Bible Study 1 Peter 3: 1-22

 

A Commentary of the Book of 1 Peter

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study 1 Peter 3: 1-22

Text:

Wives and Husbands

3 In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 as they observe your pure conduct with fear. 3 Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on garments; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible quality of a lowly and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being subject to their own husbands, 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You have become her children if you do good, [a]not fearing any intimidation.

7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

8 [b]Now to sum up, all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, brotherly, tender-hearted, and humble in spirit; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but [c]giving a blessing instead, for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

11 

He must turn away from evil and do good;
He must seek peace and pursue it.

12 

For the eyes of the [d]Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the [e]Lord is against those who do evil.”

Suffering for Righteousness

13 And who is [f]there to [g]harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you [h]are blessed. And do not fear their fear, and do not be troubled, 15 but [i]sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make [j]a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear, 16 having a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better, if [k]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing good rather than for doing wrong. 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the [l]spirit; 19 in [m]which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the [n]water. 21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal [o]of a good conscience to God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,”

“In the same way,” refers to the verses on submission found in 1 Peter chapter 2. Wives are to respect their husbands and husbands are to love their wives. “Without a word” means that the life lived by the wife would show the love of Christ in such an impactful way that the husband would be converted. In Roman culture, the wife was expected to have the same faith as her husband. The wife was to win her husband not by argument but from a love that revealed the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Verse 2: “as they observe your pure conduct with fear.” 

Purity of life with reverence (i.e. fear) for God is what the unsaved husband should observe. This was not to be a once a week occurrence, but rather a consistent life of holiness lived in front of the person who knew her best.

Verse 3: “Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on garments;”

The principle taught is modesty. This is a warning against preoccupation with outward appearances. The verse does not teach, as some denominations do, that all wearing of jewelry is sin. Peter is giving three examples of excessives to avoid. If the verse was a prohibition against jewelry, it would also be a prohibition of “putting on garments.” That would be silly.

Verse 4: “but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible quality of a lowly and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”

This is a call to inward purity of heart. The Christian woman is to be a picture of humility and grace. This type of beauty never fades.

Verse 5: “For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being subject to their own husbands,”

Sarah was an Old Testament saint that was a picture of humility, grace and submission to her husband Abraham. Notice, the wife is to be subject to her own husband, not someone else's. 

Verse 6: “just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You have become her children if you do good, not fearing any intimidation.”

Sarah provides the role model for Christian wives today. She called her husband “lord” not as a god, but rather from a place of extreme reverence, Remember, the wife is called to respect her husband and that is what Sarah did. The latter phrase, “not fearing any intimidation,” refers to a Christian wife married to an unsaved man. The wife was to remain committed to Christ and at the same time show proper respect for her husband.

Verse 7: “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”

“Weaker” refers to physical strength and implies no moral superiority. The husband is to show his wife honor because she is saved by the same grace that he was. Failure to do so will result in prayers being hindered. Common experience teaches us that if you are angry with someone or at conflict with them, praying becomes very difficult. To clear the obstructions in your prayer life, live at peace with the family of God.

Verse 8: “Now to sum up, all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, brotherly, tender-hearted, and humble in spirit;”

To be “like-minded” is to “to think the same.”  Peter is teaching that all Christians are to be models and pursuers of peace and unity, not disruption and disharmony. Humility is an essential part of thinking the same. The Christian seeks peace not conflict within the body of Christ.

Verse 9: “not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but giving a blessing instead, for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”

Christians are not to retaliate in response to persecution, but instead are to “bless” their enemies. This would include praying for them. Think of the example our Lord Jesus Christ gave when He was assaulted and spit upon. A model of not returning evil for evil.

Verse 10: “For,

‘The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.’”

Remember that Peter is writing to a group of believers facing extreme persecution including death. He tells them that to see a good life they are to not speak evil nor deceit. It seems strange advice but when you reflect on it, it isn’t. True happiness comes from within and is not contingent on circumstances. 

Verse 11: “He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it.”

A true believer is not to sit back and act hypocritically.We are to turn away from evil and pursue that which ministers to peace. The positive is to seek to do good and the negative is turn away from all that is not of Christ.

Verse 12: “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,

And His ears attend to their prayer,

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Notice the human descriptions Peter uses. God has eyes on the righteous. He has ears to hear their prayers. His face is turned against those who work evil. God has guaranteed to hear the prayers of those who are His elect. He has not guaranteed to hear the prayers of those who are not His own. The only prayer that a sinner can pray is, “Lord, I admit that I am a sinner, I repent, save me.” That is a prayer that God will hear and that God will answer every time.

Verse 13: “And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?”

Peter was not stating that no physical harm will come to Christians. The believers were suffering greatly. His point is that no external force can cause a Christian spiritual harm.

Verse 14: “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their fear, and do not be troubled,”

Christians who suffer for the truth are blessed by God, even if their reward is delayed in this life. Suffering for righteousness should bring joy to the Christian. If we take a quiet stand for holiness and righteousness, we should rejoice if we suffer for that. 

Verse 15: “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear,”

“Being ready” to confess Christ is an important part of living a sanctified life, i.e. set apart, for the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “defense”suggests a  response to abusive or derisive inquiries from people persecuting you. Such a response includes an explanation of the main points of Christianity: the Sovereignty of God, the depravity of man, Holy Spirit conviction and blood redemption, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, and the second coming of Christ.

Verse 16: “having a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.”

By their righteous response and attitude, Christians show that accusations against them are false.

Verse 17: “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing good rather than for doing wrong.”

This is a statement of submission to the Sovereignty and Providence of God. That submission to His authority acknowledges that unjust suffering is within the providence of God and is for the good of His children and His own glory.

Verse 18: “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”

Peter wanted to encourage his readers in their suffering by again reminding them that even Christ suffered unjustly because it was God’s will. The phrase “once for all” shows the difference between Old Testament sacrifices which were repeated many times and Christ’s sacrifice which was done once and that is sufficient for all eternity. Christ was righteous and we weren’t. The Righteous died for the unrighteous so that unrighteous might be made righteous. While Christ’s body was dead for three days, His Spirit never died. He was “made alive” in His Divinity.

Verse 19: “in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,”

There are at least four interpretations concerning this verse: Christ preached through Noah, Christ announced His victory over death to Noah’s wicked contemporaries, Christ proclaimed His victory to fallen angels, and Christ proclaimed His victory at the time of His ascension. I think the best view is that between Christ’s death and resurrection, His living spirit went to the demon spirits bound in the abyss and proclaimed that, in spite of His death, He had triumphed over death and them. The “spirits in prison”  refers to fallen angels (demons), who were permanently bound because of a heinous rebellion against God. 

Verse 20: “who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”

Disobedient fallen angels reside in the abyss.  The bound demons have been there since the time of Noah, and who were sent there because willful rebellion and extreme wickedness.. The demons of Noah’s day were running wild through the earth, filling the world with their wicked, vile, anti-God thoughts and actions, including sexual sin, so that even 120 years of Noah’s preaching, while the ark was being built, could not convince any of the human race beyond the 8 people in Noah’s family to believe in God. Thus God bound these demons permanently in the abyss until their final judgment. The phrase “safely through the water,” means that they had been rescued in spite of the water, not because of the water. Here, water, i.e. the flood, was the instrument of God’s judgment, not the means of salvation.

Verse 21: “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal of a good conscience to God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”

Baptism is a sign and symbol of God’s grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. The startling statement that baptism “saves you” shows how close is the relationship between the sign and the reality it signifies. Baptism is a sign that you have been born again and is not a part of the born again experience. The “removal of dirt” means that salvation is not a matter of performing external exercises, but symbolic of being converted.

Verse 22: “who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”

“At the right hand of God” means the place of supreme privilege and Sovereignty in the universe.