[Update: I've had to reverse the outcome of the table tennis match here.]
Imagine, if you don’t see this as too disrespectful, the Father and the Son playing table tennis. At the Olympics. In the finals. Now, the Father and the Son are both equally powerful, equally skillful…equal in every way. Therefore, Neither would be able to win. Not only would Each be able to return whatever lobby the Other sent Their way, They would know what Each Other would do in every situation. A deadlock. Except…
The Father is the head of the Son (1 Cor 11) and the Son brings glory to the Father (John 14) so the Son would forfeit the game so that the Father would win.
When the Father was on the podium, He would invite the Son to stand next to Him to share His glory with Him because the Father loves the Son. (John 17:24)
This is interesting when you compare the Christ/Church relationship. The Church submits to Christ and Christ glorifies the Church (Romans 8). Also with marriage. The husband is the head of the wife, the wife submits to the husband, the husband is to love the wife and by implication, glorify her (Ephesians 5).
So, the biblical pattern is, in terms of glory, the one submits and gives glory to the other; the other loves and gives glory to the one.
Love leads to glorifcation.
[Of course, beyond this simple framework, there is the fact that the Son is given the glory of the Father to glorify the Father (John 17:1), the Church is given the glory of Christ to glorify Christ (John 17:22, 10) and husbands...give glory to their wives? In many ways yes. In our culture husbands give their name, protection, provision etc. for the benefit of their wives and their wives honour and respect and give (and are called the) glory of the husband (Prov 31:23, 1 Cor 11:7). Oi, have to think that through a little...]
In what way(s) do you think Christ glorifies the church? And do you think that husbands need glorify their wives if their wives don’t submit to them? And have you any other thoughts about this topic now that you have had over a month to think about it?
Delight – could your initials be CB?
Anyway, I assume you agree that Christ glorifies the Church, and even more will glorify the church on His return. Since the end result is that we will be like Christ and have the fullness of the Spirit, I would say that he glorifies us now by making us more like Him and by giving us His Spirit – if only in a measure. Since God-ness is the only glorious thing in the universe, any godliness in us is Jesus sharing His glory with/glorifiying us. (Even those who are not Christians can be glorified for the God-like aspects of their lives via being made in God’s image).
Do husbands need to glorify their wives if their wives don’t submit to them? I don’t know that is the right way to approach it. While Jesus glorifies us because it results in His glory, He also glorifies us because He loves us. Similarly, husbands should love their wives and “glorify” them even if they don’t “deserve it” by submitting (though I really don’t like putting it like that – husbands should not consider whether their wives “deserve” glory, but treat them with respect and honour and love).
In a sense, husbands have already given their commitment to glorify their wives by sharing their name and declaring them their wives. Should a wife not act in a way deserving of that “glory”, the husband can not approve of it, while still sharing their glory with their wives as people – even in the way Christ does with us now that we have His name.
The final way to withdraw the husband’s glory from a wife is to divorce her – and in cases of adultery that would be a situation where her lack of submission would affect the glory shared with her. Again, this is what Jesus will do with many who call themselves Christians on the last day – withdraw His name from them.
Just a quick ramble.
I guess I’d better balance that with the other side. Even as the Church gives glory to Christ, the wives likewise give glory to their husbands – but not being Christ, husbands are not always worthy of glory. Therefore, wives too can glorify their husbands as men, but not glorify specific actions or characteristics that “don’t deserve” to be given glory.
But again, I think this is the wrong way to approach the real life living of it – the husband should “share glory” and the wife should “give glory” from a loving heart, not by analysing each other’s lives to see what they will glorify and what they will not. And in a large measure, much glory is exchanged through the very fact that the two are married and belong to each other.
So…what think ye, delight?
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