The Ohio Independent Baptist, September 1971

~~ ... subject to your own husband'' We are indebted to Pastor Walter F. Ribbe, H inckley. Ohio for this article. / 1 is a transcript of remarks made at a recent wedding at the request of the bride and groon1. Pastor R ibbe fel t the request quite unusual. It thrilled him deep!}". H e desires to share it with a wider audience. We are glad to place it in tl1e pages of THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST and trust it will prove a blessing to our readers . ..I declare that John and Mary are now hu band and wife, in the nan1e of the Father and of the Son and of the Hol y Spirit. Amen. What God has joined to– gether let not man put asunder.' ' As the first item on the agenda of their married life, John and Mary have requested that I share with them and ,ou some thoughts on Paul's classic passage on married Jife found in Ephesians 5:22-33. With all the recent agitation for "Women's Liberation" this certainly does not qualify as the most popular passage in the Bible these days. Many women hear or read the first few words: "Wives, be subject to your own hus– bands'', and are immediately turned off: "What? Me be subject to him? That's not for today!' ' On the other hand , husbands may be turned on: HSee. The Bible says you have to obey me. So there!" And the battle is on. But this is gross misuse of Scripture. These words were not written to you husbands, but to you wives. And the purpose of writing is assuredly not to make tyrants of men or to put their wives "in their place". Paul ays, " I am referring to the rich relationship that exists between Jesu Christ and His bride, the Church, the body of believers.,, Paul's theme is not , "Who is to be the boss at your house?" but rather the matter of Love and Order in the Christian family. Jesus, \.\'e are told , loved us while we were yet si nners. He loved us enough to give up His life for our reden1pt1on from the bondage of sin. And having redeemed u , He then proposes to enter into the most intimate relation hip imag– inable to the human experience, the Son of God proposes marriage to the sinners w horn He has saved! What rich imagery . . . what a flattering proposal! J e u Chr1 t pur– poses to share His abundant life \\ ith u , to enter into an everlasting covenant partnership of love \\ ith u . A husband who loves his wife like thi is not 1ikel\ "' to regard her as chattel, a slave to be bo ed around, or a mere toy to be discarded after the ne\.\ ne s has "'orn off. Such a man will rather treat his v.- ife as a queen, a joint-heir with him of the grace of life. And what of the wife, so loved and prized? I the ex– hortation to be subjec t to such a hu band o very onerou ? No, indeed. God did not form Eve from Adam· foot, to be trodden in the dust by him, but from hi 1de, to be helper and harer of hi very heart-life, of h1 " JO) and sorrows, of the a pirations of h1 heart As in government, school, bu ine or the church, o in the family there must be a hierarch,· of author1t) and respon ibility. Anarchy in the home. a 1n an, other phere is disa trous . . . an intolerable train on the family tie. The order here pre cribed for the ( ' hr1 ·t1an famiJy i God's order for a \\Orkable. sen tble and happ) relation hip for that man and won1an \\. ho Jt the altar of God profe undying lo\e and fealty to e,lch other There i no que t1on of n1a ter, or of gro\ ell1ng obedience. but rather of a full life, ordered and tire. t1ndcr God The details are to be \VOrked ot1t in the conte'\t ot Jail} I iving. It i th1 kind of abundant lite . \Vith the cc1r1ching hle - ing of God that \\ e de~ire for this cot1ple \\ ho c 111arr1age we have \.\'itne5se<l today. Let us r1 e and h~1re \\ 1th ther11 God's benediction. Musical Teams Enioyed By Many THE CLEVELAND HEBREW MISSION · Vi o traveling sac red r11u ic teams represented edarvillc ollege this y,ear. Tl1e Reflection rio and the ·ale 13rass extet. J t v.,a a btJS)' umn1er \.\ 1 ith engagen1cnts in 12 state . J he)' comple ted tticir tours nd returned to tt1e ollege on Aug. 17. · t1e trio pre ented co11cert in lll1noi , lndi an , lov-'a, 1ichig n a11d 1110. he Br e tet tra, 1 eled tl1rougl1 p rts of Jle11n I 1 a11ia, e" ,, r L, onne ticut, \ J er e.. , 1 r) I nd, t 'irgi11ia, icl1igan, Jnda na nd 111 • r O p r1orn1- nct: J>r nl d l>)' tt1 s group . i1 tt1 t ur n1ini t rin 1 t tl1 at in na l , Jn I n p. o. Box 18056, Cleveland, Ohio 44118 Founded 1904 FUNDAN,ENT AL - BAPTISTIC - EVANGELISTIC Evangelizing tl1e "kinst,,e,i" of ot tr l_or.d i1, }~,•eland, Ol1io Sao Paulo a11cJ Ri o de Janeiro, Brazil l\EFER 1 Dr. John leveland, Ohio OFFl ERS :- c B D Preride-n, Mr . .,eorge . unn, Rev. Roy lark, J/ ic PreJi,lent Re, . l<l V nl lser, Superiflte11d4tti, era . llev. A. Paul idball, As,t. Supt . J\1r. 1 1 lielfrick, Sec'y-Tr · Rev. Paul \ 1 an order, ti nt • · Rev. au 1111 prunger, outh Bend, Ind. Rev. lo •d Iorri , lint, licb. I r. Rob rt Ket h n1, i o, Ill. r. Ral pl1 t 11, l , n ter, P J,ev. lfelvin . Ef v, Hunungt n, Dr. Fr 1-i ~ • Torre , B R t , • Or. Kenneth 1 teller, 11 don fl , E Cop of "Th rh• for our d ot d to tt quori ,I m oz1n , 1 71