Homemaking from a biblical perspective centers around God’s design for marriage, family, and gender roles. The Bible provides guidance on how believing families can live out God’s calling in their homes in a way that honors Him and furthers His kingdom purposes.
The Role of the Wife and Mother
In Scripture, wives and mothers have a special calling to care for their families by nurturing, teaching, and managing the home (Titus 2:3-5). This includes duties like cooking, cleaning, hospitality, childcare, and more. God created women with natural abilities and talents suited for homemaking (Proverbs 31:10-31). By using her gifts in service to her family, a godly wife and mother builds up her home as a place of comfort, rest, nurture, and growth for those entrusted to her care.
Biblical homemaking emphasizes the wife’s supportive role to her husband, submitting to him as head of the home, and her maternal role of training and teaching her children (Ephesians 5:22-24, 6:1-3). Her focus is on the inner workings of the home and family, whereas her husband’s role focuses outwardly on provision and spiritual leadership.
The Role of the Husband and Father
The Bible charges husbands and fathers to lead their families spiritually by living with integrity, setting a godly example, instructing children in the faith, disciplining them, and carrying out priestly duties like prayer and worship within the home (Ephesians 5:25-29, 6:4, 1 Corinthians 11:3). As head of the household, the husband is called to lovingly but firmly exercise headship over his wife and children.
Providing for the family’s material/financial needs through honest work is also a primary responsibility for the biblical husband (1 Timothy 5:8). This enables the wife to focus her efforts within the home, while still actively supporting her husband’s work and goals.
Order and Harmony in the Home
God’s design assigns complementary roles to husbands and wives so that family life flourishes within an orderly framework. When each member fulfills their duties diligently, the home functions harmoniously as a reflection of Christ’s relationship with the church (Ephesians 5:22-33).
So biblical homemaking emphasizes: the husband lovingly leading and providing for his family, the wife respectfully supporting her husband’s headship while directly managing the household, and the children honoring and obeying both parents.
Hospitality and Serving Others
Biblical homemaking extends beyond the immediate family. Husbands and wives are called to demonstrate Christlike love for others by showing hospitality, caring for those in need, and opening their homes to serve the church body and the community (Romans 12:13, 1 Peter 4:9-10). The Proverbs 31 wife even helps the poor and needy with her hands.
A godly wife may undertake crafts, cooking, or other endeavors within the home that allow her to bless others and aid those less fortunate. Her hospitable, nurturing femininity makes the home a welcoming refuge.
God-Honoring Home Life
Central to the concept of biblical homemaking is the desire to bring glory to God within one’s home. Every aspect of family life – from assigning roles to managing the household – is to be carried out according to biblical principles and for His glory.
Husbands and wives must help each other grow in pursuing righteousness, not selfish gain (Romans 12:10). As they exemplify Christlike love through selfless service, integrity, and care for others, their home becomes a light that points to God’s kingdom.
Home Education of Children
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 highlights the importance of parents teaching God’s truth diligently to their children during everyday activities within the normal rhythms of home life. Biblical homemaking thus recognizes parents as primarily responsible for their children’s education and worldview formation.
Many Christian families discern that home education enables them to better fulfill this duty. Home schooling allows godly mothers to teach and train children according to biblical values without competing worldview influences.
Home Management & Household Skills
Caring for a household well requires much effort and skill. The woman described in Proverbs 31:10-31 excels at home management, carefully ordering the affairs of her household.
Aspects of effective home management from a biblical perspective include:
- Planning and budgeting wisely
- Keeping the home clean and organized
- Cooking nutritious meals
- Wise shopping and resource allocation
- Overseeing household repairs and maintenance
- Balancing home life responsibilities for optimal functioning
A biblically-guided homemaker also seeks to build her competency in beneficial home arts and skills like cooking, sewing, gardening, decorating, music, arts and crafts, etc. These allow her to bless her family, be creative and find fulfilment in her important role.
Cultivating a Godly Atmosphere
A warm, nurturing, encouraging atmosphere centered around Christ’s love should permeate biblical homes. Parents set the tone through their words, attitudes, priorities, and treatment of others. A wife’s gentle, peaceful, sincere spirit especially helps create a wholesome environment for family members to thrive (1 Peter 3:1-4).
Practices like regular family worship, reading the Bible, celebrating godly traditions/holidays, singing hymns, displaying inspirational decor, etc. can remind all of Christ and nurture spiritual growth.
Modeling Godly Womanhood
In training her daughters and mentoring younger women, a biblical homemaker seeks to model what it means to live as a godly, Titus 2 woman. She teaches them sound doctrine and biblical womanhood as she exhibits the fruit of the Spirit and lives according to God’s Word.
By her example, daughters and younger women see how fulfilling serving the Lord within one’s calling as a wife, mother, and homemaker can be when carried out with excellence and joy according to His principles.
A High Calling, Not a Secondary Role
Though differing from her husband’s role, the homemaker’s role carries great dignity, meaning, and worth. It is in no way secondary or insignificant but is in fact integral to God’s design for the family and Christian living.
Indeed Scripture commends the excellent wife’s accomplishments and character (Prov. 31:28-29). Wise, diligent homemakers contribute enormously to their family’s wellbeing and to furthering God’s purposes in the world.
Partnership With Husband
Biblical homemaking is best lived out through a co-labor of husbands and wives partnering together. A husband should not leave all domestic responsibility to his wife, but rather seek ways to serve and assist her in reasonable home duties.
Likewise, the wife strives to lighten her husband’s load and further his work when possible. Though differing roles exist, mutual love, teamwork, and servanthood characterize their relationship and stewardship of the home.
Dependence on Divine Strength
Homemaking from a biblical perspective relies wholly on God’s power at work in human weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). Only through His grace and indwelling Spirit can sinful husbands and wives fulfill their respective roles and live out biblical principles within their homes.
A godly homemaker recognizes that apart from Christ she can do nothing (John 15:5). By prayer and careful study of God’s Word she continually seeks His face, wisdom, help, and strength for each task.
Grace for Shortcomings
In a fallen world, no home will perfectly reflect God’s ideals this side of eternity. Wives will struggle with submitting at times; husbands with gentle, selfless leadership. Foolish decisions will be made.
Biblical homemaking thus emphasizes the need for humility, forgiveness, and grace when members come up short. Husbands and wives must extend love that covers over flaws (1 Peter 4:8), just as Christ forgives their own failures.
Hope in Christ
At its core, biblical homemaking is fueled by vibrant hope. One day Christ will return to perfect all things. The ravages of sin, death, and brokenness will cease.
In the world to come, God will wipe away every tear and dwell with His people in a new creation where righteousness reigns (Rev. 21:1-4). As homesickness for Heaven takes root, eternal perspective infuses mundane tasks with joy and purpose.
Serving Christ as Lord of the Home
Biblical homemaking recognizes Christ’s Lordship over every aspect of the home. When He is head of the household, His grace will empower husbands and wives to serve Him by fulfilling their respective roles.
Love for Him stirs wives to submit to their husbands “as unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). It motivates husbands to reflect Christ’s sacrificial leadership. All find true purpose in bringing Him glory as they depend wholly on His strength.
Reflecting the Gospel
The way biblical marriage principles play out within a Christian home provides a vivid picture of the Gospel itself. The wife’s submission illustrates the church’s submission to Christ. The husband’s sacrificial leadership reflects Christ’s servant leadership of the church.
As each member models selfless, servant-hearted love, their home dynamically displays the Gospel. This brings great glory to God and reveals His redemptive purposes.
