The headship of man is outlined in 1 Corinthians 11:3 - “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” Paul admonishes the husbands to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ... For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior ... husbands should love their wives as their own bodies” (Ephesians 5:25,23, 28). In the home, the fathers take the role of spiritual leadership with the children as he will “not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

As a husband, the man takes the role of leadership for his wife; as a father, the man teaches the spiritual needs of the children. The leadership of the home is given by God to the man. Upon his shoulders is borne the command of God to lead the home. The world of our day has rejected God’s plan and homes are filled with despair, disarray and disharmony because men have abdicated their role as the spiritual leaders of the home. The man has become either a brute beast or a coward to fulfill the role given to him by God.

The spiritual relationship of the home is established when the husband treats the wife in the same way Christ treats the church. Christ’s life was forfeit for the church; the man forfeits his life to help his mate become the woman she needs to be before God. He loves his wife with the love Christ has for the church. He exercises his headship as lovingly and compassionate as Christ does the church. The husband nourishes his wife with tender care (“and is not bitter against her” – Colossians 3:19) and cherishes his wife. He supplies every care the wife needs. This headship is given to man and when he fails to follow this pattern, he rejects the will of God.

The spiritual relationship of the home is established when the man takes his role as a father to guide the lives of the children to the heavenly Father. This role was not given to the woman but the man. Isaiah the prophet said, “The father makes known to the children thy faithfulness” (Isaiah 38:19). From the lips of the fathers come the instructions of righteousness and truth. Children should see the father becoming the spiritual man of the home to guide the family to the throne of God.

Many homes do not have the leadership given by the Lord to the man. The church is being attacked through the abandonment of men who through selfish desires fail to care for their wives and children. These truths are as ancient as time itself. When the home is filled with rebellion, the world will follow suit. The home founded upon the pattern given by God will bring peace and happiness. The man must take his role of headship seriously, as God has given him direction. There will not be a second chance to be the kind of husband or father a man should be. Today is the day for the man to take his role as the spiritual leader of his family.

by Kent Heaton

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