ORDER IN THE HOME
“…Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” — I Peter 3:6-7
Out of this rich chapter some will no doubt think it strange that we have chosen this for our “nugget.” But in an hour when marriages are failing at a precipitous rate, in the church as well as outside of it, the subject is one of considerable significance, and the rejection of biblical values and principles is as much a factor as any thing.
First to be noted is that God has established an order in society which was to be reflected in the family. You are no doubt conversant with the more familiar passage on this subject, where we read, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. The husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church [Eph. 5:22-23].” The principle could not be more clearly or emphatically stated. And, there are those who despise it. The cry for “equal rights for women” is loudly affirmed in the modern world, and defined in the popular mind as affording equality of authority as well as opportunity.
In the beginning God made the woman out of Adam and under his authority to be a “help meet for him.” That was the divine order and has never been rescinded. The New Testament notes in another passage affirming the subordination of women, “Adam was first formed, then Eve [I Tim. 2:13 (see v.8-15)].” When Eve overstepped her God given role, taking initiative over her husband, she opened the door to chaos. Violating God’s order will always have that consequence.
The issue is not one of value or equality; it is one of administrative order. Such an order is manifested even in the godhead. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost are equal in character and glory, but even a cursory study of God’s word will reveal that there is an administrative order there. The Father is over all, the Son is under His authority and the Holy Spirit is subject to them. The Father sent the Son into the world, for example, and the Father and the Son jointly sent the Holy Spirit. Administratively their roles are different, and were it not so the divine program would suffer paralysis.
However, returning to the matter of marriage, it is to be noted that the husband, who is to be head, is to exercise his authority for the well being of the wife, “giving honor unto the woman as unto the weaker vessel,” and to “love [their] wives even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it [Eph. 5:25].” Again, for emphasis, the Holy Spirit teaches us, “So men ought to love their wives as their own bodies… [Eph. 5:28].” The Christian husband is to be as considerate of his wife as he would naturally be of himself. The divine intention is not that women should be enslaved, but cherished, cared for and honored.
When a woman submits to her own husband “as unto the Lord,” and a man exercises leadership in love “as Christ loved the church,” a relationship is formed that is impregnable. The two have become one not only biologically, but in every way. Each is living for the other, and that is what God designed for marriage. When Adam was created he was under God’s authority, and God took responsibility for him. When he insisted on being independent, he ultimately lost everything. We cannot improve on God’s order.
This relationship does not make, nor imply, that the woman is inferior to her husband. It simply defines her role. Her equality is evident in the reference to husband and wife being “heirs together of the grace of life.” God has the same glorious destiny in store for the believing wife as for the Christian husband. From the spiritual perspective “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus [Gal. 3:28].” That will be wonderfully apparent “in the resurrection [where] they neither marry, not are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven [Mat. 22: 30].” Till then the believer is responsible to observe God’s assigned order.
The solemnity of all this is evident in the concluding phrase of our nugget: “that your prayers be not hindered.” Too easily glossed over, the inference here is that if we fail to submit to God’s authority in our marital relationship, we will undermine our relationship with Him and jeopardize our prayer life. For professing Christians who do not pray, that will hardly seem a serious matter, but for those who recognize something of the importance and potential of prayer, it is cause for alarm.
Much of the impotence in present day Christianity may be traced to indifference on this all important matter.
For order in the home,
"Pastor" Frasier
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