There is a widely held view that family life is disintegrating. In some areas of the country it is not uncommon to find more than 50% of a school class being brought up in single parent households. And with ever-increasing frequency we find children spending part of their week with one parent, and the rest with the other parent in a different household. Even within apparently stable families sexual unfaithfulness is regarded as almost inevitable. The leader of the Liberal Democrats recently publicly acknowledged over 30 such liaisons outside of marriage.
To live honestly as a Christian is hugely counter-cultural! And it was in Peter’s time too – hence the encouragement in this passage to both wives and husbands, and then to everyone, to live in harmony with genuine respect for one another.
This will be an interesting passage to deal with in our Home Groups when we get to it. ‘Wives, .. be submissive …. Husbands .. be considerate, … all of you, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.’ It has huge practical implication for our relationships and we will need openness and honesty as we talk about the issues raised!
What a difference it would make to our homes and family life if we lived like this in a consistent fashion. I suspect that stable, loving family relationships will be one of the outstanding features for Christian witness in the years ahead.