Biblical Masculinity In Marriage
This is the second post in the Biblical Masculinity series. Post One: What is Biblical Masculinity?, Post Three: Biblical Masculinity in Fatherhood Pt. 1, Post Four: Biblical Masculinity in Fatherhood Pt. 2
This will only be a brief overview of our roles as men in marriage. It won’t be super-spiritual or deeply theological, although I believe marriage is deeply spiritual and theological at its foundation because it is a picture of God’s love for us. There are many wonderful books that cover this topic in greater detail that would be worth your time in reading. I have recommended a few HERE and you can see the full list HERE.
I will try to be a bit more practical in this study since most of us know or have an idea of what God expects from us in marriage. A lot of times, I believe, we just don’t know what we are doing or how we should go about it.
Marriage – We Are to Cultivate Our Wives
- God said it was not good for man to be alone.
- He created woman to help him in his cultivation and they were to work together as one.
- God created marriage, man did not. Therefore He defines its boundaries and purposes.
- God made man the head of the family, man did not. He gives us a picture of male headship all throughout the Bible.
- Some who argue for Egalitarianism say that male headship or patriarchy came as a result of the Fall. Others argue that when Paul made his claims of male headship in the home and church those roles and positions were only binding on that specific culture and time period.
- Paul actually destroys both arguments by taking the basis for his claims all the way back to the Creation story and order before the Fall. He therefore says that the way God set things up are binding on all peoples of all cultures and all time periods. – 1Cor. 11:8-9; 1 Tim. 2:12-13; Gen. 2
- Woman was made for the man.
- Woman was made after and from the man.
- She was not made from the dirt like the rest of the animals, but from Adam’s side showing her equality with Adam in value and worth.
- Equality is not the same as egality (See my previous post for the difference between egalitarianism & complementarianism).