1. Patriarchal or Egalitarian?
Order in the Home
Patriarchal or Egalitarian?
Are the differences between the sexes significant when it comes to the home? Is the home to be ruled by a patriarch, or should wives (and children) have an equal say in things? The Bible indicates that men, because they share God’s masculine nature, have the responsibility to lead and care for the home. The guiding principle for every member of a family is not equality, but unity based on God’s pattern.

2. Observations on the Nature of God and Man
God is masculine.
Father (Jeremiah 3:19; Malachi 1:6)
Husband (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:31-32)
Responsible Creator (Malachi 2:10)
Men & women share God’s moral and spiritual nature (Genesis 1:27-30)
However, being male means something different than being female (Genesis 2:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:8-9)

3. Observations on the Nature of God and Man
Implications of God’s masculine nature for man
Man is responsible for the welfare of others (Genesis 3:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:14-15; Romans 5:12; Corinthians 15:21-22)
Man is given the privilege and responsibility of emulating God’s Son in the home (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23-25; 6:4; Matthew 11:28-30)

4. The Patriarchal Home
Abraham is the perfect pattern of a patriarch – “the father and ruler of a family; one who governs by paternal right” (Hebrews 7:4; Genesis 12:5; 18:19)
Our homes are to be reflections of Abraham’s home (1 Peter 3:1-6)

5. Equality or Unity?
The Bible emphasizes the unity of the sexes, not the equality of the sexes (Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13-20)
God designed the home as a unit (Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6)

6. God’s Patriarchal Plan for the Home
God has only one ideal plan
God designed the home the way He wanted it, and His plan is the best.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1)