1 Peter 3 Footnotes

3:1-6 Did Peter commend unrighteousness in directing wives to submit to their husbands? It may sound that way to modern ears, but submission to another does not signal inequality. The Scriptures clearly teach that women and men are both made in the image of God (Gn 1:26-27); they have equal access to salvation (Gl 3:28); and they share an equal destiny in heaven (1Pt 3:7). Having a different role from men does not mean that women are inferior to men. Christ, after all, submitted to the Father (1Co 15:28), but he is equal to the Father in dignity, worth, and essence. Similarly, the submission of wives to husbands does not suggest they are second-rate.

3:15-16 “Defense” in v. 15 is the Greek word apologia, from which we get our term “apologetics.” These verses are crucial for understanding how apologetics should be carried out: (1) with faith and “hope” in Christ as Lord; (2) with prior preparation, so that we are always “ready”; (3) through rational and logical “defense” of the truth; (4) with “gentleness and respect,” meaning truth should be explained winsomely as errors are refuted; and (5) with “a clear conscience” so that our conduct corroborates rather than undermines the truth.