Biblical Teachings on The Marriage Relationshipby Pastor Faith Oyedepo, Week 2, January, 2009

Biblical Teachings on The Marriage Relationship

Dear Reader,

Happy New Year! Thank God for what He did for us last year. He is out to do marvellous things for us all in this year of our manifestations. You shall not miss your portion in Jesus’ name! This month, we will be looking at Biblical Teaching on The Marriage Relationship.

I will like you to know that a good and wonderful family life is possible in Christ Jesus. It is divinely organized by God Almighty and instructions have been written down on how to have a fulfilling family life in His manual for successful living — the Bible. Today, as you go through this article and follow God’s instructions, God will do a strange and quick work in your life and family in Jesus Christ’s name.

This week, I will be sharing on the Headship of the Marriage Institution. The Bible teaches that the man in a marriage is the head of the woman he is married to (1 Corinthians11:3). The wife is to obey her husband (1 Peter 3:1-6, Eph 5:22-24). The husband must be caring, sharing, and self-sacrificing (1Pe 3:7 Eph 5:25,28-33).

God designed the man to head the union. He is the aggressor, the initiator, the provider. He was designed to take the lead, while the woman follows. When anyone tries to change this order, problems arise. He is the head of the woman, the leader and not a dictator. He must lead spiritually, because God will hold him accountable (Genesis 3:9).

The man is the principal actor in every home. Until the husband accepts his responsibility as the head, there can be nothing like success in that family. I am not referring only to men who are married to Christian wives, but also to those who are married to unbelieving ones.

The husband, however, is to exercise his leadership role under the authority of Christ, who is his head and the example he should follow in exercising his role. As the leader, he has a responsibility to provide for and protect his wife and children, and is responsible, together with his wife, for the moral well-being of his family.

To exercise your leadership position as a man, you must love your wife unconditionally as a brother and friend and as a lover sexually (Ephesians 5:25-29). You must honour your wife and not treat her as a lesser being, or a slave. Your wife is not a lesser creature. God has made man and woman to complement each other. A marriage will fail if the husband demands his wife's subjection to him, whilst he himself refuses to give himself up for her.

If you are not born again, you cannot enjoy the fulfillment in marriage that God has preserved for those who love Him. But as you confess your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour now, you will experience a great change in your life and marriage. Please say this simple prayer in faith: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Savious. Now I know I am born again!

If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God's Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through:

E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 234-1-7747546-8;

For more insight, these books authored by Pastor Faith Oyedepo are available at the Dominion Book Stores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian book stores:

 Single With A Difference

 Marriage Covenant,

 Making Marriage Work

 Building a Successful Family

 The Effective Minister’s Wife

 Success in Marriage (Co-Authored with Bishop David Oyedepo).