Colossians 3:18-19: Submit & Love

Hi, welcome to marriage week. Okay, so not really, but kinda. I pray that you do not read these verses and decide it doesn't apply to you. I pray that God will use this week to begin to create you into the woman He has designed you to be!! I pray that your heart would be open and soft toward this thing called submission and the role God calls us to as women.

Read Colossians 3:18-19. This week we will focus on what we learn from the Bible about man and woman and their roles. I created a chart for you to use this week to document your study, or you can create your own in your journal (or laptop). We are going to be all over the place in scripture, so hang on!! Just right click and download the picture.

Genesis

Let's go back to the beginning, the book of Genesis. Where this whole man and woman thing started. Go to Genesis 2:15-24. Read this section and write down on your chart what you learn about man and woman and what God designed their roles to be. 

Ephesians
Okay, now let's see what we learn in Ephesians. Remember, Ephesians and Colossians share similar themes. Read Ephesians 5:22-33. Write down everything that you learn about the husbands and wives on your chart.

1 Peter
Now let's go to 1 Peter 3:1-7. Read these verses and write down everything you learn about husbands and wives.

Titus
Okay, let's head to Titus 2. Read the entire chapter. This chapter has specific instructions for old men, young men, old women, and young women. Write down everything you learn about the roles and character of men and women in this chapter. The word 

Colossians
Okay, back to where we started! Go, back to Colossians and write down everything you learn about husbands and wives from this passage. 

Okay, let's make some observations about what we have learned about man and woman, husbands and wives. Going back to your chart, ask yourself, why did God make woman? What job did God create for man? What common instructions do you see from each New Testament passage? Who is the woman to submit to? Who is the man to love? To what degree is the man to love his wife (look for the word as, it shows a comparison)? Write down what you learn in your journal.

Now let's do some word studies!! First up, that word submit. Using Blue Letter Bible look up the greek definition and write down what you find in your journal. This word submit is in the middle voice. Blue Letter Bible Tells us: The middle voice indicates the subject performing an action upon himself (reflexive action) or for his own benefit. E.g., "The boy groomed himself." How does this help you understand what it means to submit? Write down your thoughts in your journal. 

Now, let's look up that word love. Look up this word and write down what you learn about it. 

Lastly, we are going to look up the word bitter. Write down what you learn about this word in your journal.

WOW! We have seen so much in scripture about the roles of men and women. Sometimes it amazes me how clear God is about who He calls us to be. Know I am praying for you as you study and wrestle with these truths.