How should we read the apostolic texts concerning the submission of wives? When Paul and Peter exhort wives to submit to their husbands, does that belong to the prevailing culture and customs of that time? And may we today accord this the same weight in our culture, with its progress in human rights? Do Paul and Peter make this call so that no unnecessary hurdles are placed in the path of the gospel, in a society where the wives were in any case submissive to their husbands? And may we therefore also join in with the current pattern of emancipation in order to create space for our message? 

You will be aware that this type of question will find its way onto our tables as a consequence to a report in the Nederlands Gereformeerde church regarding women in office. Man wishes to read the apostolic exhortations to women against the background of the social conventions of that time, which are so very different from ours now (a cultural motive for this view). And man wishes to see them as calls aimed at avoiding the out-of-hand rejection of the gospel, for no good reason other than that in a (then) predominantly male-dominated society men would not tolerate an infringement on their position (a mission motive for this view).

Typically Christian⤒🔗

One of the attractions of the work of a curator at the Theological University is that every now and then you are able to attend a lesson by one of the lecturers under your care (cura). So it was that I was present at a course by Prof. Van Houwelingen, lecturer in New Testament studies. The subject was the first book of Peter. During the first hour instruction was given on some introductory questions concerning this letter (who is the author, who is the reader, what are the central themes etc). The second hour was devoted to study of a concrete section from the letter. Prof. Van Houwelingen had chosen 1 Peter 3:1-7. This begins, ‘Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without talk by the behaviour of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.’ With ‘submission’ comes an understanding of compliance to, and respect for, the position of the man in the order of God.

Prof. Van Houwelingen has written a commentary on this letter. However he was not inclined to ‘teach from my own work.’ That is why he chose to use a different work method in the second hour. He put the students to work on ten questions he had formulated. Each group had to look for their own answers. Two of the questions concerned what I mentioned previously: First, how do we understand Peter’s teaching regarding the ‘submission’ of the wife? The students were asked first of all how far the direct text connection stretches, of which 1 Peter 3:1-7 is a part. And then they were asked to identify three points in the pericope of verses 1-7 that show that the respect a wife has for her husband is not only about ‘a generally accepted cultural pattern,’ but also ‘typical Christian ethics’.

The Connection←⤒🔗

Firstly we will deal with the context to which Peter’s teaching to wives belongs. The students discovered that this stretches from 2:11 to and including 3:12. In this section Peter appeals to his readers to live a good ‘life’ in the middle of and in view of the unbelievers. The aim of this is that when they observe them, unbelievers may praise God on the grounds of the walk of life of God’s children (1 Peter 2:12). Through doing good God’s children should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men (1 Peter 2:15). Slaves should honour their masters. Then they will be commended. Just so Christian wives should respect their unbelieving husbands so that through the behaviour of their wives they may be won over without talk (1 Peter 3:1). And finally, let everyone live in harmony and sympathy with each other. That is how you win people over. And that is how all that speak maliciously against you may be ashamed (1 Peter 3:16).

This whole passage deals with leading a life in which your behaviour wins over people without words. Such a walk of life does not only make space for the Christian witness. Such a walk of life is the witness! People are won over without words!

In 1 Peter 3 it is the behaviour of wives that must win over their husbands. The purity and reverence (1 Peter 3:2), which characterized the holy women of the past who put their hope in God (1 Peter 3:5) is the visiting card of the gospel. It is not just that women, by their attitude, make room for winning over their husbands. No, they must, without words, by submitting to God’s order, win over their husbands. This ‘submission’ is not a condition for the verbal message to find fertile ground in their husbands. This ‘submission’ is the wordless content of their message. Such is the life with Christ: an ornament!

Three Points←⤒🔗

And then the second question: identify at least three instances where Peter indicates that this is not only about conforming to a generally accepted cultural pattern, but also about typical Christian ethics.

At least three instances! The students found them. 

I will mention two in passing: first of all the reference to submission as a ‘pure and reverent’ walk of life (1 Peter 3:2) and next, submission as characterizing the ‘holy women of the past who put their hope in God’ (1 Peter 3:5). The submission to which Peter exhorts is about more than a general cultural pattern. It is about a full blown Christian walk of life.

But what most concerns me, is the first point which shows that this is about a ‘typical Christian ethic.’ And that is that women through their submission to their husbands–husbands who are disobedient to the Word–should, without words, seek to win their husbands for the gospel (1 Peter 3:1). Apparently the submissive behaviour is something that separates the Christian and non- Christian! Apparently it is something that disallows husbands to continue to live peacefully in their established cultural pattern, but is a recommendation for a very specific lifestyle in the gospel of Christ, to which they are called to submit themselves.                                                                                                                    

This concludes my account of the lecture I attended in Kampen. From this I can draw the conclusion that the ‘submission’ of the wife that Peter intends, was apparently not normal. And that is evident not only from the necessity that Peter demonstrates through writing this and exhorting the women of Asia Minor (that wouldn’t be necessary if it was already an accepted cultural pattern). But it is far more obvious when Peter draws a direct link between the submission and the winning over for Christ. If the submission to which Peter exhorts wives was a generally accepted cultural pattern, it does not follow that submission could be a recommendation for the gospel. How can the adoption of a generally accepted pattern lead to obedience to a very special gospel?! And how can regard for a generally accepted cultural pattern bring husbands to break with that generally accepted cultural pattern, as Peter genuinely intended (the husbands must be ‘won over’)?!                                               

I cannot understand it in any other way than that the submission Peter meant was not identical with, nor congruous to the generally accepted cultural pattern, but that it augmented, if not corrected, that pattern by the gospel. The Christian ‘submission’ was a visiting card from the church, from which it was apparent that the gospel had more to offer people than the world had to offer. The wives’ submission was howe the husbands had to be ‘won over’.

Conclusions←⤒🔗

 It is assumed all too easily that in the apostolic times the woman in the world outside Israel had an inferior position. That was the case inside Israel and also in certain regions outside of Israel, but there were also regions where this was not the case, as the first letter of Peter shows. It was just this point which caused a breach between Christianity and heathendom in Asia Minor!                               

We also cannot quickly conclude that the exhortation to wives to submit to their husbands was only meant to remove obstacles to the gospel. The submission to which the gospel calls us–not only women by the way!--,is an attitude that adorns the life of God’s children. It is not a condition for missionary behaviour. It belongs to the content of the message that is preached. It is an ornament if children of God are humble, and know about accommodating and serving others. That is the style of Christ.