21 Responsibilities All Christian Wives Have

Carrie Lowrance Crosswalk Contributor
Updated Apr 19, 2024

We live in a very “me” focused society, and it’s easy to get caught up in what we want and need. This can also happen in our relationships with our husbands from time to time. It’s easy to disconnect in our busy lives and not focus on each other. However, as Christian wives, we have certain responsibilities.

What Is a Christian Wife?

A biblical wife is someone who strives to live out her role in marriage according to what the Bible says. She seeks guidance in the teachings of the Bible and understands that being a Christian wife comes with responsibilities and privileges. She knows God’s unchanging Word defines her role.

1. Submit to our Husbands

When most people hear this, they think we can’t think for ourselves or have an opinion and that we must do everything our husbands tell us to. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We are called to submit to the authority and leadership of our husbands. This is to show respect, trust, and unity in our marriages.

What Submission Is Not

What Is Submission in Marriage?

2. Respect and Honor

We are to show our husbands respect and honor them. This means realizing their place as head of the household and also appreciating their efforts to provide for and protect us. This shows love, understanding, and mutual support in our union.

3. Love and Support

We should love and support our husbands emotionally, spiritually, and practically. We should be pillars of encouragement, wisdom, and instruction. By loving our husbands, we contribute to the growth and wellness of our marriages.

4. Care for the Household

Wives should care for and manage the household. This includes things like getting chores and tasks done, making sure the rest of the family members are okay, and creating a warm environment for our husbands to come home to.

5. Prayer and Spiritual Nurturing

We are to influence our husbands through our faith and how we behave. Things like living our faith and praying for our spouses are important.

6. Be a Companion to Your Husband

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Bernardbodo

Wives are supposed to be pleasant companions to their husbands, listening to them and offering a listening ear.

7. Be a Role Model for the Children

We are called to be excellent role models for our children and act as God wants us to. None of us are perfect, so we should know our weaknesses and try hard to correct them for the sake of our children.

8. Be a Dependable Helpmate

Wives are supposed to help their husbands and be dependable. This means showing up for him when he needs it.

9. Be a Mother

A Christian wife has the sacred duty of being a mother and attending to the children, making sure their needs are met.

10. Be Trustworthy and Reliable

We are to be trustworthy to our husbands and reliable in daily life. Not discussing our personal lives or issues with our friends and relatives is part of being trustworthy. This only causes trouble.

11. Supporting Our Husband’s Decisions

We should always discuss decisions with our husbands. Because they are called to be the head of the household, it does not mean they are the here-all and end-all. We should always research and discuss important decisions together. However, we are to support our husband’s decisions and trust the Lord to guide them further.

12. Meeting Emotional Needs

We are to provide a compassionate, safe environment for our husbands to open up to us emotionally. We should also understand what they are expressing. This is important, especially for men who have trouble opening up.

13. Being a Wife

We should be fantastic wives who are supportive of our husbands and complement them in every area.

14. Be Diligent and Resourceful

We are called to be diligent in running our homes by doing things like paying bills, taking the children where they need to go, and ensuring things get done. We are also called to be resourceful in running our households.

15. Teach and Be Teachable

We should be able to teach others and be teachable ourselves. This could be us teaching other people how to do something or about the Word of God. This could also mean us being taught how to do something and gleaning the Word of God from someone else’s experience.

16. Live the Word of God

Christian wives should live the Word of God. This means spending time with the Lord daily, treating others the way we want to be treated, and praying for ourselves and those around us.

17. Care for Home and Society

We are called to care for our families and those around us where we live. We aren’t supposed to discriminate but show love to everyone in our communities. Christian wives are supposed to help others understand Christ’s love and why he died on the cross for each of us. By being wise and loving others, we can only build a solid foundation for our homes and society.

18. Ensure a Peaceful Home

Wives are to provide a peaceful and inviting home for their families and those who enter their home. Does this mean there is never discord in our homes? Of course not, but we don’t show it to those who come in and out of our door.

19. Pray for Your Husband

We are to pray for our husbands boldly, going to God on their behalf. We are to ask him to help and guide our husbands and go boldly before him in requests for our husbands.

20. Pray for the Household

We are to pray for our households and everyone in it. We should pray not only for the members of our families but for God’s wisdom, help, guidance, and provision. Once again, we shall also go boldly to him in prayer on behalf of our family members and the people in the lives of our spouses and children. If we don’t go to war for them in prayer, who will?

21. Adorn Yourself with the Word of God

We shall tuck the Word of God in our hearts and always keep it in our minds to share with others and impact our broken world. We need to live God’s Word because the world is watching us, our spouses, and how our kids behave. A Christian wife shall raise godly children and pray for the Lord to guide them, give them wisdom, and protect them daily.

Many things are expected of us as Christian wives. Foremost, we should be companions and helpmates to our husbands. Everything else should come after that. None of us are perfect. We are human and are all works in progress. If there are some things on this list that you struggle with or are hard for you, it’s okay. The most important thing is to be there for your husband, then your kids, and make sure you spend time with the Lord every day. Ask him to guide you and help you grow into the Christian wife he desires you to be. Your marriage is a covenant between you, your husband, and God; with that, there is no way you can go wrong.