forever after have trouble with his father-in-law." That is exactly the case in marriages where a believer is united with a non-believer. SUBJECTION In verse one, Peter says, "Like wise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives." I have heard people define marriage as being a "50-50 proposition." Ac tually, it has to be far more than that! It must be 100 percent; each partner working together with the totality of their God-given person alities. Just as slaves and servants were in subjection to their masters, so wives are to look upon their hus bands as the ones who have the final responsibility of the house hold. "Peter," you may say, "ob viously had not heard of the wo men's liberation movement." I am sure there were also struggles then. But for any who may be involved in thinking God's order of things can be reversed, and that women can find contentment and satisfac tion in some other manner, will find that they have surely erred completely. I am not talking about superiority or inferiority. The Bible nowhere introduces this idea. The point is that of basic proper order which must be followed. Some of these women in Peter's day thought that since they had re ceived Jesus Christ as Saviour they should leave their mates. Their husbands had not entered into this joyous union with the Lord, be coming Christians. The words of Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 7:13 corroborate this teaching. Those in this category were to remember
fore, to give ideas and opinions, nor to delve into anything other than what the Bible teaches so very clearly. In the Word of God there is an entire section devoted to this fourth category where women are saved but their husbands are not. This is I Peter 3:1-7. Just to get the proper setting or background, the Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has already exhorted slaves and servants. Now he is turn ing to wives. The first six verses deal with wives. The seventh is to be applied to husbands. SELFISHNESS The situation that existed in Pet er's day was that rabbis had per mitted divorce on even the smallest pretexts. Supposedly, marriage could only be dissolved by the death of the partner. In the case of the Saviour's granting divorcement, it was due to unfaithfulness be cause of the hardness of the peo ple's hearts. Today, however, there are amazing things allowed as far as the reasons for divorce. Perhaps nothing is so basic as "selfishness" which is one of the main underly ing causes. We should start by pointing out that the women to whom Peter is writing in this third chapter were obviously saved after their mar riages had been consummated. Let us remember and certainly under score the fact that the Bible teaches a believer is never to marry a non believer. Such a union can only bring heartbreak and trouble. I still remember the words on this sub ject by that well-known Bible teacher, now home in the presence of the Lord, Dr. Harry Ironside. He frankly stated, "If a child of God marries a child of the devil, he will
Page 38
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker