1Pe 3 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Pet 3:1-7: 3:1-7 The last of Peter’s three exhortations about accepting authority (2:13–3:7 ) concerns wives and husbands (cp. Eph 5:21-33 ; Col 3:18-19 ). 3:1 accept the authority of (literally submit to ): Wives are instructed to acknowledge that God has appointed the husband as head of the relationship (see 2:13 ; Eph 5:22-25 ). Submission in the ancient world took the form of obedience (see 1 Pet 3:6 ). God also intends the husband to be a loving and respectful head (3:7 ; see Eph 5:25-30 ). However, Peter focuses especially on wives with pagan husbands who would potentially be hostile toward their wives’ faith. • without any words: Peter urges Christian wives to evangelize their husbands through their submissive and appropriate behavior.

Summary for 1Pet 3:1-7: 3:1-7 ^a The last of Peter’s three exhortations about accepting authority (2:13–3:7 ^b) concerns wives and husbands (cp. Eph 5:21-33 ^c; Col 3:18-19 ^d). 3:1 ^e accept the authority of (literally submit to): Wives are instructed to acknowledge that God has appointed the husband as head of the relationship (see 2:13 ^f; Eph 5:22-25 ^g). Submission in the ancient world took the form of obedience (see 1 Pet 3:6 ^h). God also intends the husband to be a loving and respectful head (3:7 ⁱ; see Eph 5:25-30 ^j). However, Peter focuses especially on wives with pagan husbands who would potentially be hostile toward their wives’ faith.

• without any words: Peter urges Christian wives to evangelize their husbands through their submissive and appropriate behavior.
Summary for 1Pet 3:3-4: 3:3-4 ^k fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes: Peter has sometimes been interpreted as if he condemns any form of female ornamentation, but this is not his purpose. Instead, he insists that Christian women should not be noticed for the beauty of clothing and jewels but for the interior beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. See also 1 Tim 2:9-10 ^l.
3:6 ^m and called him her master: See Gen 18:12 ⁿ. Peter views this address as indicative of Sarah’s overall attitude toward Abraham.

• without fear of what your husbands might do: Christian wives married to unbelievers frequently found themselves pressured, both subtly and overtly, to abandon Christian principles and values. Peter urges them to continue to do what is right.
3:7 ^o In the same way: Like slaves and wives (2:18–3:6 ^p), husbands also have a particular responsibility within the household.

• She may be weaker than you are: Peter was probably thinking of the woman’s physical strength and perhaps her social status. Since women are typically physically weaker than men and were often less able to assert themselves in that society, the husband had the duty of protecting and caring for his wife.

• your equal partner in God’s gift of new life: The husband’s headship is balanced and informed by the equal status that men and women have before God (see also Gal 3:26-29 ^q).

• The prayers of a husband are hindered if he does not give exceptional honor to his wife (cp. Jas 4:3 ^r).
Summary for 1Pet 3:8-12: 3:8-12 ^s Finally: This is the last in a series of exhortations to different groups (2:13–3:12 ^t). Here, all believers must respond to others—believers (3:8 ^u) and unbelievers (3:9-12 ^v)—with love.
3:9 ^w and he grant you his blessing: By blessing others, we receive a blessing from God.
Summary for 1Pet 3:10-12: 3:10-12 ^x Peter underscores the relationship between conduct and blessing by quoting Ps 34:12-16 ^y. This psalm is prominent in early Christian teaching (see also 1 Pet 2:3 ^z; Heb 12:14 ^aa). The text focuses on curbing sins of speech, resisting evil, and doing good. It also highlights the promise of blessing for obedience.
Summary for 1Pet 3:13-17: 3:13-17 ^ab This short paragraph emphasizes the Christian response to suffering—following Christ’s example (3:18 ^ac). 3:13 ^ad Generally speaking, no one will want to harm someone who is doing good, but sometimes Christians do suffer even when they do good (3:14 ^ae; see 1:6 ^af; 4:12-19 ^ag).
Summary for 1Pet 3:14-15: 3:14-15 ^ah or be afraid of their threats: See Isa 8:13 ^ai, where God exhorts the prophet to fear nothing except the Lord.

• worship Christ as Lord: By fearing Christ, they will be free from fear of their human persecutors.
Summary for 1Pet 3:18-22: 3:18-22 ^aj As in 2:21-25 ^ak, Peter again appeals to Christ, who was righteous and yet suffered, as an example for believers facing persecution (3:13-17 ^al). The unique work of Christ on our behalf reminds suffering Christians that they have a secure foundation for hope and confidence. 3:18 ^am He suffered physical death (literally death in the flesh), but he was raised to life in the Spirit (or in spirit): Flesh and spirit are often contrasted (e.g., Rom 7:5-6 ^an; 8:2-11 ^ao). Here, flesh stands for ordinary human life; the Spirit stands for the new realm inaugurated through Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ died in the old realm and came to life in the new realm.
Summary for 1Pet 3:19-20: 3:19-20 ^ap This difficult passage has been widely interpreted in three ways: (1) One interpretation holds that it refers to the spirits of people who have died and that Christ, after his resurrection, preached the Good News to these spirits. However, the idea that people might hear the Good News and respond after their deaths is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, and this meaning of spirits is not the most likely. (2) A second interpretation sees 3:19-20 ^aq as describing Christ’s preaching through Noah to people who are now spirits in prison. This interpretation does justice to 3:20 ^ar but does not fit well in the discussion of Christ’s death and resurrection (3:18 ^as). (3) In the third interpretation, the spirits in prison are evil spiritual beings. Jewish tradition, based on Gen 6:1-4 ^at, held that many angels fell in the time of Noah (see also Jude 1:6 ^au; 1 Enoch 6–10). Peter’s point would then be that Christ proclaimed his victory over the evil spiritual powers after his resurrection (cp. 1 Pet 3:22 ^av).
3:20 ^aw Only eight people: That is, Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives (Gen 6:18 ^ax; 8:18 ^ay).
3:21 ^az a picture of baptism: Peter might mean that, as the water floated the boat in which Noah and his family were saved, so baptism saves believers. Or he might mean that, as Noah and his family passed through water to safety, so Christians pass through the waters of baptism to salvation. Finally, he might mean that, as the water judged sin in Noah’s day, so the water of baptism washes away the sins of Christians.

• Peter does not mean that water baptism saves a person regardless of that person’s heart. He adds that baptism saves only as a response to God from (or as an appeal to God for) a clean conscience, thus making clear that only people exercising faith toward God will benefit from baptism.
3:22 ^ba all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority: In the ancient world, spiritual beings were widely believed to directly affect the course of affairs on earth. Christians needed to be reminded that Christ has already won his victory over these spiritual powers. It means that we don’t need to fear even the spiritual realm (cp. 3:14 ^bb).