| The Bible says that a husband is the head of his family. (1 Corinthians 11:3) A husband must have only one wife. They should be properly married in the eyes of the law. (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 3:1) |
1 Corinthians 11:3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Timothy 3:2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach... Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good... |
They should be properly married in the eyes of the law. I assume that the scripture reference to Titus 3:1 is supposed to support this assertion. However, taken in context, Titus 3:1 has nothing to do with marriage in the eyes of the law. Instead, it’s dealing with being obedient to the law of the land so long as it matches obedience to God. This reference can be used as a counter-point to a previous lesson (Lesson 4, Point 5), where this tract says we should not look to political leaders to solve man’s problem. Here, we are told to follow the political laws. But, back to the point of marriage: Romans 7:1-3 may apply to this point more appropriately, although that passage may still be referring to God’s law rather than earthly laws. |
| A husband should love his wife just as he loves himself. He should treat her the way Jesus treats his followers. (Ephesians 5:25, 28, 29) He should never hit his wife or mistreat her in any way. Rather, he should show her honor and respect. (Colossians 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7) |
Ephesians 5:25, 28, 29 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ... In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church... Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. |
| A father should work hard to care for his family. He must provide food, clothing, and housing for his wife and children. A father must also provide for his family's spiritual needs. (1 Timothy 5:8) He takes the lead in helping his family to learn about God and His purposes. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Ephesians 6:4) |
1 Timothy 5:8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. |
He must provide food, clothing, and housing for his wife and children. A father must also provide for his family’s spiritual needs. While they may be true, these specifics are not mentioned in the text. |
| A wife should be a good helper for her husband. (Genesis 2:18) She should assist her husband in teaching and training their children. (Proverbs 1:8) Jehovah requires a wife to care for her family lovingly. (Proverbs 31:10, 15, 26, 27; Titus 2:4, 5) She should have deep respect for her husband. (Ephesians 5:22, 23, 33) |
Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Proverbs 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Proverbs 31:10, 15, 26, 27 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. ... She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. ... She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Titus 2:4, 5 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Ephesians 5:22, 23, 33 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ... However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. |
| God requires children to obey their parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3) He expects parents to instruct and correct their children. Parents need to spend time with their children and study the Bible with them, caring for their spiritual and emotional needs. (Deuteronomy 11:18, 19; Proverbs 22:6, 15) Parents should never discipline their children in a harsh or cruel way. (Colossians 3:21) |
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise-- "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Deuteronomy 11:18, 19 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Proverbs 22:6, 15 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. ... Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. |
| When marriage mates have problems getting along together, they should try to apply Bible counsel. The Bible urges us to show love and to be forgiving. (Colossians 3:12-14) God's Word does not encourage separation as a way to solve minor problems. But a wife might choose to leave her husband if (1) he stubbornly refuses to support his family, (2) he is so violent that her health and life are in danger, or (3) his extreme opposition makes it impossible for her to worship Jehovah. (1 Corinthians 7:12, 13) |
Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 1 Corinthians 7:12, 13 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. |
But a wife might choose to leave her husband if he stubbornly refuses to support his family, he is so violent that her health and life are in danger... Neither of these are at all supported by the scripture quoted or by the surrounding passages. ...his extreme opposition makes it impossible for her to worship. This is also not supported by the text. The closest the scripture comes to saying this is in 1 Corinthians 7:15: But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. In this case, there is no mention of the unbeliever preventing worship. It’s also interesting to note that, in this case, the unbeliever is leaving. It’s not the believer’s will to leave, but the unbeliever’s will to leave. So, it would seem that someone married to an unbeliever should remain married to that person unless that person decides to leave. |
| Marriage mates must be faithful to each other. Adultery is a sin against God and against one's mate. (Hebrews 13:4) Sex relations outside the marriage is the only Scriptural ground for divorce allowing for remarriage. (Matthew 19:6-9; Romans 7:2, 3) Jehovah hates it when people get divorced without Scriptural grounds and marry someone else. (Malachi 2:14-16) |
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Matthew 19:6-9 "...So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." Romans 7:2, 3 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man. Malachi 2:14-16 You ask, "Why?" It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. |
Sex relations outside the marriage is the only Scriptural ground for divorce allowing for remarriage. Doesn’t this statement contradict the previous point? |
