Be Subject

What brought my attention to Heb 12 was what You wrote in Col 3:19.
“Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.”
That word seemed very forward and strong. It is a warning.
Looking it up in the Greek lexicon, it means: to make bitter; produce a bitter taste in the stomach; exasperate, make angry, indignant.
Not good! This must happen a lot since you are giving a warning.

In Eph 5 21-29 you speak again of our marriage relationship.

Using a word the world does not like, Paul writes (Amplified)
:21 be subject to one another
:22 wives be subject to your husbands
:23 the church is subject to Christ, so let wives be subject in everything to their husbands

There are 17 references in Paul’s writings listed in the NAS concordance of the word “subject”.
6 verses refer to being subject to God and Christ.
9 verses refer to being subject to other people (including the world not to angels)
2 verses refer to being subject to slavery

The meaning of “subject” is to arrange under, to subordinate, to subject oneself, obey to submit to one’s control, to yield to one’s admonition or advice. In a non military use “it was a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility and carrying a burden”.

So, Father, I am trying to sort all this out back to husbands being embittered.

We know, as believers, of the struggle with the flesh. Spirit vs our unrenewed mind. Without question our flesh wants to rule--to make us subject to it. That means other outside influence to rule over us is against our natural way.

But biblical subjection does not exclude living in liberty “for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor 3:17). Being in subject to someone does not exclude love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. (Gal 522)

In subjection to God’s will, a man will not be embittered but lead with confidence in the One Who has called him. Faith enters into all aspects of his relationships and responsibilities.
He must stand against bitterness and his wife must stand against rulership.