Responsibilities of a Christian Husband

Learn the obligations of Christian spouses.

For Christians and devoted readers of the Bible, marriage is a sacred institution around which nurturing and loving families are built. Marriage is not to be taken lightly in the Christian faith. Many duties, obligations and responsibilities are associated with Christian husbands (and the same also applies to Christian wives, as well).

Love

According to Ephesians 5:25, one of the most important responsibilities for Christian husbands is, simply put, to love. A Christian husband is supposed to cherish and love his wife more than any other person on the planet. He is supposed to put his wife first. The husband needs to regularly inform his wife that he loves her, as well as show her with actions, whether through affection or caring about her well-being and happiness.

Serving

Christian husbands should have selfless natures. The goal of a Christian husband should not be to be served by others, but instead to serve his family (primarily his children and his wife), which is detailed in Ephesians 5:25-28.

Household

According to 1 Corinthians 11:3, Christian husbands are considered to be in charge of the household. This comes with heavy responsibilities. Effective leadership skills are necessary for this position, from being able to make reasonable monetary decisions to handling important repairs. Relaxation and leisure are not goals for Christian husbands on days off from work. Instead, husbands need to be focused on what to do in order to keep the household operating as smoothly as possible.

Respect

Apart from love, one duty of Christian husbands (as mentioned in I Peter 3:7) is to display respect to wives. Christian husbands must remember that their wives are honoring them by using their last names. As a result, they deserve respect in return. Ways to show respect to wives include avoiding public humiliation (such as name-calling and belittling), never engaging in physical violence and not demanding perfection (everyone has some flaws).

Discipline

A Christian husband and father wants what is best for his children. This entails taking a big role in the rearing of the children. To be an effective Christian father, a passage in I Timothy 3:3-5 indicates that a man should instill discipline and rules in his children. Christian husbands do not leave all of the child-raising to the wives.

Fidelity

The scripture of 1 Cor. 7:3 states that fidelity is a vital aspect for being a good Christian husband. Without faithfulness (both physical and emotional faithfulness), no trust and true love can exist between a married man and woman. Lack of fidelity can ruin the rapport and honesty between a Christian husband and wife.

Patience

Patience is an important quality for Christian husbands, according to Ephesians 4:31-32. Life can bring upon a lot of difficult situations in which impatience and blowing up would probably be the easiest "solution." However, impatience never got anyone anywhere. Christian husbands need to set positive examples for their families by maintaining a calm and patient demeanor at all times (especially in front of the children). Maintain peace in the household and remember that no fight is ever worth fighting, because it results in absolutely nothing but wasted time and hurt feelings.

References

• Ecclesia: The Husband's Duty
• Puritan Sermons: The Mutual Duties of Husbands and Wives Towards Each Other
• Bible.ca: The Husband's Responsibility to His Wife
• Reformed Online: The Christian Family

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish