The purity and reverence of your lives

“when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” (1 Peter 3:2)

 

Relation between husband and wife is neither of the master and servant nor a general companionship. It is a cooperative relationship that is divided into two from the one and given shared role along with each personal identity. If the couple’s faiths are different one another, personality, life interchange, and order cannot be achieved normally. If one side does not believe in Jesus the Savior, another must try to show exemplary living of faith for spouse’s conversion. This is not the sense of duty limited only to one side either the wife or the husband. The term ‘purity and reverence of your lives’ in the text contains two kinds, purity and reverence. Within the right faith in Christ, those two elements are contained together of course.

 

In human history of the past, couple’s relation had been also perceived sometimes as if a relationship of master and servant. Even at such case, there would have been no problem if it were fulfilled person’s personality respect and order. In the Old Testament of the ancient period too, Sarah named Abraham as her ‘lord’. That was the same name as the servants call their masters. Though it is due to the wrong historical situation of custom in the period of Old Testament or the Middle East, that would have to be reinterpreted in the right sense of the Bible itself. The word ‘lord’ should be regarded not as a discriminatory meaning on personality, but as a word with the meaning of respect and order. Even if a wife obeys her husband, will she follow him blindly like a servant without a sense of judgment? In addition, not only the wife should follow her husband’s words, but there are also many cases where the husband should listen to his wife and follow her.

In principle, husband and wife must live in the same faith. In the Old Testament, God strictly commanded that the people of Israel should not marry Gentiles. The reason was that there was a worry that the faith life of Israelite might be corrupted because of Gentiles. Nevertheless, exchanges and marriages between the Israelite and Gentiles hadn’t completely disappeared. Faith of today’s church members are polluted a quite that some of them don’t try almost to call such the problem into question. Of course, there are Christians who don’t, but if only other conditions are good, there are quite many who don’t care greatly about whether or not of the faith. This is evidence of the fact that their faith life is not as thorough as it is. Additional means for solution such the unbalanced situation of faith between couple is for a believer to show appearances of purity and reverence to a disbeliever.

In these days, either men or women often make up the faces to attract others’ attention. In the past, usually women used to put on makeup on their faces, but now men often do that way too. Even certain men make up faces and appearances like women and deceive other men. Indeed, the situation of this world seems to be just before the last judgment coming. The 1 Peter 3:3~4 says this, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” That is what the Lord regard valuable, and the Bible words ask us for an inner beauty of personality.

This teaching applies not only to wives but also to husbands. It cannot be absolutely acceptable for a husband to use force or behave violently to his wife. We have to know men are bigger and stronger than women in order to protect and help women. Therefore, husbands should live with their wives being considerate in the same way, and value them. Jehovah’s awe, the wisdom and faith in Christ are the foundations of all knowledge. The ‘purity and reverence’ (τὴν ἐν φόβῳ ἁγνὴν ἀναστροφὴν which means a good conduct in the awe) begins with the awe of Jehovah, and the belief in Christ. For Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου” and faith in Christ is to wear clean white clothing of salvation.(Revelation 3:5 “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white.” ὁ νικῶν οὕτως περιβαλεῖται ἐν ἱματίοις λευκοῖς)

 

The ultimate reason to behave following knowledge is to ensure that praying toward God is not blocked. We cannot pray right without awe of God and having a clean act accordingly. Is it reasonable to pray to God while denying the existence of God? Can it be effective prayer to mutter to oneself without wearing the clean clothes of faith by Christ? God receives the prayer through the blood of Christ, and He will give grace.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Apr 24th 2022)