SUBMISSION IN MARRIAGE. 1st Peter 3:1-7 Submission is to be made to the government, in the workplace, and in the home. The instruction is addressed to the government and the workplace, and to those under authority. Our outward testimony reflects an inward attitude that shapes our conduct before God. Submission of wives to husbands does not imply inferiority but recognizes authority. Now he addresses both roles in marriage, offering a strategy for the Christian wife to win over her unbelieving husband. He, Peter, also gives advice for Christian husbands. Submit to your husband’s leadership as you submit to God, government, and masters.
At the time this was written, the husband and father had absolute authority over all family members under Roman law. When a woman became a Christian, she could endanger her marriage if she made demands of her husband. The strategy was to "win" her husband to the Lord. Wives in submission have to do with motive, not demand. This is like the submission of the Lord Jesus as a boy to Joseph and Mary. She responds in godly submission to gain spiritual blessing for her husband. He observes her moral purity, and even though he is hostile to her faith, she remains a suitable helper to him.
A gentle, quiet spirit is the key to winning her husband; she needs to preserve her inner beauty. The source of her beauty is not external. Her inner personality is revealed through her words and attitudes. Her character outshines her appearance. Incorruptible is the word used for heavenly things that will not pass away. Gentleness is a character of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of one God delights in. There are examples of submissive women in the scriptures: holy women who trusted in God had this spirit as their lifestyle. It was confidence in God that enabled them to submit to their husbands’ authority. Like Sarah, they trusted in God.