1 Peter 3:1
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

Now Peter comes a bit closer to home. He was dealing with Gentiles in the previous chapter, and governments and masters. But now it is husband and wife.

First the wife:

• Be in subjection to the husband.
• If the husband does not obey the word (whether they are Christian or not), the wife can have a powerful influence just by how they life – their conversation which means behaviour.

“subjection to your own husbands”

• We have already seen submission in 1 Peter.
• 1 Peter 2:13
  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
• 1 Peter 2:18
  Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
• We know this subjection does not mean just blindly following everything they say and not having any will of our own.
• So wives, as they subject themselves to the husband, just as we would not obey the law of the land if it went against the law of God, so it should be with the wife to the husband.

“the conversation of the wives”

• Notice, the wife does not need to quote scripture to the husband. She doesn’t need to give him a bible study. He can be won without the word.
• What the husband needs to see is the godly and holy behaviour of the wife.
• Where else has Peter spoken about the conversation?
• 1 Peter 1:15
  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
  • How can we be holy? If you look back at the commentary on that verse, we need to be sanctified by the Spirit, we need to be born again of the word of God.
  • So the word needs to be implanted into the life of the wife if she wishes to win her husband over to the Lord. She needs to be born again!
• 1 Peter 1:18-19
  18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
  • The wife needs to be washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. She needs to have all her sins forgiven!
  • This is a high calling. Because the person you are trying to witness to lives with you. They see all your faults.
  • So they need to see the obvious change in your life as well.
• 1 Peter 2:12
  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
  • Our behaviour needs to be honest amongst the Gentiles.
  • If the people of the world cannot see that we are holy and honest and good and righteous, what hope do we have with our husbands? They must be able to see our good works.

1 Peter 3:2
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

What must the husbands see?

• A chaste conversation coupled with fear.
• Chaste means innocent, modest, perfect, clean and pure.
  • That is the high standard that God sets for every person in the home.

Where else has Peter written about fear?

• It is the Greek word “phobos.” Which is where we get the word phobia from.
• Do we need to be on edge when we are at home around our husbands? This is normally the time that we can most be ourselves. However, if any of us find ourselves in an unequally yoked marriage, then we must walk with fear. We must be careful.
• The word fear also means to have reverence for one’s husband. The husband must see that he is reverences or respected.
• 1 Peter 1:17
  And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
• 1 Peter 2:18
  Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
• Both these verses seem to imply that we must be extra careful.
  • Since we know that God judges without respect, let’s be extra careful.
  • Since we are the servant of a master, let’s also be extra careful.
• 1 Peter 3:15
  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
  • In this verse Peter points out that we need to be ready always with an answer with meekness and fear.
  • Of course we need not be afraid. But somehow fear is connected with readiness.
• So in the similar manner, the wife should always be ready with her actions, her conversation, to be a blessing to the husband.

1 Peter 3:3
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

It is not the outward that matters.

• Women like to dwell on the outward, but the beautifying of the face and body is not going to bring the husband one step closer to the kingdom of heaven.
• Where must the focus be?

1 Peter 3:4
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

It is the hidden man of the heart. It is the inside qualities of the character that matter more.

• So even though the conversation is actions, it is outward. Yet Peter says that it is the inside heart that will affect the needed outward change that will make a positive impact on the husband.

What about the inward heart though?

• A meek and quiet spirit.

Let’s have a look at meekness first.

• Numbers 12:3
  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
• Moses was considered a meek man. He learnt to have great love for the children of Israel even though they accused him so much of their troubles. He would pray for them and intercede for them.
• Matthew 11:28-29
  28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
• Jesus was meek. And if we wish to be meek, we must go to Him and learn of Him. We can learn of Him through His word, the scriptures.
• That’s why we need to be born of the word of God that lives and abides forever.

What is common about Moses and Jesus?

• They were both accused and hated for the good things that they had done.
• Remember what we have seen in 1 Peter already?
• 1 Peter 2:20
  For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
• Peter seems to imply that if the wife is going to win the husband to the Lord, she will go through this experience. And she will need to learn to take it patiently.

1 Peter 3:5
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:

The holy women in the old times also were the same way. They adorned the inner man of the heart with meekness and quietness and were in subjection to their own husbands.

• This gives us a great insight into the women of the Bible. Though they are not mentioned much by name, but we know that every great man had a God-fearing wife who was instrumental in their change as well.

1 Peter 3:6
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

The lives of Sara and Abraham are brought up here.

• Seems like Sarah was instrumental in the success and blessedness of Abraham to the whole world.
• He was the father of faith. But she was the powerful influence in the home that helped him to be holy as well.
• Though we are called the seed of Abraham, the women who can live those Godly and holy lives are considered the daughters of Sara. But what is the prerequisite to be called that?
  • You must do well.

1 Peter 3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

In the same way, there is a part for the husband as well.

• But this is a good husband, a Christian husband. We know because at the end of the verse he prays.
• But what else?
• Dwell with them according to knowledge.
• And give honour to the wife.

How to dwell together according to knowledge?

• 2 Peter 1:5
  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
• In order to have that knowledge, we need to have faith and virtue.
• 2 Peter 3:18
  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
• The knowledge that we should have is the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
• So if we are dwell with them with knowledge, it is to live with them just as Jesus would. To love them just as Jesus would love them. To honour them just as Jesus would honour them.

“giving honour unto the wife”

• So just as the wife is in subjection, the husband must be careful to honour the wife, to give respect to her. He is not take advantage of her submission to him.

“the grace of life”

• This is the gift of eternal life. Somehow the eternal destiny of the wife can be affected by the husband and vice versa.

“that your prayers be not hindered”

• Peter seems to allude to the fact that if the husband cannot honour his wife, if he cannot be a good husband, then no matter what prayer he prays, it will not be answered. His religion is vain if he cannot be a good husband.

1 Peter 3:8-9
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Peter then concludes and asks us all to be of one mind. Who is the all?

• The Christian’s in general. But it is before those that are not Christian.
• To those that live before Gentiles.
• Submitting to the government.
• As servants to the masters.
• And husbands and wives.

We must have one mind. How? We must be born again. We must have the word of God abiding in us. We must have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:2).

But what is the fruit of this one mind, of this unity?

• Having compassion one of another.
  • To be sympathetic to others.
• Love as brethren.
  • We must learn to love them like our own family.
• Be pitiful.
  • That means to have compassion as well.
• Be courteous.
  • To be kind.
• Not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing.
  • Not repaying people back with the same evil deed that they did to us – whether in act or through our tongue.

We would not be able to do any of that if our hearts and minds are not transformed first. If we aren’t born again. If we aren’t sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Sadly, many of us try to do this in our own effort. But this is a spiritual work. The success of a family is dependent on our connection with Christ and with His word. Christian’s blaspheme the name of Christ to the Gentiles because of our lack of connection with the true vine.

1 Peter 3:10
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

The only other place that life is mentioned in 1 Peter is earlier in this chapter.

• 1 Peter 3:7
  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
• This life is referring to eternal life.
• But in context, the life mentioned here in this verse seems to point to the life that we live on earth. It could be eternal life.
• But either way, if we are to see good days in this life or in the future immortal life, what do we need to be careful of?
• We need to be careful with our tongue in what we say. We must make sure that we speak no guile.
• This sounds like the 144,000 in Revelation.
• Revelation 14:5
  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
• So 1 Peter is a message for the 144,000 in how to prepare for the end times.

1 Peter 3:11
Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

This sounds a bit like Job.

• Job 1:1
  There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
• So if we want to learn to be like Job, then study the epistle Peter.

We must do good, seek peace and pursue it.

1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

God watches over the righteous. Who are the righteous according to 1 Peter?

• Those that hate evil. Those that do good.
• Those that speak good and not evil. They speak no guile.
• 1 Peter has told us so far up to this point how we can be righteous.
• To be sanctified by the Spirit.
• To be born again.
• To be born of God’s word and grow in the word.

God’s ears are open to their prayers. What caused our prayers from being hindered?

• 1 Peter 3:7 – if the husband does not honour the wife.
• So righteousness can be seen in how husband treats wife and how wife treats husband.
• We can know if we are righteous or not.

Peter quoted from Psalms 34:12-16.

1 Peter 3:13
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

To be followers of that which is good is to be a follower of God. We have the assurance of God’s watch care over us if we are righteous.

• So when Peter asks who will harm us, the answer is obvious. No one can. God is more than able to keep us from any harm.

1 Peter 3:14
But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

However, if we do suffer because of righteousness’ sake, we can be happy. Why?

• Because God had a reason to allow that harm and suffering to come on us.
• We don’t need to be afraid or troubled.
• So the reason that many do get troubled is because they don’t know if God is with them or not. They don’t know if God hears their prayers or not. They aren’t righteous.
• Most likely the suffering came because of their evil deeds. And so they are afraid and troubled.

1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

What does it mean to sanctify the Lord God in your hearts?

• This is quoted from Isaiah 8:13.
• Isaiah 8:13
  Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
• If we have the fear of God in our hearts, we will sanctify Him. We will be ready to reverence Him and consecrate ourselves to Him.
• And that is more than just living a righteous life. It is connected to the rest of the verse.

How to know we truly fear God and reverence Him?

• We must be ready to give an answer of the hope that is within us.
• Where else have we seen hope in 1 Peter?
• 1 Peter 1:3
  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  • To have a lively hope, we must be begotten of God. We must be born again.
• 1 Peter 1:21
  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
  • Our hope must be centered on God and also the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
• So a sanctified life is always ready to share about our blessed hope.

1 Peter 3:16
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

“Having a good conscience”

• The word conscience means moral consciousness. We must be aware of what is good and what is bad. A good conscience is to have a conscience that is void of offence.
• But why is it important to have a good conscience?
• Because there will be people that will “speak evil of you” as if you have done something wrong.
• What are they speaking evil of? Of you good conversation, your good behaviour.
• Our good behaviour will put to shame those that speak evil of you. And they are speaking it falsely. It will be through our actions that we will be able to prove their accusations wrong.

1 Peter 3:17
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

It will always be better to suffer for doing what is right rather than suffering because we did something wrong.

• When we suffer for righteousness sake, then we are in the same category as Jesus.
• But when we suffer for doing something evil or wrong, then we are just like the rest of the world.
• To suffer for righteousness sake is proof to ourselves that we are in the will of God, that we are sanctified and that we are born again.

1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Christ also went through the same suffering. What was that?

• The just for the unjust.
• He was righteous and innocent. He didn’t do anything wrong. But yet He suffered for us.
• Why?

There is a purpose for this suffering. What is it?

• So that He could bring us to God. It was for the salvation for others.
• So in the same way, the suffering that we go through unjustly, we must have a bigger picture of just self. It is for the sake of others. That we might have a chance to bring others to Christ.
• The suffering of the reformers and martyrs in the dark ages – where one died, 10 sprang up. The blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church.
• The suffering and death of Stephen in Acts 7 resulted in the conversion of Paul.
• The suffering of the three Hebrew boys in going through the fiery furnace contributed to the conversion of Nebuchadnezzar.
• God has reasons for our suffering, especially our unjust suffering. There is a purpose behind it.

The people that Peter was addressing in this epistle must have been going through some sort of suffering.

• 1 Peter 1:7 spoke of the trials of their faith.
• Soon Peter is going to tell them:
  • 1 Peter 4:12
    Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
  • Don’t think it strange for the fiery trial that you are going through. Don’t be surprised!
• 1 Peter 3:14
  But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.
  • We should be happy when we suffer for righteousness’ sake.
• 1 Peter 2:20
  For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
  • We should take patiently the suffering that comes when we do well.

And we ought not to fear anything. Why?

• Just like Christ, though He was put to death in the flesh, He was later quickened (made alive, resurrected) by the Spirit.
• We have the promise of resurrection in the future. We have nothing to fear.

1 Peter 3:19-20
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Upon reading this text, it may seem to suggest that Christ went and preached to some people in prison between His death and His resurrection.

• However, this goes against the understanding and belief of what the Bible teaches about when a person dies.
• This is definitely a difficult Bible passage to dissect.

“By which”

• This refers to the Holy Spirit, not Jesus, who is mentioned just in the previous verse.
• So it is through the Holy Spirit that Christ has preached to spirits in prison.
• But who are those in prison? It is referring to those in Noah’s time as he is mentioned in verse 20. The Holy Spirit didn’t go back in time, but rather He was also there preaching to the antediluvians, assisting Noah while he was preaching before the flood.

The word “spirits” here does not simply refer to literal spirit or ghost.

• It can also mean mental disposition, the rational soul, mind.
• So it can be referring to actual people.

“By which also”

• The Holy Spirit has many roles. It was through the Spirit of God that Jesus was resurrected from the dead (verse 18) and it was also through the Spirit that the truth was preached in the days of Noah (verse 19-20).

“Which sometime were disobedient”

• This word disobedient has come up several times already in the book of 1 Peter.
• 1 Peter 2:7-8
  7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
  • It is mentioned 2 times here.
  • So the disobedient in the times of Noah also stumbled at the word as those during Christ’s time.
  • The problem was not so much the event – a flood that was coming that no one had ever seen before. But rather it was the word.
• 1 Peter 3:1
  Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.
  • The words “obey not” is the same as disobedient.
  • So the disobedient husband is equated to those who lived back in the times of Noah as well.

But why else is Noah brought up?

• Could it be that Peter is relating to the fact that there were so few saved, only eight saved in the ark?
• That so many were lost during those times. And it would be a parallel to our time as well.
• But notice that in verse 20 that it says specifically how they were saved. They were saved by water.
• Why is this brought up? Let’s keep reading.

1 Peter 3:21
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

“The like figure”

• Noah’s time was to represent, to be a figure or antitype, to us to the need of getting baptized. And how this is salvational?
• But so far we haven’t been looking at any literal water baptism. We have been looking a lot at born again. And yes water baptism is part of that. But we need to be born of the Spirit as well (John 3:5)

What is the importance of baptism?

• It’s not simply to put away the filth of the flesh. It’s not just washing away our sin.
• God also wants us to have a good conscience as well. To be cleansed in our minds so that we don’t keep going back to the sins of the past.
• Baptism isn’t simply to just justify us. It is to sanctify us as well.
• Remember we are sanctified by the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2. To be born again it is not just water baptism but also by the Spirit.
• We haven’t seen born of Sprit in 1 Peter though. What we have seen is to be born of the word of God. Can the word cleanse? Definitely.
  • Ephesians 5:26
    That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

“by the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

• Baptism only has significance in the light of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Without Jesus raising from the dead, the baptism would just be dead formalism with no meaning to it.
• We only have hope of a new life in Christ because of Christ’s resurrection.
• 1 Corinthians 15:14
  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
• Without the resurrection of Christ, even our faith would be in vain.

1 Peter 3:22
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Peter wants us to know a few things about Him.

• He is in heaven.
• He is at the right hand of God.
• Angels and authorities and powers are subject to Him. They are under obedience to Him or submissive to Him.

Why does Peter describe these characteristics?

• Speaking about being in heaven and at the right hand of God, immediately a few verses come to mind.
• Hebrews 4:14
  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
• Hebrews 8:1
  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
• Usually we relate this to Jesus being high priest.
• But what does Him being a high priest have to do with angels, authorities and powers being subject to Him? That sounds more like His authority as a king rather than a priest.
• Why is Peter magnifying the power and authority of Jesus?
• The suffering that we will go through, we must remember that Christ is still in control. He allows certain trials to come upon us. He allows certain people to persecute for a reason.
• And even though it seems that sometimes evil triumphs, God still has a perfect plan and reason for it.

So the right hand can be more properly interpreted with a different verse.

• Hebrews 1:3
  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
• Christ sat down at the right hand of God and He has upheld all things by the word of His power.
• And that power is available to us today as well if we are born of the word. All power can be given to us to help us be overcomers.