- “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.” The context is in the previous passage, that we are to submit to society’s authorities and norms even though we are truly free in Christ because we are now slaves of God and he desires us to be blameless in the eyes of the world. How does that translate into what Peter is saying about wives here?
The question is how should we respond to our freedom? The temptation is rebellion and to do whatever we wish whether slave or wife (or whatever) and Peter is careful to say that this should not be so. While we are free in relation to the world we are now slaves to God and we obey him and adopt his values. In doing so we are his priests, his visible representatives in the world. There may be those who are opposed to such values and actions and there may be those who are drawn to Him. This is not up to us to decide or choose because we are his slaves. I don’t think that God wants to control and shape our personalities, or interests, activities, careers, etc., he has won us for us, and desires our freedom, but in the matter of his values and his commands, we must obey and comply.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were given freedom and also a command that they must obey on pain of death (“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”). Now, though we are saved in Christ, that has not changed. God gives us plenty of room for the self to develop but we must know that our freedom is not absolute.
- “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.” The emphasis is on “which is of great worth in God’s sight”. What do you think?
It simply tells us to focus our energies on God rather than on man. It does not forbid outward adornment. We are, in Peter’s words, “foreigners and exiles” who live in this world to be seen by the world. It does not make sense to alienate ourselves unnecessarily by shunning the culture of the world. In God’s eyes, the outward adornment is not important, it is the inner self that is important and we must take care to please God there.
- “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.” Once again, the emphasis is on God, “so that nothing will hinder your prayers”. Don’t act in ways that may persuade God to look on you with disfavour. What do you think?
Makes sense. The weaker partner is trying their best to please God; the husband should not be an obstacle and compete with God for their attention.
- Today’s culture is very different from the time of Peter and many of these values have broadly changed. Do you think Peter’s advice, arising from the truth that we are God’s slaves and seek to please and honour him, here applied to wives and husbands, is still relevant or universally true in these details or should we think for ourselves of how we can express our devotion to God in our time and circumstance?
Not just relevant but important to have a clear understanding and focus in terms of what our goals are. The details are just illustrations to help get across the important thrust of what it means to be free yet a slave of God. It is all the more important in our time because these matters have been sanitised and placed in neat folders so they don’t disturb the way we live our lives. The world’s thoughts and values and ideas are dominant even in the church today to the extent that we explain away or ignore the demands of God on us. The truth that we are slaves of God is alien in churches these days.
What Peter said about God’s values are universal truths but the matter of expressing our devotion to God and being God’s witnesses and ambassadors and at the same time being good and upstanding members of the world we live in, while maintaining our godly identity, must take into account the world around us and its culture.