For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. ~ Colossians 2: 1-8

Last night was the last night of the Asbury revival services, and it was the only night that I watched any of the services. I only saw a portion of the service, but what I saw was simply beautiful. I heard Christ preached, Christ called on, and Christ worshiped. Watching those precious college students crying out with pure hearts for Jesus was lovely, and it took me back down memory lane as I thought of the sweet times of fellowship I had with the Lord as a young man. I didn’t know the Bible like I know it now, but I was hungry and I wanted Jesus.

Over the past 3 – 4 years, I have become more and more increasingly discouraged by what I see within American Christianity. It seems more and more Christians are political, judgmental, and puffed up with pride.

What I find particularly disturbing is those who found fault with the Asbury revival because it didn’t fit into their theological box, missed the most important theological truth there is: Jesus, himself.

They’d rather sit in judgment with their philosophy about the importance of theology rather than seeing young people yearning for the Living God, but I’m with the students of Asbury. I’d rather have Jesus.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he warns them to not allow anyone to spoil them through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Many who boast in their theology tend to condemn others who don’t think like them, yet they have nothing more than a lifeless philosophy about God. There is no room for the real, living Christ in their theology. Yet, the living Christ ought to be the central theme of all our theology.

Those who boast in their theology, often get puffed up about the knowledge they think they have, and if you don’t serve God according to their knowledge and understanding, then you’re false. Yet, Paul tells the Colossians that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ!

If you have Christ, you have the key to all the truth about God!

I really don’t care if 18, 19, and 20 year old students have their theology together or not. If their hearts are crying out for God, so much so that they don’t want to leave his presence, and they just want more of Jesus, I really couldn’t care less about how theological together they are. Jesus is the Savior, not theology! Jesus is Lord, not theology! Jesus is the Son of God, not theology! Go after Christ with all your heart, and good theology will find you.

Jesus who died, and rose again, now lives forever in the presence of the Father to bring us near to God. If you make Jesus your whole heart’s desire, the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.

When I look back on my late teens and early 20’s there were a lot of things I had wrong in my theology, but my heart was hungry for God and I wanted Jesus. And this is what every person who sits in judgment of the Asbury revival has missed. Those young people just want Jesus, and Jesus is the biggest threat to the judgmental, puffed up Christian.

In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul instructs us not to use our knowledge to injure other believers. Paul warns that knowledge without love will puff you up in pride. When we see others who are passionate, and hungry for God, we have a responsibility to encourage their growth in the Lord, and not disparage it.

When Apollos (Acts 18) was unlearned about Christ, but passionate for the things of God, Aquila and Priscilla took the time to nurture him and show him the way of God more perfectly. That’s what those who are seasoned in the faith are called to do. Let’s rejoice in what God has done in the hearts of the students of Asbury as wells as others elsewhere who were touched by God through Asbury.

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. ~ 1 Peter 3:1-7

In the text above, notice that Peter tells the husbands to live with their wives according to knowledge, and to honor their wives as the weaker vessel. Husbands are to live with their wives in an understanding, loving, and supportive manner, not in dominance, because a husband and wife are heirs together of the grace of life.

Though Sara was submissive to Abraham as Peter points out, Abraham and Sara were on a journey together. And when Abraham thought he could work out God’s plan in his own strength, it was Sara (his bride) who knew best, thus God told Abraham to listen to his wife.

And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. ~ Genesis 21:12

Sara was the wife in submission, but Abraham needed to listen to her and follow her advice. This is how the marriage relationship works. Submission is not about being the doormat, it’s about honoring God by the love, loyalty, and support the wife gives to her husband. Sara supported Abraham’s obedience to follow God, but there came a time when she knew better than Abraham regarding God’s plan, and thus God said, hearken unto her voice.

When a man and a woman are united in holy matrimony, they become one in the eyes of the Lord, and women are not commanded to submit to their husbands so that the husband can rule over them as some suggest. Women are to submit to their husbands out of love and loyalty. In like manner, the husband has a grave responsibility before God to honor his wife, or else his prayers will be hindered. The man’s responsibility to treat his wife honorably is a serious thing with God.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. ~ Ephesians 5:22-23

Paul never teaches the concept that women are to submit to men in general. It is always the husband that the woman is to submit to. However, there is a context to which this topic needs to be properly understood. Paul never teaches that a wife should submit to the abuse or unfaithfulness of a husband, and neither does any other New Testament writer.

Biblical submission is not a misogynistic thing. Rather, its purpose is to beautify the power of the gospel as we will see moving forward. In the biblical context (context is the key), a wife’s submission to her husband is to model the church’s submission to Christ. For that to happen, the husband has to model Christ’s love for the church in how he treats his wife. If this element is missing, there is no biblical context for women to be in submission.

The responsibility of the husband/wife relationship modeling the union of Christ and the church, falls on the man. If the husband fails to love his wife as Christ loves the church, while insisting that his wife be in biblical submission, he becomes a hypocrite and an abuser of God’s truth for his own selfish reasons.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ~ Ephesians 5:24-32

Again, biblical submission is not about misogynistic behavior. It’s about the love of Christ that a man should have for his wife – a love that nourishes and cherishes his wife. Nowhere in scripture are women called to submit to sexual, physical, or verbal abuse. Yet, there are some within Christendom who promote such nonsense. If the truth of biblical submission were correctly understood by more men, we would have more men who become more Christlike from their marriage relationships.

In my next article on this topic we will examine Peter’s instructions for men and women in marriage, which is very similar to Paul’s instructions above.