What Does The Bible Say About Husbands?
God's word in Ephesians 5 lays it out plain: the husband is called to lead, but not in some bossy, self-centered way. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church—meaning, with sacrifice, humility, and a heart that puts her above himself. This isn't about flexing authority or enforcing old-school gender roles. It's about reflecting the gospel in your marriage.
Check this out: just like Christ gave Himself up for the church, the husband is supposed to lay down his own will, his pride, his preferences, and serve his wife. That means pointing her to God, not to himself. The real job of a husband is to be so surrendered to God that his leadership is just an overflow of God's love and wisdom, not his own agenda. If a husband tries to play God or make himself the center, that's idolatry—he's supposed to be an intercessor, not an idol.
And here's the deep gospel connection: in the same way Adam took the blame for Eve's sin (Romans 5:12), Jesus, our true husband, took the punishment for our sins. We—the church—are the bride. We mess up, but Jesus pays the price. So, when a husband leads his wife, he's living out that gospel story: not taking credit, not demanding submission, but laying down his life so God gets the glory. It's all about both husband and wife submitting to God first, then serving each other out of that gospel love.
