Christian Marriage Vows and Submission
February 12, 2007
Discussing Christian marriage vows can be one of the hardest parts of planning a wedding ceremony. A lot of Christian single engaged couples stumble over Christian marriage vows because of one simple word: submission.
Christian Marriage Vow Controversy
Many traditional Christian marriage vows, in an attempt to express what was thought to be the Bible’s teaching on wives submitting to their husbands, include one little phrase where the bride pledges to “love honor and obey” her mate.
Today, most Christian marriage vows of brides delete the “obey” part, and have replaced it with “cherish”. Some couples have actually had arguments over this issue, to the point of delaying the wedding ceremony.
However, much of the Christian marriage vow controversy we see could be ended if only believers took another long look at what the Bible actually teaches about submission.
Daily Devotional
In our Bible Devotion for today, Pastor Dave Gremban, of Calvary Chapel Ann Arbor, Michigan, expounds on the idea of submssion:
“In Ephesians 5:21-33, we learn about mutual submission (v. 21) in the context of the marriage relationship. In short, a husband is called to submit to his wife by loving her; and a wife is called to submit to her husband by respecting him (v. 33).
“A husband who loves his wife, giving of himself as Christ gave Himself, reflects Christ and His love for the Church (v. 25). A wife who respects her husband
and submits to his leadership reflects the Church and her respect for Christ (v. 23-24).
“Let’s cultivate marriages that communicate this beautiful picture of Christ and the Church! May God’s Spirit enable us to each do our part.”
Bible Verse of Day
-Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.-Ephesians 5:21
Do you have something to share about Christian marriage vows?
Related to Christian Marriage Vows:
Christian Marriage-How Singles See It
