Authority & Oneness in the Family

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3

The kingdom of darkness is waging war on the biblical foundations of family in this generation more than ever before, at the heart of this assault is a simple deception rooted in an old lie that was used to destroy the first family. Adam and Eve lived harmoniously with God as one, until the serpent convinced Eve that she could be like God and therefore not need God by having the knowledge of good and evil. The sad truth is that she was already like God, made in His exact image and likeness, the temptation was to break rank from the natural order of authority, and therefore not be accountable. To be autonomous and independent and to do what was right in her own eyes, what they did not know is that by breaking rank they would lose their delegated authority to rule creation, you see all authority is delegated, better described below in a Derek Prince sermon

Referring back to 1 Corinthians 11:3, we find that there is a very definite chain of authority which originates in the Godhead and is extended into the home. God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of the man or husband, the husband is the head of the woman or wife. All authority is derived ultimately from the Father and depends upon a right place in the chain that goes back to Him. Christ has authority because He submits to the Father; the husband has authority because he submits to Christ; the wife has authority because she submits to the husband.

God mandated families to rule, subdue and have dominion over the kingdom of darkness. The blessing and authority given in Genesis 1:28 and 12:2   was restored by Jesus and availed to the gentiles in Jew Mathew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,

When a family is not in harmony with the defined structure of authority, it loses its authority . I have studied the issues of families for a long time, if you ask me the number one reason families fail is because they have lost authority because of deviating from the chain of authority. To maintain authority two principles must be understood,

1. Oneness with the God head and within the family

2.Aligning ourselves to the delegated authority, that flows from God.

The God head

The kingdom of God is not a democracy; it is a monarchy.  With a clear structure even at the God head, although God is one, John 10:30 I and the Father are one. The bible states that God the father is at the head, oneness does not mean they don’t have clear defined responsibilities, the bible teaches us that Jesus himself draws his authority, purpose and identity from God the Father.

            What is in a name?

Ephesians 3:14–15 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.

From Genesis 1 we learn that God be-stores authority and responsibility when he is naming something e.g. when he calls them male and female he blesses them and gives them authority to subdue and have dominion. The implication is that the one who names a thing into existing also empowers it by giving it characteristic’s  and authority to accomplish its purpose. God named Jesus and empowered him with holy spirit to be able to accomplish his mission

And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins Mathew 1:2

The Church Head

God delegated the issues of salvation and the Church to Jesus Christ, in fact the bible calls the Church the bride of Christ. We are named Christians because we are born of Christ and are one with Him, the holy communion is symbolic of the merger that happened on the cross i.e. we partake his blood and flesh

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

In Christ fellowship with the God head is restored and also the authority but the head of the Church remains to be Christ

Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning Colossians 1:13

And all authority flows from him. This pattern also applies for the family

The Family Headship

Families are part of the Church and Man is head of the Family. God delegated the stewardship and enforcing of His word in the family to the man, the name woman comes from man. It is also important to note it was Adam who named Eve ‘..Flesh of my Flesh’ meaning oneness, just like we are born out of Christ’s death. Woman was born out of Man’s flesh

Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23

Based on Adam’s definition of women, the bible makes a ‘therefore’ conclusion by reaffirming this oneness in Genesis 2:24

Therefore, a man shall leave his mother and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Jesus also acknowledged the oneness in marriage when asked about divorce in mark 10:5-9 but added  a stamp of approval from the God head “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

It is important to draw a clear distinction between oneness and headship just because  woman is not at the top or the hierarchy doesn’t make her less than man. The bible says we are all equal in Christ Jesus, Jew, Gentile, female and male there is no distinction, the hierarchy is just a tool of accountable and responsibility in the Kingdom. Paul summarizes it this way

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.  It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.  Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.  For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 1 Corinthians 11:7-12

Conclusion

I draw my conclusion form a Derek prince sermon titled pattern relationships in the home:

Jesus said, “My Father is greater than I”(John 14:28). Here is an apparent paradox: Jesus is equal with the Father, yet He says that the Father is greater. It is said of Jesus that He “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6 NASB). He did not fight for recognition or authority, but willingly submitted Himself to His Father and allowed His Father to fill His rightful place of headship. By remaining in submission to His Father, Jesus maintained the unity within the Godhead. If He had left His voluntary place of submission, the unity of the Godhead would have been broken.

Likewise, even though the wife is one with the husband—and therefore also equal with him—God calls on her to submit herself to her husband for the sake of the unity and order in the home. If she refuses, there will be a breakdown of unity in the home, and disorder will result. Thousands of happy Christian wives will testify that the place of protection and covering, under the authority of their husbands, is indeed a God designed place of security and peace.

However, this places a tremendous responsibility upon the wife. It means that no man can truly be head of his home unless his wife yields to his authority. No head can function without a neck to hold it up; and no man can truly be the head of his home without the voluntary submission and support of his wife.

What happens if one of the partners fails to fill his God-ordained place in the home? Does that release the other partner from responsibility? No! The ultimate responsibility of each partner is to God, not to the other partner. Each has a place of obedience to take before God, and the conduct of the other partner does not change this.