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The First Epistle General of Peter, Chapter
Three
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Wives and Husbands
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When a man became a Christian, he usually would bring his
whole family into the church with him (see, for example, the story of the
conversion of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:29-33). By contrast, a woman who
became a Christian usually came into the church alone. Under Roman law, the
husband and father had absolute authority over all members of his household,
including his wife. Demanding her rights as a free woman in Christ could
endanger her marriage if her husband disapproved. Peter reassured Christian
women who were married to unbelievers that they did not need to preach to their
husbands. Under the circumstances, their best approach would be one of loving
service: they should show their husbands the kind of self-giving love that
Christ showed the church. By being exemplary wives, they would please their
husbands. At the very least, the men would then allow them to continue
practicing their "strange" religion. At best, their husbands would join them and
become Christians too.
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1. Why did Peter tell wives, in the same way
be submissive to their husbands, where did Peter say the wives beauty should not
come from, where did Peter say the wives beauty should come from, whom did Peter
say used to make themselves beautiful, who was submissive to her husband, obeyed
him and called him her master, how are they her daughter, what did Peter tell
the husbands to do, and why did Peter tell the husbands to do this?
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A changed life speaks loudly and clearly, and it is often the
most effective way to influence a family member. Peter instructs Christian wives
to develop inner beauty rather than being overly concerned about their outward
appearance. Their husbands will be won over by their love rather than by their
looks. Live your Christian faith quietly and consistently in your home, and your
family will see Christ in you.
We should not be obsessed by fashion, but neither should we be so
unconcerned that we do not bother to care for ourselves. Hygiene, neatness, and
grooming are important, but even more important are a person's attitude and
inner spirit. True beauty begins inside.
To be submissive means to cooperate voluntarily with someone
else out of love and respect for God and for that person. Ideally, submission is
mutual ("Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" - Ephesians 5:21).
Even when it is one-sided, however, the expression of submission can be an
effective Christian strategy. Jesus Christ submitted to death so that we could
be saved; we may sometimes have to submit to unpleasant circumstances so that
others will see Christ in us. (Christian submission never requires us to disobey
God or to participate in what our conscience forbids.) One-sided submission
requires tremendous strength. We could not do it without the power of the Holy
Spirit working in us.
When Peter calls women the "weaker" partners, he does not imply
moral or intellectual inferiority, but he is recognizing women's physical
limitations. Women in his day, if unprotected by men, were vulnerable to attack,
abuse, and financial disaster. Women's lives may be easier today, but women are
still vulnerable to criminal attack and family abuse. And in spite of increased
opportunities in the workplace, most women still earn considerably less than
most men, and the vast majority of the nations' poor are single mothers and
their children. A man who honors his wife as a member of the weaker sex will
protect, respect, help, and stay with her. He will not expect her to work
full-time outside the home and full-time at home; he will lighten her load
wherever he can. He will be sensitive to her needs, and he will relate to her
with courtesy, consideration, insight, and tact.
If a man is not considerate and respectful of his wife, his prayers
will be hindered, because a living relationship with God depends on right
relationships with others. Jesus said that if you have a problem with a fellow
believer, you must make it right with that person before coming to worship
(Matthew 5:23, 24). This principle carries over into family relationships. If
men use their position to mistreat their wives, their relationship with God will
suffer.
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Suffering for Doing Good
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2. How did Peter say all of them should live,
what did he tell them to be, how did he say to love, what else did he say they
should be, what did he say not to do, how did he say to repay evil or insult,
and why did Peter say they were to do this?
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Peter lists five key elements that should characterize any group of
believers: (1) harmony - pursuing the same goals; (2) sympathy - being responsive to
others' needs; (3) love - seeing and treating each other as brothers and sisters;
(4) compassion - being affectionately sensitive and caring; and (5) humility - being
willing to encourage one another and rejoice in each other's successes. These
five qualities go a long way toward helping believers serve God effectively.
Peter developed the qualities of compassion and humility the
hard way. In his early days with Christ, these attitudes did not come naturally
to his impulsive, strong-willed personality (see Mark 8:31-33; John 13:6-9 for
examples of Peter's blustering). But the Holy Spirit changed Peter, molding his
strong personality to God's use, and teaching him tenderness and humility.
In our fallen world, it is often deemed acceptable by some to tear
people down verbally or to get back at them if we feel hurt. Peter, remembering
Jesus' teaching to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), encourages his readers
to pay back wrongs by praying for the offenders. In God's kingdom, revenge is
unacceptable behavior, as is insulting a person, no matter how indirectly it is
done. Rise above getting back at those who hurt you. Instead of reacting angrily
to these people, pray for them.
3. Whom did Peter say must keep their tongues
from evil and his lips from deceitful speech, what must he turn from, what must
he do, what must he seek and pursue it, who are the eyes of the Lord on, what
are the ears of the Lord attentive to, and who is the face of the Lord against?
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Too often we see peace as merely the absence of conflict, and we
think of peacemaking as a passive role. But an effective peacemaker actively
pursues peace. He or she builds good relationships, knowing that peace is a
by-product of commitment. The peacemaker anticipates problems and deals with
them before they occur. When conflicts arise, he or she brings them into the
open and deals with them before they grow unmanageable. Making peace can be
harder work than waging war, but it results not in death but in life and
happiness.
4. What did Peter say God's elect are if they
should suffer for what is right, what did Peter say was said through the prophet
Isaiah, what did he say to set apart in their hearts, what did he say always be
prepared to do, how did Peter say to do this, and why did he say to do it this
way?
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Rather than fear our enemies, we are to quietly trust in God as
the Lord of all. We must believe that Christ is truly in control of all events.
When he rules our thoughts and emotions, we cannot be shaken by anything our
enemies may do.
Some Christians believe that faith is a personal
matter that should be kept to oneself. It is true that we shouldn't be
boisterous or obnoxious in sharing our faith, but we should always be ready to
give an answer, gently and respectfully, when asked about our faith, our
life-style, or our Christian perspective. Can others see your hope in Christ?
Are you prepared to tell them what Christ has done in your life?
You may not be able to keep people from slandering you, but you can
at least stop supplying them with ammunition. As long as you do what is right,
their accusations will be empty and will only embarrass them. Keep your conduct
above criticism!
5. If it is God's will, what did Peter say it
was better to suffer for, why did Peter say Christ died once for all, the
righteous for the unrighteous, what was Christ put to death in, how was Christ
made alive, who did Christ go to preach to in the Spirit, who were these people,
how many did Peter say was saved through water, what did Peter say this water
symbolizes, how did Peter say the water save them, and who did Peter say was
with them?
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The meaning of preaching "to the spirits in prison" is not
completely clear, and commentators have explained it in different ways. The
traditional interpretation is that Christ, between his death and resurrection,
announced salvation to God's faithful followers who had been waiting for their
salvation during the whole Old Testament era. Matthew records that when Jesus
died, "the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They
came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy
city and appeared to many people" (Matthew 27:52, 53). A few commentators think
that this passage says that Christ's Spirit was in Noah as Noah preached to
those imprisoned by sin (but now in hell). Still others hold that Christ went to
Hades to proclaim his victory and final condemnation to the fallen angels
imprisoned there since Noah's day (see 2nd Peter 2:4).
In any case, the passage shows that Christ's Good News of salvation and victory
is not limited. It has been preached in the past as well as in the present; it
has gone to the dead as well as to the living. God has given everyone the
opportunity to come to him, but this does not imply a second chance for those
who reject Christ in this life.
Peter says that Noah's salvation through water symbolized
baptism, a ceremony involving water. In baptism we identify with Jesus Christ,
who separates us from the lost and gives us new life. It is not the ceremony
that saves us, but faith in Christ's death and resurrection. Baptism is the
symbol of the transformation that happens in the hearts of those who believe
(Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12). By identifying themselves with
Christ through baptism, Peter's readers could resist turning back, even under
the pressure of persecution. Public baptism would keep them from the temptation
to renounce their faith.
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Answers to 1st Peter Three
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1. So that if any of them do not believe the word, they may be
won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity
and reverence of their lives...outward adornment, such as braided hair and the
wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes...that of their inner self, the
unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's
sight...the holy women of the past who put their hope in God...Sarah...if they
do what is right and do not give way to fear...in the same way be considerate as
they live with their wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner
and as heirs with them of the gracious gift of life...so that nothing will
hinder their prayers
2. In harmony with one another...sympathetic...as brothers...compassionate and
humble...repay evil for evil or insult with insult...with blessing...because to
this they were called so that they may inherit a blessing
3. Whoever would love life and see good days...evil...good...peace...the
righteous...their prayer...those who do evil
4. Blessed..."Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."...Christ as
Lord...to give an answer to everyone who asks them to give the reason for the
hope that they have...with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear
conscience...so that those who speak maliciously against their good behavior in
Christ may be ashamed of their slander
5. Doing good than for doing evil...to bring them to God...the body...by the
Spirit...to the spirits in prison...those who disobeyed long ago when God waited
patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built...eight in
all...baptism that now saves them also - not the removal of dirt from the body
but the pledge of a good conscience toward God...by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand...angels,
authorities and powers in submission to him
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The Life Application Study Bible - Zondervan
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