Hi Op,
I appreciated the attempt to answer some of the different theological interpretations on this subject. I remember hearing James Dobson on the radio express a more egalitarian view and I wanted to believe in it but I then read these verses that made me reconsider changing my position.
1Pe 3:5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,
1Pe 3:6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
The greek work for obey, hupakouo, in conjunction with the word lord, kurios, it made a strong case for me to keep my "traditional" view. It defines the "submitting" in the previous verse and infers hierarchy.
What is your take on these passages above?
Thanks for answering.
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 32310892 Hi AC,
I gave a link earlier to an article I wrote about that, but here it is again: [
link to www.fether.net]
The Greek grammar, in context, indicates that Peter is addressing the problem of Christian women married to non-Christian men. In that culture, a man could murder his wife for any or no reason, especially if she did not worship his gods. So the Christian woman, free in Christ though she was, had a difficult task: how to witness to the Gospel without losing her life at her own husband's hands.
So Peter, like Paul, advises emphasis on non-verbal witnessing. She was to be exemplary and above reproach, wise and fearless like Sarah-- who only called Abraham 'lord' when she laughed at the thought of him impregnating her in his old age! That is, it was not Sarah's regular habit; in fact, at one point she ordered him to send away "the slave woman and her son", and God Himself told Abraham to obey her!
A marriage where both are Christian hardly requires a wordless witness from the wife, so this is not a Christian marriage manual but a survival manual. I urge you to read at the link for more detail about who exactly is to "fear" as well. It makes no sense for Peter to tell the wife to fear her 'lord' and then tell her not to fear but to be like Sarah. And if I'm wrong, then Peter was telling Christian wives to commit idolatry.
God bless.
