{"id":798,"date":"2019-06-09T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2019-06-09T12:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/?p=798"},"modified":"2019-06-08T14:32:52","modified_gmt":"2019-06-08T18:32:52","slug":"what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-relationship-of-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/2019\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-relationship-of-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the Bible say about the relationship of marriage?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cHusbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.\u201d 1\u00a0Peter 3:15<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is a sad reality that what has been considered a \u201cwholesome marriage\u201d for generations is now vilified in so many quarters of our society. Any whiff of traditional gender roles is scorned and topsy-turvy gender roles are glorified. Dysmorphia and gender perversion, and hatred of all that God is abounds\u2014and along with that cultural drift always comes God\u2019s judgment (Romans\u00a01). The deleterious effects may not always be a blatantly obvious punishment from the hand of God, but rest assured, God will not be mocked!<\/p>\n

Thankfully, there are men and women who have yielded allegiance to God and have patterned their lives after the Scriptures. Things done in submission to God and in God\u2019s way will always bring God\u2019s blessing (Psalm\u00a0101, 127, 128). There is nothing \u201cold-fashioned\u201d or \u201cout of touch\u201d about obedience to the timeless truth of God\u2019s revelation to mankind. Just as \u201cabstinence works every time it is tried\u201d in order to avoid unintended pregnancy, so humble yielding to God\u2019s instructions for a couple\u2019s relationship in marriage will always bring happy, lifelong benefits to husband and wife as they unitedly cooperate with God\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

Mutual submission is required of both male and female in marriage (Ephesians\u00a05:21). A special burden of submission is also called for on the part of the wife (Ephesians\u00a05:22). This is a tough spot to be in, to be called to submission to a husband who is also a sinner! Wives, God does not leave you without hope in this situation. First, your primary allegiance is always to God. No husband has a right to force his wife to do something in violation of God\u2019s law. Second, you have the responsibility to only marry a husband who is a believer (2\u00a0Corinthians\u00a06:14). In marrying a believer you marry someone who is also bound under submission to Jesus Christ and he has the Holy Spirit within him to bring conviction upon his heart when he is disobedient in his role as head of his household. Third, make sure you and your husband attend church regularly so that he may be \u201cnagged by the preacher\u201d and other solid men in the church, so that you do not have as much work to do to encourage him to be a good husband for you (Hebrews\u00a010:24f). It is always wise for a couple to discuss what role they desire the pastor of their church to have to their family.<\/p>\n

Husbands, your wife\u2019s job as outlined by God is a very hard one when you are disobedient to God. Your lack of loving leadership will always cast your wife adrift when it comes to figuring out how to be your \u201chelpmeet\u201d (Genesis\u00a02:18). You throw your whole household into disarray in your selfishness and you steer your relationship with your bride onto the rocks. Ephesians\u00a05:30 commands you to nourish and cherish your wife \u201cjust as the Lord does the church.\u201d Your role model is Jesus Christ and His selfless service for His people. To nourish is to nurture, to grow, to provide, and to sustain your wife. To cherish is to warm and foster with tender care. Such selfless, forward-thinking, attentive and loving leadership is what most wives long for in their man. \u201cHusbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her\u2026\u201d (Ephesians\u00a05:25).<\/p>\n

Peter\u2019s words (1\u00a0Peter\u00a03:7) echo Paul\u2019s admonitions. He deals with a wife\u2019s submission and reaching a husband\u2019s heart in verses\u00a01\u20136 and then he speaks to husbands. The word \u201clikewise\u201d reaches back to \u201clikewise\u201d in 3:1, which reaches back to 2:21ff, \u201cFor to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: \u2018Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth\u2026.\u2019\u201d In other words, both husband and wife fulfill their roles in their marriage taking their individual cues from the Lord!<\/p>\n

The reason we know 1\u00a0Peter\u00a03:7 is about your marriage relationship is the word \u201cdwell.\u201d It means to \u201chouse with.\u201d Though the husband is the \u201chead of the home,\u201d the wife is the \u201ckeeper of the home\u201d (Titus\u00a02:1\u20138). In order for these commands to be obeyed there has to be good-willed cooperation on the part of both husband and wife, each submitted to the other and together submitted to the Lord!<\/p>\n

While a godly woman can maintain the biblical attitude and actions required of submission without much encouragement from her husband, there is undoubtedly a lot more joy in her life if he provides leadership in love as God outlines for us in 1\u00a0Peter\u00a03:7. Husbands need to provide character, leadership, security, and love worthy of a wife\u2019s loving response. This requires constant personal growth, men.<\/p>\n

Peter speaks of dwelling with your wife with understanding, or common sense. Husbands are to give honor (assign, apportion, and pay) through intelligent recognition of his wife\u2019s worth. Your honorable wife thirsts for your recognition, approval, and cherishing of her. A woman generally marries for a relationship and a man generally marries for his completion. Peter reminds you that she is \u201cthe weaker vessel.\u201d He cannot mean that she is weak in the frivolous sense of the word, but weak in the sense of delicacy, grace, and sensitivities. You are tin-ware while she is fine china! By her willing obedience to the Lord in submission, she voluntarily makes herself \u201cweaker.\u201d That virtue of hers alone deserves your notice, respect, and honor!<\/p>\n

It takes two to provide harmony in a marriage! Both are \u201cheirs together of the grace of life,\u201d the best earthly relationship that the world has to offer! Disobedience in this holy relationship will interrupt and cut off your prayers and God\u2019s answers to them. Husbands, you will give account one day! Trust and obey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHusbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.\u201d 1\u00a0Peter 3:15 It is a sad reality that what has been considered a \u201cwholesome marriage\u201d for generations is now vilified in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}