Ephesians 5 teaches the duties of the man. Husbands are challenged to love their wives to the standard of Jesus Christ and the church. This standard of love is completely selfless, to die in the wife’s place just like Christ died on the cross to demonstrate His unconditional and pure love. The husband is told to cherish and nourish on this very same level. A man seeking to follow the Biblical blueprint will show honor and compassion to his wife, be courteous, and forgiving. Husbands should chase after peace and not evil.
Solomon teaches in Proverbs that the one who finds a wife, one wise and noble, finds good and favor in God’s eyes. In Ephesians 5 wives are commanded to submit to the Godly leadership and council of their husbands. Submission in its basic definition is yielding to the will of an authority figure. Scripture repeatedly teaches Christians are to submit to God in all we say and do. In this biblical blueprint for marriage, wives are subject to their husbands. I Peter 3 gives wives the instruction to continue in the Word of God, trusting God above all and remaining obedient to His Word even when it seems impossible. Women are taught to adorn themselves with meekness and humility.
Children’s most basic commandment is summed up in Ephesians 6:1-3. “Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother. . . that it may be well with thee. . .” The role of the children in the home is to be taught in the ways of Christ. Fathers are commanded to raise their children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”. Children should be loved and instructed as they grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. They should stay obedient to their parents and Christ Jesus above all.
As it is inevitable that children will fall sometimes, discipline is another biblical concept given to parents. In fact, parents will only be truly loving their children if discipline is present in the home. Love and discipline are inseparable. Just as God disciplines His children when they turn to disobedience, so should parents carry out biblical discipline for children. Because a child is prone to fall to foolish ways, the rod of correction is the instrument appropriate for bringing the child back to the path of righteousness (Proverbs 22:15).
Even grandparents have their place in scripture. Proverbs 16 declares that one with gray hair, if earned through obedience is a “crown of glory”. Titus 2:2-5 gives these instructions to older men and women. Aged men are to be “sober, grave, temperate sound in faith, charity, and patience”. Likewise, aged women are to be behaving in Christlikeness and teach the younger women to be sober, discreet, chaste, keepers at home, obedient to their husbands, and ultimately to love their husbands and children. Another commandment goes out to grandparents in this verse from Deuteronomy 4:9 (KJV) “keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart. . . but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons. . .” In other words, remember God and the things God has done for you and teach them to the generations that come after.
All throughout scripture, God paints the beautiful picture of his design for the family. He gives instructions for husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, children, and grandparents. No matter your role in the family, God has set up a blueprint of how to fulfill the duties of that role and act in accordance with His will and plan. The world seeks to wreak havoc on the family, to destroy what God has called good, but the time has come to return to the Blueprint of the family our Creator has designed.
This post was submitted by Logan Lanier, Family Life Specialist and Counseling Intern at Cord of 3.
