Session 2: Gender Roles in Marriage
Session Overview
This session will focus on God’s design for gender roles within marriage. Men and women display the image of God equally and share the mandate of spreading his influence in the world. In harmony with this mutual significance, a husband and wife enjoy distinct and important roles. A husband should provide unwavering, nurturing love to his wife, understanding and meeting her needs, just as Jesus sacrificially loves and leads the church. A wife should provide unwavering respect and affection to her husband, just as the church should follow the leadership of Christ. This session will establish biblical expectations for the roles of husband and wife in marriage. It will also explore practical, specific expectations that each spouse will have of the other, emphasizing a mutual commitment to follow Christ and to meet the needs of one another.
Biblical Perspective
- What does Genesis 1:26-28 teach us about the ways that men and women are equal before God, in nature and purpose?
- How does Genesis 2:18 indicate that though men and women are created equal by God in nature and purpose, they are also different from each other?
- How does Ephesians 5:22-24 describe the role of a wife in marriage?
The word submit means to allow another person to provide leadership and to make final decisions.
- What example does Paul give for how this works?
- How does Ephesians 5:25-32 describe the role of a husband in marriage?
The word love means to hold a person (in this case a wife) in high regard and to make choices with her best interest in mind.
- What example does Paul give for how this works?
- How does 1 Peter 3:7 describe the way that a husband should love his wife?
- How does Ephesians 5:33 summarize the distinct roles of husband and wife in a marriage?
- Are you prepared [wife] to respect your husband by letting him make final decisions for your family and [husband] to give careful attention to the needs of your wife and make decisions with her best interest in mind?
- What questions do you have as result of this lesson?
