Gender Equality – A Necessary REWIND
in the same way, you wives, be submissive to your husbands so that 1 Peter 3:1 NASB
In the same way – The opening word here is homoios. It means to be in perfect likeness. This is a very important word in the NT. It is used to describe the perfect likeness in substance between Yeshua and the Father (Philippians 2:6-11). This word is part of the Scriptural support for the doctrine that Yeshua is God.
Such an important word gets lost in this translation. But it is critical if we are going to understand what Peter is really saying. This particular verse has caused a lot of controversy, especially among women who are not believers. It looks so harsh. It looks like bondage. But things change when we see what the first word of this phrase means.
Peter is saying that there is to be a perfect likeness between the actions of wives and the previous discussion of Yeshua’s reaction to suffering. This is a conjunctive word. You can’t understand what follows unless you see what comes before. Go read 1 Peter 2:19-25. In that passage, Peter tells every Christian (male and female) that one of the purposes of life in Christ is to model His suffering when bad things happen to you. Our reaction to undeserved suffering should be to welcome God’s control over our lives. Why? Because God cares for us, loves us and has His purposes for us. Nothing happens in life without God’s say-so. Instead of kicking against life’s twists and turns, praise God that He loved you so much He was willing to let you reflect the glory of His Son. Suddenly, this verse is not about bondage or servile constraint. It is about being like Yeshua.
I am not a wife, but I know about this kind of life. I know what it means to have bad things happen to you. Until I understood that God loves me so much He wants me to really experience what it was like for His Son, I kicked and complained and fought against all those things. My life was angry. I focused on “unfair.” Then God showed me that my life needed to be intimately connected with Yeshua and Yeshua was a man “acquainted with grief.” How could I be like Him if all I did was fight against the real-life instruction? I got on my knees and said, “Father, I thank You for my trials. Now I know You love me more than I love me. I would have tried to avoid all this, but You knew I needed it in order to become like Your Son. Help me to endure just the way that He did. I want to be like Him.”
It doesn’t matter if you are a wife, a husband or unattached. Your life has to start with “in the same way.” That’s what it means to be crucified with Him. And by the way, if you are feeling uncomfortable with the word “submissive,” remember that the one who submits really has the power in the relationship for without granting authority to the other, there is no transfer of authority at all. Submission is not slavery. It is the acknowledgment that the other person deserves to lead. That means deciding that it is in my best interest to follow. If it isn’t in my best interest, I won’t give away the authority.
If you want to read all about this issue, order my book, Guardian Angel.
Topical Index: suffer, equal, homoios, in the same way, 1 Peter 3:1, wives
Oh yes and and a double Glory, Glory to that!!!! Did I say Glory? The song I will praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands You are who You are no matter where I am.
I have learned more through the stuff I have wanted to scream and cry about but chosen to allow Yaweh to guide me through than any teacher, seminar or book I have ever read. Amen.
Skip,
There’s nothing like receiving God’s loving revelation through His Word.
And you got it!
The experience of living this life’s heartaches as well as its joys is what
we need in order to submit to the full life of the Son and allow Him to
soverignly control our lives as only He can.Then we can reflect His glory!!!
A big “AMEN!” to you and Today’s Word.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing . 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
It has been my experience that it is hard to see the good things that are happening in your life if you focus on the bad. If one looks for and expects to find good, even in horrible situations, you will find it. Just like if you look for the gloom and doom in a great situation, it will be there too. I think this is why Paul says to take all of your thoughts captive and to focus on what is positive. (he has a list, but basically it is about looking at the bright side of things, find the good in all situations or at the very least being the good in a bad situation rather than joining in and making things worse)
A real life example is Corrie Ten Boon’s sister. When everyone was complaining about the fleas in their quarters, she said she was grateful for the fleas because they allowed them to share the Gospel with those incarcerated with them. The guards didn’t want to go in and get infested so they left them alone.
My dear people, you must not think it unaccountable that you should be tested by fire. 1 Peter 4:12
The Jerusalem Bible
Hmmm
Yesterday I spent considerable time trying to understand the concept of Messianic Collateral
Tried to state my thoughts in writing for some time to no avail
And for some reason I never read Peter or John
But I have a brother named Peter and a son named Sean (Irish form of John)
Yesterday morning I was thinking of my “adopted” son who is coming to visit me from Europe soon
I named him Giancarlo after the handsome Italian actor in Swept Away
And yesterday morning, I was thinking of Giancarlo as I was reading Messianic Collateral
And I was thinking that I need to teach GC the meaning of the movie Collateral when he arrives
GC is a good looking young man with a degree in architecture but he is struggling in his career
Like the hero in the movie Collateral, Giancarlo needs to find the “fire in his belly”
You can’t understand what follows unless you see what comes before. Go read 1 Peter 2:19-25.
Hmmm
Strangest thing just happened when I went to read 1 Peter 2:19-25
I inadvertently went to 2 Peter 2:19-22 and found
“When the sow has been washed, it wallows in the mud”
On the one hand, I was wondering how mud related to suffering and Christ
And on the other, I’ve got a DVD from redbox in front of me
And I am waiting for my daughter so we can watch a movie called MUD
a movie called MUD
I had never heard of MUD before picking it up at Safeway yesterday
But it is a great movie in the mode of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
Best movie I’ve seen in a long time
Mud is a 2012 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Jeff Nichols. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Sam Shepard, and Reese Witherspoon. The film competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
Who’s in charge?
The venerable theologian, Bob Dylan, said it best- “you gotta serve somebody!” Life, (all life) has a “chain of command.” Someone, somewhere- is “in charge.” We must lay hold of “spiritual authority.” No one (not one) may be “over” – until he (or she) is first “under.” Authority is given and we ALL operate “under authority.” Even bosses have bosses! Simply put, – “Who is in charge?” I really would like to ask the same question Mr. Jimmy asked in Shenandoah, – “Who’s the leader of this band of fools?,” but I won’t! In case we haven’t learned this yet (we will…) God is A.) Large and He is B.) In charge. God is Sovereign over ALL of His creation. Every hair on every head – Jewish heads AND Gentile heads, male heads and female heads- every single hair of every single head is numbered! (Yes, wow!) Not a sparrow (a Jewish or Gentile sparrow?) – not a sparrow falls to the ground without His notice. Yes, God (Himself) does attend “sparrow funerals!” (Yes,- another “wow!) Who is, Who has been given (by YHWH Himself) the Name that is above all names? What’s that you say?
~ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,b being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father ~
Bow the knee. Now? – or Later? Friend, ~ why do you judge your brother? or why do you set at nought your brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
For it is written, [As] I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
What do Jews and Gentiles “both” have in common? Both own a pair of knees. Because every knee will bow, I suggest we all start practicing today.
“The venerable theologian, Bob Dylan, said it best- “you gotta serve somebody!””
Hi Carl,
Good point, I think we’re supposed to be serving most of the people we encounter 🙂
Thanks skip this helps me in what I am going through.
Wow. Really hits home for me. Thanks Skip.
Thanks Skip – mature stuff from you today. Not for the faint hearted or the weak! Most all of us hate suffering. We would be a little nuts not to! But as disciples of Messiah we had better be learning to accept it. Thanks for the reminder
Shalom
There is only one other book I have read, on this topic, not many guys 🙂 especially brethren, has this insight, nor sought out this vital truth that is so critical to marriages.
This other book is by Cheryl Gidding tittled Chayil Ishah.
Guardian Angel is so appreciated! Thanks Skip for seeking out the truth. You are a ‘huge’ blessing to us.
Some Torah Messianic believers carry over their baggage from Christianity, and they continue to rebuke satan for evil, for sickness, for bad situations, instead of looking at the evil inclination/yetzer hara of themselves, as Bible believers that could have brought forth such consequences.
“Our reaction to undeserved suffering should be to welcome God’s control over our lives.” Amein!
I was watching this true life narration yesterday, and hope it will enrich us as it did me, and is so relevant to this topic. Enjoy! Shalom!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lWd1VTE54o#at=975
Ester,
Thank you for this link. A very emotional glimpse into the Jewish world and one I appreciate a bunch. It is a good way to view a very horrible and difficult thing.
Shalom
Hi Dawn,
That was so moving, I cried along too LOL. That is truly overcoming the cruel situation. The Grandpa seemed the most affected, yet he was the one with the inspiring insights into the situation.
Shalom!
You state, “Nothing happens in life without God’s say-so.”
That does not seem to square with what I think you mean when you talk about God’s limited Omniscience.
Isn’t it more like what you have said, “God knows all the choices we could make in a given situation and is prepared to turn any of those choices into ours and His good?” That idea is an even more powerful view of God’s involvement in our lives while respecting the fact He gave us free will.
Thoughts?
Ultimately it is still God’s say-so, since HE retains the sovereign right of refusal. I do believe that God “sees” all the possibilities and that as we chose, some of those possibilities become reality and that shapes the future. But in the end, God still prevails because He can, if He chooses, override our freedom to decide. There are biblical examples of this. There aren’t many because I think that God rather deals with the choices we make.
Seems free will is one of the most powerful things He created. So powerful it can even keep Him out.
Yup, unless He chooses otherwise.