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NASB | 1 Peter 3:1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Peter 3:1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands [subordinate, not as inferior, but out of respect for the responsibilities entrusted to husbands and their accountability to God, and so partnering with them] so that even if some do not obey the word [of God], they may be won over [to Christ] without discussion by the godly lives of their wives, [Eph 5:22] |
Bible Question: I agree with you - we can get into dangerous ground when we "interpret away" any directive of the Bible. But the alternative is to say that the Bible supports slavery, silence of women in church, headcoverings, and the like, right? Would you say that we should follow these instructions literally? |
Bible Answer: Joy, the alternative to "interpreting away" Scripture is NOT a slavish, unthinking devotion to pure literalism from Genesis through Revelation! It is, rather, a careful, critical -- and prayerful -- exegetical, analytic and synthethic examination of the whole of Scripture in its natural context. This is the way that the fundamental doctrines and beliefs of the orthodox church are arrived at, not by lifting a verse or two out of context, isolating it from the rest of Scripture, and thus trying to lay the foundation for a false doctrine that conflicts with other parts of Scripture. ...... So many times when a person asks a question about whether something in the Bible should be taken literally today, they don't mean "literally" at all. What they're really asking is whether it's applicable to us in our time. Some of the questions are easier than others, of course. To use a well-known OT example: No one but a dunderhead would, when reading God's command to Noah to build an ark, go to Home Depot and try to purchase some gopher wood. Another example, this one from the NT: In Acts 10:9 we are told that Peter went upon the housetop to pray. Does this therefore mean that we must climb upon the roof of our house whenever we pray? The question isn't whether this passage from Acts is literal, i.e., did Peter pray on top of the house? Yes, he did. That is exactly what the passage literally says. But the question really is, is this act of Peter applicable to us? Does it constitute a teaching, establish a principle, or give a command concerning prayer that all Christians for all time must obey? Obviously not, because if we exegete it thusly we immediately run into a wall of opposition from many other places in Scripture that speak of praying in the street, in the wilderness, in a house of worship, in a garden, or in a private room. ....... A good book to own and use is Kay Arthur's "How To Study Your Bible." In it she talks incessantly about context, context, context. I'd have to say that I surely do believe that context, context, context are the three most important keys, aside from the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to unlocking the riches and true meaning of Scripture. --Hank |