Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Peter 3

“In the same way” in both v.1 and v.7 points back to 2:13. Christian wives are not to be submissive like slaves; rather, the principle of Christian subjection to God’s will relates to every class and every situation. Rules for wives occur in other locations in the NT (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:9–15; Titus 2:4–5).

The phrase translated “so that” introduces the purpose of the command. Here an evangelistic motivation is added to the general necessity of the divine order. As the Gospel was proclaimed, it was always possible for a wife to be converted before her husband. In such a situation where the man is disobedient to the Gospel message, he may be “won over” (GK 3045) for the faith without a word by the way his wife lives.

The husband will then observe purity of life lived in the “fear” (NIV, “reverence”; GK 5832) of God. Note might be taken here of the mother of Augustine, who eventually led her husband to accept Christ.

The divinely intended manner of life for wives is inward, not outward. Human beings constantly make superficial value judgments (see 1 Samuel 16:7). Many have taken Peter’s words to be an absolute prohibition of any outward adornment. But Peter’s emphasis is not on prohibition but on a proper sense of values.

The “inner self” is the “hidden person of the heart,” or the character of a person. In biblical psychology the “heart” (GK 2840) is the central psychological term and refers to the faculty where a human being relates to God and makes basic decisions (cf. Proverbs 3:5; 4:23; 21:1). The Christian woman is to cultivate an inner disposition (“spirit”; GK 4460) of a “gentle” (lit., meek”; GK 4558; applied to Christ in Mt 11:29) and quiet sort that is imperishable or “unfading.” Today, when the world’s values governed by materialism, self-assertion, and sex obsession are seeping into the church, Peter’s words need to be taken seriously (cf. Isaiah 3:16–24).

The divinely intended manner of life for wives is inward, not outward. Human beings constantly make superficial value judgments (see 1 Samuel 16:7). Many have taken Peter’s words to be an absolute prohibition of any outward adornment. But Peter’s emphasis is not on prohibition but on a proper sense of values.

The “inner self” is the “hidden person of the heart,” or the character of a person. In biblical psychology the “heart” (GK 2840) is the central psychological term and refers to the faculty where a human being relates to God and makes basic decisions (cf. Proverbs 3:5; 4:23; 21:1). The Christian woman is to cultivate an inner disposition (“spirit”; GK 4460) of a “gentle” (lit., meek”; GK 4558; applied to Christ in Mt 11:29) and quiet sort that is imperishable or “unfading.” Today, when the world’s values governed by materialism, self-assertion, and sex obsession are seeping into the church, Peter’s words need to be taken seriously (cf. Isaiah 3:16–24).

Next Peter turns to the OT in support of his exhortation—first broadly and then from the example of Sarah. The major characterization of these women who were “holy” because they were set apart to God was their hope in God. They trusted the promises of God and longed for the messianic salvation (cf. 1:3, 13, 3:15; Hebrews 11:13). In so doing, they were habitually adorning themselves with an inner beauty.

The great model of womanly submission is Sarah, whose respect and obedience to Abraham extended to her speech—she “called him her master.” Such terminology was not uncommon in the ancient world (cf. Genesis 18:12). Peter does not hesitate to apply Sarah’s example to his readers: “You are her daughters if you do what is right.” The norm for wifely conduct should be submission to God and devotion to the development of Christian character. Moreover, wives are “not [to] give way to fear”; their submissive trust in the living God will keep them from undue apprehension.