These words, “in the same way”, struck me immediately as I read about husbands and wives at the beginning of chapter 3. Peter is referring back something else that he wrote, assuming that you understand what he meant, and now is saying that a wife, and subsequently a husband, should live “in the same way.”
So I thought it was important to look back and make sure I understood what Peter was saying. In the same way as what?
Given that Peter says “in the same way” immediately at the beginning of chapter 3, I looked back to the end of chapter 2. Here is the passage to which I think he is referring:
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake…
1 Peter 2:13
Peter has told us that Jesus is the cornerstone and we are the living stones that make up the rest of the spiritual “house” that God is building. Now, he goes on to explain to us what the “living” part of the living stone actually looks like. He explains how the life that we are living as living stones should look. He says that it should look like submission for the Lord’s sake.
Peter had told the people that they should submit themselves to every human authority…for the Lord’s sake. We don’t live for our own freedom. We live with freedom from sin, offering ourselves as slaves to God so that the Lord would be honored.
The slaves that lived at that time were told to submit themselves to their masters. Christ suffered for each of them so that they would be healed. In the same way, in a way that is difficult for our modern culture and modern ears to hear and understand, Peter calls these slaves to suffer so that the masters might be healed, that they might come to know Christ even through the suffering of their servants.
Now we come to wives and husbands. Peter says “in the same way” once again. He says that submission is the way. Wives are to be submitted to their husbands, but once again, for a reason. That reason is for the Lord’s sake. If their husbands can see the life of their wives in Christ, they may be won over even without words. They see that their wives have changed. They see that they live righteous lives and and will hopefully desire that life also for themselves.
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, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
1 Peter 3:1-2
And husbands also, “in the same way”, must live lives that are submitted to Christ for the Lord’s sake. Husbands must treat their wives with respect and be considerate so that their wives may be won over to Christ as well. Their wives are co-heirs in receiving eternal life. Just as they have received this life in Christ, so have their wives along with them. No additional benefits, but most certainly there are additional responsibilities for the husbands.
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
1 Peter 3:7
Jesus submitted himself to the will of the Father. He took on the pain, the suffering, and even death so that the Father’s will would be accomplished. He suffered for us, so in the same way, God calls each of us to submission to others so that not only we will inherit the gift of eternal life, but so will many others with whom we are in relationship.