Expressed here is the divinely instituted order in marriage, just as there is order in creation so there is in a family (Eph 5:23-24). The family is the oldest and most basic of human institutions. The family has a built-in authority structure: the husband is leader to the wife and the parents are leaders to the children. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.

3 Apr 22