Are Women Required to Love Their Husbands?

Paul must have seen that the men in Ephesus were struggling to love their wives. Perhaps they were treating them more as servants than wives: we aren’t specifically told. On the other hand, Paul must have also seen that the Ephesian women were struggling to be respectful to their husbands - they may have been carrying out their wifely duties, but it wasn’t always in a respectful manner. So Paul encouraged each of them in the areas where they were weak: men needed to learn to love their wives and women needed to learn to respect their husbands. (Eph 5:22-25)

Some people have taken these scriptures to mean that women aren’t necessarily supposed to love their husbands, but it’s required that they show respect. However, this is not in alignment with scripture. A close look at Titus 2 reveals a command for older women to teach younger women to love their husbands – which Paul calls ‘sound doctrine.’ This love is a fondness and affection for one’s spouse, according to Strong’s Concordance.

While we may not always understand how to love in the way God loves, we can learn it! We can watch those who have progressed in the love walk, and listen to those who open the word and teach us how to love, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in loving our spouses well!

“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine…that older women likewise… be reverent in behavior…teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands [with fondness and affection] and to love their children [with maternal care and tenderness]…” (Titus 2:1-4 AMP with added definitions).