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“Marriage is the foundation of the domestic
constitution...
It is an institution of God, it was
established in Eden, was honored by personal attendance of Christ, and
furnished an occasion for the first of that
splendid series of miracles, by
which He proved Himself to be the Son of God, and the Savior of the World.”
John Angell James
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Page 2 of 2 |
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back...
FAMILY HIERARCHY
God specifically creates
man first, out of the dust of the ground, and then out of man, He brings forth
woman.
“And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man,
made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” (Genesis
2:22 AV)
The preliminary
task of Adam was to name the animals. After the completion of that assignment he
was given Eve, his wife, in order to assist him in the fulfilling of his
calling, namely raising a Covenant Family.
“And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man
should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
(Genesis 2:18 AV)
“And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of
the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an
help meet for him.”
(Genesis 2:20 AV)
“For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of
the man.
Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman
for the man.”
(1 Corinthians 11:8-9 AV)
Although the man
is both the head of the Family, and of the wife, they are equal in respect to
stewardship, because the children emanate from them both. In spite of the
obvious hierarchy in the chain of command between husband and wife, God
carefully tempers it to avoid any abuse of the order.
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to
knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being
heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” (1
Peter 3:7 AV)
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved
the church, and gave himself for it;” (Ephesians
5:25 AV)
“Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against
them.”
(Colossians 3:19 AV)
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“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ
is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let]
the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word,” (Ephesians
5:23-26 AV)
“Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence:
and likewise also the wife unto the husband.”
(1 Corinthians 7:3 AV)
“Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own
husbands ;”
(1 Peter 3:1a AV)
There is a mutual
responsibility of both husband and wife to love and honor one another. God has
established the marital institution to be a harmonious team, complimenting one
another’s various traits and graces so as to fulfil their God given
commission.
It is sinfully unfortunate
that today’s modern Christian marriage is patterned more like the competitive
business world, than it does the Holy examples of the Scriptures. Instead of
working together for the common good of the Family, and the Glory of God,
husbands and wives strive with one another in order to attain prideful dominion.
This sin is prevalent in both husband and wife.
The proper chain of
command, and the love whereby this commission is to be executed clearly is
designed to reflect God’s relationship with His Church. There ought never be a
posture of superiority or inferiority by either the husband or wife.
The husband and wife
must show forth both the Wisdom and Power of God, as it is at work in them. If
the relationship is void of obedience, and love, it becomes dysfunctional. This
will undoubtedly destroy that which God has ordained to be good. RW
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