READING • 1 PETER 3
Serving God begins at home
Family life can be one of God’s great blessings. Whether we live with parents, are married, are bringing up children, or belong to a wider family household, the home is a place where love, patience, truth, responsibility and forgiveness can be learned and practised.
The family in God’s purpose
The Bible begins with God creating man and woman and establishing the first human family. Family circumstances differ greatly across the world, but the basic responsibilities of care, faithfulness and love remain important for disciples of the Lord Jesus.
The older version of this lesson described Adam as a poor father and said that he failed to teach Cain and Abel right from wrong. Genesis does not actually tell us enough to make that judgement. What Scripture does show very clearly is that parents have a serious responsibility to teach and guide their households.
“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment;”
Genesis 18:19 • King James Version
Abraham is therefore presented as a man whose faith was not intended to remain private. It was to influence his children and the whole household around him.
Husband and wife — “heirs together”
First Peter 3 speaks to both wives and husbands. Whatever responsibilities each carries, the apostle describes believing husband and wife as sharing the same hope of salvation:
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife... as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”
1 Peter 3:7 • King James Version
Christian family life therefore cannot be built on selfishness, contempt or domination. Husband and wife are fellow-heirs of God’s grace and should treat one another with honour, understanding and care.
Love, wisdom and example
The Bible repeatedly shows affection within families: Abraham loved Isaac, and Isaac loved Rebekah. But love is more than emotion. Children learn from what adults repeatedly do: how they speak, how they handle anger, how they treat other people, how they read Scripture, and whether their faith is visible in ordinary life.
Parents and children
Paul gives responsibilities to both generations. Children are called to honour and obey their parents “in the Lord”; parents are told to train their children without provoking them to anger:
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right... And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:1, 4 • King James Version
This is balanced teaching. The Bible does not present children as having no dignity or parents as having unlimited power. Authority is to be exercised under God, for the child’s good, and in a way consistent with the character of Christ.
A powerful lesson for children
What parents practise is often remembered more clearly than what they merely say. A home in which truth, kindness, prayer, responsibility and repentance are visible gives children a strong foundation for their own choices.
Leadership in the home
In 1 Timothy 3 Paul explains that a man considered for responsibility in the ecclesia should already show wise and orderly care in his own household. The home is therefore one of the places where Christian character becomes visible:
“One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)”
1 Timothy 3:4–5 • King James Version
“Rule” here should not be confused with harsh control. The surrounding qualifications require patience, sobriety, good behaviour and freedom from violence and quarrelsomeness. Christian leadership is responsible, steady and caring.
Family circumstances are not all the same
The older lesson linked social decline with divorce, single-parent families, drug use and AIDS. That is too sweeping and can unfairly stigmatise people whose circumstances may have arisen through bereavement, abandonment, abuse, illness or other situations outside their control.
The Bible’s call is not to despise families that do not match an ideal pattern. It is to practise faithfulness and care in the circumstances in which we find ourselves. A widowed parent, a single parent, grandparents raising children, or an extended family household can all make a home in which God is honoured.
The Christian aim
Where relationships can safely be strengthened, disciples should work for faithfulness, peace and reconciliation. Where a family is under strain, the response should be compassion, practical help and truthful counsel — not shame.
The danger of provoking children
Parents can discourage children by unreasonable demands, humiliation, inconsistency, favouritism, uncontrolled anger or refusing to listen. Paul’s command “provoke not your children to wrath” is therefore just as important as the command for children to obey.
Discipline means loving training
Hebrews 12 uses the language of discipline to describe God’s training of His children. The purpose is growth in righteousness, not the release of anger. The older version of this lesson moved too quickly from that passage to physical chastisement. Hebrews 12 does not command parents to strike their children.
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
Hebrews 12:11 • King James Version
Good discipline includes clear boundaries, consistent consequences, explanation, patient correction and encouragement. It must never become cruelty, intimidation, humiliation or injury. A parent who is angry should first regain self-control rather than use discipline as an outlet for frustration.
Correction and forgiveness belong together
No family gets everything right. Parents make mistakes; children make mistakes; husbands and wives fail one another. The Christian home needs repentance and forgiveness just as the ecclesia does.
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you... And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:31–32 • King James Version
An apology from a parent does not weaken authority. It teaches a child what repentance looks like. Likewise, children should learn to admit wrong, seek forgiveness and make amends.
Forgiveness is not permission for harm
Christian forgiveness does not require a person to remain in immediate danger or to pretend serious wrongdoing did not happen. Protecting a child or vulnerable family member from violence or abuse is consistent with loving responsibility.
The way we speak at home
Family members often see one another when tired, worried or under pressure. That makes the home a testing ground for Christian speech. Sarcasm, insults and repeated criticism can wound deeply; gentle truth and encouragement can strengthen.
“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
Proverbs 15:1 • King James Version
The Bible at the centre of family life
The original lesson rightly emphasises Bible reading as the starting point. Timothy had known the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and Paul reminded him that Scripture equips the servant of God for a life of good works:
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 3:15 • King James Version
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
2 Timothy 3:16 • King James Version
Family Bible reading should not become a cold duty. It can be a shared time of discovery in which children are encouraged to ask questions and adults admit when they need to look something up.
Reading together — practical ideas
PRACTICE
WHY IT HELPS
Keep it regular and manageable
A short, consistent reading is usually better than an occasional session that is too long.
Explain difficult words
Children cannot learn from words they do not understand.
Ask simple questions
Let everyone say what happened, what it teaches, and what it might change in daily life.
Allow honest questions
A child should be able to ask “why?” without being made to feel disloyal or foolish.
Connect reading with prayer
Thank God for His Word and ask for help to put it into practice.
A reference corrected
The older lesson attributes the words about inspired prophecy to “Peter’s first letter, chapter 1, verses 19–21”. The correct reference is 2 Peter 1:19–21. Verse 21 says:
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
2 Peter 1:21 • King James Version
Scripture was shared among believers
Paul expected his letters to be read beyond the first congregation that received them:
“And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans;”
Colossians 4:16 • King James Version
The same principle remains valuable in a family. God’s Word is not merely an individual possession; it is something to read, discuss, remember and practise together.
The family and the ecclesia
The habits learned at home affect fellowship in the ecclesia. Patience, listening, service, forgiveness and self-control do not suddenly appear when we enter a meeting. They are qualities we practise every day, beginning with the people closest to us.
“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:”
1 Peter 3:8 • King James Version
A family that learns to forgive, pray, read Scripture and serve together is also learning how to contribute to the wider family of brothers and sisters in Christ.
When family life is difficult
Some homes are peaceful; others carry grief, disagreement, disability, financial pressure, estrangement or serious failure. Christian teaching should never pretend that every problem has an easy answer. What it does give us is a direction: truth rather than deceit, patience rather than rage, service rather than selfishness, repentance rather than pride, and hope rather than despair.
Where we have caused hurt, we should acknowledge it and seek to repair it. Where another person is struggling, we should help rather than merely judge. Where there is danger or abuse, safety and appropriate help should be sought. Love seeks the real good of another person.
A home in Jesus’ service
A Christian family is not a family in which nobody ever fails. It is a family in which God’s Word is taken seriously, wrong is faced honestly, forgiveness is practised, love is made practical, and everyone is encouraged to grow toward the character of the Lord Jesus.
SUMMARY
1
Family life is a place of discipleship. Faith should shape ordinary relationships, not only formal worship.
2
Parents have a serious responsibility. They are to guide by teaching, example, consistent boundaries and loving care.
3
Authority must not become harshness. Scripture warns parents not to provoke children to wrath.
4
The Bible belongs at the centre of the home. Reading, discussion and prayer help every member to grow in understanding.
5
Repentance and forgiveness are essential. Parents and children alike need to admit wrong and learn to forgive.
6
The home prepares us for ecclesial life. Love, patience, service and self-control learned at home strengthen the whole brotherhood.
Chapters to read
Genesis 18:16–19 • 1 Peter 3 • 1 Timothy 3 • Ephesians 6:1–4 • 2 Timothy 3:14–17
LEARN BY HEART • EPHESIANS 6:4
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4 • King James Version
CHRISTADELPHIAN BIBLE MISSION • 5
CHRISTADELPHIAN BIBLE MISSION • 1