1 Peter 3:1-6

Feb 22, 2010 by desiringvirtue

“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husband, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives-when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing-but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.”

Pink passages. They are the words God wrote directly to us as women. They are words that describe exactly what he expects from us and teach us how, through his grace and power, we can please his heart. I am very grateful for these special places in the Bible because they remind me that God created women for glorious, beautiful and specific purposes. He knows that we have our own unique set of temptations and preoccupations, and rather than leaving us to grasp for direction he gently shows us how to overcome our sinful flesh and be women who glorify his name.

In 1 Peter we hear the familiar call to wifely submission, but for an additional purpose. Submission is the attitude that every wife is called to by the Lord (Eph 5:22; Col 3:18; 1 Tim 2:9-15; Titus 2:4-5), but in this case submission is also motivated by a desire to see one’s husband repent and believe in the Lord. The respectful and pure conduct that this wife maintains is attractive and winsome to her husband for the purpose of salvation.

It is easy to look at this passage and assume that it doesn’t hold any relevance to the wife who is blessed with a believing husband, but that notion is completely false. The wife of an unbeliever is not called to have more godliness then the wife of a believer is. Both are called to the high standard of holiness and both must display it through their submission to their respective husbands. The wife of a believer testifies to the world just as the 1 Peter wife is testifying to her husband.

But also as our supreme motivation, we have this small phrase, “…which in God’s sight is very precious.” Do we not desire above all else to appear precious before our Lord? What greater reward can their be in this life, or the one after for that matter, than to be counted as cherished by our creator?

In this passage the Lord explains submission in a few different ways. He describes our conduct as needing to be respectful and pure. We must tend our spiritual growth and aim towards being gentle and quiet women rather than harsh and overbearing. I love how he warns us to not get caught up in physical appearances, but to value our souls and their growth above all else. The most beautiful of women can be ugly in the sight of her husband and her God if her life is epitomized by bitterness, anger, pride, or selfishness. We are told to model ourselves after the holy women of the past by doing good and fearing nothing.

These instructions are good to hear. They are like bumpers on a bowling lane, keeping my heart from getting side tracked and losing purpose. It is so easy to lose focus and begin rolling down the gutters of self-service and self-love. I want to be respectful, pure, gentle, quiet, good, and brave. I want to be precious to my Lord.

If this is your first time to visit Desiring Virtue you may want to join our growing community of passionate homemakers by "liking" DV on Facebook, following DV on Twitter, or subscribing to DV's email delivery via Feedburner.