Read or listen First Epistle of Peter Chapter 3 online (ESV, YouVersion)

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At the end of chapter 2, Peter spoke about respecting governing authorities and about the relationship between servants and masters. In chapter 3, he turns to the relationship between husband and wife.

Christian Marriage – 1 Peter 3:1–7

Paul also gave instructions to married couples; see Eph. 5:21–33, Col. 3:18–19, and Titus 2:4–5.

The word “likewise” in verse 1 connects Peter’s instructions for husbands and wives with the instructions in chapter 2 about servants and respect for authorities. In verse 1, the Greek text uses a word that means submission (the same word also appears in verse 5, though verse 6 uses a different Greek word). In some modern translations, this has been softened into obedience. Apparently, submission has been thought to conflict with equality.

Peter, however, thinks differently from many people today. Submission means accepting the order that God has established. Notice that in verse 7 Peter also uses the word “likewise.” Husbands too must submit themselves to God’s plan. A man who has submitted himself to the authority of Christ cannot be a tyrant in his family.

The Christian church did not rise up violently against the social systems of the ancient world. Instead, it changed people from the inside, until change eventually became unavoidable.

But what about a situation where the husband is not a Christian? Should the wife still submit? The basic starting point is that Peter and Paul are speaking about submission to God’s will, not to a husband’s sinful will. Yet verses 1–6 were written especially with this kind of situation in mind (see verse 1). The task of Christian wives was not to win their husbands for themselves, but for Christ. In that struggle, outward beauty (verse 4) was not the true weapon. The true witness was a life that showed the power of Christ.

We know that home is the hardest mission field. Even Jesus had to say:

“No prophet is acceptable in his hometown.”
(Luke 4:24, ESV)

The faults of a familiar person are well known, and people do not receive his message as easily as they would receive the message of a stranger whose weaknesses they do not know. Jesus also said that a tree is known by its fruit (Matt. 7:15–23). Faith produces good works in a person’s life. These works testify to the power of Christ and at the same time invite others into the kingdom of God (verse 2).

In verses 3–4 Peter does not forbid outward beauty. Instead, he places it after a godly way of life in order of importance. Isaiah had already rebuked the women of his time for vanity (Isa. 3:16–26). Still, it is important to notice that Peter presents Sarah as an example for Christian women, and Sarah was especially beautiful (Gen. 12:14). The issue is therefore not outward beauty or the lack of it, but what is inside a person.

Another reason for choosing Sarah as an example may be that her husband Abraham was presented as an example for believers (Rom. 4:1–12; Gal. 3:6–14; James 2:21; see also Luke 13:16, where a Jewish woman is called “a daughter of Abraham”). Sarah called Abraham “lord” (verse 6; Gen. 18:12, older Finnish translation), which at that time was a respectful way of speaking.

Peter teaches that evil should not be answered with evil. If a husband threatens his wife because of her faith (verses 6–7), the wife should continue doing good and not repay evil with evil. Yet she must never give up her faith, just as Peter himself said before the council in Acts 4:19.

The instructions to husbands are given for a situation where the wife is also a Christian (verse 7). It was probably very rare in the early church for a wife and children not to follow the head of the family into the Christian faith (compare Acts 16:31–34).

The words “partner” (Finnish 1992 translation) or “vessel” (older Finnish translation) are both translations of the Greek word skeuos (see also Acts 9:15 “instrument,” 2 Cor. 4:7 “jars of clay,” and 1 Thess. 4:4 “body” or “wife”).

Notice the statement about equality in verse 7: “since they are heirs with you of the grace of life” (ESV). Treating one’s wife badly prevents shared prayer (verse 7), and even all true prayer. If there is conflict with another person, it must first be settled before approaching God (Matt. 5:23–24).

Suffering and Doing Good – 1 Peter 3:8–17

Peter writes a long section about suffering (3:8–4:19). The reader gets the impression that there were not yet any organized persecutions. Rather, Christians were becoming unpopular with the crowds because of their faith.

In verses 8–9 Peter summarizes the instructions given to different groups. This section is similar to Paul’s teaching in Rom. 12:9–21, Eph. 4:1–3, 31–32, Col. 3:12–15, and 1 Thess. 5:13–22. Some Bible scholars think that both Peter and Paul may have been using a list of instructions that was already common in the early church.

Jesus foretold that his followers would be persecuted because of their faith (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27–30), but he also commanded them to bless their persecutors instead of cursing them.

Verses 10–12 quote Ps. 34:13–17. Peter had already quoted the same psalm earlier in 1 Pet. 2:3 from Ps. 34:8. These verses are a serious reminder that although Christians do not take revenge on their persecutors, God’s judgment still awaits those persecutors if they do not repent.

The word “zealous” in verse 13 comes from the same Greek root as the word “Zealot,” which referred to a member of a resistance movement. Paul explains the thought of verse 13 much more fully in Rom. 8:31–39. A Christian’s greatest treasure cannot be taken away, because it is stored in heaven.

To understand verses 14–15, it is helpful to remember the events of Good Friday: Peter denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54–62). Peter knew how easy it is to become afraid and to “forget” to witness about Christ. Yet the message of the cross is the greatest news in world history, and therefore every person in the world must hear it, because it concerns every human being.

Jesus reminded his followers not to fear those who only have power in this life and world, but instead to fear the one who has authority over our eternal destiny:

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
(Matt. 10:28, ESV)

Those who are persecuted because of faith in Christ are blessed, and they will inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:10–12). They do not inherit it because they suffered persecution—many different people suffer in this world—but because of their faith.

In verse 15 Peter quotes Isa. 8:12–13:

“But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”
(Isa. 8:12–13, ESV)

It is important to notice that Isaiah is speaking about the LORD of hosts, whom Peter identifies with Jesus.

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30, ESV)

In verse 16, the Greek text says “your good conduct in Christ”. Walking as a Christian means being in Christ.

In verse 17 Peter emphasizes that we should avoid sin, not suffering. Christians should not seek suffering, but if avoiding suffering would require committing sin, then suffering for Christ’s sake must be chosen.

Christ’s Suffering and Exaltation – 1 Peter 3:18–22

Peter reminds his readers that Jesus Christ suffered though he was innocent (verse 18). We human beings can never truly say that we are innocent. Jesus, however, committed no sin (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:14–16). Because Jesus did not need to die for his own sins, his death brought freedom from the power of sin for all humanity.

Christ offered a once-for-all sacrifice that is completely sufficient and can never be added to:

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
(Heb. 10:14, ESV)

The end of verse 18 is difficult to understand. Peter seems to mean that Jesus died a real human death like all other people, but death could not hold him. By the power of the Spirit of God, he rose from the dead (Acts 2:23–24).

In his commentary on Peter’s letters, the Reformer Martin Luther said that verse 19 is one of the most difficult verses in the New Testament and that he could not give a certain explanation for it. We should therefore be careful in interpreting this verse. The Bible tells us very little about what happens after death, and too often human imagination tries to fill in the missing details.

The verse raises several questions that are not easy to answer with certainty.

When did Jesus go to the realm of the dead?

• Already in the days of Noah
• Between his death and resurrection
• Between his resurrection and ascension

What did Jesus preach?

• The saving gospel
• The message of victory over death
• Law and judgment

To whom did Jesus preach?

• Those who died in Noah’s time
• All the dead
• Fallen angels (Gen. 6:1–4; 2 Pet. 2:4–5; Jude 6)

Choosing between these interpretations is very difficult. One related passage is 1 Pet. 4:6, where Peter says that the gospel was preached even to the dead.

A Finnish Lutheran catechism book, Christian Doctrine Briefly Presented (1948), teaches: “In death the body and spirit are separated. The body returns to dust, but the spirit waits for the day of Christ’s return. For the righteous this waiting is peace and nearness to God; for the ungodly it is suffering and expectation of judgment.”

Christ’s visit to the realm of the dead was unique. We should not think that after death there will still be another opportunity to hear the gospel and repent.

Peter’s meaning was probably clear to his first readers, but it is no longer clear to us. Perhaps the key to understanding this verse is that in Judaism the people of Noah’s time were considered extremely sinful (compare Matt. 24:37–39; Luke 17:26–27). Maybe Peter wants to say that the gospel has been proclaimed even to the greatest sinners. We also should not choose who is worthy to hear the gospel. It must be proclaimed to everyone.

In the Apostles’ Creed, Christ’s descent into hell is placed between his death and resurrection. Many believe that this passage in 1 Peter influenced the wording of the creed.

It seems that Peter wanted to speak about Noah in order to connect the flood with Christian baptism. Jesus himself spoke about his suffering as a baptism (Mark 10:38; Luke 12:50).

The time of the ark's construction was a time of grace (verse 20). God’s judgment came only later in the flood. The age of the Christian church is also a time of grace, but it too will end at the moment God has decided. Until God’s judgment comes, people can still repent. After that, they cannot.

In Noah’s time, water was the instrument of God’s judgment: it destroyed the ungodly. Baptismal water does not save simply as water. It saves because God has attached his promise to it. Noah believed God’s promise about the flood and was saved. Everyone who believes God’s promise connected with baptism will be saved.

Baptism is not ordinary washing (verse 21), nor is it merely a sign of turning away from sin. It is a sign of God’s covenant. "An appeal to God for a good conscience" might lead you to think that the key thing is a human act - to appeal, to ask. It is true that the Greek word can mean asking, but already before New Testament times it could also mean making a contract or covenant.

In the Bible, a covenant is not an agreement between two equal parties. It is a situation where the stronger party offers something to the weaker party, and the weaker party accepts it. We sinful people cannot demand or negotiate a covenant with God. We can only receive his offer of grace.

Of course baptism also means putting away evil, but that is a result of baptism (compare 1 Pet. 2:1; James 1:21). Baptism means dying away from sin (Rom. 6:2).

New birth is based on Christ’s resurrection, in which he defeated the power of sin and death (verse 21; 1 Pet. 1:3). New birth is God’s work, not man’s work.

Everything in heaven and on earth has been subjected to Christ (verse 22). He sits in the place of honor at the right hand of the Father.