Living Together!

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# 45 2020 Dev. 1Peter 3:4. Living Together! Read verses 1-9. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

1Pe. 3:3-4. Peter mentioning a woman’s outward appearance, says: v.4 “Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Peter moves from good living to holy living in marital relationships. Peter continues his thought from the end of chap. 2, “but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls”: Wives, in the same way…”and “Husbands in the same way…”. Simply put, what Peter is asking wives and husbands to do is done out of submission to Christ.

What is Peter asking them to do? Wives, be such good wives that you may not only influence an unbelieving husband but that you may draw your husband closer to Jesus. Beauty is only skin deep, adornments are external, but lasting beauty “should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Sarah, Abrahams’ wife is given as the example, she was a woman of great beauty but was barren until God’s timing, like her “do what is right and do not give way to fear.”

“Husbands, in the same way,” out of submission to Christ, “be considerate and treat them (wives) with respect”, they are equal partners with you “as heirs of the gracious gift of life” in Christ. “Weaker” here only refers to physical strength. Why is all this important? “So that nothing’ hinders your prayers. The truth is that in our marital relationships, complete submission, complete respect, complete compassion, and complete grace mirrors Christ’s relationship with us, His people, as our “shepherd and overseer of (y)our souls.”

Vs. 8-9 connects to what goes before it and what comes after it, it is a footnote to our marital relationships and an introduction to our relationship with others both followers of Jesus and those who do not: “be like minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” In our lives together, “do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, repay evil with blessing.”  In that attitude, blessings are assured in our marital relationships and in all our relationships as an inheritance by God’s grace. We thank God!  

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