Men, Rise Up!
ICS Daily Devotions

1 Corinthians 11:3, 8-11 (NKJV) “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” ….. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.

When the Bible talks about the man being the head of the woman, it does not refer to authoritarianism or dictatorship, nor to male chauvinistic ideology. Instead, it is about spiritual leadership based on Agape love.

The lesson from Adam and Eve’s experience in the Garden of Eden is that men should not be passive onlookers. Adam should have resisted temptation and sin. Instead, he failed to provide spiritual leadership and did nothing to stop the devil’s scheme.

Spiritual leadership in the home means leading the wife and children. This involves practising what the Bible teaches, and leading the wife and children to draw closer to God daily and establishing family values based on the Bible.

Why aren’t men taking the leadership in the Christian home?

1. Many grown men still behave like children, causing their wives to act like mothers towards them. They refuse to accept the responsibilities of married men and are immature in their thinking and behaviour.
2. Their identity is tied to their careers rather than their roles as husbands or spiritual leaders of the home. They are only interested in playing the role of income earners to support their families. They are absentee fathers and husbands.
3. There might be unaddressed wounds like past trauma, addiction, secret sin, creating shame and distance from God, rendering spiritual leadership impossible without repentance and healing.
4. There is a lack of biblical understanding of how a man should lead his wife spiritually. He might be the first generation of Christians and have no role model.

If a man wants to lead his wife spiritually, he should ensure that:

1. Before getting married, he enrols in a pre-marital class, refrains from committing fornication, and respects the sister in Christ.
2. He establishes a solid biblical foundation for their marriage.
3. He cuts the unseen umbilical cord with his mother and stands up for his wife when his parents interfere with their marriage and family.
4. The couple has a joint bank account; he is transparent about what he has in order to build trust with his wife. It is an act of covenant marriage.
5. He makes time to do devotion with the kids and pray with them. This is spiritual leadership.
6. His wife’s emotional needs are met by establishing the foundation of unconditional love for the wife as the head of the household.

Sermon Series：The head of woman is man?