When a family watches their home being built from the foundation up their excitement grows as they anticipate a house that promises new possibilities and a better future. Likewise, God built the family, framing and finishing it as He saw fit. What does a godly home look like? It will likely be a family with a husband and wife and their children (Gen. 2:24, 3:20). It could be a husband and wife without children. Perhaps they would like to have children and cannot or are not able to have children yet. Possibly they have chosen to remain childless. In some circumstances families have been devastated by sins of the past and once they begin to pick up the pieces they realize they can no longer have a traditional family. A household might be multigenerational which could include unique challenges. There are families of one, the individual who may or may not wish to get married in the future. All of these scenarios can result in godly homes. A home with a homosexual couple, a polyamorous relationship, a live-in boyfriend or girlfriend, or a marriage not sanctioned by God exists outside of the authority of scripture and by definition cannot be godly (Matt. 19:4-9).
Because of these varying situations, we have to rely on principles from scripture to make specific applications to ourselves to build God-honoring homes. A godly home is a place where people are safe physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Matt. 7:12, Eph. 5:29, Col. 3:12, 1 Tim. 5:8, Eph. 5:28). A godly home is a place where God and God’s ways are taught (Deut. 6:4ff), and not just that but they are upheld as the standard for the home (Jas. 1:22-24; Amos 3:3). A godly home is a place where the husband loves his wife, the wife respects her husband, and the children are taught to obey their parents (Eph. 5:25, 33; Eph. 6:1-2). A godly home is a place where the wife submits to the will of her husband and the husband willingly takes on the responsibility of the spiritual direction of the home, making it safe for her to do so (Eph. 5:22-24). A godly home is a beautiful place, not only because God’s rule is observed, but because that observance has flourished into the fruit of righteousness (Jas. 3:18). A godly home is a place where sin can be repented of, mercy and forgiveness will be offered, and reconciliation enjoyed. A godly home is a hospitable home (Heb. 13:2). A godly home prioritizes the church and God’s righteousness (Matt. 6:33). The home is designed to make musicians, athletes, and scholars, but Christians—though musicians, athletes, or scholars they may be. A godly home is a place where God is worshipped, served, and the object of our devotion.
-Ross Haffner