Ministry of Grace Church

1 Peter 3:1

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct 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 “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 any husband.

The word translated “submissive” is from 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 …”

Meaning Explained

In the middle of the previous chapter Peter began a theme of submission, “submit unto every ordinance of man” and “servants submit yourselves 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.