Transgender is a word used quite a lot today. It is mainly used in reference to men who wish to be called women. Many abominations are attributable to this error. Yet, in the church today just as many errors can be attributed to women wishing to call themselves men.

Indeed, when one takes the scripture from Galatians 3:28 by itself, as it is often offered, it appears to give great trouble to the teachings of governmental order between man and woman found in other scriptures. However, we should always examine the context of the scripture quotations we use to know whether we are properly interpreting the meaning of the writer.

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Yahshua.

Many prophetic words are going out in these days warning the saints against false doctrines and teachings that the enemy of our souls is loosing upon the Church. Satan’s intent is to disrupt the work of God to sanctify, purify, and refine the Church in preparation for our Lord’s return. Satan is pouring forth a flood of words in an attempt to drown and cover the truth, but we are told in God’s word, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of Yahweh shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19).

This article is being offered as a standard of Yahweh raised up against a teaching that is spreading like wildfire. The teaching I am referring to is that of spiritualizing gender references in the Bible. Many are teaching that references to male and female in scripture actually refer to spirit and soul, and in doing so they are tearing down the natural order established by God in which men and women are to relate to one another.

As Satan usually does, he mixes truth with error to pollute and corrupt that which God has designed to be pure and holy. This is true in this case as well. There is truth in making a correlation between spirit and soul, male and female, but the error comes in when those who perceive this truth go on to nullify and make invalid the order that God has set in the natural realm.

God is speaking much in this hour of the necessity of subjecting the soul to the authority of the spirit within each man and woman. It is a ploy of Satan to twist what God is bringing forth and to cause grievous error and confusion to result and to pollute the working of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

Satan’s chief weapon is deception and deception always works best when it has an element of appeal to it. This is how Satan deceived Eve in the garden. The fruit that Satan invited Eve to partake of was appealing and Satan’s lies made it even more attractive.

Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate...
(NAS)

In the same way, there is much in the current false doctrine being espoused that makes it attractive, both to the women and the men who would eat of this forbidden fruit. In fact, the very things that made the fruit of the tree in the Garden of Eden attractive, also makes this false teaching attractive.

To begin, let me define what is being taught. Many today are taking passages of scriptures relating to male and female relationships, teachings that deal with authority and submission, and they are teaching that the natural application of these words are invalid. Instead, they are teaching that these words must be interpreted and applied from a strictly spiritual perspective. They are teaching that references to male gender refer to the spirit of man and references to female gender refer to the soul of man.

In doing this they then draw some of the following conclusions: A natural male or female can actually be a spiritual male if they are walking in the realm of the spirit. Also, a natural male or female can be a spiritual female if they are walking in the soulish realm of their being. One is told that believers must discern who the spiritual males and females are so that order can be established. It would be possible for a natural female to be a spiritual male and for a natural male to be a spiritual female. When believers such as those just described encounter one another in the domain of the Church congregation the natural male would have to submit to the natural female because in the spiritual their genders are actually reversed.

Quite simply, this is confusion. Yahshua condemned the Pharisees for making the commands of God of no effect through their traditions. Their traditions were interpretations of scripture that were of man, not of God. In the same way, those who are teaching this false doctrine are nullifying the commands of God and bringing confusion into the body of Christ.

Interestingly enough, the scripture that states “for God is not the author of confusion” is found in the very passage that many are basing their false teaching on.

I Corinthians 14:33-34
33  for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
34  Let the women keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says.
(NAS)

To make it clear, what is being espoused by those who are teaching this spiritualizing of genders and the abdicating of the natural order of God, I will render a passage of scripture just as it has been rendered and repeated by many others whose writings I have recently come across. In this rendering the word MAN is understood to mean Yahshua Christ, the Head of the Church; EVERY MAN represents every believer who walks according to the Spirit; THE WOMAN is taken to mean the Church; and finally, EVERY WOMAN is interpreted as the soulish or carnal believer. Also, because MAN is interpreted to mean Christ, the word CHRIST has to be interpreted in another manner, so some have cleverly interpreted CHRIST as The Anointing, or The Holy Spirit in one occurrence, and as the Church in another occurrence.

(I Corinthians 11:3-10) 
3    "But I would have you know, that the head of every man (spiritual believer) is Christ (The Anointing, The Holy Spirit); and the head of the woman (the Church) is the Man (Christ Yahshua); and the head of Christ (The Many-Membered Body, the Church) is God. 
4    Every man (spiritual believer) praying or prophesying, having his head (Christ) covered, dishonoureth his head. 
5    But every woman (soulish believer) that prayeth or prophesieth with her head (spirit man) uncovered dishonoureth her head (spirit man): for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 
6    For if the woman (the Church) be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman (soul) to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. 
7    For a man (spiritual believer) indeed ought not to cover his head (Christ), forasmuch as he (spirit man) is the image and glory of God: but the woman (the Church) is the glory (image) of the man (Christ Yahshua). 
8    For the man (Christ Yahshua) is not of the woman (the Church); but the woman (the Church) of the man (Christ Yahshua). 
9    Neither was the man (Christ Yahshua) created for the woman (the Church); but the woman (the Church) for the man (Christ Yahshua). 
10    For this cause ought the woman (the Church) to have power on her head (Christ Yahshua) because of the angels.

Besides being extremely confusing, this correlation does not hold up under the scrutiny of scripture. However, because of the attraction of receiving an interpretation in this vein, many are adopting it and teaching others to do so as well.

What is the attraction in spiritualizing the gender roles? For one, it looses the natural woman from her place of submission to man. This is an awesome attraction. It is evident in our western culture that the natural order of men and women as established by God is viewed with contempt. For generations now women have been fighting to attain an equal footing with men, choosing not to remain in submission to them. The concept of a wife honoring and submitting to her husband is viewed as archaic and unsophisticated. The woman who chooses to conform to God’s divinely established order is considered to be a doormat under the feet of her husband.

There is tremendous fear that must be overcome for a woman to subject herself to her husband, father, or other male authority figure in her life. This is why Peter said,

I Peter 3:6
Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.
(NAS)

A woman fears that her husband may not consider her needs. She fears that her husband might make a foolish mistake that will have negative repercussions in her life. She fears that her husband might choose to walk down a path that will bring hardship to herself or her children. She fears that her husband might through disobedience bring judgment and calamity upon herself and the rest of his household.

By spiritualizing gender and changing the obvious and natural interpretations of scriptures, a woman is offered a way out; she is given an alternate path that she can walk that gives her much more control over her destiny. She no longer has to walk in submission to man, exercising faith, trusting God to protect her from the failures of her husband who has feet of clay. As Satan offered the fruit to Eve and it had a pleasing appearance to her, so does this forbidden fruit have allure to women in the Church.

Peter makes it clear, however, what a woman’s options truly are before God if she wants to walk in a manner pleasing to Him and if she desires to see God support her and protect her.

I Peter 2:18-19; 3:1-5
18  Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
19  For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly...

1   In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,
2   as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.
3   And let not your adornment be merely external-- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;
4   but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
5   For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands.
(NAS)

Peter compares the relationship of a woman with her husband to that of a servant to his master. He then says that even if the woman has a husband that is disobedient to the word, she is to let him be won without a word as he observes her chaste and respectful behavior.

The principle Peter teaches is this: if a woman tries to correct her disobedient husband through her words, threats, behavior, or any form of manipulation or coercion, God will leave the woman to her own devices and He will remove His hand from the situation and He will delay in correcting the husband. However, if the woman remains chaste and respectful and looks to God to correct the disobedient authority over her, God will deal with her husband and bring correction. This is why Peter says “For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God.” Yes, their hope was in God. They did not rely upon their own strength to accomplish, or words to change the behavior of their husbands.

This submission requires one to have faith in God, and unfortunately, few in the church today, men or women, know what it is to entrust themselves to God. The church is as full of men who have failed to walk in submission to Christ as it is women who fail to walk in submission to their husbands. This is one reason why there is such a lack of the presence of God in our lives. Instead of looking to God to support us and deliver us, we strive in the power of our flesh to accomplish that which we desire.

This doctrine of spiritualizing genders is but the latest temptation that Satan has set before men and women to cause them to abdicate the roles God has assigned to them. This was Satan’s original sin. He was created with a glorious position before God, yet he was not content with it. He wanted to rise above his calling.

Isaiah 14:12-15
12  "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations!
13  "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.
14  'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'
15  "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.
(NAS)

Satan was not content with his position, even though it was a glorious position, one that brought him into the very presence of God. He viewed his role as demeaning. He began to consider that he should rise higher and that he should be worshiped. It says that he said in his heart “I will make myself like the Most High.”

It was this very same temptation that Satan brought to Eve. He told her "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God...” (Genesis 3:5). Satan convinced Eve that her role was demeaning. She could be something greater. Rather than being what she was created to be, she could become as God. In reality, Satan was offering her the opportunity to be god of her own life. She could discern for herself good and evil, right and wrong. Rather than relying upon God as her source of righteousness, she could establish her own.

It is in addressing the error of Satan, the error that Eve also embraced, that Paul tells the Church, “Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels” ( I Corinthians 11:10). By having her head covered the woman is making a bold declaration to the angels, both those who abandoned their first estate in the rebellion of Satan, and the holy angels who kept their first estate.

The woman by covering her head is saying, “I have decided to remain in the calling God appointed to me. I seek to neither rise above it, nor to fall below it. I reject the error of Satan when he sinned by trying to attain to a position other than that which God had apportioned to him.” This is both a strong rebuke to the fallen angels and an affirmation to the holy angels.

The holy woman is overcoming the fears in her life and entrusting herself to God. God is pleased to respond by strongly supporting such a woman.

II Chronicles 16:9
"For the eyes of Yahweh move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

One can see what the attraction is to the carnal or fleshly Christian woman to embrace the error that is being espoused today, but what is the attraction for the male? One of the chief motivations is a desire to appease his wife and other women in the body of Christ. I can attest that any man that desires to walk in the calling in his life as the head of his wife will encounter the most extreme opposition. To touch this issue is to touch the very heart of Satan. One of the greatest strongholds of Satan in families and in the Church is centered around the issue of maintaining God’s government. 

Satan has from the beginning tried to alter God’s established authority; first by trying to become like God himself, then by tempting man to do the same. What is offered to each person who embraces his error is the opportunity to be one’s own god. It no longer becomes necessary to submit to God’s direct or delegated authority. One can determine for themself what is appropriate behavior and what is not. 

It is just as grievous to rebel against God’s delegated authority as it is His direct authority. The woman who believes she can usurp the male authority over her and then submit to God’s direct authority is greatly deceived. To violate one is to violate both.

Women have a tremendous position of influence in a man’s life. They can either affect a man for great good as Timothy’s mother and grandmother did to him, or they can affect a man for great evil as Jezebel did to her husband Ahab. A man greatly feels the influence of the women in his life, particularly that of his wife. The two are one flesh.

Solomon spoke much about the effect that a nagging or contentious wife can have on her husband. She can make his life a misery.

Proverbs 21:9
It is better to live in a corner of a roof, than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
(NAS)

Proverbs 21:19
It is better to live in a desert land, than with a contentious and vexing woman.
(NAS)

Proverbs 27:15
A constant dripping on a day of steady rain and a contentious woman are alike...
(NAS)

One need only look at the life of Samson as he put up with the nagging of his wife Delilah to see the effect a woman can have upon a man.

Judges 16:16
And it came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.
(NAS)

Many men know that to stand on the truth of scriptures and to walk as the head of his wife would be the cause of tremendous strife in his marriage. Most women in western culture are so indoctrinated in the rebellion and independence of the nations they live in that they perceive God’s design of headship to be ludicrous, unreasonable and simply intolerable. They would no more willingly submit to it than cut off their own head (which, by the way, is what they are being asked to do).

Many men, being more desirous to keep peace in the home, avoid the issue altogether. They go along with the ways of the world and establish a very modern, democratic home. It is very modern, but wholly unbiblical. In the Church it is no different. Preaching on this topic is non-existent today, and if it is taught on it is usually in a fashion that undermines the truth.

Most pastors, even if fully convinced of the truth of scriptures, would not dare to proclaim it knowing that multitudes would rise up in rebellion and a mass exodus would ensue. It is much more convenient to dress Jezebel up in Christian clothes and let her remain. Doctrines are established to make woman’s usurpation and man’s abdication acceptable and even politically correct.

Some believers are simply ignorant of the truth, never having had it taught correctly to them. There are so many arguments that make it seem reasonable that we should no longer make a distinction between men and women in the Church. One of the most common comes from another of Paul’s writings which is often quoted by those who advocate equality and democracy between men and women, “In Christ there is neither male nor female” (Galatians 3:28). As much as preachers talk against the error of taking a scripture out of context, it is amazing how many do so with this verse.

To see the error, one must look at the whole context of the verse. As this is such an important issue, I will include the whole passage here and if the reader is serious about knowing the truth of the matter, he or she will read it.

Galatians 3:1-29
1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Yahshua Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
4 Did you suffer so many things in vain– if indeed it was in vain?
5 Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying “All the nations shall be blessed in you.”
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”
11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”
12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.”
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us– for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”–
14 in order that in Christ Yahshua the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.
17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed should come to whom the promise had been made.
20 Now a mediator is not for one party only whereas God is only one.
21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.
22 But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Yahshua Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Yahshua.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Yahshua.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

This passage, indeed virtually the whole book of Galatians, is dealing with the issue of Judaizers coming into the body and teaching people that they must, in addition to having faith in Christ, keep the Law, as delivered by the Patriarchs and prophets. The book of Galatians shows very little concern for issues of church order or relating to one another in the body. To find these issues, a much better source is Paul’s letters to the Corinthian believers, because this was one of his main subject matters with them. Corinthians would be a much better source to discern doctrine about male/female relations among the body than Galatians, because such relationships are not the focus of Galatians.

Looking at this passage from Galatians we see that Paul has decided to approach the Galatians’ error by revealing what the source of the promise given to Abraham was. Was it through the Law, or through faith? This is important because the Judaizers were saying that in order to be true Jews, (sons of Abraham), one had to keep the Law. Paul shows that this is erroneous. The true children, seed, offspring of Abraham are those who walk in the faith of Abraham.

16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.
18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

Paul is establishing who the true seed is and who will inherit the promised inheritance that was given to Abraham and his seed. By identifying who are the true seed or offspring, Paul is able to show how foolish those are who assert that believers must adhere to the Law, because the offspring of Abraham were never determined by keeping the Law. Indeed, the law was given 430 years after Abraham.

This is essential to understanding this passage and interpreting the scripture that many are quoting. Who were the inheritors? Under normal Jewish law daughters did not inherit, only sons did, the exception being families that had no sons. Neither did slaves within the household inherit, nor foreigners. The inheritance was given to the male seed of the father.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Yahshua.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Yahshua.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Paul is joyfully asserting that all those who come to God on the basis of faith are the true children of Abraham. They are sons. They share in the inheritance. Observance of the Law does not determine who inherits the promises of God and who do not. Indeed, the law never determined who was a true son of Abraham. 

Paul is saying that among the body of Christ, all share in the inheritance and all are considered sons in relationship to the promise given. Some are not Jews who inherit the promise, and some Greeks who are excluded from the promise. Some are not slaves who are excluded, while others are free and are included. Some are not male who receive the promise, while others are female and are excluded from the promise. All receive the promise. All are inheritors.

Paul is NOT teaching here on male/female relationships. He is teaching on inheritance. He is not talking of government, nor the exercise of gifts. He is in no way advocating the abolition of traditional gender roles as established by God. This is not the context of his teaching. Paul did teach on these subjects, but not in this passage of scripture.

Much confusion has resulted due to people removing this scripture from its context. One of the false applications of the verse is the teaching that God has nullified the headship of the physical man in relationship to the physical woman. “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:3).

In the earlier passage that I rendered as those do who would spiritualize the teaching of scripture, the admonition was given to women to “let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says.” Where do we find this command in the Law?

Genesis 3:16
To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children; yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
(NAS)

Numbers 30:3-13
3   "Also if a woman makes a vow to Yahweh, and binds herself by an obligation in her father's house in her youth,
4   and her father hears her vow and her obligation by which she has bound herself, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every obligation by which she has bound herself shall stand.
5   "But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and Yahweh will forgive her because her father had forbidden her.
6   "However, if she should marry while under her vows or the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself,
7   and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall stand and her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand.
8   "But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself; and Yahweh will forgive her.
9   "But the vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, everything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.
10  "However, if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound herself by an obligation with an oath,
11  and her husband heard it, but said nothing to her and did not forbid her, then all her vows shall stand, and every obligation by which she bound herself shall stand.
12  "But if her husband indeed annuls them on the day he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning the obligation of herself, shall not stand; her husband has annulled them, and Yahweh will forgive her.
13  "Every vow and every binding oath to humble herself, her husband may confirm it or her husband may annul it.

This latter passage is especially revealing. According to the Law which Paul referred to, a woman could not even make a vow or oath to God without her father’s or husband’s permission. This is because under the government of God man is the head of woman. Woman was not created for God, she was created for man (I Corinthians 11:9). Whether these truths be popular, or not, is inconsequential. They are established by God and Paul validates that these truths as revealed in the Law are still valid in the church.

Most of the arguments against maintaining the gender roles established by God and spoken through the mouth of His prophets, are based upon fairness, or rather, the apparent lack of it. It seems unfair for a woman, who undeniably has the ability to hear the voice of God, to submit herself to man. Often these men are less sensitive spiritually than their wives or daughters. However, even in this case the scripture is clear, as was revealed in the scripture from I Peter that we read.

If a woman will be honest in examining this issue she will recognize that her reluctance to agree with the testimony of scripture has more to do with fear than any other reason. Fear causes women to reject the authority of their husbands. Fear also causes men to reject the authority of Christ. Questions such as “What if he doesn’t consider my interests in his actions and decisions?” “What if he makes a decision that is costly to myself and the rest of the family?” “What if his guidance leads to hardship and anguish and I have to suffer due to this?” “What if I am not given any forum to exercise the gifts and talents God has placed in my life?” “What if my happiness is threatened in submitting to his headship?” And maybe most importantly, “What will others think of me for choosing to submit to authority when it is so out of vogue and women who submit to their husbands are looked at as weak and spineless?”

These questions and others could be asked by women in their relationship to men as well as men in their relationship to God. Peter’s answer is “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man [or woman] bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly...” It is fear that leads us to make judgments and to declare that something is not fair. It is this idea that God is fair that leads people to reject the testimony of God as revealed in His word.

Yes, there is an appeal for men to adopt the false doctrine of spiritualizing the scripture’s teachings on gender relationships. For many men, fear of the conflict that would arise cows them, leading them to avoid the issue and to seek alternatives. Another reason is that in their minds many men perceive that it would be prideful to assert that God has established man to be the head of woman.

I once asked God, when I was embroiled in this issue with the leadership of a Church I was a minister in, what it would hurt for a man to just capitulate and to tell his wife that they would run their marriage like a democracy and all decisions would be made with equal voice of both partners. God spoke back to me so quickly that it surprised me. He said “Honor would be missing.”

A wife is told to honor her husband as man is to honor his Head, Yahshua Christ. God has created a divine mystery where the marriage relationship mirrors the relationship of Christ with His Bride. The King James Version of the Bible renders the word honor as ‘reverence’.

Ephesians 5:32-33
32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
(KJV)

The word reverence in this verse is a very intense word. Strongs’ Hebrew and Greek Dictionary renders it this way.

5399 phobeo (fob-eh’-o);

from 5401; to frighten, i.e. to be alarmed; by analogy, to be in awe of, i.e. revere:

You may recognize the similarity to the Greek word here ‘phobeo’ to our English word phobia. Both come from the same root which means “to fear.” You may ask, “Why would a woman fear her husband?” The type of fear here is a reverential fear and it is similar to the admonition that saints are given to fear God. The husband actually stands in the place of God to his wife. Man is the head of woman as Christ is the head of man. Man has been delegated authority by God. He stands in God’s authority. This is why women were prohibited from making oaths or pledges to God without the permission of their husband or father.

God spoke to me and told me that the lack of submission in Christian marriages today is a mirror of the lack of submission found in the Church towards Christ. A man who would teach his wife to submit to his authority when he has refused to submit to Christ’s authority is a hypocrite. Yahshua said,

Matthew 7:4-5
4   "Or how can you say to your brother [or wife], 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?
5   "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
(NAS)

If a man finds that his wife is in rebellion to his authority, let him examine himself first to see if he is fully submitted to Christ. Only then can he help her to see that which is in her eye. I believe that as Christ purifies and prepares a Bride for Himself, that we will also see a similar purifying and preparation in the marriages of those who comprise the Bride of Christ. Men will begin to demonstrate a love for their wives that reflects the love Christ has for His Bride and women will submit to their husbands and show them the reverence that the Bride of Christ is to have for her soon coming Bridegroom.

The error being espoused by those who would spiritualize all gender roles is  reflected in the error espoused by many homosexuals. Many homosexuals claim to be ‘a woman trapped in a man’s body’, or ‘a man trapped in a woman’s body’. The Christian believer who says they are a spiritual male in a female’s body, or a spiritual female in a male’s body are claiming something that is equally repugnant in God’s eyes. I suspect that all sins which are observable in the natural realm have their spiritual counterpart, as seen here.

Trying to make such distinctions would lead to chaos among the body of Christ. We would be told that we would have to discern who truly are males and females. Many women would make claims to being spiritual males in order to be given the respect and honor they desire (reflecting Satan’s error of trying to rise above his role granted him by God). Likewise, many men would claim to be spiritual females, falsely submitting themselves to the authority of women. Paul called such a condition usurpation.

I Timothy 2:12
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
(KJV)

Strongs’ Dictionary gives one meaning of the Greek word rendered here as ‘usurp’ as “to dominate.” Women are not to dominate men. They are not to have dominion over men. To do so would be to pervert the order established by God where “man is the head of the woman.” Even as homosexuality is taught in the Bible to be a perversion, so is this error that is being espoused by many.

The false doctrine that I have addressed here is an attempt of Satan to derail the preparation of the Bride of Christ that is in process at this very moment. Yahshua, however, will not be thwarted. He will come back for a Bride that has been prepared. If you find that you are resistant to the work of God then you need to question whether you are truly a part of that Bride. The Bride is not all believers. The Bride is a remnant portion of believers that have allowed themselves to be prepared in readiness for the return of Christ. Even as Eve was formed from a remnant portion of Adam’s body, not his whole body, so the Bride of Christ will be a remnant portion of the body of Christ. I have written of this in my book “The Remnant Bride” which is available on my web site.