Yes. We left off ready to begin Going Deeper — 1 Peter 3:1–6. Here is the first page.
GOING DEEPER — 1 PETER 3:1–6
Wives, Submission, and the Beauty God Sees
“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;
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
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.”
— 1 Peter 3:1–4, KJV
This is one of those passages that can sound very different to modern ears than it would have sounded to Peter’s first readers. Before deciding what Peter means, we need to notice where he is in his argument.
“Likewise”
Peter begins with “likewise.” That connects this section with what came before it.
In 2:13, Christians were told to submit to governing authorities. In 2:18, servants were told how to behave under masters—even unjust ones. Then Peter turns to Christian wives.
So this is not an isolated statement about women. It belongs to a larger discussion about how Christians live faithfully when they are not the people holding the power.
That matters.
A Christian Wife With an Unbelieving Husband
Peter specifically mentions husbands who “obey not the word.”
Christianity was spreading through the Roman world, and sometimes a wife became a Christian while her husband did not. That could create a serious problem in a society where the husband normally determined the religion of the household.
What should she do?
Peter does not tell her to abandon Christ. Neither does he tell her to fight for control of the household.
Instead, he says that her conduct may become part of what leads her husband to Christ.
“Won Without a Word”
Peter says the unbelieving husband may be “won by the conversation of the wives.”
The old KJV word “conversation” means conduct or way of life. Peter is not saying that the gospel can be preached without ever telling anyone about Christ. He is describing a husband who has apparently already heard “the word” but has not obeyed it.
Now he watches his wife.
Her life becomes evidence that her faith is real.
There comes a time when another argument may accomplish less than a consistently Christlike life.
Is Peter Forbidding Braided Hair, Jewelry, and Clothing?
Peter writes:
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel.”
If we make this an absolute prohibition against braided hair and jewelry, we immediately encounter a problem: Peter also includes “putting on of apparel.”
Surely Peter is not commanding Christian women not to wear clothes.
His contrast is between outward adornment and the character of the person within.
Peter's point is not:
Never make yourself attractive.
His point is:
Do not make outward appearance the source of your beauty and worth.
God looks deeper.
“The Hidden Man of the Heart”
Peter points instead to:
“the hidden man of the heart.”
Hair changes. Clothing wears out. Jewelry can be lost. Physical beauty fades.
But Peter describes something “not corruptible”—something that does not decay with age.
He calls it:
“a meek and quiet spirit.”
“Meek” does not mean weak. Jesus described Himself as meek (Matthew 11:29). Biblical meekness is strength that does not have to dominate others.
And notice whose judgment finally matters:
“which is in the sight of God of great price.”
The world may place enormous value on outward appearance.
God places great value on character.
What About Sarah Calling Abraham “Lord”?
Peter continues:
“Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.”
— 1 Peter 3:6
Peter is referring to Sarah as an example of the faithful women of old.
But we should not turn one expression into something Peter did not command. He does not tell Christian wives that they must address their husbands as “lord.”
His point is Sarah's attitude of respect and trust.
And anyone who reads Genesis knows that Sarah was hardly a woman without a voice. She spoke. Abraham listened. At one point, God specifically told Abraham to listen to Sarah (Genesis 21:12).
Submission therefore cannot simply mean that a woman never speaks, never questions, or never has a judgment of her own.
What Peter Is—and Is Not—Teaching
Peter is teaching Christian wives how to live faithfully within marriage, including the particularly difficult situation of being married to an unbelieving husband.
He is not telling a woman to abandon Christ for her husband.
He is not saying women are less valuable than men.
He is not saying outward appearance is sinful.
And he certainly is not giving a husband permission to behave however he wishes. In fact, Peter is about to speak directly to husbands in verse 7.
The larger principle reaches beyond marriage:
A Christian's strongest argument is sometimes a life that makes the gospel visible.
That was powerful in Peter's world.
It still is.
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