The Divine Order: Illustrated by the Trinity

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:3 that life works best with Christ in authority over man, a husband in authority over his wife (cf. Ephesians 5:22) and God in authority over Christ. This is the divine order. Now the apostle Paul knew that some of the Corinthians would get the wrong idea about the divine order, so he gave them five illustrations to make his meaning clear. In this post we'll look at his first illustration.

Illustration #1: The Trinity

1 Corinthians 11:3 says "...the head of Christ is God" but don't think that means in any way that Jesus is inferior and God is superior. On the contrary - the Trinity is comprised of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and they are equally God. But though they are equal they do not have the same function. 

For example, when mankind needed to be saved from his sin, God sent Jesus into the world (John 3:17) to die on the cross in our place for our sins. Jesus, though he was equal with God the Father (John 10:30) voluntarily placed himself under God's authority so that man could be saved (Luke 22:42). Once Jesus died on the cross for our sins, resurrected from the grave and ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit came to earth to be our "Helper" (John 14:26, NKJV). Though the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equally God, they have each played a different part in the salvation saga. 

But let's pretend for a moment that Jesus was offended at the thought of placing himself under God's authority. Let's pretend he argued with God, saying "Have you forgotten that we are equal? Going to earth is too lowly of a position for me to serve in so I'm not going." And let's pretend the Holy Spirit said "I don't want to be anyone's helper! I'm too important for that! No thank you!" Let me ask you - What would've happened if Jesus and the Holy Spirit responded that way? We'd still be dead in our transgressions (Ephesians 2:5) for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Friends - if Jesus and the Holy Spirit didn't play their part, even though they are equally God, we'd all be facing an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). Keep that in mind as we move on...

Now not only does 1 Corinthians 11:3 say "...the head of Christ is God", it also says "...the head of the woman is man..." and we know from Ephesians 5:22 that this is referring to a wife being under the authority of her husband. But don't think that means in any way that a wife is inferior and a husband is superior. On the contrary - a marriage is comprised of a husband and a wife who are equal. Genesis 2:24 says once a couple gets married the two become "one flesh". However, though they are equal, they do not have the same function. 

For example, in the home the husband is to lead the family according to God's will as revealed in the Bible. And the wife is to be his helper. In Genesis 2:18 God said “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Just as Jesus allowed himself to be led by God, so a husband needs to allow himself to be led by Christ. And just as the Holy Spirit serves as our Helper, so a wife needs to serve as her husband's helper. The word "Helper" in John 14:26 comes from the Greek word "paraclete" and signifies one who consoles or comforts, one who encourages or uplifts; and one who intercedes on behalf of another as an advocate in court. That is, the Holy Spirit helps us by consoling us, comforting us, encouraging us, uplifting us, refreshing us and praying for us. And that's exactly what a wife needs to do for her husband - console him, comfort him, encourage him, uplift him, refresh him and pray for him. Though a husband and wife are equal, they each play different parts in creating a peaceful home. 

But let's pretend the husband is lazy and doesn't want to lead his family and let's pretend the wife is proud and doesn't want to be anybody's helper. What's gonna happen? There's going to be conflict! And this is exactly what we see in many marriages today - the conflict that results when husbands and wives don't want to play the part that God has assigned for them to play. Remember, if Jesus and the Holy Spirit weren't willing to play their part in the salvation process, we'd all be dead in our sins right now. In the same when, if a husband and wife aren't willing to play their part in the marriage relationship, that's the death of the marriage! 

I know this is hard to do, but husbands need to lead their family is accordance with God's will revealed in the Bible and wives need to help their husbands by consoling, comforting, encouraging, uplifting, refreshing and praying for them. This is how the family works best for this is God's divine order.