Providing for the Household

Here’s an excerpt from Providing for the Household, Drew DiNardo's contribution to the July issue of Tabletalk:

Ten out of ten Reformed Christians agree: “Heads of Christian households must provide for their families, particularly their spiritual needs.” So, telling you that parents (particularly fathers) are responsible for bringing up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4) is not controversial. Telling you that as the head of the household you need to have income to provide for your wife and kids is equally obvious.

What may not be as obvious is that meeting the material needs of your family is just as biblically important as discipline and instruction, and failing in this duty has serious spiritual ramifications. As the Apostle Paul states, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). Paul unequivocally states that not providing for the material needs of your family, if you are physically able, is tantamount to denying the faith and living like a pagan. This is a scathing indictment.

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