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Category: 1 Peter 3

1 Peter 3:2 – Wondrous Pure Conduct

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Will

having observed your pure behavior accompanied by fear.

Truth to Learn

The pure lifestyle of a God-fearing woman is a thing of wonder to behold.

Behind the Words

The phrase, “having observed” comes from the Greek word epopteuō, which is a compound of epi, meaning “on” or “upon” and a form of optomai, which means “to gaze.” There are a number of words in the Greek that are used for different types of looking, words that mean to see, to look at, to look closely at, to stare, to be a spectator, and to spy on. These are all distinctly different than this word which means, “to gaze upon (that is, with wide open eyes, as at something remarkable).” The word is expressed here as an aorist participle, implying continuous action which occurred before the main verb of this sentence (“they … may be won” in the previous verse). So, we could translate this as, “they having observed…”

The word translated “pure” is the Greek word hagnos. This comes from the same root as hagios, a word we’ve looked at before, meaning “holy” or “pure.” The word in today’s verse means “clean, innocent, modest, chaste, or pure.”

“Behavior” is translated from anastrophē, which is made up of ana, meaning “up,” and a form of strephō, meaning “to turn.” Hence, this word literally means “to turn up,” but by application it means “to go back and forth” and has come to mean “manner of living, lifestyle, behavior, or conduct.”

Meaning Explained

When a Christian woman is totally committed to God and living a submitted life (to God and to her husband), even an unsaved husband will look at her with wonder. The thing which causes such amazement in her husband, according to Peter, is her “pure behavior.”

This pure lifestyle is the most effective witness to an unsaved husband. Unfortunately, some women married to unsaved men feel like they need to preach at their husbands or badger them into going to church on Sunday. Instead, Peter says that a woman in this situation is to live a life totally devoted to God and submitted to her husband. That doesn’t mean that the woman has to do whatever her husband wants if what he wants is contrary to the teaching of Scripture. Her top priorities have to be obedience to God and a pure lifestyle. But Peter does teach us (from the previous verse) that “they (unsaved husbands), without a word, may be won by the behaviou of their wives.” In the next couple of verses, Peter will give us more details about how this type of woman conducts herself.

Let me say that a pure lifestyle and a submissive spirit are exactly the qualities, coupled with a solid faith and reverential fear of the Lord, which caused me to first gaze at and admire the young woman who eventually became my wife more than forty years ago. Qualities that I still find remarkable even today!

Application

Ladies, do you want your husband to gaze at you in wonder, as he looks at something remarkable? That, according to Peter, comes from your clean lifestyle and submission to your husband. Not as a patsy or a door-mat, but as a life partner who has a solid, abiding faith in God.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Peter 3:1 – Submission & Love

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Will

In the same way, wives be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the behavior of their wives,

Truth to Learn

Submission is one part of God’s plan for marriages.

Behind the Words

“Wives” is translated from gunē, meaning “a woman” or “a wife” (see Revelation 19:7).

The word translated “submissive” is hupotassō, which we have recently learned has the meaning “under rank.” It is expressed here not as a command, but as a passive participle. Hence, Peter is saying, “Wives being submitted to …”

The word “husbands” is from anēr, meaning “a man” or “a husband.”

The words “your own” are a translation of the Greek word idiois, meaning “that which is specifically one’s own.” Hence, wives are to be submitted to their own husband, not to just any husband.

Meaning Explained

In the middle of the previous chapter Peter began a theme of submission, “submit yourselves to every institution of man” and “servants be submissive to your masters.” The same idea appears in James’ letter to the church where we are instructed to submit ourselves to God (James 4:7).

Submission is a key in our battle against our enemy, the Devil. In each case this word refers to an act of our will, allowing our own wishes and desires to be subordinated to those of the one to whom we are submitting. This is contrary to our sin nature which wants to promote self. And, seeing self as number one is encouraged today through the messages being proclaimed by the word system, such as, “Do your own thing”, or “After all, I’m worth it”, or “Be you; do what you want to do.”

For a woman married to a godly man who is himself submitted to God, it may be easier to submit, though not always easy. For a woman married to an unsaved man or to a saved man who is not in submission to Christ, it is certainly much more difficult. However, Peter does not make an exception in these cases. He simply says that the conduct of a submissive woman may be the thing that God uses to reach her unbelieving husband.

Lest men think that this makes them any more important than their wives, let me remind you men that we are to be the spiritual leaders, able to answer doctrinal questions from our wives (1 Corinthians 14:35). We are to treat our wives as having great value (1 Peter 3:7). Twice we are commanded to love our wives with a self-sacrificing love (Ephesians 5:25 and Colossians 3:19) even to the point of dying for them, just as Christ died for the church. Incidentally, wives are never commanded to love their husbands in this manner. Men, this means that when you and your wife have an argument, it is up to you to sacrifice your own will and apologize to her for your inappropriate behavior, expecting nothing in return from her.

Application

In God’s church, the body of Christ, men and women have different roles. Neither is better than the other. Neither is superior to the other. In a marriage, wives are to be submitted to their husbands who are to love their wives. Both of these actions are commanded and neither one depends on the other.

In God's service, for His glory,