1. Hello, listening friends.
亲爱的朋友，你好，
2. It’s a delight for us to know that you have tuned into this broadcast.
很高兴你能收听我们的节目。
3. And if you are joining our broadcast for the first time,
如果今天是你第一次听这个节目，
4. we are in the midst of a series of messages from the First Epistle of Peter.
我们正在讲彼得前书里的系列信息。
5. Today we’re going to look at what Peter tells us about God’s design for marriage.
今天我们要看彼得所说的，神设立的婚姻制度。
6. Dealing with marital relationships is one of the most explosive subjects.
谈到婚姻关系，可以说是一个最具爆炸性的话题，
7. Uh- What are the characteristics of an ideal marriage?
请问，理想的婚姻具有那些特征？
8. In the world today, there are many conflicting voices regarding the ideal marriage.
现在谈到理想的婚姻，世界上有许多不同的，甚至是矛盾的看法，
9. That is one reason why so many marriages are in trouble.
这也是为什么许多婚姻出现了问题。
10. There are so many opposing views,
因为有太多互相矛盾的看法，
11. so many conflicting arguments,
许多的争议，
12. and all have produced broken marriages, broken homes, broken lives, and broken people.
造成了无数破碎的婚姻、破碎的家庭、受伤的生命和许多心碎的人。
13. There are many advisors, counselors, and so called experts.
虽然有许多婚姻顾问，辅导，和所谓的专家，
14. These experts often argue from experience as to what constitutes a happy marriage,
这些专家们常常根据自己的经验，争论什么是构成幸福婚姻的要素，
15. and that’s very dangerous.
其实是很危险的。
16. They are causing more harm than good,
这些论点往往成事不足，败事有余，
17. because God, our maker, gives us what He designed for an ideal marriage.
因为理想的婚姻，是我们的创造主设立，并赏赐给我们的。
18. God has a plan for a contented marriage.
神所设计的，是使人满足的婚姻。
19. Sometimes I visualize the problem of marriage today as a group of day laborers who want to build a skyscraper,
有的时候，我想到今天的婚姻问题，就像一群建造摩天大楼的工人，
20. and they try to build this skyscraper without the architectural blueprints.
他们要建造这么高大的楼房，却完全没有建筑蓝图。
21. Can you imagine what kind of building would that be?
你能不能想象，将来会造成什么样的建筑物呢？
22. It would be constantly falling apart.
一定很容易倒塌。
23. In the world today, people enter marriage without a good blueprint.
今天的世代，人们没有好的设计蓝图，就进入了婚姻关系。
24. Have you noticed how many people who have failed marriages become experts and give free advice on marriage?
你有没有注意到，许多婚姻失败的人，竟然以婚姻专家的身分出现，并给予免费的建议。
25. Would you like a medical student who failed his medical boards six times and then become a medical expert?
你会不会让一个在医学院里六次考试不及格的学生，来担任医学专家？
26. This kind of thing does not happen,
不会有这样的事的，
27. but somehow, these people have become so-called experts on marriage.
但偏偏这些人竟然可以被称为婚姻顾问专家。
28. I just read about an expert who was counseling a couple in his office,
最近我刚看见一篇文章，叙述一个专家在他的办公室里辅导一对夫妻，
29. after listening to them for awhile,
他聆听了一会儿这对夫妻的谈话，
30. he attempted to offer some hope to what seems to be an irreconcilable difference.
他们中间的歧见很深，无法妥协，专家尝试着提出一些希望。
31. He leaned forwarded and interjected,
他倾身向前对他们说，
32. “The problem that you seem to have here is that you are both overreacting to minor problems.
你们的问题是，两个人都太小题大作了。
33. I know how you feel about this.
我知道你们的感受，
34. I had the same problem with one of my wives.”
我跟我好几个太太之间也有同样的问题。
35. Let us turn to the blueprint of the Designer’s Guide.
让我们来看看，我们伟大的设计师的图样和指引，
36. Let us see what God said in His Word.
让我们来看神的话怎么说。
37. If you have your bible, please turn to First Peter, chapter three, verses one to eight,
如果你有圣经，请翻开彼得前书第三章1-8节，
38. and let us read it together.
让我们来读。
39. My listening friends, I have emphasized this many times in the past messages,
亲爱的朋友，过去我已经强调了好几次，
40. but it is very important,
但实在是很重要。
41. namely, that you must understand the scriptural passage in its context,
就是说，你必须理解经文的背景和上下文。
42. because someone looked at these eight verses, of First Peter three, and asked,
因为有些人读了彼得前书第三章这八节经文后，就会问，
43. “Why are there six verses in this passage directed to wives and only one verse to husbands?”
为什么用六节经文对妻子说，却只用一节经文对丈夫说话呢？
44. The truth is, there is an historical reason for that.
事实上，这里是有一些历史背景的。
45. My listening friends, please listen carefully,
亲爱的朋友，请留心。
46. in Roman society, where Peter was writing this letter by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
在古罗马社会里，当时彼得受圣灵的感动，就是在罗马写这封信的，
47. it was the accepted rule that a wife should always have the same religion as her husband.
那时候，妻子跟随丈夫的宗教信仰是司空见惯的，
48. So, when the Christian faith appeared in the Roman society,
因此当基督教的信仰出现在罗马社会时，
49. it was a common practice when a pagan husband becomes a Christian,
一个本来信异教的丈夫成为基督徒后，按照习惯，
50. that his wife and family automatically followed, and they became Christians.
妻子和家人也就会跟着成为了基督徒。
51. That was clear from the Cornelius conversion in the Book of Acts, chapter ten.
在使徒行传第十章里就有一个很清楚的例子，就是哥尼流信主的事件，
52. That was clear in the conversion of the Philippian jailer.
还有在腓立比的狱卒全家信主也是很清楚的例子。
53. That was the culture of the Roman society.
这是当时罗马社会的文化现象，
54. Whatever religion the husband embraced, the wife and the children followed.
做丈夫的信什么宗教，妻子儿女也就跟着信什么教。
55. But if the wife became a Christian, and the husband remained a pagan,
但如果妻子信了主成为基督徒，而丈夫仍然保留异教信仰，
56. that created a huge problem.
那就会产生问题了。
57. I cannot describe to you about the social dislocation that this has created in the pagan society.
我真不知该如何形容在一个异教的社会里，这种情况会造成多大的混乱。
58. The Roman man saw his wife’s change of religion as a challenge to his manhood.
一个罗马的男人，看自己的妻子改变了信仰，就等于是向男性权威的挑战。
59. He saw that as a challenge to his authority in the household.
他会认为，这是向他一家之主的权威挑战。
60. Generally speaking, a Roman wife could add one or two or three or four new gods to the list of gods that the family worshipped.
一般来说，罗马妻子可以在家里所信奉的神之外，再加上一个、两个、三个或四个菩萨，
61. And that was just fine with the pagan Roman husband,
那些罗马丈夫并不反对妻子这么做，
62. he had no problem with that whatsoever.
他认为这是毫无问题的。
63. Why?
为什么呢？
64. Because they believed that the more gods that they had, the better off they were.
因为他们相信，拜的神越多，对他们越吉利。
65. But what the unbelieving Roman husband could not understand, or could not accept was the exclusive nature of Christianity,
但不信耶稣的罗马丈夫却不明白，也不愿意接受，基督信仰的独一性。
66. he could say to his wife, “What do you mean you are abandoning all of the gods and sticking just to worshipping one god?
他可能会对妻子说，你要放弃其他所有的菩萨，单单敬拜一位神，这是什么意思啊？
67. What do you mean you are doing away with all the gods?
你为什么要放弃其他所有的神呢？
68. We need more gods, not less!”
菩萨越多越好啊，怎么越拜越少了呢？
69. The unbelieving Roman husband, like the unbelieving husband today,
罗马时代不信主的丈夫，就像今天不信主的丈夫一样，
70. he does not understand when his wife comes home and says, “Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
他根本不明白，当妻子回来对他说，耶稣说，我就是道路、真理、生命，
71. that no one comes to the Father except through me.”
若不借着我，没有人能到父那里去。
72. Therefore, because of the very specific problem that had arisen among believing wives who had unbelieving husbands,
所以，就为了这个发生在信主的妻子，和不信主的丈夫之间的具体理由，
73. Peter spends six verses trying to help them deal with this difficulty.
于是彼得用六节的经文，来帮助他们解决难题。
74. He dedicates more verses to minister to them, than he does for the believing husband.
他写下了比写给信主的丈夫更多的经文，来帮助这些妻子。
75. A believing husband, who automatically had a believing wife, had to do only one thing,
对于信主的丈夫们，他们的妻子会随着他成为基督徒的，只需要做一件事。
76. look at First Peter 3:7:
请看彼得前书三章7节，
77. “He is to be thoughtful,
要按情理和妻子同住。
78. caring,
关怀，
79. giving,
付出，
80. supportive,
支持，
81. nurturing,
供养，
82. sensitive,
体贴，
83. understanding,
了解，
84. and considerate.”
为她着想。
85. Oh, that’s not easy.
哦，很不简单！
86. But Peter says a Christian husband must have all of these qualities.
但彼得说，信主的丈夫必须有这些品格。
87. What Peter actually does here, is give more responsibility to the Christian husband in one verse, than he gives to the wife in six.
其实彼得在这里，比起他在前六节经文里对妻子所说的，给了基督徒的丈夫更大的责任。
88. So now you understand why there are more verses to Christian wives with unbelieving husbands than there are for husbands.
现在你明白了吧，为什么他写更多的经文，给这些丈夫还没有信主的基督徒妻子了。
89. What does the Word of God say to believing spouses who have unbelieving spouses in this passage of First Peter 3:1-8?
对于夫妻之间，一个信主一个不信主的情况，在彼得前书三章1-8节里，神的话到底怎么说？
90. In verses one and two he said,
第一、第二节说，
91. “You do not have to use words in your witnessing.”
你不一定需要用言语做见证。
92. In verses three to five he said,
第三到第五节说，
93. “Your inner beauty of character is your greatest asset.”
你内在的美德，是你最大的资产。
94. In verse six he said,
第六节说，
95. “Your submission to God will liberate you from all fears.”
你顺服神，就可以从各样的恐惧中释放出来。
96. Finally, for believing couples he says in verse seven,
最后第七节，他对信主的夫妇说，
97. “Learn to live in harmony together, for this is how your prayers will be answered.”
要学习和睦相处，你们的祷告必蒙垂听。
98. Let us look at all of these very quickly.
让我们很快的来看看这些重点。
99. First,
第一，
100. you don’t have to use words in your witnessing.
你不一定需要用言语做见证。
101. Look at First Peter 3:1,
请看彼得前书三章1节，
102. “Likewise, wives submit to your husbands so that if any of them is not a believer, would be won over without a word being said.”
你们作妻子的，要顺服自己的丈夫，这样若有不信从道理的丈夫，他们虽然不听道，也可以因妻子的品行被感化过来。
103. Do you want to know what Peter is saying here?
你想不想知道彼得所说的意思？
104. He knows that a new believer is always full of zeal and vim and vigor.
他知道刚信主的人，总是充满了热诚，有一股冲劲和活力。
105. A new believer is anxious for an unbelieving spouse to experience what she is experiencing.
一个新的信徒，总是很心急地希望，未信主的配偶能跟她有同样的经历。
106. But because they are new believers,
但就因为他们刚信主不久，
107. they do not understand that conversion is God’s job.
他们不了解，使生命改变是神的工作；
108. They do not understand that it will be done on God’s timing.
他们不了解，生命的改变有神的时间。
109. And they are tempted to be so persistent in their enthusiasm,
而且，他们忍不住地坚持自己的热心；
110. that they are tempted to nag their husbands.
他们忍不住地对丈夫絮絮叨叨。
111. So Peter is saying, “Don’t nag him,
于是彼得对他们说，不要对他唠叨，
112. that will turn him off,
这样，他们会起反感，
113. that will be counterproductive.”
会引起反作用的。
114. My listening friends, listen carefully to what Peter does not say,
亲爱的朋友，请留心彼得字里行间的意思。
115. he does not say ignore him,
他并不是说，不要理会他。
116. he does not say be cold and disapproving of him,
他并不是说，以冷漠待他，对他不以为然。
117. no he does not do that.
不，他没有这么说。
118. He does not say, “Never answer a question about the faith when he asks you.”
他也没有说，当他问起你的信仰时，不要回答他。
119. No.
不是的！
120. But rather, Peter tells wives to demonstrate the character of Christ.
彼得对这些基督徒妻子所要说的是，活出基督的样式！
121. And that is why this passage comes immediately after the passage that we looked at in the last message,
这也就是为什么，这段经文紧接在上次我们所讲的经文之后，
122. namely, the modeling of the example of Christ.
那就是要效法基督的榜样。
123. Do you remember what I said to you in the last message?
你还记得我讲过的信息吗？
124. No one can ever model the example of Christ, unless they have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
除非你和耶稣基督建立起关系，不然你不能效法基督。
125. Here he is saying, wives, now that you have a relationship with the Lord,
彼得在这里说，妻子们，现在你和基督建立了关系，
126. then model His example in your life.
就要在你的生命里效法祂。
127. He is saying, develop your Blessor’s characteristics.
他说，要在你生命里，培养你的赐福者的美德。
128. Peter does not speak to single people in this passage.
彼得并没有在这段经文里对单身人士说什么，
129. For those of you who are believers and are single,
如果你是基督徒，又是未婚者，
130. I want to refer you to First Corinthians, chapter six, verse fourteen,
我建议你去看哥林多后书第六章14节。
131. where Paul tells you not to marry an unbeliever.
保罗说，不要跟不信主的人结婚。
132. Peter here is speaking to wives who became believers after they were married.
彼得这里所说的，是那些结婚以后才信主的妻子们。
133. And single people do not be tempted to say, “I will marry him or her and then convert him or her.”
未婚的朋友，千万别说，等我们结了婚以后，再来改变他，带他信主。
134. God might overrule, but you are tempting God when you live in disobedience to His clear injunction.
神可能会容许一些的例外，但当你明知是神的禁令，却违背时，你是在试探神。
135. And old Puritan many, many, many years ago wrote the following,
很多很多年以前，一位老清教徒写下这句话：
136. “If you marry a child of the devil, you can expect to have trouble with your father-in-law.”
如果你跟魔鬼的孩子结婚，你免不了跟你的岳父有纠纷。
137. You don’t have to use words to witness to your spouse.
你不一定需要用言语向你的配偶做见证。
138. Next time, we will look at your inner beauty of character and how it is your greatest asset.
下一次节目我们要谈，你内在的美德，就是你最大的资产。
