Biblically, a marriage is not just about the husband and a wife. A biblical marriage is a gospel partnership. It has impacts far beyond just the two people that enter into the covenantal relationship.
Your marriage should have an impact on this world for God’s glory and the advancement of the gospel. One of the ways it can do that is by impacting our church.
Women, your church needs you to be godly wives.
Men need you to be a wife we want our wives to be around. When men ask their wives who they talked to at Bible study or ran into at the store and they say your name, husbands shouldn't cringe but should be encouraged because their wives will have left that conversation encouraged.
The men of Kossuth need to know that you will honor your husband and encourage their wives to do the same, that you will be a Titus 2:3-5 woman:
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."
Seek training from older women and also prepare yourself so that you might train younger women. Did you catch the end of those verses? “That the word of God may not be reviled.” This is serious stuff if you don’t do it. All the men of Kossuth need you to be a godly wife to your husband.
Your marriage relationship is such a witness to your friends, family, and children. Your submission to Christ is seen through your submission to your husband and his Christ-like leadership for your family.
Men, your church needs you to be godly husbands.
To be a submissive wife sounds like a terrible deal for women and a great deal for men. Especially if our only view of this is from the world's standards. However, if you men are leading your families and your wives in a manner that glorifies God, this brings honor to your wife and makes her responsibility of submission so simple. Make it easy on her - love the Lord, be zealous in your relationship with Him, and she will be loved and have no roadblocks in her call to submission. Is this easy for you? No.
"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect."
-John Owen
Let God lead you as you lead your family. Be quick to forgive, slow to anger, and abounding in love. This is your great witness to us.
You need to remind other men of Jesus, to give them examples every time they see you with your wife of Christ loving the church (
Eph. 5:25). You are not just a husband, you are a pastor/shepherd; your home is a church, and your family its flock.
Your wife should be able to eagerly come to you with questions and be able to learn. That doesn't mean you’ll always have the answers but you should always be preparing by being in the scriptures, studying, praying, and seeking teaching from other men in the church. Women’s bible studies are great, Pastor Whipple’s sermons are great, teaching in your ABF is great, but none of them is a replacement for your responsibilities to know your wife, know her physical and spiritual needs, and then meet them. We need for you to be worthy of us imitating as you imitate Christ (
1 Cor.11:1).
We need your marriage. You also need our marriage. Together as a part of the body of Christ, you will be most satisfied and it will bring God the greatest glory to see two sinful people striving together.