I have always loved history. One of my favorite times was the Colonial period. We lived in Virginia for 17 years and the early history of our country was all around us. I loved the look of the clothing of women from that time. However, when I think of those big dresses on a hot day, with no air conditioning, I change my mind. But let’s step way back in history to biblical times. During this period women were thought of as property and given very little respect. They were to take care of the home, and their husband, and have babies. They did not have a say in anything. God never intended for it to be that way, but without Christ, men did as men wanted to do. There are still many cultures where women are treated as property. When they are introduced to Jesus Christ, and they are taught the Bible, it frees women to be treated as individuals that God loves equally as much as men. Peter is teaching this in I Peter 3:7-8. He wants the new Christians to understand the husband-wife relationship from a biblical perspective.
I Peter 3:7-8 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:”
Peter is teaching the men to love their wives and give honor to them. When he uses the word “likewise” it is the Greek word homoiōs, and it means, in the same way. Each time he uses it the context is submission or respect. So, husbands are to submit to or respect their wives. Submission has never meant that the other person was better than, smarter, more important, or superior. It is more about assigning roles. In the family relationship, the husband is given the role as the head of the home. He is submitting himself to take care of her and lead her out of love and respect for her.
Peter tells the husband to live with their wives in knowledge. It is the Greek word “gnosis” the sense here is an understanding. It indicates that everything about the husband’s life with his wife must be informed and guided by proper awareness of their roles. This was totally foreign to anyone in Greco-Roman society. A wife was someone who gave him children and took care of the physical part of the home. She had no authority in any matters of the family. Christianity changed all of that. One of the basic doctrines of Christianity was that women were to be treated with respect. Christianity elevated the wife to a place of high esteem. Peter indicates that she is to be treated with special kindness because she is physically weaker than men. She is to be honored as an equal heir of grace. Many scholars of the Greek language believe the word honor here also refers to the maintenance of the wife. In other words, he is to provide for her and financially support her.
There is also an admonition to the husband in the latter part of verse 7. If he wants his prayers to be heard and answered he must have a good relationship with his wife. To treat her as an object or property would be a sin, and all of our prayers are hindered when there is sin in our lives.
Submission is a beautiful picture of Christ’s relationship with mankind. He came and served and gave himself so that we might gain eternal life. He willingly, out of love, lowered Himself to the position of man. He gave us an example of real sacrificial love. We are to give ourselves for the betterment of others, especially our families. God ordained man to be the head of the home and when done according to God’s word it is beautiful. The family functions properly, and those in the home are all there to meet the needs of the others. They prefer one another as in Philippians 2:3-4.
In verse 8, Peter sums up his passage on submission, by telling them all to be like-minded, sympathetic, to love one another, and be compassionate and humble. Verse 8 is what submission between husbands and wives should look like. It is also what it should look like between all believers.
When we live our life God’s way and stop trying to put our selfish prideful spin on life, it is a beautiful thing. When we don’t like God’s way we are ultimately rebelling against Him. Simple faith trusts God to know what He is doing. Simple faith steps back, obeys, and says, “I may not understand how this all works together, but God I trust you!”
