Topical Bible: Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To be Faithful to Them

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Topical Encyclopedia

The role of a wife within the biblical framework is often discussed in terms of her relationship and duties to her husband. One of the primary duties emphasized in Scripture is the call for wives to be faithful to their husbands. This faithfulness is not only a physical commitment but also encompasses emotional and spiritual fidelity.

Biblical Foundation

The concept of marital faithfulness is rooted in the creation narrative, where the institution of marriage is established. Genesis 2:24 states, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." This union signifies a profound bond that requires mutual faithfulness and exclusivity.

Moral and Spiritual Fidelity

Faithfulness in marriage is not limited to physical exclusivity but extends to moral and spiritual dimensions. Proverbs 31:11-12 describes the virtuous wife: "The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will lack nothing of value. She brings him good and not harm all the days of her life." This passage highlights the trust and reliability that a faithful wife embodies, ensuring her husband's well-being and prosperity.

New Testament Teachings

The New Testament further reinforces the duty of faithfulness. In Ephesians 5:22-24 , the Apostle Paul writes, "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. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." This submission is not a call to subservience but a reflection of the church's faithful relationship to Christ, characterized by love, respect, and fidelity.

The Sanctity of Marriage

Hebrews 13:4 underscores the sanctity of marriage: "Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers." This verse serves as a solemn reminder of the importance of maintaining purity and faithfulness within the marital relationship.

Practical Implications

Faithfulness in marriage involves active commitment and intentional actions. It requires open communication, mutual respect, and a shared spiritual journey. A faithful wife supports her husband, prays for him, and works alongside him to build a strong, God-centered family. Her faithfulness is a testament to her love for her husband and her obedience to God's design for marriage.

In summary, the duty of a wife to be faithful to her husband is a multifaceted commitment that encompasses physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. It is a reflection of the divine order established by God and a vital component of a thriving, God-honoring marriage.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Corinthians 7:3-5,10
Let the husband render to the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife to the husband.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Bishop's Burthen
... Intellectual to fulfil precisely all the duties of his ... husbands to kill their adulterous
wives, so as to ... goods to the poor without their husbands' consent; and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/iii the bishops burthen.htm

Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel
... as to leave no leisure for the duties of married ... been quite solitary in Palestine;
we find their sisters in a ... Wives such as Priscilla, mothers such as that of ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 9 mothers daughters and.htm

Homilies on Galatians and Ephesians.
... Servants, to be taken care of, [542]148, [543]159; as brethren, [544]157; their
duties to serve ... Wives, to submit themselves to their husbands in the ...
/.../homilies on galatians and ephesians.htm

The Family of a Saint
... in attending to her religious duties, even a ... Patricius at the beginning of their
married life. ... of intermittent divorce between husbands and wives of different ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/ii the family of a.htm

The First Epistle General of Peter
... Christian brotherhood and its duties, submission to ... obey even unreasonable masters,
wives if good and gentle may win their husbands, husbands must reverence ...
/.../pullan/the books of the new testament/chapter xxi the first epistle.htm

Covenant Duties.
... to vow the performance of definite duties that may be incumbent upon them in their
associate capacity. ... Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iv covenant duties.htm

On Mutual Subjection {1} --(First Printed in 1744)
... apply it to humility, to the duties of charity ... masters, children their parents, and
wives their husbands, not from ... they serve God and mind their callings, make ...
/.../swift/three sermons three prayers/on mutual subjection 1first printed.htm

The Domestic Relation.
... but are concerned more about the fashions and society than the duties of home ... as
the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands ...
/.../orr/the gospel day /chapter xiii the domestic relation.htm

The Glory of Penitents and Pious People.
... neighbor, and by acquitting themselves of their respective duties. ... Here are good
husbands and wives, who truly ... the good children who honored their parents, and ...
/.../boudreaux/the happiness of heaven/chapter xx the glory of.htm

The Great Awakening.
... want of care; to regard not only their own interest ... watchfully to perform the relative
duties of parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter xi the great awakening.htm