1 Peter 3
In the last two weeks, we talked about enduring suffering and living with excellence as it says in 1 Peter 1&2. Chapter 2 ends with a reminder that Christ is our example. He was sinless, yet suffered on our behalf. This leads into chapter 3. When the Bible was written, it did not have chapter breaks, it was one continuous letter. So, it is helpful to see how Christ’s example flows into the beginning of chapter 3.
1 Peter 3 opens with a call for wives to be submissive to their husbands, in the same way that Christ was submissive. A lot of women hear that and resist because of how it can come off. This does not mean that wives are any less important or any less valuable, it means that we need to be willing to surrender our desires for the sake of the kingdom, just as Jesus did. We first submit to God, so if our husband says to do something that goes against God’s Word, that’s a different story.
This verse also does not say women submit to men, it says wives submit to their own husbands as a way to keep order in the house. Our submission, whether we are talking about the home, the workplace, the government, etc. is an act of trust in God. God is the ultimate authority, and He knows exactly what we are going through, He knows who is in leadership, and He knows what will happen next. He can and will guide us, our spouses, our bosses, and so on. God is Sovereign, and we can trust in Him.
Peter has also given a call to husbands. In 1 Peter 3:7, he says husbands must live with their wives in an understanding way and give them honor or their prayers might be hindered. First, husbands are to be WITH their wives, not just around them. In Ephesians 5, husbands are called to love their wives as Jesus loves us. That would be hard to do without being with them. There is a call to unity here.
When a husband is with his wife, he can better know and understand her, and can then demonstrate his love for her better. This way, he can honor her. In the culture of this time, husbands were dominant over their wives and the wives had no rights in the marriage. Peter is telling husbands that they must honor their wives, which went against the culture. In fact, he says to husbands that if they aren’t honoring their wives, their prayers can and will be hindered!
He is telling us again of the unity within marriage, both the husband and wife must be valued. It can be easy for a wife to say, “Well, my husband isn’t honoring me so I won’t submit,” or for a husband to say, “Well, my wife isn’t submitting so I will not honor her.” The command God gives us in this chapter says nothing about how our actions should be dependent on their actions. We are responsible for our choices and our actions, meaning we need to stay focused on playing our part. We need to love unconditionally, just as God loves us unconditionally. God will work on the hearts of others, but are we, with His help, willing to work on our own?
God will work on the hearts of others, but are we, with His help, willing to work on our own?
1 Peter 3:8 wraps this passage up by saying, “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit.” Whether we are a wife, a husband, or single, we need to pursue unity with each other. We do not need to live in total agreement on every little thing, but we need to live with the mind of Christ, this will keep us together in one mind. We need to be compassionate and loving to one another.
Did you know that in John 17, Jesus prayed for you? He prayed before his crucifixion for his disciples and all those to come. That means he prayed for YOU. One of the things he prayed for is unity. Jesus wants us to live as one so that the world may know him. Again, we do not need to agree with everyone, but when we love one another and live in unity, the world will know Jesus.
I understand it is not always easy. When we wrong someone or when someone wrongs us, it can be hard to pursue love and unity. We might try our best to respond with love but other people may respond with evil. Again, we are responsible for playing our part. Peter knows that this may happen, so he reminds us in verse 14 that if we suffer for the sake of righteousness, we will be blessed. God knows and sees our hearts, and because He is just, we can know that He will honor our righteousness.
Even when we are faced with evil, we must set apart the Lord in our hearts. He will remain our Lord and we will choose to follow and obey him, no matter what other people choose to do. His way shall fill our hearts, not the way of the world. We must also be ready to give an answer as to why we hope in and follow Jesus. The more we know the Word, the better we can be prepared to do this. However, fear not, for the Holy Spirit is within us and will guide us.
Peter does give us a good reason. 1 Peter 3:18 says, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” Jesus died so we could be with God, that is why we put our hope in him.
So, in chapter 3, Peter says wives must submit to their own husbands as Christ submitted for the sake of the kingdom. He says husbands must be with, understand, and honor their wives or their prayers will be hindered. No matter what, we are all to pursue unity and love with one another. We must play our parts, not dependent on the actions of others, but on the love Jesus has given us. Peter says we need to keep Jesus set apart in our hearts and be ready to give a reason for our hope in him.
We must play our parts, not dependent on the actions of others, but on the love Jesus has given us.
A lot of what was in this chapter might challenge us, but maybe that’s the point. The Bible says it's a narrow path that leads to life, meaning it’s a difficult journey. But if we can all work together to pursue God’s way, imagine the life that will be brought to earth. Imagine living in harmony and love with one another. Imagine living in the abundance of God’s blessings. His call is worth answering. Let us work together, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to be obedient to God. Let us live Holy in Progress.
With love,
Erica