ICS Daily Devotions
Godly Beauty Flows from Within
1 Pet 3:1-4 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
God’s definition of beautiful is very different from the world’s perspective. The beauty that God talks about flows from the inside out rather than by adorning oneself but behaving badly. Our identity is in the hidden person of the heart (or “inner man”) and not in our outward appearance. The submissiveness, conduct, chaste or holiness that this passage talks about cannot be done in our own strength, but through living out the inner life—this is the gentle and quiet spirit that is precious in the sight of God.
Only the new creation has the incorruptible beauty and quiet spirit. The woman described in this passage is fully rested in her identity in Christ; she is secure, steady and stable, spiritually mature and allows the fruit of the Holy Spirit to flow out; she lives out of her “inner man” rather than reacts in the flesh.
The biblical spirit of submission involves far more than just grudgingly going along with orders. Rather, it is the attitude and action of willingly yielding to and obeying the authority of another to please the Lord. It shows forth trust and confidence in the Lord, and it flows out of a heart to honour, esteem, think of our husband as better, admire and deeply love him.
As “chaste” can be translated as “purity”, it means a wife who wants to win her husband to Christ must live in obedience to God and be morally pure. Her husband won’t distrust her, because she won’t use deception or dishonesty to try to get her own way, and she handles anger in a biblical way. Her hope will be in God so that she will have a sweet spirit, even towards a difficult husband, and he will see Christ-likeness in her.
The biblical pattern is for the wife to yield control to the husband and to do all she can to please him and make him prosper, while the husband is not to dominate, but to do all he can to bless and protect his wife so that she prospers in the Lord.
Sermon Series: Divorce Paper
