Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

Let me say at the outset that the Bible makes it clear that each partner in a marriage has responsibilities toward the other (which, in many cases, are the same for each spouse). With regard to the wife's role, I find the following characteristics to be relevant:

To help and support her husband in a way that no other person who is not as close to him can (one of the stated purposes for which God created woman and the marriage relationship) (Genesis 2:18)

To not bring shame or disrepute to her husband by her actions (Proverbs 12:4)

To not be contentious or quarrelsome by nature or as a matter of normal disposition (Proverbs 19:13; Proverbs 21:9; Proverbs 21:19; Proverbs 25:24; Proverbs 27:15-16)

To be prudent (Proverbs 19:14)

To be faithful to her husband (Proverbs 23:27)

To be trustworthy (Proverbs 31:11)

To do her husband good rather than harm (Proverbs 31:12)

To productively manage her time and her activities (Proverbs 31:13-19, 22, 24, 27)

To display kindness and wisdom in her speech and actions (Proverbs 31:20, 26)

To fear God; to put God before her husband in cases where conforming to his wishes and desires would require her to disobey God, and no acceptable compromise is possible (Proverbs 31:30; Luke 14:26)

To have regular sexual relations with her husband (except for short periods of time by mutual agreement) (1 Corinthians 7:3-5) (To me, this is the deepest expression of the meaning of a husband and wife being "one flesh", and should ideally be regarded as a God-given source of mutual pleasure that each spouse looks forward to, rather than as a "duty", or as something that "has" to be done.)

To remain married to a spouse who is not a Christian, rather than separating on that account, unless the non-Christian spouse initiates the separation (1 Corinthians 7:13-15)

To not seek divorce from her husband (1 Corinthians 7:39)

In cases of irreconcilable conflict (after both parties have had the opportunity to make their positions clear) on matters where a unified position must be reached, to defer to her husband's position (Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Peter 3:1-6) 

To respect her husband (Ephesians 5:33) (To me, this includes her speech and actions when speaking to him or about him in the presence of others, as well as not engaging in personal attacks or making belittling comments during disagreements, and being openly appreciative of his contributions to the relationship.)

August 09 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report