Wednesday, September 13, 2017, 4:54 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer.”
Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 3 (Select vv. ESV).
Pure Conduct
(vv. 1-6)
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so
that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct
of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your
adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry,
or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the
heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's
sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to
adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham,
calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear
anything that is frightening.
I am a woman, and I have been
married to my husband for 45 years now, so these words speak to my heart. We
wives are to be subject to our husbands. We are to yield to their authority, be
secondary to them in rule and authority in the household, and we are to be their
assistants (partners, helpers). We are not to be head over them. Yet, we are
not to subject ourselves to or to be partners with what is sinful, i.e. we are
to obey God above all else and to respectfully decline any invitations to sin
against God. We should never let our husbands lead us into sin, in other words,
and then use “submission to spouse” as an excuse to willfully sin against God.
Our behavior should always be
pure and respectful, both to God and to our husbands. We should set an example
before our husbands, and before all people, of what it means to live pure and
holy lives, pleasing to God. Yet, does this mean that we are never to say
anything to our husbands about their conduct? I believe the implication is that
the husband, in this case, is not a believer in Jesus Christ, and it is also in
the context of the woman being in subjection to her husband, and not lording it
over her husband. It also appears that the husband did hear the Word (the
gospel) preached, but that he rejected it, so the wife should not try to pound
the gospel into her husband through words, but rather to live the gospel before
him, which would have a greater effect on him than her preaching it to him.
But, this is not to say that
wives must live in absolute silence with their husbands, or that a wife cannot
lovingly approach her husband with concerns over inappropriate conduct, or that
if her husband is a believer, but he is going astray, that she cannot lovingly
speak to him in hopes that he might be deterred from error. There are many
passages of scripture, with regard to the body of Christ, that teach us to
speak the truth in love to one another so that we might be brought to maturity
in Christ, and which speak of what to do if a fellow believer is being led into
sin or is caught in a sin, and also regarding what it means to love someone
with the love of Christ. It is not loving to see a believer being led into sin
and to say nothing. Also, if the wife is the helper, there are times when she
does need to speak out.
As far as our outward
adornment (beautification) is concerned, it should not be what is gaudy (loud,
flashy, tasteless) or sensual. It should not be what attracts people to our
bodies, especially, but it should be simple, discerning and modest. We
especially do not want to adorn ourselves outwardly in such a way that we might
knowingly lead men to lust after us, so we should always dress ourselves in
such a way that is appropriate for women who profess Christ as Savior and who
want to live holy and godly lives. For, what we want to show to others is the
righteousness of God in our hearts, which comes not merely through our words,
but through our reverent, submissive and humble attitudes and behaviors.
Honor the Woman
(v. 7)
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an
understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they
are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be
hindered.
Even though these
instructions to husbands are few in words, they “pack a punch,” i.e. these few
words are capable of having a powerful effect on the lives of the husbands who
take these few words to heart.
Husbands are to live with
their wives in an understanding way, via applied knowledge. So, what specific
knowledge or understanding is implied here? I believe the “likewise” in both
the instructions to the wives and to the husbands refers back to the words
spoken at the end of chapter 2, which speak of suffering unjustly, responding
in love, and following Christ’s example of humility and holy conduct,
especially in the face of unjust suffering. We read there that Jesus “himself
bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24). Husbands and wives, who profess faith in Jesus
Christ, should live as Christ lived, following his example, and should die to
sin and live to righteousness, and then we will live with each other as God
intended.
This brings to mind the
instructions to husbands in Ephesians 5:25-33 where it says, “Husbands, love
your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her… husbands
should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves
himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,
just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.” In this
way a husband is living with his wife in an understanding way, with applied
knowledge, by following the Biblical instructions on how he is to live with and
love his wife. And, this is a “tall order,” yet God can give them all that they
need to do and to live this.
Husbands are to honor their
wives. If they love them as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for
her, they will honor their wives. So, how should they honor them? First and
foremost, I believe, is by keeping their marriage vows to them, and by not
going after “other lovers,” whether through viewing pornography, or via romantic
or sexual relationships with other women or men, or by being “married” to their
jobs, hobbies, sports or whatever else may have their hearts, passions and
desires above God and above their spouses. Secondly, they honor their wives by
treating them with decency, dignity, respect, and value, and by showing regard
for their thoughts, beliefs and feelings, and by valuing their opinions or
input in decision-making. Bottom line – love them like Jesus loves them, and
you won’t go wrong. And, in this way, your prayers will also not be hindered.
Kindred Love
(vv. 8-12)
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy,
brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil
or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were
called, that you may obtain a blessing. For
“Whoever desires to love life
and see good
days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips
from speaking deceit;
let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek
peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears
are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do
evil.”
All of us, whether wives or
husbands or singles (unmarried) or children, if we are in Christ, through faith
in him, should have unity of mind, but with what mind? Whose mind? We should
have unity (harmony, agreement) with the mind of Christ, not with the mind of
humans. Too many humans are pushing unity, but it is not unity with God, with
his purposes, with his Word and with his will and his ways, but it is solidarity
with the thinking of humans and with humanistic philosophy, and it is a
blending in with the world. So, when we hear the word “unity,” even within the
church, we must be cautious and discerning with regard to what we are
essentially unifying with. Be aware! The beast wants unity, too, only with him.
Know the difference!
If we, as followers of
Christ, do have unity of the Spirit of God with one another, then we will also
have sympathy, kindred love, tender hearts and humble minds, especially in
regards to how we treat one another. We will not want to exact revenge on
others who we believe have harmed us in some way, but we will love them,
forgive them, and we will want to help them, if possible, to be right in their
relationships with the Lord. We will not slander others, or speak hateful words
against them, in order to cause them harm, but we will speak the truth in love
to them, in hopes that we might turn a sinner from his or her sinful ways. Yet,
seeking peace should never be at the cost of compromise of the truth, of the
gospel message, or of our testimonies and lifestyles, which are to be given
over to our Lord in submission to his will. Seek peace, but never compromise
with evil!
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s
treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of
compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the
fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy
love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like
Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy
fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment