1 Peter 3:7 (NIV), “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Apostle Peter took time in the first part of his conversation with couples in the church to address wives (married women)…. We notice here in the second part, which focuses on husbands (married men), the expression “in the same way” which naturally leads to the following question: What way?
We realize that this question should not be answered without first reading the whole sentence: Peter writes “in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives,”. It sounds like he is asking husbands to treat their wives the same way he exhorted the latter to treat their husbands.
In other words, Peter had just written to wives showing them how to be considerate as they live with their husbands even thought he didn’t use the verb “be considerate” in the process -we note that the main focus in the first part is on the concept of “the beauty of the inner self….”….
Moreover, in the above text Apostle Peter brings a twofold exhortation: (1) be considerate as you live with your wives and (2) treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. He also gives the rationale for his exhortation, that is, “so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” The rationale tells us that the way a husband treats his wife matters especially in terms of the spiritual implication(s).
We need to pose here in order to make some important observations:
1. Respect is due to the weaker partner – A kingdom perspective.
2. A believing wife is co-heir with her believing husband of the gracious gift of life -heir on the same ground as her husband.
3. The husband-wife relationship is a key to open heaven, as it were.
Most feminists deem the expression “the weaker partner” as demeaning to women. Yet, for apostle Peter the fact of a wife being the weaker partner commands respect -here we recall 1 Corinthians 12:22 (NIV) “On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,”….
A husband who believes that his wife is the weaker partner will treat her as such, that is, with genuine care. Such a husband speaks to his wife with gentleness and offers her to help around the house and with kids even if she doesn’t say she is tired. He will look after and protect her for the same reason, even if she can protect herself…. Isn’t true that no one in his right mind would drop an egg on a concrete floor? The expression walking on eggshells comes to mind….
It is important to understand that the expression “the weaker partner” is intended for the husband to refrain from comparing himself to his wife (50/50) and very likely a call to exercising leadership in the couple. It doesn’t challenge the popular feminist’s belief that “anything a man can do a woman can do better”. See, a married woman could be a black belt in karate or martial arts, a billionaire, or a company executive officer, but her status and physical stature cannot change the fact that God in his wisdom made her to be the weaker partner in marriage….
As if to make it clear that he did not mean the expression “the weaker partner” as demeaning, apostle Peter not only asks the husbands to treat their wives with respect but also as “heirs with you” or co-heirs. Here we recall Romans 8:17 (NIV), “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”…. Please note reference to “co-heirs” which is clearly not demeaning. It means that any believing husband who treats his wife as a second class believer is anything but godly (like God)….
Finally, to highlight the significance of his exhortation to believing husbands apostle Peter discloses the rationale thereof. He writes, “so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” Hence, we suggested that husband-wife relationship is a key to open heaven, as it were. Here we recall Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV), “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
In the same line we recall Isaiah Isaiah 59:1-2 (NIV), “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Here we refer to iniquities as constituting hindrance to prayers.
Significantly, apostle Peter exhorts believing husbands to be considerate as we live with our wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with us of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder our prayers.
There was a man who complained that his wife was a curse to his life. He said he was doing well as a single man and most of, if not all, his prayers were answered. However, since he got married nothing seems to be working for him, not even his prayers, he said. We wouldn’t be surprised if this man concluded that his wife was a witch, but was she? What would you say to such a believing husbands?
The last thing a believing husband can afford is allowing his wife to have something against him (Matthew 5:23-24) or fail to be considerate as he lives with her and treat her with respect as a weaker partner and heir with him of the gracious gift of life.
May God help all husbands in the church to be committed to allowing nothing to hinder our prayers!
