
because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
He saved us
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he
poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that, having been justified by his
grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a
trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God
may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. [TH35]
These things
are excellent and profitable for everyone. [TH36]
Hebrews 13
17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. [TH37]
They keep watch
over you as men who must give an account. [C38]
Obey them so
that their work will be a joy, not a burden, [C39]
for that would be
of no advantage to you.
1st Peter 2-3
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s
sake to every authority instituted among men:
whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, [TH40]
who are sent by
him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
15 For it is God’s
will that by doing good you should silence the
ignorant talk of foolish men.
16 Live as free
men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of
God.
17 Show proper
respect to everyone:
Love the brotherhood of believers,
fear God,
honor the king. [TH41]
18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all
respect,
not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to
those who are harsh. [TH42]
19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust
suffering because he is conscious of God.
20 But how is it
to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if
you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
21 To this you
were called, because Christ
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you
should follow in his steps. [C43]
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word,
they may be won over without words by the behavior of their
wives,
2 when they see the
purity and reverence of your lives.
3 Your beauty should
not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold
jewelry and fine clothes.
4 Instead, it should be
that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is of great worth in God’s sight.
5 For this is the way
the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.
They were submissive to their own husbands, 6 like
Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.
You are her
daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
7 Husbands, in
the same way be
considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker
partner [TH44]
and as heirs with
you of the gracious gift of life, [TH45]
so that nothing
will hinder your prayers. [TH46]
8 Finally, all of
you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be
compassionate and humble.
9 Do not repay
evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you
were called so that you may inherit a blessing. [TH47]
1st
Corinthians 11
3 Now I want you
to realize that the head
of every man is Christ, [TH48]
and the head of the woman is man,
and the head of Christ is God. [TH49]
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with
his head covered dishonors his head.
5 And every woman
who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just
as though her head were shaved.
6 If a woman does not cover her head, she
should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her
hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
7 A man ought not
to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; [TH50]
but the woman is the glory of man. [TH51]
8 For man did not come from woman, but
woman from man;
[TH52]
9 neither was man
created for woman, but woman for man.
10 For this
reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
11 In the Lord,
however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man
independent of woman.
12 For as woman
came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her
head uncovered?
14 Does not the
very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace
to him,
15
but
that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair
is given to her as a covering. [TH53]
16 If anyone wants
to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of
God. [TH54]
1st Timothy 2
I also want women to dress modestly, with
decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive
clothes,
10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women
who profess to worship God.
11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
12 I do not permit a woman to
teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
13 For Adam was formed first,
then Eve. [C55]
14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was
deceived and became a sinner. [C56]
15But women will be saved through childbearing—if they
continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. [TH57]
Romans 5
12 Therefore, just
as sin entered the world through one man, [TH58]
and death through
sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—
13
for
before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not
taken into account when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless,
death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who
did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to
come. [TH59]
15 But the gift is
not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how
much more did God’s grace
and the gift that
came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16 Again, the gift of God is not like the
result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought
condemnation,
but the gift
followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17 For if, by the
trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, [TH60]
how much more will
those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of
righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Consequently,
just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, [TH61]
so also the
result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all
men.
19 For just as
through the disobedience of the one man [TH62] the many were made sinners,
so also through
the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was
added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace
increased all the more,
21 so that, just as sin reigned in death,
so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
[TH1]Who was deceived first?
[TH2]What was the punishment for Eve/Woman? Does this suggest that women should be tasked with the work revolving around childbearing and child rearing?
[TH3]What does “you shall desire your husband mean?” Is this a sexual desire?
Hint: The same Hebrew construction is in Genesis 4:7.
[TH4]Should the husband rule over the wife? Is that a punishment, a consequence, or both?
[TH5]What was the curse upon Adam and man? Does this suggest that it is the role of the man to be the one working to earn the food for the family and not the wife?
[TH6]The same way that sin desired to “have” Cain is the same way that wives are predicted to have their husbands. (The Hebrew phrase is the same.)
[TH7]Wives submit to husbands. Why?
[TH8]Husbands love wives and protect them.
[TH9]Children obey parents
[TH10]Fathers protect children
[TH11]Slaves/Servants obey masters. Could this also include Employees obey Employers?
[C12]IS this also not how children should obey parents, how wives should submit to husbands, how husbands should obey their employers, and how all should submit to their government?
[TH13]God rewards servants
[TH14]The Lord rewards Servants
[TH15]God judges Masters of slaves and Husbands of wives.
[TH16]Masters protect slaves/servants.
[TH17]Wives submit to husbands
[TH18]Church submits to Christ.
How should the church submit to Christ? In which ways? In which areas?
[TH20]Husbands love wives
[TH21]In what way should husbands love their wives? Is this anything but a self sacrificing way?
Who has the harder part of the deal?
[TH22]Husbands love wives.
[TH23]Again we see the parallel of Christ:Church::Husband:Bride
[TH24]Wives respect husbands.
Given verse 5 below, what does “respect” mean? Is this poorly translated into English?
[TH26]Fathers protect children
[TH28]What does “the head” mean here? Is Jesus Christ less than the Lord of Lords here? Does “head” mean source or preeminence? Does it entail lordship deserving submission?
[TH29]Every citizen submits to Rulers.
[TH30]What is the opposite of submitting?
[TH31]Wives Love Husbands
[TH32]Slaves/Servants be subject to Masters
[TH33]What is “the teaching about God our savior?” I think Paul summarizes that teaching in the next three verses.
[TH34]Everyone should be subject to their government officials.
[TH35]Have you trusted in God? If so, are you devoted to doing what is good? Are you devoted to obeying those who have been placed in higher authority than you?
[TH36]There are two types of people evidently: (1) normal people and (2) saved people. The normal people are characterized by disobedience, among other things. Those that have been saved are characterized by obedience, among other things. If we are not obedient and we call ourselves saved, what are we really?
[C38]Again we see how the leaders/authorities have a stricter judgment than the followers.
[C39]In what way should we obey our authorities?
[TH40]Every citizen is supposed to submit to the earthly lords. (So long as those lords are not telling the subjects to disobey God.)
[TH41]Again honor and obedience and submission and respect all blur.
[TH42]If Slaves need to obey their Masters even when the Master is unjust and unloving, do wives also need to submit to their husbands when husbands are not looking out for the best interests of the wife? And are employees free to cheat or disobey their employers if the employers are not treating them well?
[C43]Who provides the ultimate example? God the Son submitted to God the Father unto suffering. God the Son suffered unto death for his bride, the Church.
[TH44]Does weaker partner mean?
[TH45]Again we see the theme of the Husband/Master needing before God to protect the Wife/Servant.
[TH46]What happens to the man who does not lovingly protect the wife who submits to him?
[TH47] “All of you” encompasses both husbands and wives
[TH48]Husbands need to submit to the headship of Christ!
[TH49]Even God the Son submits to God the Father. Is headship and submission then a matter of inferiority and superiority? Or is it just a matter of hierarchy?
[TH50]Man somehow glorifies God.
[TH51]Woman somehow glorifies Man.
[TH52]Some argue that the man is the “source” of woman rather than “leader” of the woman based on possible meanings of “head” (kephale).
[TH53]Here Paul uses a different Greek word for covering than he had been using. Why?
[C55] The hierarchy of husband over wife and the preeminence of man over woman is rooted first and foremost in the mere fact that Adam was created first. It has nothing to do with women being inferior in any way.
[C56]And yet it is also not irrelevant that the Tempter focused on Eve and that Eve fell into deception first.
[TH57]Verse 15 is one of the most difficult passages in the new testament to make sense of.
[TH58]Why is it that Sin entered the world through Adam rather than Eve?
[TH59]Clearly it was Adam who messed up the human race by sinning. Not Eve.
[TH60]Again, why did Sin not enter when Eve sinned? What does this say about responsibility? Who is responsible before God: the husband or the wife?
[TH61]Again, Adam’s sin, not Eve’s sin.
[TH62]Two observations here. First, the one man was Adam, not Eve. With authority and preeminence in the hierarchy includes responsibility. Adam was responsible for their sins, not Eve. He was her representative.
Second, there is the theme of disobedience again. The problem starts with disobedience. A huge part of the aim of the salvation Christ bought for us is our obedience.