1 Peter 3:1-6 Godly Wives, Precious in God's Sight

Recap: Suffering Christ, living as exiles in various difficult circumstances.

Read 1 Peter 3:1–6: Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, [2] when they see your respectful and pure conduct. [3] Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—[4] but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. [5] For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, [6] as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

Prayer of Illumination

#1 God’s good design and calling for biblical marriage

#2 God’s good design and care when a believing Wife has an unbelieving husband

#1 God’s good design and calling for biblical marriage (v. 1).

v. 1 likewise, wives[JE1] , be subject to your own husbands …

This is the type of verse where on the phrase “Be subject” we could read a 300-page academic book twist it into a pretzel and say that it says the opposite of what it says.

Though it does turn out ὑποτάσσω translated as be subject, arrange yourself under the leadership of another…means just that.

I do not want to “nuance” the command away (while recognize there is nuance, wisdom, and sinful abuse of any good thing)…Let us lean into the principle. Because it takes place in the context of the entire bible. It is not a sudden and strange statement of Peter. We do not want to do away with the blessing of God’s good design for men, women, and Christian marriages.

Peter and Paul are unique in their extensive understanding of moral agency, the need to address women intelligently, as sisters in Christ, making decisions for themselves about how to live godly lives. SO the fact of 6 verses for wives here and 1 verse for Husbands is not an insult but rather Peter saying hey, I see you (cicero, plato, Aristotle 0 verses to wives, and its more complicated for the wives than the men here. So sorry men you get only 1 verse from Peter not 6 hope you don’t feel excluded.

Two points before we unpack the big picture:

First, notice Peter says to follow the leadership of, Your own husbands, Paul is not saying women should be subject to every man in society. Rather follow the leadership of your husband.

Second, this is Ideally a marriage of two believers, a wife following the leadership of her Christian Husband, but, Peter will unpack for us that very real fact that sometimes, your husband who may be an unbeliever - who is not very happy you are no longer following his gods or lack of religion but Jesus. And he gets embarrassed in front of his guy friends that his wife goes to church, and he gets upset…

But First What is God’s good design for biblical marriage. For husbands who do love the Lord. Paul expands on this scenario of a believing husband in Ephesians 5:22-33.

Ephesians 5:22–33 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. [23] For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. [24] Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Exact same command but with some added clarification for the better scenario…There is the reminder that the obedience is not absolute, it is to the Lord. The husband cannot command sin. The unbelieving husband certainly could not command sin just as we saw with any authority relationship in 1 Peter 2.

Verse 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26] that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27] 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. [28] In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. [29] For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, [30] because we are members of his body. [31] “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” [32] This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and