Can you explain if a wife is accountable to serve a husband first or God. When it comes time to be at church activities such as door knocking or street preaching etc. do you stay home if husband says or do you go because it’s right to serve the Lord? What if your husband doesn’t want to serve the Lord? Do you submit to him or go on and serve without him. Especially when preachers tell you should be willing to always be at church functions without excuse. Even if tired or something else to do, you should be there. Is that just for men or ladies to?
A very good question Rosie. This question troubles many Christian women who wish to do right or seek justification to do wrong! The answer to your question taking it at face value is very easy and very simple but the details are numerous and they truly reveal the heart of a true disciple of Jesus Christ let us read the scriptures.
Matt 22:36-37Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. This great commandment is supported with many strong scriptures such as:
Matt 10:32-39 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
And the Apostle Peter spoke admirably under threat when told by unlawful authorities that he was not to preach about the Lord.
Acts 5:28-29 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
In the simplest simplicity all men and women have the morale responsibility to obey the word and ways of the Lord first in all circumstances.
Jer 7:23But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
Walk ye in all the way’s I have commanded you is of the gravest importance as the wicked are noted to often cause mischief by misuse and abuse of the Law. In the New Testament where grace removes us from the curse of the law, the righteousness of the law is still to be fulfilled in us that walk after the spirit!
Rom 8:4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
In the many details of God’s word every soul in obeying God would be morally subject to the whole of God’s word in its proper time and judgment. With out a Scriptural understanding of one’s place and position as dictated by ones station or lot in life many often make incorrect decision in obeying God and there by sin against him. The same Lord that said obey my voice has also commanded us to obey every ordinance of man.
1 Pet 2:13-20 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ we are always obligated to always obey the righteous morale legal and lawful commands of all authorities we are placed under even if we do not agree or like those orders when they do not countermand the righteousness of God. The Lord has ordained three spheres of authority for us to be under for our good, the family, the church, the government; it is God who has established the authorities of those institutions to which all men and women must be subject in every case. We may not disobey the Holiness and righteousness of God who is the highest authority and be anything less than sinful. To be in obedience to God a Man or a Woman must obey the orders and rules of every authority of men that are legal and lawful commands in line with the Holiness and the righteousness of God.
1 Pet 1:15-17 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
To be legal is to be according to law; in conformity with law; as a legal standard or test; a legal procedure. To be lawful; permitted by law; as a legal trade. Anything is legal which the laws does not forbid. Of course when we speak of the Law we are speaking of the morale law of God the highest authority to which all Christians are subject to for conscience sake. There are many Biblical instructions and commandments for human relationships found in the word of God. The Lord gives us many instructions of proper conduct in the word for the Family, the Church, and the Government, as every Christian is morally responsible to study, to know, to understand and to obey the righteousness and the Holiness of God!
2 Tim 2:15Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Now what man or woman can be in obedience to God who will not obey the righteous expectation of those who are in authority over them?
Heb 13:15-17 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Who then could be right with the Lord while not giving him the preeminence of his position and authority as well as those who are placed over us in authority by the Lords very word!
col 1:16-18 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
The bottom line is very simple and as I said the details are numerous therefore I will answer you in simplicity if your husband demands that you prepare dinner at five p.m. every night I would strongly recommend you submit with joy for the Lord’s sake. If he should ask you to rob the local bank for him because he needs more spending money I would most strongly recommend that you respectively decline, now in all things do right in the eyes of God!
Heb 4:13For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Conclusion: So what are we to do when two authorities over us conflict? In most cases obey the higher authority giving as much obedience to the lesser authority as possible remembering that time and judgment place and position play a major factor in determine righteousness. What solider could stand before a general court-martial by saying that he disobeyed the sergeants order to take the objective in the battle because the captain ordered him to shine his shoes during the battle?
