by Max Maxwell
All Rights Reserved.
Page 7
Socrates: Now, can an ethical woman have the authority to make decisions as a judge if she is truly ethical, but has no knowledge or training in law?
Paul: No.
Socrates: Could an ethical and godly man be trusted with the authority to make decisions about high finances or business, if he had no understanding of such matters.
Paul: No, he could not be trusted.
Socrates: Would you give a biblically ethical man the authority to make decisions about how to do your brain surgery, if he never spent a day in medical school?
Paul: Of course not.
Socrates: Does it make sense to allow a sincerely ethical man to decide what light bulb to put into your lamp if he could not tell the difference between bulbs that fit and those that do not?
Paul: No, that would be a waste of time.
Socrates: Can you think of any specific area in which the quality of the ethical, by itself, is enough to grant a person the authority to make decisions on behalf of others?
Paul: I suppose not.
Socrates: In light of what you have just told me, can the ethical alone be an adequate basis for granting a man the authority for any kind of decision making?
Paul: No, it does not seem so.
Socrates: Now I find that I am once again right back where I started. From the beginning I sought to define the jurisdiction of a Christian husband's God-given authority over his wife. For a moment it seemed that a capacity to make ethical decisions could be the object of my search. However, we find that this ethical skill is not particular to a husband’s authority, but is needed for all decision making. Nor is the capacity to be ethical sufficient to grant the authority to make decisions. Other knowledge and skills are always required. Therefore, the ethical sense derived from the knowledge of God is incapable of applying to any area in such a way as is required to define a jurisdiction of authority. Since the ethical cannot define the jurisdiction of a husband’s authority, then we are currently in the position of not knowing how the knowledge of God, or godliness, can help define that jurisdiction. And so I must ask again, what is the jurisdiction of a husband’s authority over his wife? Although I do not know what this God-given male authority is, there is one thing I know for certain.
Paul: What is that?
Socrates: If we are unable to define the jurisdiction of the Christian husband’s authority over his wife, then all we are left with are ignorance and triviality as the basis of that authority.
Paul: Well, I can’t accept that.
Socrates: Then you must not grow faint and press on to complete the task at hand. Although we have already inquired into the matter, it seems we still have the same basic question before us. Namely, in what area of life does a man have authority over his wife? Do you remember earlier when John agreed that authority always implies the power to make decisions?
Paul: Yes.
Socrates: Do you agree with that?
Paul: I do.
Socrates: And you believe that the knowledge of God is the foundation of a man’s authority in the home?
Paul: Yes, I do.
Socrates: Then tell me where a husband’s knowledge of God, or godliness, helps him make decisions so we may define the jurisdiction of the Christian husband's authority over his wife.
Paul: A man’s biblical authority over his wife cannot be compared to the authorities of judges and doctors, policemen and ship’s captains. It is a spiritual leadership which has been handed down from God to man. It is God who has established a man’s authority over his wife. It is not a trade or an art, but a spiritual reality whose truth is based on the Holiness of God, not upon worldly knowledge.
Socrates: I am pleased that you regard me so kindly.
Paul: What do you mean?
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© Copyright 2008 Kenneth J. Maxwell Jr.