Opinion: Submission Is Not Weakness — It’s Worship

The word submission has become something of a dirty word in today’s world. Say it in the wrong crowd, and you’ll get eye rolls, scoffs, or maybe even a lecture about how women have “moved past that.” But as a Christian woman who believes in the authority of Scripture, I’ve come to understand that Biblical submission is not about inferiority or oppression — it’s about love, trust, and reflecting the relationship between Christ and His Church.

Ephesians 5:22-24 tells us, “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

At first glance, that passage can make modern readers uncomfortable. But when we read it in full context — alongside Ephesians 5:25, which commands husbands to “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” — it paints a beautiful picture of mutual devotion. Submission, in the Biblical sense, is not a command to obey a tyrant. It’s a call to honor and trust a man who is, in turn, commanded to love sacrificially — to put his wife’s needs above his own.

Christ’s love for the church is selfless, protective, and redemptive. In the same way, a husband’s leadership should be marked by humility, patience, and compassion. And a wife’s submission mirrors the church’s willing response to Christ’s headship — not forced, not fearful, but faithful.

I’ll be the first to admit, submission doesn’t always come easily. It requires laying down pride and control, two things our culture tells women to cling to. But true strength is found in surrendering to God’s design. When I choose to respect my husband’s leadership — even when I don’t agree with every decision — I’m ultimately choosing to trust God’s order, not man’s opinion.

1 Peter 3:1-2 adds, “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” What a testimony that is! Our submission isn’t silence — it’s strength under control. It’s a quiet confidence rooted in faith that God sees and honors obedience.

In the end, Biblical submission isn’t about losing identity or voice — it’s about aligning our hearts with God’s divine pattern for harmony in the home. When we follow that pattern, marriages thrive, respect deepens, and love grows.

The world may see submission as weakness, but Scripture shows it’s an act of worship — a reflection of the bride’s love for her Savior. And there’s nothing weak about that.