Glencairn Church

Going Deeper is designed for use with your small group, a friend or on you own. Its aim is to create time for you to spend with God and his word. Do as much or as little as you like. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact one of our pastoral staff.

1. Pray for the needs of your Life Group, for our church and our leaders, for personal and corporate renewal, and to allow God’s word to transform us. Share a recent entry from your Life Journal with the group.

2. This Sunday, the message helped us see the transforming power of submission. When husbands and wives submit to one another, God is glorified and people come to know Christ. What thoughts or questions did the message raise for you Which ones encouraged you or posed a challenge to you?

3. Read 1 Peter 3:1-2. The word Peter used for submit (Greek: hypotasso) is a military term, meaning to “put yourself in a lower rank”. It includes the idea that we are to give way to another person, and put them first. What are some of the cultural reasons why submission is such a disliked concept today? What relationship does obedience have to submission? Some have suggested that this command for women to submit to their husbands is fatal to the inherent dignity of the woman. What evidence in Scripture can you point to that would suggest otherwise?

4. Read Ephesians 5:21-24. What reasons and examples does Paul give for wives to submit to their husbands? How is this act of submission different or similar to our contemporary understanding of submission? What does a submissive wife look like today (consider also Peter’s description in 1 Peter 3:1-2)

5. Read 1 Peter 3:3-6. Peter’s emphasis is to help women be a testimony to their husbands and win them to Christ “without words”. In this section he talks about the inner beauty of a woman, in contrast to the world’s emphasis on outer beauty. How can this be empowering for women? Why do you think this would be an effective means of attracting men and drawing them toward Christianity?

6. “Submission,” when used to describe the relationship between husband and wife or employer and employee, is often dismissed as being out-of-date, elitist or sexist. However, when viewed through the lens of Jesus’ relationship with us and His trial and voluntary death on our behalf, such loving mutual submission takes on an entirely new meaning. Explain how this impacts your walk as a Christian, relationship with others, and your married life (if married).

7. Take a moment of silence to consider how God is speaking to you through the message you have heard today. Is God asking you to make changes or to do something new? What concrete steps of response do you want to take? How can your group support you in these steps?