The Battle Front: Morality - Part 3

When morality is discussed, the subject of sexual activity is often thought of.  This activity is an area of moral instruction in the Bible.  God created man and women as sexual beings with sexual desires.  He also created the place for the fulfillment of those desires: marriage.  Within marriage God has specified the role of husband of wife.  Attention is now turned to the moral obligation of each. The husband, according to Paul in Ephesians 5:22-24, is the head of the household.  Paul wrote, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.   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. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”  Two important points for marriage: first, wives must be submissive to their own husbands; and second, husbands must take the responsibility of headship.

Headship requires more than making final decisions.  Headship means acting as the primary provider for the family.  Under the discussion of caring for widows Paul wrote Timothy, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (I Timothy 5:8).  Paul here plainly indicates the husband who refuses to provide for his own family (house) denies the faith, he does more damage to the cause of Christ than an infidel, an unbeliever.  Not all men accept this God-given responsibility.  I know of one family where the husband would not work; but made his wife go through the welfare system to sign up for food stamps and other assistance.  When the state began requiring those in the system to work, she, not he, was the one working so the state support would continue coming in.  While this man was not a Christian, he had the God-ordained role as head of the house to fill, but refused. Any Christian husband who is able to work, but does not, is disobeying God.

The wife’s role is second in command.  She is required by God to submit to her own husband.  This is a willing submission.  When she chooses to “wear the pants in the family” rather than submit to her husband,  she not only disrespects her husband, she disrespects and disobeys God.  Paul wrote she must submit to her husband “in everything” as the church is subject to Christ.   Unless her husband is asking her to sin, she has a God-ordained obligation.

Both roles in marriage are by God’s design.  When a husband or wife is unwilling to accept the role as God designed it, rebellion results.  Rebellion is morally wrong, sinful.

—Denny