Submission in the Home

Submission in the Home 1 Peter 2:13 says: Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men ... Then he continues in 3:1, 2, 7: Wives in the same way be submissive to your 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. ... 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. Peter calls all of us to submit to every human authority. He first applies this to the slaves among his readers, but then brings it home, literally. We are to submit within our marriages. Are you living with your spouse by God's plan? He begins by pointing out that the submission of a Christian wife is a witness to an unbelieving husband. Many women in these churches had unsaved husbands. These men had heard the gospel but were willfully resisting it. The phrase "do not believe" actually means "do not obey". This implies a willful rebellion. They have heard the gospel and have so far rejected it. The best witness for such rebels is for them to see (to observe) a pure, reverent lifestyle lived before them. Since they have already heard the gospel, they can now be won without a word. It is not enough just to live the Christian life before people. We must share the gospel with words. But once that has been done well, the most important continuing witness is to live before them faithfully in love and holiness. Our submission is to be seen by others. All Christians are to be submissive. 1 Peter 2:13 says: Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority. Ephesians 5:21 says: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 1 Peter 5:5 says: Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. Submission is a voluntary yielding to a recognized authority, in humility yielding our will to allow another to lead. Submission is an attitude that refuses to dominate others. Peter goes on to assert that the submission of wives is a form of godly beauty. Verses 3 & 4 say: Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, 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. This is not a call to be ugly. Holiness is beautiful. Ugly is not holy. Staying physically unattractive will hurt a wife's witness. Jesus encouraged taking reasonable care for one's appearance while fasting to avoid showing off as ugly. The issue here is priority. Where do you spend your time and resources, on outer beauty or inner beauty? God puts great value on inner beauty. This includes gentleness which includes submission to God, humility, and treating others with gentleness. It also includes quietness, a tranquil spirit within producing peaceable behavior without. While outer beauty will fade, inner beauty can last forever. A plain woman with inner beauty is to be preferred over an elegantly adorned woman who is proud and loud. A Christian woman should make inner beauty her priority while taking reasonable care of her outward appearance. Next, in verses 5 and 6, Peter uses Sarah as an example for wives. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. Sarah followed Abram as he obeyed God, leaving home for Canaan. Sarah obeyed Abram when he used deceit to protect himself, risking her honor. In Genesis 18, she did call Abram her master. But her submission does not imply inferiority or a natural subordination of women. In Genesis 16, Sarah freely gave advice to Abram who followed it, unwisely in this case. She then freely complained to Abram about the results. Later in Genesis 21, she again speaks her mind boldly to Abraham. This time she was right, and God told Abraham to do as she said. Notice that the key issue in marital decisions is not who decides but whether the decision is right! Christian women are to live as Sarah's daughters. This means that they are to do right, serve from a submissive, gentle, quiet disposition, and persevere in doing good. And it means to not give way to fear. Do not be intimidated by your husband. Follow Jesus. Do not be intimidated by unsaved neighbors, even when persecuted. Stay faithful to Jesus and walk by faith in Him. Peter now give direction to husbands who are believers. He says in verse 7: 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. Peter does not say, "Husbands submit to your wives." But he does say to live with them "in the same way", which in verse one was a call to submission. He does say to live with them "according to knowledge." (That is the meaning of the Greek.) Men know to be humble toward one another (See 5:5). Men know that their wives are equal to them before God (Peter calls them "heirs with you"). Christian men should know better than to domineer over their wives. Instead, men are to treat their wives with respect. "Treat" means to give. Give her what is rightfully hers. "Respect" indicates that she deserves to be given value, honor, respect, and recognition. Peter does call the wife "the weaker vessel", but she is not weaker spiritually, only physically. She is not weaker in endurance but only in raw power. The husband is not to use his superior physical strength to dominate her and enforce his will on her. Instead, he is to view his wife as his fellow heir. The wife is the spiritual equal of her husband. He should respect her as his equal. He should willingly submit when she is right. He should honor her spiritual gifts. Peter concludes his comments on marriage with so that nothing will hinder your prayers. The word "your" here is plural. The prayers of both husband and wife can be hindered. To physically dominate one's wife will hinder both his prayers and hers. To emotionally dominate one's spouse will hinder the prayers of both. To domineer over anyone will hinder your communion with God and your spiritual life. To be spiritually strong, you must be submissive, first, and foremost, toward God; then, toward all your fellow believers; and in particular, toward your spouse. Christian wives are to be submissive toward their husbands, saved or unsaved. Christian husbands are to be submissive, treating their wives with respect and never domineering over them. We can only live this way in the home by first submitting ourselves to God in the fulness of the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 & 21 say Be filled with the Spirit. ... Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Are you walking in the Spirit in your marriage? Are you submissive before God?