Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,

Submission is for the sake of witness. Yet this is the call of Christ for all of us.  We are to submit to authorities and rulers of every kind.

The relationship between husband and wife is the most basic of relationships.  It should be the goal of each Christian to be the best they can be for Jesus’ sake. Being a good wife for Jesus’ sake makes this position of greater worth than ever for the sake of one's husband.  Peter sees that this can be the means of husbands’ salvation. An unsaved spouse is common.

Now don't mistake this problem with disobeying the Biblical commandment not to marry non-Christian. In 2 Cor. 6:14,15.  I did a survey in my church including the question, “What would you like young women to know before marriage?”  When it came to spiritual things, the women tended to be more open in their comments than the men.

Listen to the advice from women, " You better be sure he has a sincere relationship with Jesus Christ before you marry him.” “They only hope for change.” “Be sure that your spouse is a true Christian and willing to be the spiritual leader of the family.” “Get it together spiritually and know where your future-spouse is at. Marry a Christian.”

I liked this one, "One thing I learned before marriage was to wait. When I waited, God led me to the right one to be my husband. Someone from a Christian home and was a Christian and attended Church regularly.”

Submission is for the sake of harmony. Position yourselves with an attitude of selflessness. Don't get caught up in power struggles. That is what devastates marriages.

Subjection is for the purpose of order.  We submit ourselves to one another for the sake of harmony. We must be different than the way other marriages are made if we are under God's authority. Under God, the husband has the responsibility for the leading of the family and the wife to make it to the best of her ability things run smoothly. We have given our rights to our Savior and trust Him to take care and work out situations better than we can anyway.

Submission is for the sake of Jesus.  This is misunderstood so often and many in the feminist movement flatly reject this. We promote democracy. How are decisions made? Talking it out, compromise, none of that changes a bit.  Jesus submitted to the will of His Father, yet they were co-equal in nature and in essence. He voluntarily ordered His earthly experience to the will of His Father so that God’s glory and love might be more clearly seen. That is the model for marriages.

Here are some comments from the men’s survey. "Let the husband be the leader and be the man she fell in love with and that she should feed him with her solid thinking and thoughtful ideas."  "Do not have a women's lib attitude toward your husband and family. It will put great pressure on your marriage." “Be a good helper to your husband.”

God's Word calls wives to submission for the sake of order.

Prayer:   Lord, I submit to You and trust You to lead our marriage in harmony.   We look to Your Word to guide us into all truth.