Thesis 29 We Must Lead Our Homes as Husbands and Fathers.
When God pronounced His curse upon Eve in the garden of Eden, He told her that her desire would be for her husband. Most scholars affirm that the nature of the curse here isn’t that Eve would have a desire to be with her husband, but that she would have a desire to be like her husband, to rule over him. God does not pronounce a corresponding curse on Adam, that he would desire the take the place of his wife, that he would desire to follow rather than to lead. It may be that such a curse would have been redundant. Adam, after all, rather than protecting and guarding Eve against the wiles of the serpent, followed her into rebellion. Adam went further still in relinquishing his role when, as God asks him about the fall, he replies, “It was the woman.” Instead of guarding his wife, he hides behind her leafy skirt.
From that time forward men have continued to skirt their responsibilities, to evade their calling. We have not merely failed to fight to wear the pants in our homes, we have happily handed the pants over not only to our wives, but to our children. We have not only not ruled in our homes, but have let autonomy in the door. We have embraced, at best, the theory that leadership in the home means that when husband and wife, after countless hours of discussion and prayer cannot reach agreement, then the husband must decide. I call it, “the tie goes to the husband.” We call this being sensitive. We call it servant leadership. We call it adapting to the times. We call it everything but what it is, rebellion against the living God.
Our families are a wreck, by and large, because our husbands are a wreck. They are floundering because we are not leading. We are not leading because we are cowards. We are afraid of the watching world and so cave in to its egalitarian mindset. We are afraid of our wives, and so succumb to their desire to rule. We are afraid of our children, and so leave them as orphans. We would rather lead at work, where there are clear lines of authority than lead at home, where the ultimate authority, God Himself, put us in charge.
Reformation will not come to our land until it comes to our churches. It will not come to our churches until it comes to our homes. It will not come to our homes until fathers take back their pants, and take up their mantle. We lead our families as we turn back to sola Scriptura. We are led by the Spirit breathed Word of God, rather than the spirit of the age. And we turn back to faith alone, following in the footsteps of our eternal Husband, the second Adam. We trust Him, and Him alone, walking by faith and not by sight. We will not have Reformation until we recover an understanding of the priesthood of fathers. We will not have Reformation until we recover an understanding of the prophetic call of fathers. We will not have Reformation until we recover an understanding of the kingship of fathers. We will not have Reformation until we seek once more to be Jesus in our homes, in His grace and for His glory.