Seeds for 05/10/2024 - 1 Peter 3:1-6
Scripture:
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands 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 your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
Observation:
Household codes were ubiquitous in the ancient world. They are today as well actually, whether in traditional cultures or in Western societies.
Peter’s words to slaves in the previous text and now wives in this text will be followed by words to husbands in the next passage. This passage, to modern Western readers, comes across as promoting an exaggerated submissiveness on the part of wives. When we take a look at the status of wives in the New Testament, we see a principle of mutual submission, not just a one-way street in Paul’s household codes. Furthermore, women hosted house churches, had roles in public worship (the fact that Paul addresses how women should dress while praying and prophesying in worship indicates that it was normal for women to pray and prophesy in worship), taught people in ministry, delivered and read letters to the churches, and were apostles.
In that context, Peter’s instructions seem to speak directly to a particular setting and concern relevant to his audience, though not to every context. Still, they provide us with useful wisdom universally. Here are my observations.
First, the “purity and reverence” of our lives is critical in terms of winning people over to faith in Jesus. We’re not talking about being perfect all the time so much as demonstrating that Jesus makes an authentic difference in our life. If we say we believe in Jesus but are not experiencing real transformation, what does that say? Or if we go on with our life and fail to make a change in our priorities or lifestyle choices, is Jesus really our Lord? Our life must show the impact of the Gospel for our witness to be effective. Transformation is the greatest testimony.
Second, there’s a contrast between where one’s beauty comes from—outward adornment or the inner character. How do we adorn ourselves? For Peter, those who put their hope in God adorn themselves with a “gentle and quiet spirit.”
Peter speaks within the household codes of that society, advising that wives submit to their husbands, including non-believers. But while Peter takes that arrangement as a given, he wants Christian wives to keep their witness for the Lord center stage. Adorning oneself with inside-out transformation is the way to set the stage for an effective witness.
Application:
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, help me grow in practical transformation, than I may adorn myself with a godly spirit and increase the effectiveness of my witness. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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