“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own 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.” 1 Peter 3:1
Here Peter brings up something that most people do not like to hear. Very few people like to be told to submit to anybody. In today’s society women are taught to stand on their own and be their own person in charge of their own lives. Peter is saying something very different: he tells the wives to submit to their husbands.
The interesting thing to note here is that this submission is not just to a good Christian husband. This submission is even to an unbelieving harsh husband. The first thing many women will say is how are they supposed to submit to an unbelieving husband. Remember that you are told to obey all those in authority, with no regard to their belief in God or not. It is the same with the wife. She is to submit to her husband no matter whether he believes in God or not.
Along with this submission, however, comes her responsibility to live a pure and reverent life. She is to live a holy life unto God. While she is living a holy life everything that she does is to be done as unto God. As she is submitting to her husband, she needs to look at that as submitting unto God Himself. This is not saying her husband is God, just the view as if she were doing it for God.
**For you men reading this, this is not giving you permission to demand submission or to lord over her. Later the husband shall be dealt with.**
In the wife living this type of life, Peter tells you that you may win an unbelieving husband over to the Lord. Your goal should be to serve God and build His kingdom; this may be one way to do so.
Today all the wives reading this need seek God in living a holy life. Then you need to seek God on how to submit to your husband. Ask God to help you do all that you do as unto Him for His glory.
I pray for all wives today that God will draw you closer to Him; help you to live the pure and holy life He wants you to live; that God will give you the strength to submit to your husband; that God will bless you abundantly for your submission; and that God will draw your husband closer to Him through you.
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