Slideshow image

Marriage is a beautiful thing. It is a serious commitment and one not to be taken lightly. At times we underestimate the institute of marriage and do not consider the work required to nurture and grow a healthy marriage. We are grateful and thankful to God for our union and the support that is available to us through His Word and through the Growing Faith Fellowship family. We are excited to share our views on 1 Peter 3: 1-7 utilizing the SOAP Devotional Method.

Scripture

1 Peter 3:1-7 In the same way, you wives, be [a]submissive to your own husbands [subordinate, not as inferior, but out of respect for the responsibilities entrusted to husbands and their accountability to God, and so partnering with them] so that even if some do not obey the word [of God], they may be won over [to Christ] without discussion by the godly lives of their wives, 2 when they see your modest and respectful behavior [together with your devotion and appreciation—love your husband, encourage him, and enjoy him as a blessing from God].

7 In the same way, you husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way [with great gentleness and tact, and with an intelligent regard for the marriage relationship], as with [c]someone physically weaker, since she is a woman. Show her honor and respect as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered or ineffective.

Observation

Throughout the reading and study of 1 Peter 3: 1-7, we see a picture [the framework] of how a husband and wife should treat one another. 1 Peter 2 sets the stage for this idea of submission and later puts things into prospective as it relates to husbands and wives and their roles. Google defines submission as the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person. If we are being honest with ourselves, submitting is not always easy to do, especially when it comes to marriage. We want to speak our piece and go against to grain to say the less, however, Peter is urging wives to submit to their husbands out of respect to God and the position He has given the husband. Peter doesn’t just stop there. He then urges husbands to be gentle and tactful with great understanding to their wives. You can look at this passage of scripture as a healthy recipe for how to live out a Godly marriage. Another passage of scripture that comes to mind as we observe the role of the husband and wife is Ephesians 5: 22 – 33.

Application

Scripture, being the Word of God, provides us with a roadmap for Godly living. It is our goal to apply these principles to our marriage daily. One thing that we did as we prepared for this study, was that we invited another married couple to partner with us. Through our conversation, God reviled and exposed how apart from Him we can do nothing. We all struggle with Godly living and applying scripture to our everyday life and interactions with our spouses. Romans 3:23 says we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We also agreed that in the same way God extends grace to us, we should extend that same grace to one another. We have developed what will now become a bi-monthly study with the same married couple. Community in Christ is a great thing. Helping to build one another up, encourage one

another, be transparent with one another while giving God all the glory for what we believe He can and will do in and through our marriage. Below are four elements for a healthy marriage that we have extracted from 1 Peter 3: 1-7.

1. Mutual Respect

2. Partnership (Communication; Listening to understand and to be understood)

3. Obedience to God (Commitment to God 1st, then one another)

4. Heirship (We are both children of God; co-heirs with Christ)

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, you said in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, that you are faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Father forgive us of our sins; knowingly and unknowingly, consciously and unconsciously. Forgive us of any thoughts that do not line up with your thoughts and any mental sin attitudes. Father, we thank you for the love you have for us. For dying on the cross for our sins. We are so grateful. We thank You that Your Word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. We give you praise for the plans you have in store for our marriage through your promises for those who love you. Help us daily to apply 1 Peter 3: 1-7 in our marriage. We understand that marriage is spiritual. Help us to be slow to listen and quick to hear. Help us to walk in obedience to your will and your way. Let us put on the fruits of the spirit daily Father. When the enemy shows up, let us come together in prayer and stand on your Word. Our prayer is that our marriage would exhibit Jesus Christ and that our marriage would be a testimony to others. We pray that God will be glorified through our marriage. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Enduring…Enjoyable…Example