- As you pray for your study today, ask God to use His Word in your life as the writer of Hebrews prayed in Hebrews 13:20-21: “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
- Read 1 Peter 3:1-2
- 1 Peter 3:1 begins with the word “likewise.” What is the connection between 3:1-7 and 2:13-25?
- STUDY NOTE: In these verses, Peter addresses Christian wives. While this seems normal to us today, it was radical in the first century. Women in the Roman Empire in the first century were not seen as moral agents with equal value. In fact, they were regularly looked down upon and discriminated against. Therefore, Peter’s comments here show a dramatic change for women inside Christianity. One commentator says it this way, “Peter clearly focusses his address on women whose husbands are not Christians (not that he would give different advice to women whose husbands were Christians), and he addresses them as independent moral agents whose decision to turn to Christ he supports and whose goal to win their husbands he encourages. This is quite a revolutionary attitude for that culture.” Peter celebrates this Christian women’s faith, and encourages them to bring the Good News of Jesus into their families.
- In 3:1 (and again in 3:5) Christian wives are called to submit to their husbands. To the best of your understanding, what does it mean to “submit”?
- Can you think of any situation where a Christian wive should not submit to her husband? (NOTE: look back over the discussion in week 4 about a Christian’s role in response to government for more ideas).
- Submission is not a concept directed only toward women. Ephesians 5:21 (among other places) direct ALL Christians (regardless of gender) to submit to one another — that is to place another’s wants/needs/desires above your own. In what way do you think a Christian wife’s call to submit to her husband is different than the call to submit to others?
- One of the purposes of this call for Christian wives to behave in a certain way is so that non-Christian husbands might place their faith in Christ. What does Peter indicate in 3:1-2 is the big influencer on the husband, words or actions? What are the implications of these verses for Christian husbands and wives who have unbelieving spouses?
- If you are a Christian wife, what personal applications do you draw from these verses?
To access the rest of the “True Grace” Study, click here.