Page 62 - Family Life Student Textbook

1 Peter 3:1–6 “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. Your
beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the
wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the
unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For
this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn
themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed
Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do
not give way to fear.”

“Fitting in the Lord” describes the Christian wife’s duty. “As to the Lord” describes the Christian wife’s
mindset. Not as if he is the Lord, but submit to the Lord by submitting to your husband. Think of it this way.
“Lord, I am submitting to my husband in order to be submissive to You.” Imagine looking in the face of Jesus
as you look over your husband’s shoulder. Say to the Lord, “Lord, even though I don’t feel like submitting to
my husband, I will do so because I love you. I am doing this for you.” When you submit to your husband,
you are really submitting to God.

Submit to your husband “in everything”.

Ephesians 5:24 “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their
husbands in everything.”

1 Peter 3:1–4 “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. Your
beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the
wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the
unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Unconditional submission does not allow the wife to pick and choose the areas in which she chooses to
submit. The Bible commands her to submit to her husband in everything.

But, are there some areas in which a wife should not submit to her husband? Believers may have different
answers to this question. I believe the Bible teaches that the wife’s submission does not include the
immoral. Don't break the law of God because your husband asks you to do so. Simply respectfully say, “I am
not trying to resist you, but I must obey God.”

Submission does not include the illegal. Don't break the law of the land. Again, the wife should retain the
attitude of submission to her husband but tell him that she cannot break the laws of land which God
commanded her to obey.

Submission may include the heart breaking, but not the life threatening. A wife should not be counseled to
continue to live with a husband who is physically abusive. She should be counseled to separate from him for
her own protection.

But this leaves many areas of a wife's life where she may disagree with the choice of her husband but does
not have biblical grounds to refuse to submit her will to his instruction. When you struggle to trust your
husband, you can always trust your God.

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