The Christian Home
(Today's focus is on wives. Next will be on"Christian Husbands.")
…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; (1Peter 3:1) (Photo from Microsoft Clip Art).
THIS IS THE NEXT VERSE IN OUR SERIES in 1 Peter. In a day when the institution of marriage is despised by masses of people who do not want the entanglement and limitations of legal marriage, and when the legal institution of marriage has a failure rate of 50%, shacking up ‘till the candle burns out seems to be a logical choice.
We have become a throw-away society. But there is an awesome price to pay. In marriage and the home, order is much preferred over chaos. It takes three to have a good marriage: God, a husband, and a wife. There is no substitute for a blueprint when building a bridge, a house, and a home.
FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS HAVE TAUGHT US ABOUT THROW AWAY DISHES. So, when a marriage is used up, just toss it. Never mind the effect on the children and everybody else in the family and social circle. And this has led to the justification for live-in relationships with the special-other of some description.
THE NEXT BUS STOP IS THE IDEA THAT THE BIBLE COMMANDS and concepts from God were intended as a temporary stop-gap until we can improve on God’s “inadequate blueprint.” Truth is, God thought of everything before we could think enough to invent the sling shot. Not only did God design our bodies, He also designed the way our human relationships will work best. The following verses are what God thinks about our modern folly.
The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? (Psalm 12:3-4)
AT THE ROOT OF HOME BUILDING is to decide if we are going to go by the word of God or do our own thing. Our culture has gone mad and our economy and our chosen standard of living has forced women out of the home into the public work place. Still, that is not enough to erase the Biblical blueprint of marriage. Peter began with instructions to the wife in our text for today. Paul had this to say about the wife and husband.
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1Corinthians 11:3)
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1Corinthians 11:3)
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, (Titus 2:4)
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:5)
WHEN I BOARD A COMMERCIAL FLIGHT, it never crosses my mind to question the design of the airplane. I just hope the plane was made by the blueprints and that it is being faithfully maintained…and I really hope the pilot is sober. God knows a lot about designing things. He knows a lot about designing families. But, what to do when the marriage relationship breaks apart; what then? The Bible covers that but there is not room here to examine it. We will come back to it soon in another issue.
CONDUCT IN THE HOME. I like the wisdom of McGee below. I’ve selected from his lengthy writing. “Now for the sake of order in any situation, there must be headship. In marriage, that headship has been given to the husband. When the wife is told to submit, however, it is not like the obedience of a child. Many men when they marry think of their wife as being a sort of first child and that she is to obey them like a child is to obey. That is not true at all. As we have suggested before, submission has to do with that which is voluntary.
Paul is saying to the wife, "Submit yourself. This man loves you, and you are to submit to him." The better word, because it means more, is respond. Respond to this man. If he comes to you as your Christian husband and puts his arms around you and says, "I love you more than anything else," then certainly you should respond, "I love you." Marriage is made on three different planes.
THE FIRST IS THE PHYSICAL PLANE, and that is important. It is the thing which the world talks about a great deal, the sexual relationship. It is a wonderful thing to have a wife whom you can put your arms around and love. Between two believers, sex can become the most precious, most beautiful, most wonderful thing there is in this world.
It is my conviction that believers are the only ones who can really enjoy the physical relationship to the fullest. There is no question that the physical relationship is a wonderful thing.
“THE SECOND PLANE IN A MARRIAGE IS THE MENTAL or psychological relationship, which is also very important. It is nice when the husband and wife enjoy doing the same things. On one of our tours to Bible lands, there was a very wonderful couple who were in their fifties. They would get up early in the morning and take a hike, and again at night they would walk together. They would visit certain places which were not included in the tour. They enjoyed doing things together, and it is wonderful to have that kind of relationship.
“THE THIRD PLANE IN A MARRIAGE IS THE SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP, and this applies to a marriage between two believers. When problems and trouble and sorrow and suffering come, a husband and wife should be able to kneel down, come to God in prayer, and meet around the Word of God together. You can break the other two ties, but "… a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
When you have all three, you have a wonderful marriage. The first two cords can break, but if the third one will hold, the marriage will hold. However, when the third one is broken with the others, the marriage has gone down the tube, my friend. I have to admit it; there is very little hope for a marriage like that.
“We have been discussing marriage between two believers. Suppose, however, that the wife is married to a man who is not a Christian. To begin with, she should not have married him, if that was the situation before they married. Any man or woman who marries a non-Christian is in trouble. Scripture forbids marriage between a believer and an unbeliever. In Deuteronomy we read, "Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together" (Deuteronomy 22:10).
There are a lot of them yoked together today, and it is a big mistake. “A Christian wife must live very carefully before an unsaved husband. Her preaching is not going to do a bit of good. "That, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the behavior of the wives." In other words, she is to preach a wordless sermon by her pure life which she lives before him (McGee). Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
FEBRUARY 8, 2018 – THURSDAY
A.M. Leviticus 4-6 P.M. Matthew 25:1-30
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
A Good Verse to Memorize:
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1Corinthians 10:31)
Song for Today:
Till the Storm Passes By (2:52)
( Evangelist Lester Roloff) Brother Roloff preached and sang many times at the Highland Park Baptist Church, in the larger auditorium next to the Phillips Chapel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIKEVnawwv4&list=PL6PTvT6piPiiYd1xv4aCRRrvWMLAWOufL
You may have to adjust the volume or delete an ad.
(Today's focus is on wives. Next will be on"Christian Husbands.")
…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; (1Peter 3:1) (Photo from Microsoft Clip Art).
THIS IS THE NEXT VERSE IN OUR SERIES in 1 Peter. In a day when the institution of marriage is despised by masses of people who do not want the entanglement and limitations of legal marriage, and when the legal institution of marriage has a failure rate of 50%, shacking up ‘till the candle burns out seems to be a logical choice.
We have become a throw-away society. But there is an awesome price to pay. In marriage and the home, order is much preferred over chaos. It takes three to have a good marriage: God, a husband, and a wife. There is no substitute for a blueprint when building a bridge, a house, and a home.
FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS HAVE TAUGHT US ABOUT THROW AWAY DISHES. So, when a marriage is used up, just toss it. Never mind the effect on the children and everybody else in the family and social circle. And this has led to the justification for live-in relationships with the special-other of some description.
THE NEXT BUS STOP IS THE IDEA THAT THE BIBLE COMMANDS and concepts from God were intended as a temporary stop-gap until we can improve on God’s “inadequate blueprint.” Truth is, God thought of everything before we could think enough to invent the sling shot. Not only did God design our bodies, He also designed the way our human relationships will work best. The following verses are what God thinks about our modern folly.
The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? (Psalm 12:3-4)
AT THE ROOT OF HOME BUILDING is to decide if we are going to go by the word of God or do our own thing. Our culture has gone mad and our economy and our chosen standard of living has forced women out of the home into the public work place. Still, that is not enough to erase the Biblical blueprint of marriage. Peter began with instructions to the wife in our text for today. Paul had this to say about the wife and husband.
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1Corinthians 11:3)
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1Corinthians 11:3)
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, (Titus 2:4)
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:5)
WHEN I BOARD A COMMERCIAL FLIGHT, it never crosses my mind to question the design of the airplane. I just hope the plane was made by the blueprints and that it is being faithfully maintained…and I really hope the pilot is sober. God knows a lot about designing things. He knows a lot about designing families. But, what to do when the marriage relationship breaks apart; what then? The Bible covers that but there is not room here to examine it. We will come back to it soon in another issue.
CONDUCT IN THE HOME. I like the wisdom of McGee below. I’ve selected from his lengthy writing. “Now for the sake of order in any situation, there must be headship. In marriage, that headship has been given to the husband. When the wife is told to submit, however, it is not like the obedience of a child. Many men when they marry think of their wife as being a sort of first child and that she is to obey them like a child is to obey. That is not true at all. As we have suggested before, submission has to do with that which is voluntary.
Paul is saying to the wife, "Submit yourself. This man loves you, and you are to submit to him." The better word, because it means more, is respond. Respond to this man. If he comes to you as your Christian husband and puts his arms around you and says, "I love you more than anything else," then certainly you should respond, "I love you." Marriage is made on three different planes.
THE FIRST IS THE PHYSICAL PLANE, and that is important. It is the thing which the world talks about a great deal, the sexual relationship. It is a wonderful thing to have a wife whom you can put your arms around and love. Between two believers, sex can become the most precious, most beautiful, most wonderful thing there is in this world.
It is my conviction that believers are the only ones who can really enjoy the physical relationship to the fullest. There is no question that the physical relationship is a wonderful thing.
“THE SECOND PLANE IN A MARRIAGE IS THE MENTAL or psychological relationship, which is also very important. It is nice when the husband and wife enjoy doing the same things. On one of our tours to Bible lands, there was a very wonderful couple who were in their fifties. They would get up early in the morning and take a hike, and again at night they would walk together. They would visit certain places which were not included in the tour. They enjoyed doing things together, and it is wonderful to have that kind of relationship.
“THE THIRD PLANE IN A MARRIAGE IS THE SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP, and this applies to a marriage between two believers. When problems and trouble and sorrow and suffering come, a husband and wife should be able to kneel down, come to God in prayer, and meet around the Word of God together. You can break the other two ties, but "… a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
When you have all three, you have a wonderful marriage. The first two cords can break, but if the third one will hold, the marriage will hold. However, when the third one is broken with the others, the marriage has gone down the tube, my friend. I have to admit it; there is very little hope for a marriage like that.
“We have been discussing marriage between two believers. Suppose, however, that the wife is married to a man who is not a Christian. To begin with, she should not have married him, if that was the situation before they married. Any man or woman who marries a non-Christian is in trouble. Scripture forbids marriage between a believer and an unbeliever. In Deuteronomy we read, "Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together" (Deuteronomy 22:10).
There are a lot of them yoked together today, and it is a big mistake. “A Christian wife must live very carefully before an unsaved husband. Her preaching is not going to do a bit of good. "That, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the behavior of the wives." In other words, she is to preach a wordless sermon by her pure life which she lives before him (McGee). Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
FEBRUARY 8, 2018 – THURSDAY
A.M. Leviticus 4-6 P.M. Matthew 25:1-30
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
A Good Verse to Memorize:
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1Corinthians 10:31)
Song for Today:
Till the Storm Passes By (2:52)
( Evangelist Lester Roloff) Brother Roloff preached and sang many times at the Highland Park Baptist Church, in the larger auditorium next to the Phillips Chapel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIKEVnawwv4&list=PL6PTvT6piPiiYd1xv4aCRRrvWMLAWOufL
You may have to adjust the volume or delete an ad.
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