**This was written in response to a request from someone online that I explain the Scriptural support for Mutual Submission. I have removed all personal information about the person but wanted to share the information for those who might be interested.**
First, I believe in wifely submission. I do not believe in wife-only submission. God created man and woman in his image and the woman is called the man’s ezer neghed–this means, in Hebrew, helper who opposes. The Hebrew presents a picture of a partner who is co-carrying the burdens of life, an ally as one would be in battle, and so long as the man is on the path of righteousness she walks beside him as an ally (the name ezer is used of God ), but if the man begins to move off the path of righteousness she is to oppose him and stand in his way–blocking the path.
Second, any imbalance in Creation that is a result of the Fall is not God’s design. Paul tells us in Galatians that at the foot of the cross there is neither male nor female. Messiah restores Creation. It’s not fully completed yet because He still has to return, but we have one foot in the Kingdom and a marriage at the foot of the cross need not be a marriage under the effects of the Fall.
Third, the Greek word hupatasso that is often translated submit means “submit together” and Paul says all believers are to submit to one another in Ephesians 5. When he moves on to talking about the wife he does not say she is to submit to her husband. That isn’t there in the Greek. If you have a KJV you can see that “submit” is in italics. That means it was added by the translator. If you know how to navigate blb.org you can see this as well in the concordance links. Even where hupatasso is used in texts about marriage, it does not mean “hierarchy” or “line up under” unless it is being used in a military topic. My marriage is not a war
Fourth, the word translated “head” referring to the husband and the wife in Ephesians 5, is the Greek word kephale. It does not mean head as in authority or boss. It means either a literal head of a body or “source” as in the head of a river. That is the meaning. There are several words in Greek that can be translated “head” and do carry the meaning of authority or boss, but kephale, the word Paul used, isn’t one of them.
Ultimately, the end of Ephesians 5 has Paul explaining that what he’s been teaching about marriage is the explanation of the mystery of the verse found in Genesis that the two shall become One–the Hebrew word “One” is echad and means “plural one” and speaks to unity
Ultimately, though, the Bible wasn’t written to us today. It was preserved for us and I thank God for that with all I am. It was, however, written to specific people at a specific time about specific things and the more we can study and learn about them the more we can understand the point of the text. I do not throw things out as irrelevant if they speak to a cultural context–but the purpose of the cultural context is to help us understand the eternal truth being expressed in it.
The doctrine of wife *only* submission–where the wife is the only one expected to submit, and it is an expectation and not something she willingly gives–is Scripturally unsound. It violates the instruction explicitly given in Ephesians 5 for all believers to submit to one another. This does not stop after marriage. In mutual submission marriages both spouses seek to be fully submitted to the Lord. As they are submitted to Messiah He will guide and lead them into ever increasing unity
[...] but were added by the translators.) Crystal Lutton has a very good explanation of those verses both here and here. You might also want to read this explanation for more information. I’m very [...]