To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. But this is not the only path of love open to those who are persecuted. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Peter was writing to women who had become Christians after marriage, but whose husbands were not yet believers. That is simply not true. It is used in the New Testament to refer to abstaining from sin (1 Tim. The Bible says abusive husbands are in sin. Rather than focusing upon her weakness, think about what it means that you are supposed to be stronger than her. Abuse is one of those circumstances. 1 Peter 3:7 - " Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. A disobedient little boy was told to sit in the corner. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Anything God "hates" we should take note of and therefore, hate and reject it as well. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the healthiest churches, we find a holy conspiracy between pastors who gladly care for the sheep, and sheep who do what they can so that the pastors might serve joyfully. Do not throw your pearls before pigs (Matt. But perhaps the most important thing to know is God knows we cant do this without him, so he provided all that we need. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. God chose to send a powerful message about this covenant and His love and forgiveness by having Hosea stay with an adulterous and abusive wife. Recognize that abusers often weaponize spiritual language to cover the abuse. If he gives in to keep the peace, he becomes passive and the wife is put in the role of the decision maker, out from under the covering of blessing and protection that God designed proper authority to be. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and him who covers his garment with wrong, says the Lord of hosts. 28 Bible verses about Abusive Husbands - Knowing Jesus