This is a summary of the three ways that men and women might sin; from that last talk on Colossians.
Three ways women may usurp authority
1) Taking over in a situation. This would be what Eve did in the garden: rather than looking to her husband for direction, she simply made a call. This can be expressed in an attitude of "I'll submit if he leads well."
2) Overt usurpation. This is a wife who is overbearing, usually with words. She doesn't exhibit a quiet and gentle spirit (1 Peter 3:1-6), and her husband is happier on a corner of the roof (Proverbs 25:17) or in front of the tv or buried in the newspaper.
3) Covert usurpation. This is manipulation: using sex, affection, respect, love or emotions to get what you want. Like Delilah saying that Samson didn't really love her.
Three ways men abuse their authority
1) Abuse. Harshness. Men will get irritated with their wives - even angry. We have a tendency to respond in anger, in a domineering, non-gentle fashion.
2) Believing love is merely commitment. I think this comes from the wrong-headed notion that agape and philos in koine Greek mean different things. They (usually) don't. The fact is that God commands the emotions here. Yes, it is commitment - but it is so much more than that. It is affectionate, adoring, desirous emotion.
3) Believing that love means we seek our wives' happiness in general - as opposed to their happiness in God. In other words, we're to seek our wives' holiness, as Jesus did for his Bride (see Eph. 5). Sometimes, that might make her temporarily upset. We'll have to deal with that.
So there're a list of sins. We will sin in those ways, men. You will sin in those ways, women.
But there is a way out. Can you find it in the context of Colossians 3?
I like your post on this. I have still seen a lot of stuff arguing women should have more authority in relationships and churches in bookstores and websites.
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