Pastor David B. Curtis
Pastor David B. Curtis
| Media #1,256 |  |
 |
Good morning, Bereans. We are continuing our study of 1 Peter this morning with chapter 3 which is a continuation of the subject that begins in 2:12. The point of the whole section of exhortation is that we as Christians are to live in such a way that our exemplary lives will stop the mouths of those who criticize our faith. The entire section on Christian lifestyle falls under the heading of 2:12—"Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable."
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12 ESV
How believers live and react to the common struggles of life are loud witnesses to all who know them. Christians need to maintain a reputation so that there is absolutely no reason for people to criticize and condemn them. People may criticize and condemn believers anyway, but it will be unjustified.
Look at verse 13.
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 1 Peter 2:13-14 ESV
The words, "be subject," are from the Greek word hupotasso which was used as military term to describe soldiers submitting to their superior or slaves submitting to their masters. The word has primarily the idea of giving up one's own right or will. The present tense of the verb hupotasso calls for a continual practice of willingness to be under the order established by God.
Here the submission is to be to emperors and governors. The ultimate purpose for such submission is to silence their ignorant slander and to glorify God.
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 1 Peter 2:15 ESV
Believers, our good conduct is to silence our critics. The next use of submission is directed to slaves.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 1 Peter 2:18 ESV
Slaves are to be subject even to the unjust masters. With this in mind, Peter begins his discussion about suffering unjustly. When believers endure unjust suffering, they give grace to God; they honor and glorify Yahweh. Peter uses Yeshua as an example of enduring unjust suffering.
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21 ESV
Christ was sinless, and although he always lived a righteous life, he suffered unjustly. Christians are to follow his example.
In chapter 3, Peter deals with wives and their submission to their own husbands. Again, the main issue is the believer's testimony before the lost. Remember that we saw earlier in our study that Christians were accused of being a threat to public order (i.e., they were said to be revolutionaries who were inciting slaves and women to rebel).
Christians were falsely accused of great crimes in the early church. The early Christians were accused of cannibalism. They were accused of incest because they loved each other. They were accused of atheism because they wouldn't worship the Emperors or the Roman gods and because their God was invisible. They were accused of treason because they would not serve in the army or pledge allegiance to Caesar. So, it was very important that they "kept their conduct among the Gentiles honorable."
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 1 Peter 3:1 ESV
We saw in our study last week that wives are commanded in Scripture to submit to their husbands. But Peter gives a unique reason for this subjection. He presents us with the scenario of a wife, who probably got saved after she was married, who finds herself married to an unbeliever. This is a discussion of a type of mixed marriage in that a Christian has a non-Christian partner. That's the context here.
In every sphere of ancient civilization, women had no rights at all. Under Jewish law, a woman was a thing. She was owned by her husband in exactly the same way as he owned his sheep and his goats. On no account, could she leave him, although he could dismiss her at any moment. For a wife to change her religion while her husband did not was unthinkable. In Greek civilization, the duty of the woman was "to remain indoors and to be obedient to her husband." It was the sign of a good woman that she must see as little, hear as little, and ask as little as possible.
Under Roman law, a woman had no rights. In essence, she remained forever a child. When she was under her father, she was under the patria potestas (i.e., the father's power). This gave the father the right even of life and death over her. When she married, she passed equally into the power of her husband. She was entirely subject to her husband and completely at his mercy.
The Roman Cato wrote: "If you were to catch your wife in an act of infidelity, you can kill her with impunity without a trial."
What a contrast with Christianity which commands husbands to love their wives unconditionally!
Roman matrons were prohibited from, among other things, drinking wine. Egnatius beat his wife to death when he found her doing so. Sulpicius Gallus dismissed his wife because she had once appeared in the streets without a veil, and Antistius Vetus divorced his wife because he saw her secretly speaking to a freed woman in public.
The whole attitude of ancient civilization was that no woman could dare make any decision for herself. What, then, must have been the problems of the wife who became a Christian while her husband remained faithful to the ancestral gods? It is almost impossible for us to realize what life must have been for the wife who was brave enough to become a Christian.
In that society, if a husband became a Christian, the wife would dutifully accept it since she had no mind of her own. But when a woman, who was viewed as not much more than a slave or an animal, became a Christian independently of her husband, she was viewed as being insubordinate. Thus, the conversion of women was a culturally explosive situation. In that society, a woman was expected to accept her husband's religion.
Scripture is clear that believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14 ESV
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:39 ESV
Believers are only to marry believers. Peter was most likely writing to women who had become Christians after marriage, but whose husbands were unbelievers.
Let's look at our text.
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 1 Peter 3:1 ESV
This is not a new subject, and it is not a good place for a chapter break. "Likewise"—this is from the Greek adverb (homoios) which means, "likewise, equally, in the same way." In most of the New Testament uses, homoios conveys the sense of "to do likewise."
In the present context, Peter appears to refer to the previous calls to submission. Just as all Christians should submit to the governing authorities (1 Peter 2:13), as slaves should submit to their masters (1 Peter 2:18), and as Christ gave us His perfect example of willing and complete submission (1 Peter 2:21-25), Peter says that wives, in the same way, are to submit to their own husbands. Be submissive in the same way Christ submitted to the Father (2:21-24).
"Wives be subject to your own husband"—this call to submission is a radical concept in our culture and many rebel against Christianity because of it. Today, it's very socially and politically incorrect to suggest the idea of women submitting to their husbands. As a matter of fact, it is anathema to feminists and others in our society. Men are viewed as bumblers incapable of leading, so women should have the right to equal leadership. However, both the Tanakh and New Testament teach that women should be subject to their husbands. Paul says the same thing as Peter did.
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Colossians 3:18 ESV
We see this same teaching in Ephesians 5:22-25; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:12-14; Titus 2:4, 5; 1 Peter 3:1-5. The men who wrote this were all inspired by God. So, the teaching is the inspired requirement of the Creator and Ruler of the universe, regardless of the opinions and desires of human beings.
"Be subject"—what's the Greek word here?It is Hupotasso, which is a military term meaning "to arrange oneself under authority." Hupotasso was used to describe soldiers submitting to their superior or slaves submitting to their masters. The word has primarily the idea of giving up one's own right or will.
The teaching about submission was especially relevant to a first-century married woman who became a follower of Yeshua. She would no doubt wonder whether she should leave her husband. As we noted earlier, in the culture of the ancient world, it was almost unthinkable for a wife to adopt a different religion than her husband.
Paul clearly states that if an unbelieving mate consents to live with a believer, the believer must not initiate a divorce.
To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 ESV
"Should not divorce him"— is a command in the present imperative with a negative implying that such a practice was already going on among the saints at Corinth. Paul commands it to stop. So, if a married woman becomes a Christian and her unbelieving husband wants to remain married to her, she is to stay with him. Now watch the next verse.
For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 1 Corinthians 7:14 ESV
"Holy"—is first word in Greek and thus is emphatic. The first two uses of Holy in this verse are from the Greed verb hagiazō and the third use is the adjective hagios. What does Paul mean by "the unbelieving husband is made holy"? How can an unbeliever be holy? Look at how Paul opens this book.
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Yeshua, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Yeshua Christ, both their Lord and ours: 1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV
Here "sanctified is hagiazō and "saints" is hagios. These are the same two words us in 7:14. Here in verse 2, both of these words are used of believers. Is Paul saying people became believers by being married to a believer? No, Paul calls them unbelievers.
For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 1 Corinthians 7:14 ESV
Paul writes in verse 16 that an unbeliever might be saved through the witness of a Christian spouse. That, in and of itself, proves that simply being married to a believer does not automatically bring eternal salvation to a non-Christian.
The meaning of holy, saint, sanctification, holiness is "set apart." Holy was used of clothing in the Tanakh.
And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. Exodus 28:2 ESV
The believers in Corinth were set apart in Christ Yeshua. The unbelievers who were married to believers were set apart for blessing. Paul is not saying that the wife or the children become holy in character as were the believers in Corinth, but, rather, that they were separated in a sense from unholy influences and were exposed to the "holy" influences of the believer. In the absence of a believer in a household, the sole influence would be the unholiness of the world system.
Bakerwrites that "In 1 Corinthians 7:14, Paul shows that he viewed the marriage union inversely from the ways pagans or Jews viewed it. One rotten apple does not automatically spoil the one next to it. Rather than believing that the purity of the marriage is contaminated by the unbelieving partner, Paul believed the purity of the marriage was enhanced by the believing partner."
This is a powerful passage dealing with the influence committed Christians can have on those in their sphere of influence. I grew up in a non-Christian home. But my Christian grandmother lived with us. Many times, when I passed her bedroom, I would see her on her knees praying. She had a profound influence on me and my siblings, and we all became Christians. After I was saved, my mother and father both trusted Christ.
Let me share a poem with you that I wrote for my grandmother's funeral.
"THANK YOU BUBBA"
IN A WORLD FILLED WITH DARKNESS,
YOU SHOWED ME THE LIGHT.
YOU REMINDED ME OF GOD'S PRESENCE,
AS YOU PRAYED FOR ME EACH NIGHT.
I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER,
YOU ON YOUR KNEES.
YOU LIVED SACRIFICIALLY,
ALWAYS TRYING TO PLEASE.
I WASN'T VERY APPRECIATIVE,
OF YOU IN MY TEENS.
I WAS YOUNG, AND COCKY,
AND LIVED FOR MY OWN MEANS.
YOUR FAITHFUL LOVE,
HAS AFFECTED ME THROUGH THE YEARS.
AS I REMEMBER ALL YOU DID FOR ME,
I HAVE TO CHOKE BACK THE TEARS.
I WISH WHILE YOU WERE WITH US,
I WOULD HAVE SAID THANK YOU MORE OFTEN.
FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND YOUR SERVICE,
MY HEART THEY DID SOFTEN.
THANK YOU, DEAR GRANDMOTHER,
FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE.
THE LORD USED YOUR LIFE,
AND MY HEART HE HAS WON.
Back to 1 Corinthians, Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians that if the unbelieving partner wants out of the marriage, you are to let them go.
But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. 1 Corinthians 7:15 ESV
So, as long as your unbelieving spouse wants to stay married, the believer is to stay with him/her.
Back to our text. A wife's submission is a powerful expression of her trust in God. Accepting her husband's leadership is not a statement of a wife's inferiority. Both partners are equally valuable before God. Wayne Grudem writes, "Thus the command to wives to be subject to their husbands should never be taken to imply inferior personhood or spirituality, or lesser importance."
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Yeshua. Galatians 3:28 ESV
They are not inferior in spirituality. They are not inferior in giftedness. They are not inferior in any way period. They have been simply given a role that puts them in the place of submission to a headship which is residing in their husband.
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV
The hierarchy here is God, Christ, man, and woman. God and the Messiah are equally divine, but there is a subordination of function. So, too, man and woman are spiritually equal, but one ranks above the other in function.
So, when Peter says, "wives, be subject to your own husbands," he means simply submission and not inferiority. It does not suggest in any way that the woman is inferior to the man, but rather, that she has a certain relationship for a specific purpose.
We see that there is no inferiority in submission in the previous context, which is a reference to Christ:
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23 ESV
Yeshua was cruelly and unjustly treated, and he submitted to it.
"So that even if some do not obey the word"—this is a hina purpose clause ("so that") which states the theological purpose for a wife's submission.
This is a first-class condition in the Greek which means it's a reality. It could be translated "since they do not obey the Word" because it assumes that that is the case.
"Do not obey the word"—the Greek word used here for "do not obey" is apeitheo. The leading Greek Lexicon of the New Testament by Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, and Danker makes a very insightful comment about apeitheo: "Since in the view of the early Christians, the supreme disobedience was a refusal to believe their Gospel, apeitheo may be restricted in some passages to the meaning "disbelieve, be an unbeliever" (BAGD, p.82).
Apeitheo is a present active indicative, which implies continual unbelief. This indicates that this is their lifestyle. The way they carry on their life is in continual disobedience against God!
"The Word"—is logos which is a metaphor for Apostolic preaching of the gospel. Believers are born again by the word (1 Peter 1:23). They are to desire the spiritual or sincere milk of the word (1 Peter 2:2).
"They may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives"—Peter gives here a reason for the wife's submission to her husband that is not found elsewhere in Scripture. "Won"—is the Greek word kerdainō which means, "to gain, acquire, to get gain, to profit." It is used of salvation in 1 Corinthians 9.
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 1 Corinthians 9:19-20 ESV
The natural goal of a believing wife is the salvation of her family.
Kerdainō has been understood by most interpreters to refer to the spiritual conversion of an unsaved husband. However, it seems legitimate to apply what Peter wrote to wives to disobedient Christian husbands as well.
"Without a word by the conduct of their wives"—the Christian wife is exhorted to be in subjection to her unsaved husband in order that he might be won to Christ without a word but by the behavior of the wife. His point was simply that a godly wife's conduct is going to be more influential than anything that she might say.
Without a word does not however mean "without the Word of God." There is no definite article before the second use of the word "word." One of the principles of hermeneutics is to determine carefully the meaning of words. So, in this text, the word "word" is used in two different senses. The first use of "word" is a reference to the gospel and the second use of "word" refers to the words of the wife.
No one has ever been won to the Lord Yeshua apart from the Word of God because salvation comes through the Word.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. John 5:24 ESV
Back in 1 Peter 1:23 he says,
since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 1 Peter 1:23 ESV
Salvation comes through the Word. What he is saying here is that they may be won without a word not without The Word. They can only be won with The Word. But from the wife's viewpoint, it is more important what she is than what she says? Peter's point was simply that a godly wife's conduct is going to be more influential than anything that she might say.
Solomon said it 3,000 years ago, and it's still true,
A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. Proverbs 19:13 ESV
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. Proverbs 21:9 ESV
Nagging will drive your husband crazy, but it won't drive him to Christ.
When they see your respectful and pure conduct. 1 Peter 3:2 ESV
The word "see" here is epopteuō which means, "to look upon, view attentively." This term was used of eyewitnesses. Peter used it three times in his letters. Believers' lives are on display.
"Respectful"—is phobos. Because Peter's uses "fear" in the preceding context to refer to reverence toward God (2:17, 18), I take it that way here. The idea is that a godly wife will live in the fear of God. When we truly fear the Lord, we will recognize that He is the Creator, and we are the creatures. God's power of creation should cause all the earth to fear the Lord and stand in awe of Him. He is the Master, and we are the servants. He is the Father, and we are the children. This attitude will manifest itself in our having a respect for God and in our having a desire to do what He tells us to in His Bible.
"Pure conduct"—is hagnos which means purity. It is used in the New Testament to refer to abstaining from sin (1 Timothy 5:22). John uses this word when he tells us to purify ourselves just as Yeshua is pure (1 John 3:3).
Just as the biblical principle of subjection to the husband as the leader of the family is largely lost as a virtue of women in our society, so is the concept of purity. This word is quite similar in meaning to our modern word "modest." It refers to the idea of purity and decency such that one avoids the impropriety of being sexually suggestive.
God's plan is that wives impact their husbands not through persuasive lectures, but through godly submission, pure conduct, and the fear of God.
Peter does not advise the wife to leave her heathen husband. Peter does not tell her to insist that there is no difference between slave and freeman, Gentile and Jew, male and female, but that all are the same in the presence of the Christ whom she has come to know. Peter wants the Christian women to win their husbands by a life of reverence and purity expressed in a submissive attitude that honors him as the head of the home.
According to 3:3, submission is demonstrated in hairstyle, clothing, and jewelry.
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—1 Peter 3:3 ESV
"Do not let your adorning be external"—the term "adorning" is a unique usage of the term, kosmos. This is the word from which we get the English word "cosmetic." For the godly woman, outward adornment is always in moderation, and her emphasis is always on inward adornment. This is an emphasis on the inner qualities of a believer, not a prohibition against all cultural adornment.
"The braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear"—All of these refer to the expensive and elaborate hair and clothing fashions of the women in Greco-Roman first-century society. According to William Barclay, in the world Peter lived, women often arranged and dyed their hair. They also wore wigs, especially blonde wigs made with hair imported from Germany.
Today we need to consider not just the length or cut of the hair but also the choice of clothing style and whether the emphasis is upon drawing men's eyes to the figure by accentuating the curves of the body. Don't misunderstand what I am saying. Men have a responsibility to behave honorably towards women, but the men of the world have no heart to do that. A woman of God who knows the weakness of men in this area but who still dresses in a way that encourages their attention is in sin.
A woman's clothing should not be sexually suggestive. It should be pure. The beauty of the inner person of the heart that has a meek and quiet spirit is precious to God. This should be the emphasis and not hair, gold, or apparel. Emphasis should be on character and not on outward appearance.
but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:4 ESV
Our society idolizes the so-called "beautiful people." The youthful faces of popular entertainers and models dominate the pages of the magazines at the supermarket checkout. But such attractiveness has nothing to do with the kind of beauty that delights the heart of God.
"But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart"—this refers to the new person after salvation. The New covenant has given a new heart and spirit (cf. Ezek. 36:22-38).
"With the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit"— Imperishable is from the Greek aphthartos which comes from "a" (which negates what follows and phtheiro (to corrupt). The meaning is that nothing can corrupt or ruin, not liable to pass away, not subject to corruption, decay or dissolution and so imperishable. Absolutely nothing can ruin your eternal inheritance, beloved. In secular Greek, aphthartos described something that had not been ravaged by an invading army.
The meek and quiet spirit in the heart is imperishable. In other words, it is the true beauty that is not put on but is inherent. It is not an earthly, bodily, outward thing but is inherent in the soul. The inner beauty of a godly woman is incorruptible. This means that it does not decay or get worse with age. Instead, incorruptible beauty only gets better with age.
The first term praus (meek, gentle) is actually one of the hardest words to translate in the Greek. It was used of a wild horse that had been broken and now was tamed. It means "power under control." It is used to describe Yeshua in Matthew 11:29. "Gentle" is the opposite of pride, but especially of self-will. A meek person is willing to submit to the will of others, and a meek wife will submit to the will of her husband. Peter pictures a woman who is in control of her emotions and her actions.
The second term, hēsuchios or hēsuchia, is used several times in Paul's writings to describe believers as quiet, tranquil, peaceful, or restful.
Peter described the character of true beauty as a gentle and quiet spirit. These character traits are not promoted for women by our culture, yet they are very precious in the sight of God.
"Which in God's sight is very precious." Man looks on the outward but God looks at the heart and what is precious to Him is a gentle and quiet spirit.
For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 1 Peter 3:5 ESV
It all comes back to trust in God; so she should be like the holy women who trusted in God. "Being submissive" is the general theme of this entire context.
as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 1 Peter 3:6 ESV
Peter held up Sarah as an example, not because she submitted to "Abraham" even to the point of sinning (which she did in Genesis 12 and 20), but because she submitted to him. She even called him her "lord." By the way, "calling him" is in the present participle, present tense and conveys that idea that she was constantly calling him lord and was constantly in submission to him.
So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?" Genesis 18:12 ESV
We see her attitude of respect in the way she spoke to Abraham. The point is that Sarah verbally expressed her submission to him in a way that was appropriate in her culture. Women who behave as Sarah did show that they are "her children" in spirit.
Ruth addressed Boaz saying,
Then she said, "I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants." Ruth 2:13 ESV
Proper submission doesn't require addressing your husband as lord. But the principle is of submission that is reflected by the wife's speech. The tone of your voice and the words you speak reflect whether you respect your husband and are in submission to him or whether you're in a power struggle against him.
Sarah is a model. She's a model that you ought to look like. She's a model that you ought to pattern your life after.
"She obeyed Abraham"—"obey" is referring to the submission of women to their husbands. Proper submission includes obedience. Proper submission does not involve outwardly following the husband's decision pouting, nagging, and generally making the husband's life miserable.
"And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening"—Some say that because Sarah went along with Abraham's sinful schemes to pawn her off as his sister that women should obey their husband in everything.
When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake." Genesis 12:11-13 ESV
Because of this, some say that wives should obey their husbands even when they're told to do something sinful. But that would be a violation of the higher principle that we must obey God rather than men.
But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29 ESV
Peter's words, "if you do good," show that he is not justifying sinful behavior on the part of a wife in the name of submission to a disobedient husband.
Submission involves at least four things. First, it begins with walking in the Spirit, Submission is, in fact, a by-product of a Spirit-controlled life. The focus of our life must be on Yeshua. Second, submission requires respectful behavior (1 Peter 3:1-2). Nagging is not respectful behavior. Third, submission involves the development of a godly character 1 Peter 3:3-5). Fourth, submission includes doing what is right (1 Peter 3: 6). It does not include violating other Scriptural principles. Submission is imperative for oneness in marriage.
Peter's concern is that the church not be known for its production of rebellious wives who have an attitude of superiority but, rather, of women who know that God will reward them and set everything right and who demonstrate the virtue of gentle submission where Christianly possible.
When the world looks at the Christian marriage, they should see the gospel. The wife submits to the husband as the church submits to Christ. The husband, instead of being lethargic or oppressive, actively caters to the spiritual needs of his wife. When the Christian home operates like this, people see the beauty of the gospel.
| Continue the Series |