And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of  the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 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 (Gen. 2:18-20).

First, men work. Then they get married. These days, so do most Western women.

The following discussion touches briefly on some of the major principles surrounding the role relationship of husbands and wives in marriage; it is by no means exhaustive, but it should serve as a starting point for further study. As you read this material, I encourage you to look up the verses that I have cited in my discussion--please see for yourself what God says about these important principles.

Neither Inferior nor Superior

By God's design, man and woman are one in essence (see Genesis 2:23), and are therefore equal in dignity, value, and glory (see Gal. 3:26-29). Although God himself has assigned husbands and wives different roles within marriage, the essential unity of man and woman leaves absolutely no room for concepts of inferiority or superiority.

For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church . . . (Eph. 5:23)

We need to begin with a brief grammar lesson. When it comes to our reading of the Scripture, Christians frequently confuse indicatives and imperatives. An indicative is a statement of fact; there is no ought in it. An imperative, on the other hand, is a command; it tells us what we must do.

Many reformed singles are looking desperately for their perfect life partner. They agonize over whether to join an online dating service. I know a man who stayed at a church only long enough to check out all the prospects. Some go to a Christian counselor for help in finding their life partner. Maybe you are not like those mentioned above. But then again maybe you find yourself somewhere in there.

Martin Luther, the German Reformer, is generally remembered as the theological professor, the Bible translator, the writer, even as the composer of hymns. However, Martin Luther was also a husband and a father of six children. He provided the church its first and most prominent example of a pastoral family.

Paul is rather clear in the end of Ephesians chapter 5. He draws a striking parallel between Jesus and the church, and husbands and wives. He calls on husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her. And there we tend to stop. Jesus died for us, that we might have peace with God. A godly husband, then, is one who is ready and willing to lay down his life for his wife, if such an occasion should ever arise. A godly wife is one who submits to her own husband. A godly husband, or so we think, is one who is willing to take a hypothetical bullet for his bride.

“This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.” (John 2:11)

I have more than once had occasion to observe, that the chief end St. John had in view, when he wrote his gospel, was to prove the divinity of Jesus Christ, [that Word, who not only was from everlasting with God, but also was really God blessed for evermore] against those arch-heretics Ebion and Cerinthus, whose pernicious principles

The problem can come about in many different ways. Perhaps a couple marry when both were non-Christians, and he later becomes a Christian. Perhaps he was a believer who disobediently married an unbeliever. He repents later, but he remains married. Perhaps husband and wife are both professing believers, but through his abdication of godly authority, she has backslidden to the point that he simply does not know how to lead her. Most married Christian men are not in this position, but at the same time we cannot say the problem is extremely rare.

Preached to a Society of Young Women, in Fetter-Lane

This psalm is called the song of loves, the most pure and spiritual, the most ear and delightful loves; namely, those which are between Christ the beloved, and his church, which is his spouse; wherein is set forth, first, the Lord Jesus Christ in regard of his majesty, power, and divinity, his truth, meekness and equity:

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. . . . Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!