Journal 1 Pet 3 Wives (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands…(that) they be won without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct…let your adorning be the hidden person of he 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…And you are her (Sarah’s) children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.” (excerpts from 1 Pet 3:1-6)
“For to this you have been called—because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, so you might follow in his steps.” (1 Pet 2:21)
Observation: One of the tougher subjects for a guy to write about…
Analysis: I wrote about husbands in the first post for today. I felt compelled to write about wives.
When the husband/wife relationship comes up in the church, inevitably there are responses that arise. For husbands, it is exercising authority (and that in a wrong manner/attitude). For wives, it is the so-called mandate for submission, sometimes followed by a “not on your life, I am nobody’s slave” or something familiar (and that carries a wrong attitude).
I would submit to both husbands and wives, to be negotiated before the Throne separately, that Christ left an example, “suffering” being obedient to the Father, that believers may follow in His example.
That is a mouthful. And, in our rebellious generation, something that we have not been trained to do. I have heard and seen, read, and observed titles on bookshelves, the reinforced idea, “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus…” (Ro 8:2a). But we weren’t set free to be free FROM Jesus: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba!! Father!!’” (Ro 8:15)
Therefore, the issue is, “Do I take a chance and believe, have faith in God for what He wants a wife to be, or shall I protect myself from possibly being taken advantage of? Of possibility not doing what I want to do? What if I am more capable than my husband? Shall I be subservient or fake subserviency?”
These are many questions that need navigation. I am sure there are more— but the baseline is always my desire to be a disciple and to embrace my calling as it is laid out in the Scriptures.
Once upon a time, a woman asked me these same questions. My answer? “I don’t have an answer at this time that doesn’t sound self-serving. But what I can do is point you to the Word of God: Look for yourself, what does God say for a wife to do, to be like—as well as all the things that men and women, husbands and wives share FROM THE SCRIPTURES in the pursuit of God?”
Prayer: Father, there isn’t a shortcut, is there to become a married couple after your own heart. It’s weird: each man and wife have a mandate to follow you fervently all our days; to become individually a person of your heart, and then, as a married couple, that corporately as well.
Each married couple is a microcosmic example of the Church: Astounding!
Help all who read this today, to cherish that picture, to embrace it, for it is the small representation that causes the angels of heaven to wonder what God has done?
Create revival in me, O God.
AMEN