I’ve known a fair number of women in the church who would argue to no end that they didn’t have to be submissive to their husbands. I never understood their resistance to what scripture plainly teaches — especially since Paul very soundly establishes his point that the relationship of a husband to his wife and she to her husband is similar to the relationship of Christ to His church, and His church to Him. I don’t see this as putting any burden on a Christian woman; I see the burden being placed on the man:
23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior…25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…28husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
Christ gave His life for His church, and although His sacrifice was offered once, He continues to sanctify His bride through the washing of His blood, “to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” At marriage, a groom gives his life to his bride, and she gives hers to him. They continue to “sanctify” each other until death parts them, not in the sense of eternal salvation, but in the sense of an atmosphere of forgiveness, mercy, and even sacrifice.
I see a great parallel between a marriage of a man and a woman and that of the Head of the church to His bride. I’m thankful that through nearly 38 years of marriage, the forgiveness and mercy and sacrifice and yes, even submission — let’s lump all of that together and call it “love” — that my wife has shown me, gives me a pretty good picture of what the relationship of Christ’s church should be to the One who gave His life for His church.