Through much of Christian history the church has misunderstood the headship of man. The husband is indeed the head or leader of the wife, but men and women are equals. Ephesians 5:23 tells us, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” and Galations 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” We are all on equal grounds in Christ. The Jew is not above the Gentile, the man is not above the woman, and the slave master is not above his slave.
What does it mean for the man to be the HEAD of the wife? As men we have a different role than a woman in the relationship. The man is the protector, the provider, and the leader. As a leader it doesn’t mean you use force to control your wife. As a leader you can understand the strengths and weaknesses in each of you. As a leader I can see that my wife is better at working with the finances than I am. That doesn’t mean I simply leave it to her. I stay involved and help her, but she manages them day to day because she is more gifted than I. As the head you lead by example and with love, not by power, force, or fear.
Christ came to bring redemption (that is bring everything back to its original purpose and condition). He came to restore relationships to their pre-fall purpose. In the Old Testament, husbands ruled their wives. In the New Testament husbands are to love and lead their wives with self-sacrificing love.
The husband and the wife are equal partners in marriage. They both must give 100% of themselves in marriage. It is not a 50%/50% agreement. It is 100% percent of yourself regardless of how much your spouse is giving. Actually, the husband has the responsibility of sacrificing his own body and his own life for his wife. This means total self-sacrificing love. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Ephesians 5:25. Too many of us are looking for what is in it for us instead of giving our all to find out how we can bless our wives.
Discover more from Present Truth Ministries
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.