How do you interpret 1 Peter 3:7?

WhereProgressIsMade · 2020-12-08T21:21:03+00:00

I've gotten tired of how feminized almost all modern pastors are. My eyes would seriously glaze over in church except for the fact I need to pay attention in order to talk to my kids afterwards about what was preached. Along with the verses that talk about wifely submission, heaven forbid any pastor dare to suggest they're weaker physically or any other way. The last sermon I heard on 1 Peter 3:7, the pastor argued it only meant they were more sensitive. I guess it kind of makes some sense based on the context, but it still left me scratching my head.

So I've started reading old stuff. Here is John Calvin's commentary on 1 Peter 3. Some of Calvin's theology is tough to come to grips with, but a man who is still respected 500 years later has a much better resume than any current pastor.

The main takeaway for me personally, is I need to use my authority as head to make decisions that are the best for the entire household, and to not use that authority selfishly.

redarcher99 · 2020-12-05T20:51:44+00:00

I think it makes sense theologically when you consider that God wants us to love him and others.

Here are my thoughts: Don't be a jerk. Understand your wife and treat in a way that shows you understand her. Treat her right (not worshipping her and even if treating her right means correcting her sometimes). Men are generally stronger than their wives physically so look after them (protect, defend, don't be violent towards her). Remember she's your sister in Christ and you are heaven bound (again don't treat her like crap).

The last part is probably the most difficult to understand. I think it seems to be saying if you treat your wife poorly then it's going to hurt your prayers (either your prayer life or your prayers being answered). I think verses like 1 Peter 3:12 (there are others too) shed light on how to interpret this (scripture can be used well to interpret scripture):

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteousand his ears are attentive to their prayer,but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil".

Red-Curious · 2020-12-16T07:38:00+00:00

Given that someone else just asked a parallel question today on the discord, I'll just paste my answer there over here also:

QUESTION

@Married I've been taking a look at 1 Peter 3:7. What has it looked like for you to apply "show honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life" in a practical sense?

What specific actions have you done which "honor" your wife?

Even though I do not have a wife, I can see how having this understanding will free you up since you no longer have incorrect expectations she cannot fulfill. I read the Colossians passage and combining that with Ephesians it makes more sense.

I also began thinking about why God would create women to be the weaker vessel. One of the possible reasons I thought of is it makes it so the the husband can fulfill the Ephesians 5 passage more effectively as well as promoting trust/respect from the wife to the husband which is a reflection of Christ.

ANSWER

having this understanding will free you up since you no longer have incorrect expectations she cannot fulfill

I don't follow. How YOU express honor TO HER shouldn't affect your expectations of how SHE will think/behave TO YOU. But yes, it's important to know in advance so you can develop a character that behaves biblically by nature rather than having to learn it on the spot once you're married.

why God would create women to be the weaker vessel

Your rationale is circular and overly complicates the matter. Saying, "God made women weaker so men could lead them" begs: why should men lead their wives? "Oh, because they're the weaker vessel who need leadership." When asking why God created men and women that way, the list of possibilities includes that God COULD have made not only women to be stronger, but he could also have even changed Ephesians 5 if he wanted. So, using Ephesians 5 doesn't resonate well.

Instead, the answer is much, much simpler. God designed marriage to parallel his relationship with his people. The Church is weaker than Christ, so God made women weaker than men. Done.

how you have honored your wives in a practical sense

The Bible leaves this open. One man may honor one way, another another. That said, there's a contextual clue in the passage: "as the weaker vessel." If you can figure out how women are weaker, you can figure out the type of honor Paul was referencing. In this situation, my particular expressions include, without limitation:

Providing - because she's weaker in her ability to maintain mental health through full-time employment
Protecting - because she's physically weaker
Being emotionally stable/uplifting - so that she has a rock to stand on when her weak emotions get blown around like a storm
Leading our family - because she is weaker in her capacity to process and make biblical decisions beyond her own self-thought

In short, the way I honor my wife is by being the type of man who makes her happy to be around. It's not about pedestalizing her as if I am subservient to her needs. It's about living up to the pedestalization that is due me.

Much of this is also addressed in my post on "the comparison game" in the 100 series.

MichaelCeraGoneWild · 2020-12-05T22:23:09+00:00

It means the husband has more power—therefore he should use it gracefully, not tyrannically.

cupspeeder · 2020-12-05T20:27:42+00:00

How do you interpret it? Be brave to voice your opinion.

Title	How do you interpret 1 Peter 3:7?
Author	KeyLifeguard3330
Upvotes	2
Comments	6
Date	December 5, 2020 5:18 PM UTC (5 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askRPC
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/askRPC/comments/k7beb7/how_do_you_interpret_1_peter_37/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askRPC/how-do-you-interpret-1-peter-37.738178 https://theredarchive.com/post/738178

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