Lesson Notes:  1 Peter  3:1-6 (NIV based)

TITLE:  Suffering Approach For Godly Wives

INTRO:  How should godly wives respond who have an unbelieving husband that behaves in an ungodly manner?
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READ:  1 Peter 3:1-6, with vv.2:18-25 for context

v.1
“…In the same way” as what?
- - Christ’s example in the previous passage 1 Peter 2:18-25.
- - “submit” = Strong's #5293 “to place under in an orderly fashion; to subordinate”; same Greek word as is used in vv.2:13,18; ‘subordinate’ = (AHD) “subject to the authority or control of another”.

What does this say the wife’s goal should be in resolving her troubled marriage?
- - To win over her husband to godliness (and by extension saving faith in Christ and repenting from his sinful ways);
- - An unbelieving husband can be won over to God without the wife’s words by her respectful submission; by implication this is appealing and attractive to him.

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v.2
"Purity" in what and reverence for what?
- - The wife should possess reverence for both God and her husband.
- - Her submissiveness is to be characterized by purity and reverence.
- - Her husband will see her godly purity and reverence in her life, which over time will become attractive or admirable to him even though at first he may be repulsed by it.
- - Her husband is watching her closely even though he is saying nothing.
- - By implication, her approach to winning him over should be characterized by accommodation, appeasing, vulnerability, agreeability (not arguing or bossy), quietness (v.4), gentleness (v.4), and fearlessness (v.6).
- - Words are no longer effective, but actions, attitudes, and behaviors are - God wants to use this subtle approach to influentially and persuasively reach the husband.

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v.3
Why should the wife's beauty "not come from outward adornment"?
- - Like her use of words, the wife's outer beauty is insufficient and ineffective in spiritually reaching and winning over her husband.
- - But, her inner beauty has potential to greatly impact her husband in moving him toward being spiritually converted.
v.4
- - The quality of inner personality has more lasting value than does her outer beauty.
- - Her “gentle and quiet spirit” dispels the resistance or opposition of the husband to godliness.
- - Both God and the husband find significant or even “great” value in a “gentle and quiet spirit”.
- - “inner” = Strong's #2927 “hidden; concealed; i.e. private”.
- - “self” = Strong's #2588 “heart; i.e. (figuratively) the thoughts or feelings (mind)” and Strong's #0444 “man; man-faced; i.e. a human being”.
- - “unfading beauty” = Strong's #0862 “incorruptible; un-decaying (in essence or continuance).
- - “gentle” = Strong's #4239 “meek; mild, i.e. (by implications) humble”.
- - “quiet” = Strong's #2272 “properly, keeping one’s seat (sedentary), i.e. (by implication) still (undisturbed, undisturbing)".
- - cf. 1 Timothy 2:9-15.

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vv.5-6a 
What instruction is being implied in verse 5?
- - Follow the example of the “holy women of the past” in submission to their husbands to achieve beauty.
- - They walked by hope in God, a result of their faith.
- - The example of Sarah is worthy to be noted here because she submitted even to the extreme of calling her husband (Abraham) her master.

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v.6b
What additional instruction is being given in verse 6b?

In what ways would fear play a part in the wife taking her own approach?  Fear of what? 
- Fear that this approach will not work?
- Fear that her misery and suffering from her husband will continue for years or longer?
- Fear that her husband will harden to the things of God rather than soften?
- Fear of what will happen because she is giving up control of what happens to her?
- Fear that she will not be able to do this approach very well or consistently?
- - By implication, the wife responding in other non-biblically prescribed ways (or in the flesh) are not “doing what is right” and therefore sinful and counterproductive to God’s approach in winning over the husband.

What would women in our society today think about emulating Sarah’s approach?  What would their solution approach be to this kind of situation?

What does this passage imply about God’s activities in this kind of marriage situation?  Would He be active, and if so, under what circumstances?  What circumstances on the wife’s part would hinder, thwart, stall, or stop God's activities in this marriage, essentially rendering God a passive bystander?

What does this passage imply about the wife compromising her godly values in order to bring relief to her misery or suffering from her unbelieving husband?

Will this approach be easy for the wife? 
- - No!!  Like Christ (see 1 Peter 2:19-25), she is taking the tough road of suffering and hard work - for the benefit of an undeserving person who could care less.

Does this passage imply anything about how God will respond to the wife’s approach efforts on her Judgment Day?
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BIG IDEA:  God expects and instructs wives to respond to their unbelieving husbands with quiet, respectful, gentle, peaceful submission.  This approach collaborates with God and will ultimately prove to be attractive to and influential on the husband.

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IMPORTANT SUB-POINTS:  What are some other important points God is making here in these verses?

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APPLICATIONS:  What applications can you think of for how we should respond to the concepts in these verses? 

PERSONALIZED APPLICATIONS:  From these verses, what do you think God wants you to learn, or know, or remember, or put into effect in your life?  How are you going to do that?

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Works Cited:
The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed., ver. 3.6a (CD-ROM). Cambridge, MA: SoftKey International Inc., 1994.

Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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Updated:  December 26, 2016