Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives…
Peter has instructed wives and now turns his attention to the husbands. He begins, “… in the same way….” In the same way as what?
To find the answer, we have to go back to Chapter 3, verse 1. Peter writes, “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands.” Wait a minute. In the same way as — what?
If we go back to Chapter 2, verse 21, we read: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”
Therefore, wives, in the same way as Christ, submit yourselves to your own husbands.
Therefore, husbands, in the same way as Christ, treat your wives with consideration and respect.
In the same way, Jesus submitted to his Father’s will, and the human authorities who killed him, we are to submit to the human authorities in our lives, even if we are related to them by marriage.
Marriage, as instituted by God, is an amazing transformation. Two people become one, even though they may not know it at first. (Genesis 2:24) For two individuals to become one, they each have to subordinate their selves to the union.
Giving up our “self” is not always painless. For many of us, the “self” keeps attempting to assert itself. It is almost as if we want the benefits of being married without the challenges. Yet, it is in the challenge of selflessness that miracles await. When we submit, that is when we subordinate our self to the union, certain blessings flow back to each person. There is a peace and contentment that comes from being in union with someone who is as vested in the relationship as you are.
When Christ suffered for us, he submitted or subordinated Himself to the relationship with us. Imagine that! Now he waits for us to do the same. We cannot be in a relationship with Jesus unless we subordinate ourselves to the relationship just as Jesus did. We cannot keep our independence and submit at the same time. It just isn’t possible.
Oh, we can pretend. We can say, “Yes, I believe in Jesus!” and then go merrily on our way without submitting to Jesus. We can act like Jesus isn’t in the room when we are talking with our friends or when the wrench slips, and we skin our knuckles. We can waltz through the week, only to fall in bed Saturday night thinking, “Oh crap, tomorrow is Sunday.” We can do all that and still claim to be a Christian. We can do a lot of things and still claim to be married, too.
The thing is that unless we submit, we are not really a part of the relationship. If we are not part of the relationship, how can we expect to experience the blessings of healing, peace, and joy that come with being in a relationship? We have to be willing to give up being who we thought we were. If we are part of the relationship, we become something new. But not without cost.
Application: Think about your relationship with Jesus. If you are married, think about that relationship, too. Consider how much of your self you have given up. Ask yourself, is there more you can give?
Food for Thought: What does being ”considerate” mean to you?
The word considerate is actually gnosis, which means knowledge or understanding. We are to live in a way that understands that they are physically weaker (1 Peter 3: 7b). Thus, I think being considerate here, primary means to be aware of their physical limitations compared to men and treat them accordingly with respect and honor. Of course, we can extend this consideration to all areas of life and seek to honor our wives and women in general by being respectful and understanding of their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Ultimately with the desire to help them be all that God meant for them to be – just as Christ does with His church (Ephesians 5: 25- 27).
Thanks Rich!
I like your take when you suggest that “we can extend this consideration to all areas of life.” That is absolutely true and something we each can take out of today’s passage.
Thank you Jeff for this one.
What does being ”considerate” mean to you?
Philippians 2:4, Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
I see consideration as proactive submission toward others.
My wife is the most considerate person I know and I can only try my best to get over the very high bar she sets. She will take the time and trouble to fix two different breakfasts, so I get what I like. I have to be alert to catch her BEFORE she gets started so we both eat what she prefers and her work load is lessoned. She is a great example of Christ to me.
Being considerate of others requires we take the time to know a person well enough to accurately demonstrate the love of Christ toward them, not in submission to the person but to demonstrate the value of their needs over our own.
Consideration for others also requires we remain alert and help meet the obvious immediate needs of people we do not know. Hold a door, open a door, help carry a burden, a person in line at a store is a dollar short, give it to them.
God has blessed each one beyond our imagination. We are eternal beings walking among the dead, reach out to them. We have the peace of God while chaos rules around us. Share our peace with them. We are not to be OF, but we remain IN this world to live in submission to God and be considerate toward others as an example of Gods desires for all mankind.
Ron,
Sometimes a word or phrase really hits me hard. Today you have provided that phrase. “We are eternal beings walking among the dead.” Wow. That is profound. That really puts our situation into a very different light. Thank you for sharing today!
Hey Brother,
Glad to hear, it just popped in my head and the visual in my mind seemed to really fit our every facet of our walk. We need to be considerate and reach out to them.
Keep up your great work.
I find myself visiting this sight multiple times throughout the day to read other responses. One comment from yesterday got me to start thinking a little differently because of John talking about the old testament to the new testament. How much consideration has changed from an eye for an eye to do onto others as you would like them to do onto yourself. How jesus has given us a new way to live full of love. And one last thing : I’m glad that when God has a plan for me he is considerate about my stupidity and hard headedness into his plan.
Tim,
Thanks for sharing! It is amazing that God has shown us his heart and his love. Jesus did give us a new way to live. It is an amazing way! And yes, as you point out, God is considerate of our weaknesses just as he wants us to be considerate of the weaknesses of others.
Well,..I praise God that I have been married for over thirty years,..where we both have had to be considerate of each other,..she has feelings as well as I,..she has a life to live as well as I,..we agree to disagree,..we find common ground and continue on,..the list goes on but we are considerate of each other,..
Being considerate to me means thinking of others before thyself,..
Yesterday I was rear ended by some guy,..I was at a complete stop when he slammed into the back on one the work trucks,..he did more damage to his little car than he did to the truck,..anyway when I got out of the truck,..the first thing I did was ask him if he was okay,..being considerate,..he was on his way to sell the car he hit me with,..this guy was just having a bad day everything that came out of his mouth was something wrong with his life,..I didn’t want to add to it anymore than he already has,..so I got his info and left,..maybe that wasn’t too considerate because I probably should have asked him if I could pray for him,..I did later when I didn’t have to ask him,..
John,
Being considerate sometimes means that we do just what you did. We do our best in the moment and then wonder, “Should I have …?” Just the fact that you didn’t jump out of the truck and yell at the poor guy was a blessing to him! Maybe when things calm down in his life he will remember that. Maybe it will make him wonder…
I thank God you were not hurt and there wasn’t too much damage to your truck. Blessings on you, John!
👍🏻