Devotional 04 September 2025

September 04, 2025 • Steve Torres

1 Peter 3:4.jpg

“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives—when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.” (1 Peter 3:1–6, ESV)

Peter begins with “Likewise,” reminding us that this teaching flows from what came before: God refines His people through trials, making their faith more precious than gold (1 Pet. 1:6–7). Just as servants were told to endure unjust masters and citizens to honor rulers, even when they are harsh, so wives married to unbelieving husbands are called to shine as lights in the darkness.

This passage has been misused in history to excuse mistreatment. But Peter is not endorsing abuse. Scripture is clear: husbands must honor their wives as co-heirs (1 Pet. 3:7), and a man who fails to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25) sins against God. What Peter is urging here is a Christlike witness. If a woman comes to faith while married to an unbelieving husband, her life can become a living sermon. By her humility, purity, and inner beauty, she reflects the gentle strength of Christ Himself, who endured suffering without reviling (1 Pet. 2:23).

True adornment is not external but inward, “the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.” This is not weakness but strength anchored in God. As Proverbs 31:30 says, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Like Sarah, holy women of old hoped in God and found courage to do good without fear (Prov. 3:25–26).

For wives today, this means your faith-filled conduct is not wasted (Rom. 8:18). Even if your husband does not yet believe, God may use your life as a lamp in his darkness. By reflecting Christ’s humility and trusting the Lord with your trials, you display the beauty that heaven treasures most.