The Head of the Woman is Man

By Angie Lewis

Why do some Christian women have a difficult time dealing with the submission issue in marriage? It is because over the years the scriptures have been abused to mean something other than what God meant. Unfortunately, many Christians lose the greatest relationship on earth and in heaven because of their own unwillingness to follow Christ and realize He is their Source!

Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 11:3

In the term “the head of the woman is man” head is not used to suggest that the man has control over the woman but “the source of” the woman. Because man was created first, the woman derives her existence from man, as man does from Christ and Christ from God. In other words man submits to Christ and Christ to God. When a husband submits to Christ first, a wife should not have any reservations about submitting to her husband’s spiritual headship.

Submission is the key ingredient for the smooth running of a business just like it is for the smooth running of a marriage. God’s purpose for submission in marriage is not for the woman to feel inferior but to prevent disorder. Submission does not mean inferiority – it means to love, to serve, to give, to forgive, to respect, and it means mutual commitment and cooperation.

How does a bossy and demanding wife cause disorder in marriage? I believe it is instinctive for a Christian man to want to be the spiritual leader in his home, he wants to be a protector, provider, and overseer of how his home is managed and run according to the foundations of God’s Word and when a woman undermines her husband’s position it causes confusion, frustration and chaos. The same is true for husbands. When he undermines his wife’s position it will also cause confusion and disorder in the marriage.

Couples undermine each other’s positions because they don’t understand that God has already established roles for husband and wife. Since they are not taught from church (anymore) to accept the position assigned to them from God, they take over each other’s duties and responsibilities and this undermines the wife’s role as a woman to the man and the man’s role as husband to his wife. This is unfair to both of them.

Man is made to be the person in charge for the very fact that God made man first. Man is the source of woman. Understand though, the minute God’s Word is taken out of the equation it becomes a distorted and unhealthy view of what true headship is. When a husband becomes bossy and demanding with his wife it is not of God anymore. Would Christ become bossy and demanding of His church? How does Christ love his church? This is how husbands are to love their wives.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing of water through the word
Ephesians5: 25-26

Husbands are to love their wives through the word. In the same way Christ cleanses us by a washing of water through the word. In fact, it is Christ’s death that sanctifies and cleanses the church. He cleanses us of sin, making us holy, setting us apart for his purpose. It is God’s Word that cleanses us and prepares us for our salvation.

Sanctify them through the truth. Your word is the truth.
John 17:17

We can change the title of this article to be The Source of Woman is Man and it wouldn’t translate to anything other than what we have already discussed. The Source of Man is Christ. The Source of Christ is God. It is a position that God has given to us for our happiness and when we adhere to the principles that coincide with these positions we will be blessed abundantly. Even though, a woman’s source is also God and when she submits to her husband’s headship she is ultimately submitting to God and His will for her.

A wife should always respect and honor her husband’s position. God gave him that position so he can serve her in the ways of the Lord. A husband should always love and care for his wife in the Lord. God gave her that position so she can lovingly submit her will to her husband because she loves and trusts in God.

Let me end this article with a wonderful analogy to give you a bit of food for thought. The source of a candy bar is chocolate. But where does chocolate derive from? The source of all chocolate products comes from The Cocoa Tree! Therefore the source of a candy bar is chocolate and the source of chocolate is the cocoa tree. There would not be any chocolate in this world if it weren’t for the cocoa tree. Thank God for the cocoa tree!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:1