Rachel Held Evans, an author and egalitarian, says, “The question modern readers have to answer is whether the Greco-Roman household codes… are in and of themselves holy and divinely instituted, or if their appearance in Scripture represents the early church’s attempt to blend Christianity and culture in such a way that it would preserve the dignity of adherents while honoring prevailing social and legal norms of the day.” She is arguing that Peter, in I Peter 3, and Paul, in I Cor 11, Eph 5, and Col 3, were simply using what was already in place to save them from extra trouble. This presents several problems, however. This first of which is the treatment of scripture and the second is what Peter and Paul say afterwards.
To say that what Peter and Paul wrote was not divinely instituted is to say that is was not divinely inspired. If it was not divinely instituted then Peter and Paul were speaking on their own for their own purpose and glory. One has to judge the hearts and the minds of Peter and Paul to come to this conclusion, which is awfully difficult to do since no one alive today can know these men personally . To believe all this, however, one must not believe that the bible is inerrant and sufficient. This topic can cover many books, but for the purpose of this essay it will be assumed that the bible is inerrant and sufficient; thus, any treatment of scripture as less than this is troublesome at best and a heresy at worst.
Now, what about the rest of the story? Did Peter and Paul really believe that what they were saying was of their own will and reasoning? (Would they have said so if it was?) Both Peter and Paul give a defense for the statement they make about husbands and wives. Peter says in I Peter 3:5-6, “For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” He uses people from a different time and a different place as an example and a defense for what he just said. Clearly, he does not think this is something that just applies to the people of the Greco-Roman period . The most interesting part of Peter’s defense is his appeal to the women of the past, to history. Egalitarians argue that it was only unique to the Greco-Roman Era, but scripture tells us otherwise. These codes were not isolated in history and are still being used today, so they were not just cultural as the feminist would have people to believe. Additionally Paul gave a defense saying in I Timothy 2:13-14, “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” He uses the same defense in I Cor 11. So, it is clear then, that neither Paul nor Peter considered what they said to only be relevant the Greco-Roman Households.
The meaning of the texts are clear and so the only hope one has is to prove they were just cultural, only meant to be applied at that time and place. Upon further examination of the scriptures it becomes clear, however, that the writers do not believe what they wrote was just cultural, but was the way God designed things to be from the beginning. So, one is left to decide for themselves, whether or not the bible is the Word of God or whether only parts of it contain the Word of God. The inspiration and authority of scripture is too big for the scope of this essay, but perhaps it is worth one looking into if there is any doubt on this matter.
Oh, my friend, I urge you to consider what you believe about the scriptures to be true. It is becoming increasingly evident to me the ways in which the bible is being attacked and this is just one of those ways. I hope to read Inspiration and Authority of the Bible by B.B. Warfield soon and post about what he says, but I am afraid it will be sometime until then. It is a rather long and costly book and I have some others I already purchased and have yet to complete first. (Praise God I am single and have time to read all these books as quickly as I do, though! Amen!) Until then, study the matters for yourself. If you want a good book on the roles on men and women I recommend you read Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth by Wayne Grudem. It is long and I am still working on it, but it is excellent and very helpful. (Download the kindle app for you computer and get the kindle version- it is much cheaper.) If you want something less academic then Let Me Be a Woman or The Mark of a Man by Elisabeth Elliot are great options as well. Whatever you do, do not just sit on the fence; you must take a side for this is a matter of bringing glory and honor to Our Heavenly Father or dishonor and shame.
Other posts on this topic
-Just Semantics?
-Submit your Husband.
-Separate but Equal?