A husband should love his wife like Christ loved the Church and be willing to lay his life down for her. But love isn’t just who you die for. It’s who you live for.
Men with unhappy wives should ask themselves whether the decisions they make benefit the whole family, or only him. Do you put your wife’s needs first when deciding where to live? When building a budget? When choosing friends?
A good wife is an obedient wife, but a good husband is a selfless husband. The Bible commands women to obey their husbands whether they are selfless or not, but men will be judged on how well they lead their wife and kids. If a man makes self serving decisions, Jesus knows.
What about punishment and correction? As Christ demands obedience from the Church, a husband can demand his wife’s obedience and punish her if she does not obey. But if a man punishes his wife out of anger, that can lead to abuse. It is certainly a sign of spiritual immaturity. A punishment should be conducted lovingly, without wrath, and with patience.
Men are commanded to love their wives just as strictly as women are commanded to obey their husbands. When a husband loves and a wife obeys, that is a beautiful thing. Living according to God’s design will always be beautiful. When the wife obeys but the husband does not love, it is just as bad as when the husband loves, but the wife does not obey.
Life at Home 