Note to Reader: This is the second part of the topic of submission. For the first part, see the sermon - Submission: The Dilemma Of Submission.
As we move into chapter 3 this morning we find the Apostle Peter continuing his thoughts on living a Godly life in the midst of difficult circumstances. You often hear, “There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who see the glass full and those who see the glass empty.” Ahh there’s another. The person who complains that the glass doesn’t contain Evian water.
These are the people who believe, that a good life should not have difficult circumstances, that if they are good people, or Godly people, or people living life well, difficult times will not come their way. I call that the imagined Disneyfied life.
For the reality is, the Bible never teaches that if you are living a good and Godly life, that difficult times will pass you by. In fact we find the Bible teaching us that difficult circumstances will come our way…even if we are living life well…Fortunately, the Bible also teaches us how to deal with those difficult circumstances when they come our way – the book of First Peter as we are finding out is one of those places.
Chapter 3 of First Peter is a very difficult chapter for us as Americans to take in. What Peter says, especially in from verses 1 through 7 goes against the grain of modern America. The reaction of many people today is to simply ignore what Peter says in these verses and move on to the next section. What Peter says here is difficult and it is hard to understand, yet, what Peter has to say to in this chapter is very, very relevant for our Christian walk.
This morning as we work through this chapter, please keep your bibles open as we will be referring back to chapter 3 of First Peter quite a bit.
Last week, when we were in Chapter 2 we saw that Peter is concerned about proper behavior, how we act out our Christianity in difficult situations. When we talked about submission last week, you might recall that submission itself, for Peter, is about proper behavior, not just what we believe is proper – the theoretical, how I might respond, but acting on what we believe – my actual response to a situation. We saw that, submission isn’t blindly doing whatever is asked of us. We are obligated to obey God first, in every situation. We saw that part of submission is acting well toward others even when they are acting completely unfair to us. We also saw that when we act out of love. Doing things for others isn’t really a chore or an obligation, but a delight.
Also remember that Peter introduces a revolutionary thought for the times: everyone is equal; regardless of whether they are enslaved or free; regardless of whatever ethnicity they are; regardless if they are a man or woman. We all are equal.
Last week we read in, 1Peter 2:17 Show proper respect to everyone. Here Peter is lifting up a purely Christian concept that all are equal.
St Paul agrees with Peter in other parts of the NT. Gal. 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Col. 3:11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
With this is mind concept of equality in mind, we now go to our Scripture.
Verse one “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands”
First off, what would surprise the reader in the first century would be first and foremost that Peter is addressing women at all. Remember last week when we talked about slaves, we found in the Roman world slaves had no rights – they were considered objects - Women are treated in a similar way. Women, generally have no rights. In fact they were considered the property of their husband, or of their father. A woman was under the father’s power, the father had full power over the woman even life and death; when she married, this power passed to her husband. She was completely at his mercy. Cato wrote: ‘If you were to catch your wife in an act of infidelity, you can kill her with impunity without a trial.’. The attitude of the Romans was this: no woman should make any decision for herself.
Remember last week when we talked about slaves having no rights and being treated like property? Take those same ideas and place them on women, to a slightly less effect.That is pretty stark stuff isn’t it? With that prevailing attitude in mind, it is surprising that Peter even addresses women. But he does – for they are equals in Christianity as we saw in Gal 3:28.
So Peter does address women…. he will address men next. Understand, a woman in Roman society would take whatever religion her father or husband practiced. She might have her own cult on the side, but the family religion was the husbands or the father’s. Then Christianity comes along – and women, independently, make a decision for Christ, even if no one else in the family has, even if the husband has not. Some of you know what this is like, being the only one in a family who is a believer
So now the woman has experienced this empowering freedom she enjoys nowhere else. She comes to church as an equal among others; She is even given authority; She knows full well her hope is in Jesus Christ; She knows that Jesus Christ values her, and honors her.
So the woman places Jesus Christ first in her life, over the husband’s religion, over the husbands demands upon her. Before she was completely subject to a man, now she is, free, and completely subject to God.
This attitude just blew the minds of the Romans. It was beyond imagination that a woman would defy the culture, her husband and place Jesus Christ first. This was just a screwball notion.
So Peter addresses these women as independent moral agents (remember, he is concerned with behavior) – and he says, 1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your 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, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
So my question is: How is this different than what he asked us to do in the last chapter? It is not really, is it? We are to be submissive and treat others well, even when they are not treating us fair.
Here we have Peter addressing women in a difficult circumstance. They are Christian; their husband is not. Imagine how upset a husband might be to learn his wife has become a Christian. He is no longer first, no longer in control. His threats no longer effective as they once were.
What’s worse, she no longer follows his religion. How embarrassing, oh how people will mock him in the streets.
Look again end of verse 1 "they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." So really Peter is not asking the women to explain anything to their husbands...Who aren’t going to listen anyway. Right ladies? See their husbands will think being a Christian is bad for their marriage.
But when the wife’s behavior is excellent, perhaps they may change their mind, and their heart. This by the way, happened - a - lot.
Now in verses 3 and 4 Peter contrasts the way these women would try to win over their spouses when they were pagans with how a godly woman opperates: verse 3, - they used to try to win by outward adornment – this is how they used to operate, by manipulation
Note: some make much of this hair reference in verse 3, but it is just an example of outward manipulation common in the pagan world. “If I look great, my husband might it see my way.” Motivation – from myself.
Verse 4, he tells the women how to act as Christians. He is just being more specific than in verse one, be submissive. 4 "Instead, 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." Motivation – the Spirit of God.
There it is, how do I act in Godly submission? Verse 4 there it is, you see it? – a gentle and quiet spirit.
How powerful. How simple. How difficult to accomplish.
A gentle and quiet spirit will prevail. Not by might, not by power, but my Spirit says the Lord!
I thought submission was cowering and doing whatever I am told!
But it is a gentle….. and quiet spirit. When Peter says win over he doesn’t mean in a marketing kind of way, or to win as in a competition, that’s all manipulative, that’s all human effort. Peter means for the husband to come to salvation through the Holy Spirit, by the gentle and kind spirit of his wife.
Gentle in the Greek reflects amiable friendliness in contrast with roughness, a bad temper, or abrasiveness. It is a term that indicates a person will not attack back, knowing God is just, and that they can suffer without vengeance of bitterness.
Peter then gives examples of OT women who did not have an attitude of superiority, but demonstrate submission in a gentle and quiet spirit.
You can imagine, it would be easy for these women in their new found faith and freedom to act superior to their husbands, and really for all intents and purposes – they are superior; but acting superior will not win over a husband, it will only push him away - they are only superior because of the Spirit within them.
Now in verse 6 we read, "You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."
These unbelieving husbands are not going to want them to go to church to worship Jesus Christ, and to give to the cause of Christ. So Peter is encouraging them to stand up for what is Godly and right, under all kinds of intimidation and harm. He is still talking about submission, by the way. Remember, we always stand firm in God’s will – in a generous way.
Having spoke about slaves in the previous chapter, about their difficult circumstances, having spoke to woman about their difficult circumstances, Peter then turns to husbands – still, mind you, speaking of submission.
Verse 7, "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."
Notice he assumes when speaking to husbands, that the wife is Christian also. That is because of what we saw just previous. In Roman culture the woman takes the husbands religion. The only time a woman took her own religion – was Christianity.
He tells them to be considerate - which means in the Greek, with personal insight that leads to loving and considerate care. In other words, and we saw this in our study in 1 Cor. He is to place his wife before himself. I would say this is mutual submission. Wife submits to the husband, placing him before herself, serving him; Husband submits to the wife, placing her before himself, serving her.
I spoke to this in our Corinthian Study, so I will not elaborate here, but Peter is teaching, like Paul, mutual submission.
When Peter says to treat her with respect as the weaker partner (verse 7), he doesn’t mean emotionally, or intellectually, but merely physically. As a general rule, men are larger physically than women (I know I’m an exception here, being a rather small guy), it is about vulnerability. He says respect, really a better translation would be honor your wife. It means not running down a person verbally. It means watching out for their best interests.
A man who is generally larger physically can intimidate with physical threats, to get his way. Peter says, don’t do this….honor your wife.
Peter gives this command because he recognizes what society does not
husband and wife are equal.
Next Peter moves to everyone – summing up how to live in a difficult situation. Verse 8, "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."
Peter is asking us to live in a way where we are willing to take the lower place; to do the less exalted service; to serve others ahead of our own interests. I find as I work through all of this, I see that what Peter says to women applies to us all, and what he says to men applies to us all.
For doesn’t verses 8-9 sum up the previous verses from this chapter?
Peter then cites psalm 34:13-17 backing up what he has just told us from Scripture.
Jumping to verse 13. 13 "Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?" Peter goes back to his theme from chapter 2. We are to live such good lives that people even though they hate what we stand for they have to admire us
But Peter doesn’t live in a Disneyfied world. He knows that harm will come to us, even when we live well. But remember, we are still to live well. He tells us to not fear what they fear, verse 14. Peter is quoting Isa 8:12 here – about people thinking everything is a conspiracy.
Is. 8:12 “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.
In context of Isaiah’s words, the people who had rejected God’s wisdom for their own plans then said ‘God is with us’ and comforted themselves with that false hope. So Isaiah was telling the people that they should not to repeat that kind of error, but instead they should be fearing God, not their circumstances, Peter uses the words of Isaiah saying instead of thinking the way they think, we are to set Christ as Lord in our hearts and let the fear of God reign there, not the fear of men.
Let go to verse 15.
"15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"
When Peter here says be prepared to give an answer, the answer is about the hope you have. We saw this hope in chapter one.
Our living hope, Jesus Christ, who is her for us today, and then tomorrow.
See, Peter is saying live your lives in this way I have spoken of, full of respect, with a gentle and quiet spirit. Being such good people – that they will have to ask: "what is this hope that you have?"
I friend of mine from Seminary, that’s how he became a Christian. For years as a businessman, he met with this client. These two upright, and generous men - They had such a wonderful spirit about them. They were always throwing out unbelievably great quotes. One day, my friend said, “You guys, I really respect how you live and you are always throwing out these great quotes where do you get these wonderful quotes, obviously you live by them.”
The bible – was their answer, and they led him to a relationship with Jesus Christ, then and there. They used, a gentle and quiet spirit.
Now there is more to this chapter, but we need to end, so we will end here.
Let me leave you with this: Our society influences us greatly doesn’t it?
It has such a hold on us that when we read, what is a powerful, powerful admonition to our lives - submission. We want to pass it up.
Don’t let American society fool you. Godly submission is a very, very powerful thing. If you are able to apply this concept to your life.
You will be able to live well, whatever your life’s circumstance.
Special thanks to both Clark Tanner and Bob Deffinbaugh for some great historical info and thoughts.
