God's Gifts to His Chosen Bride, Part 3

Titus 2:4-5 says that younger women are to love their husbands (husband-lovers) if they have one; they may have the blessing of singleness, love children (children-lovers) if they have them. Sound-minded, Pure (modest, chaste), Workers at home (home-workers) 1 Tim. 5:14. Which brings up a common question: Can wives work outside the home? Workers at home means the primary focus is in the realm of the well-being of the household; in the arena of the home. Keeping a godly home with excellence for one’s husband and children is the Christian woman’s non-negotiable responsibility. As long as the priority of the home is clear, time and energy can be spent elsewhere. As long as the affairs of the home are taken care of how it plays out practically is up to each family to decide with the wisdom God has given them. One commentator puts it this way: “…the point is not so much that a woman's place is in the home as that her responsibility is for the home. She may have a reasonable outside job or choose…to volunteer in many other ways. But the home is a wife's special domain and always should be her highest priority. Where she is able to offer the most encouragement and support to her husband; the best place for extending hospitality to Christian friends, to unbelieving neighbors, and (others).”

Young Christian wives …in consultation with their husbands, must use good judgment in deciding how much time can justifiably and wisely be spent in activities outside the home, whether at a paying job or in some form of service. When you have a genuine desire to obey and honor the Lord in all things and to seek guidance from His Word and in prayer, you can be sure He will give you the needed wisdom and answer. There is nothing in the Bible that specifically forbids a woman from working outside the home as long as she is fulfilling her priorities in the home (Prov. 31). In fact, it is important to remember that every member of a household has responsibilities in the household. Says nothing of division of labor or that the wife needs to do all the work. The husband will be held accountable for what he allows. What he abdicates and what he doesn’t lead – he will be held responsible for. More men neglect their families for their work than women do.

Kind. doing good to others. Subject to their husband. C.S. Lewis (in Mere Christianity, on Christian Marriage) if there must be a head, why the man? Well, firstly is there any very serious wish that is should be the woman? As I have said, I am not married myself, but as far as I can see, even a woman who wants to be the head of her own house does not usually admire the same state of things when she finds it going on next door. She is much more likely to say, “poor Mr. X! Why he allows that appalling woman to boss him about the way she does is more than I can imagine.” I do not think she is very flattered is anyone mentions the fact of her own ‘headship’. There must be something unnatural about the rule of wives over their husbands, because the wives themselves are half ashamed of it and despise the husbands they rule. Paul, in Eph. 5:22-33 puts the wives’s submission in the context of her husband’s sacrificial love. The ideal relationship involves mutual self-giving. Where submission or sacrificial love are not present marriages suffer or fall apart. God’s calling to wives and husbands no conditions or exceptions. Husbands, you are called by God, to sacrificially love and wives, called to unselfishly submit even if your spouse does not do their part.

2:6-8 younger men. Of which Titus was one – being most likely 40ish, are to be sound-minded, a model of good works, uncorrupted in teaching, dignity, sound speech. 1 Pet. 2:11-12. Young men need godly older men whose example is worthy to be copied.

A healthy church has older women mentoring younger women and older men mentoring younger men. Each pouring their lives into younger generations that they might glorify God in their respective callings.