Christ is the Head of every man. God's order is for the man to be the most spiritual person in his home. He is to pray, spend time in God's Word, find out God's will for his family and then tell them what God has said. As husband and father, he is to be the best example he can be of that kind of life.
After having received the orders of Christ, any man who is not functioning accordingly is out of the will of God.
"For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels" (1 Cor. 11:8-10).
The word power here in verse 10 means "covering" according to The Amplified Bible. In some churches, women wear a veil or a hat on their heads to signify that they are in subjection to their husband. This was the custom in early Church days.
"Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God" (1 Cor. 11:11-12 AMP).
In other words, this is saying the man is to work with the woman but not dominate her. He is of her and she is of him. But God does have an order.
The head of Christ is God the Father. So God's order is, first, the Father, then the Son and then the man in the home.
Fatherless Homes
A home without a man is a home that is absolutely out of whack. God did not intend for the woman to be head of the household. But there are times when situations occur which cause a woman to be thrust into the headship of her house. That can happen because of a death or some other circumstance.
In such a predicament the woman does the very best that she can. It's tough for her to have to fulfill the roles of both mother and father to her family. A woman having both jobs deserves all the help she can get.
God's plan for man was that there be no fatherless homes. But unfortunately these days too many such situations have occurred. As a result, there is no example of leadership for the young man to follow.
We are seeing babies having babies in fatherless homes. When that happens, boys grow up without any example of leadership from another man in their home. The girl doesn't find out what her role is to be and the boy never learns what his role is. Everything gets out of line, and very often people wind up on some kind of public assistance. The entire order of things has become confused and distorted.
No wonder then there is chaos among the people. One reason we have so much crime in the streets is because people have forgotten about the Bible. Too many pastors and church leaders are spending time preaching to their people about politics, civil rights and other situations. There is a place for all of that, but not from the pulpit. When you go to church, you should be fed God's Word and what it says.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).
