1 Peter 3:1-6
Women of Hope

1. Wives, submit even to unbelieving husbands
   1. Wives, submit to husbands
      1. Peter moves up the next rung on the social ladder, from slaves to wives.
         1. Yet he uses the same word he uses to speak of a slave's duty to his master: submit
         2. And he says "likewise", indicating they should submit in the same manner
            1. Shouldn't make too much of this. The word means "render the proper respect to."
            2. Peter is not implying that the wives were treated like slaves (as will become apparent from what he exhorts them to.)
      2. He begins with this command generically to all wives.
      3. Prior to this, he has addressed men and women in the congregation without distinction.
         1. They are all chosen by God, a royal priesthood, a holy nation
         2. They are all heirs of the grace of eternal life (as he will remind the husbands in v. 7)
      4. And perhaps they'd heard that Jesus said in heaven they neither marry nor are given in marriage (Mk 12.24)
      5. Or that Paul had said in Christ there is neither male nor female (Gal 3.28)
      6. So they might conclude that submission was a thing of the past
         1. just as citizens of heaven might have concluded they had no obligation to earthly gov't
         2. and slaves of God might have concluded they had no obligation to earthly masters
      7. In each case, Peter instructs submission despite the new identity
      8. So here, the wives ought to strive to be their husband's suitable helper
      9. The wife ought to follow her husband's commands and discern his wishes.
      10. She ought to care for his reputation, seek his health and well-being.
      11. She cares for the needs of the household and is not lazy so her husband does not need to concern himself with domestic affairs but may pursue his business.
      12. Thought Experiment: Imagine being in Peter's world
          1. Secular society doesn't recoil in horror at what I just said, but sounds a hearty "Amen!"
          2. The women themselves acknowledge that this is their proper station in society.
          3. So this part is the "easy sell."

      TRANSITION: But what if the woman's husband is unbelieving? Should she worship her husbands gods as Roman society demanded? Clearly not. So should she divorce her husband as the Jewish men in Ezra put away their foreign wives? No, Peter says; submit even to them.

   2. Even if they don't obey the word
      1. (The "even if" btw, makes it clear that wives of believers are in view in the blanket command)
      2. Same problem as citizens (2:13ff) and slaves (2.18ff); and answer is the same: submit anyway, but as one who fears God.
      3. They don't obey the word, i.e. they don't believe the gospel
      4. She has heard the word of the gospel and the Lord has opened her heart to believe it.
      5. She has embraced Jesus Christ and become part of a new family of brothers and sisters in him.
      6. She cannot go back and worship his gods again, nor does Peter ask her to. The claims of Christ are paramount.
      7. But then what does she have to do with such a one? What fellowship does she have?
      8. Shall she try to win him for Christ? But he has already rejected the word.
      9. Shall she speak to him of her Savior? She is insubordinate enough to dare to serve him. Hadn't the Roman gov't banned the Cult of Isis for exactly that reason?—it drew the women away from their husbands into a different religion. To speak of Jesus will only anger him.
         1. Shall she disobey and risk his wrath, mentioning the name he forbade?
         2. Or shall she submit and not bear testimony of her Lord? Wouldn't that make her like that disciple — what was his name? The one that denied Jesus. Ah, yes, Peter, who writes this letter.
   3. That they may be won without a word
      1. Forcing the gospel on him through argumentation will not work, but the life of the believer will.
      2. He will observe the purity of her conduct and marvel. This religion she insubordinately pursues does not make her insubordinate. She is attentive to his needs, quick to heed his commands, doing everything she can to serve him.
      3. He observes that she does this "in fear," i.e. in reverence to God.
         1. She has no reverence for the Roman deities that approve such virtues. She despises and rejects them and pays them no heed.
         2. The very God he rejects produces in her better virtues than the best of Roman religion can afford.
         3. To ask her to give up reverence to this god and worship his is — to say the least — to risk losing the very things that make her such a good wife.
         4. May he not at least tolerate her religious aberrations when they afford such service?
         5. But more than that. Must he not acknowledge that the God of the Christians has done what his gods could not—produce a reverence that abounds in good works?
      4. The wife's simple domestic duties become weighted with an eternal significance.
         1. Her actions daily preach the gospel to her husband
         2. Without a word from her his respect is won... and then his heart. He falls on his knees and cries out to know her God and to find her Savior.
         3. He is won without a word
      5. Just as with slaves, we argued from greater to lesser
         1. If they may endure that may we not endure the lighter burdens God brings to us.
         2. May you wives of Christian husbands not submit with joy, knowing that you are free to speak of Christ in your home and to train your children in the ways of the Lord?
         3. You may bear testimony to him also of the sweetness and power of the gospel as, with reverence for God, you serve his needs and seek his well-being.
         4. And if your husband ever behaves harshly, may you not preach the gospel silently to him by your meek submission and wait for God to bring him to repentance?

   Peter goes on to describe one specific aspect of pure conduct that springs from reverence to the Lord.

2. Pursue inward rather than outward adornment
   1. Do not let your adornment proceed from externals
      1. The word "merely" doesn't need to be there
         1. The NKJV wants you to understand that Peter is not forbidding all outward adornment per se.
         2. And that's true. Otherwise we would have to say that he is forbidding putting on clothes of any sort.
         3. But he is saying that that's not what adorns you. That's not what makes you beautiful.
            1. He's not saying jewelry and hairdos can make you beautiful, but your beauty should come from other things as well.
            2. He's saying your beauty doesn't come from those things at all
      2. Peter is not saying that your appearance should be slovenly, like the pharisees who didn't wash their face so everyone would know they were fasting.
      3. But he's saying your dress and appearance reflect your values.
         1. A woman who spends hours braiding her hair, or who delights in owning silver pendants and golden bracelets and diamond rings — does she not testify that her heart is with the things of this world.
         2. She spends so much time beautifying that which is wrinkling and sagging and puckering and heading for the grave.
         3. Doesn't she know that "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Prv 31.24)
      4. In Saudi Arabia, the women are not allowed to work outside the home. They meet with other women and show off their baubles and bangles and beads and boast about which of them has the most gold. And they go home to their husbands and whine that they don't have enough and were shamed before their friends.
         1. Of course they do! They have no hope. They are entangled in a false religion which preaches to them a man's heaven where they will be concubines forever. No wonder they prefer this life and love the things of this world.
         2. But how shameful if a Christian woman is thus sidetracked!
      5. Do not be deceived! What good will the things of this world do you? What will it profit you to have others admire your clothing or your hair? Yet your heart flutters when others compliment you on such things.
      6. (And you husbands, what good is it if you value such things and dwell on your wife's appearance and teach her that such things matter deeply? Let her rather hear the gospel from your lips and know that her hope is in God alone who is renewing her soul and will renew her body as well.)
      7. Oh, children of God! How we let the beauty of what is passing away deceive us. And how we hope that these dying shells should be pleasing in the sight of others. We value what is passing away. Wake up! Shake off this silly dream. Turn your eyes and your heart to the glorious inheritance that awaits you. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Is he not beautiful, this one who had no form or comeliness that we should desire him? Is he not glorious, this one whom we have never seen, yet know by faith?
   2. But rather let your submissive spirit adorn you
      1. Let it be your "hidden person", your "inner man", your renewed heart that is attractive to others and valuable in your sight.
      2. Is not the new heart God has given you beautiful?
         1. Consider the ugliness of the former one. It was made of stone, hard toward God. It was full of corruption and deceit. It boasted in its strength and denied its Creator.
         2. Now you have a beautiful heart. It is made of flesh and loves and desires God. It is full of truth. It glories in your weakness and boasts in the strength of Christ.
      3. This heart is gentle and quiet, humble and meek. It relies on Christ and looks to him for every strength.
      4. With such a heart, you confess your sin and cry for forgiveness.
      5. With such a heart, you sing the praise of him who granted you forgiveness and called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
      6. No one can see the heart, yet will not the conduct that springs from your renewed heart be as different as day from night?
   3. For this is valuable to God
      1. Literally, "Costly." Peter is comparing what man values (gold) to what God values. Shall we not desire what God values?
      2. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart
         1. When we adorn our outward appearance, we cry out to the world, "Look upon me! Am I not something?"
         2. When we rely upon the merits of Christ and look for the heavenly treasure, we cry out to God "Look upon me with favor! Isn't Christ something?"
      3. Gold and silver are corruptible but this beauty is incorruptible. It is the currency of heaven itself where we shall forever draw our strength and life from our beautiful savior.
3. For you have a cloud of witnesses testifying to the outcome of such conduct
   1. The holy women of old thus adorned themselves
      1. Specifically the wives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob thus adorned themselves
      2. They left their families, their cities, their cultures behind as things of no lasting value.
      3. They were pilgrims with their husbands, trusting not in the riches of this world but the permanence of the city that would come
   2. Sarah, specifically, obeyed and respected Abraham
      1. She called him "lord" a title of respect, indicating that submissiveness of which Peter has been speaking.
      2. And she obeyed his commands.
      3. God said to Abe, Get up and leave Ur. He obeyed
      4. Abe said to Sarah, Let's go. And she obeyed
   3. By similar conduct you show yourselves heirs of the same hope
      1. Not if you do what is good, then you become her daughters
      2. You have become her daughters (by a similar faith) and therefore express your faith similarly.

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