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The Responsibility of Husbands to their Wives

By reading Ephesians 5:25-33, we could easily find the responsibility of husbands to their wives I am going to discuss at least 3 responsibilities of husbands to their wives.

 

  1. Husbands are to love their wives.

  2. Husbands must lead and nurture their wives in the things of Christ.

  3. Husbands must live with their wives faithfully for life.

 

Now a question arises regarding the first responsibility. Why must husbands love their wives? It is because woman was taken out of man (Gen. 2:22) and no one hates himself. Therefore, God said in Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh.” This verse emphasizes the complete identification of the two personalities in marriage. The passage tells us that God instituted marriage and that is to be monogamous, heterosexual and the complete union of the two persons. Jesus added that marriage is to be permanent (Mark 10:7-9) – meaning no divorce.

 

The second responsibility – husbands must lead and nurture their wives in the things of Christ – is shown in Ephesians 5:25-27. The husbands must know the Word of God by heart before they can lead and nurture their wives properly.

 

The third responsibility – husbands must live with their wives faithfully for life – is the big issue of our time. Let me tackle this issue with carefulness and patience. Before going on this discussion, we have to understand that no husband can live faithfully with their wife for life without complying with the first two responsibilities previously stated.

 

Apparently thousands or more marriages a day are broken because husbands cannot live with their wives faithfully. Either they do not know the commandments of God regarding marriage or they are disobedient children of God. Even some professing or real Christians have problems with their marriage relationship. Why? Because they do not walk according to God’s will. By applying their positive thinking, believing that by claiming the promised Word of God, they could just tell God what to do without knowing the condition of His promise. Many professed Christians are using the book of John 14:13-14 when Jesus himself says “and I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.” Many professing Christians will say since we are Christians and Jesus promised us to give everything we ask, so we just have to do is to believe it, claim it and get it. But they should know what Jesus said in the next verse (John 14:15). “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Here, we see that we can only claim Jesus’ promise if we love Him and obey His commandments.

 

To love our wives faithfully for life is not an easy responsibility and we cannot do it by ourselves. God has given us the Holy Spirit who dwells us. Every time we try our best to love our wives faithfully we will fail because Satan will counteract our own power and he is more powerful than us. But when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and walking according to God’s will, we have the absolute power of the Holy Spirit working through us and the devil cannot stand against us. The key, then, to successfully love our wives faithfully is to be filled with the Holy Spirit consistently. Remember, the Bible says, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

 

I know that it is not easy to be filled with the Holy Spirit consistently but it is the only way to love and live with our wives faithfully for life. Few years ago, when God made me know his will for my life, He taught me how to conduct my relationship with my wife to the utmost. He taught me how to use the magic word that brought peace, joy and a loving environment into our relationship. Whenever we have an argument, it does not matter how big or small or who is at fault, I always say sorry to my wife. I say sorry not because I am at fault but because I love my and I do not want the issue to go further.

 

When the issue is important and I know I am right then I go to God and ask Him to help me clearly explain the issue to my wife. By practicing this system, my wife and I continue to grow into a good relationship.

 

It took me about a year to consistently use this system. Every time there is an argument, I think that I do not have a choice but to obey God’s command to love my wife faithfully for life because He has given me a permanent marriage.

 

Written by Osmundo Sabado

Edited by Orman Sabado

 

 

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