1 Peter 3:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For "all the glory of the King's daughter is within; her garments are adorned with gold, embroidered" (Ps 44:14). That is, our hidden disposition and outward condition must correspond exactly to one another. Adornment with gold signifies outward activity. He calls the garments adorned with gold and embroidered because what is manifested from within does not appear casually, but honorably and with dignity.

For God would not give riches to the outward man and leave the inward man in poverty. He gave hidden riches to the hidden man and adorned the hidden man in a hidden way.

I shall speak, if you wish, also of this perfection of hers. She did not consider it important, like all truly chaste and well-mannered women. Yet women too attached to adornments and finery, and not corrected by the word of those who teach such virtues, forced one to regard it as important.

She was not adorned by gold, fashioned by a skillful hand to an excess of beauty. She was not adorned by golden-looking hair, glittering and shining, nor by curls twisted into rings. She was not adorned by the dishonorable devices of those who make an honorable head into a kind of tent.

But later, when I read the Epistle of the Apostle Peter, I noticed that every wise person is also rich, and Peter makes no exception for either sex. Thus, in regard to both, the intelligent person is rich, because he seeks the use of no riches for himself. Peter beautifully called him the man of the heart, because the whole man of wisdom is hidden, as wisdom itself is hidden. It is not seen, but known. Before Peter no one used such an expression as to say "the man of the heart."

Each of us has two men: one bodily and the other of the soul. Thus the visible man of Adam delighted in the visible paradise, while the hidden man of the heart tasted in the invisible spiritual paradise of the holy angels.

Since your outward man is subject to corruption and you lack the beauty of chastity, which properly belongs only to virgins, imitate the incorruption of the spirit through prolonged continence. What you cannot keep bodily, keep spiritually. For Christ desires these riches and these adornments from your marriage.

On the conception and birth of the hidden man of the heart.

For human nature, burdened by despair and countless sorrows, the "hidden man of the heart," conceived and born in the heart, is healing and consolation. He is the expectation of the whole visible creation (Rom 8:19-21), the decisive striving to know and fulfill the will of God, and the "goal of our redemption."

To explain more fully how the new man is conceived and born in the heart, it is necessary to disclose three things. These are the possibility of his conception and birth, the understanding of the One who conceives and gives birth, and the very act of conception and birth.

The possibility of the conception and birth of the hidden man of the heart.

The hearts of all people enclosed under sin can be opened for the conception and birth of the new, hidden man within them, whatever state they may be in. They may be in ignorance, like the Gentiles (see Acts 17:30), or in negligence, perversity, slavery, hypocrisy, self-delusion, hardness, or even despair.

The possibility of such conception and birth is clear from the property of God's grace, which abounds where sin increases (Rom 5:20).

It is also clear from the property of spiritual conception. Holy Scripture explains this through likenesses: to fire, which consumes everything, and to a hammer, which breaks stones (Jer 23:29; Heb 12:29); to the narrow gate and constricted way that leads into life (Mt 7:13).

It is also clear from the properties of the fleshly man. For no one descends before his death into the perfect depth of despair.

The ray of hope will not be extinguished so long as, in a life subject to change, the possibility remains of correcting and changing one's own free choice.

The understanding of the One who conceives and gives birth to the hidden man of the heart.

Just as man himself cannot give birth to the "hidden man of the heart" without God, so neither does God do so without man.

In other words, for his birth mutual cooperation is necessary, both on God's part and on man's part. This must be concluded from the fact that regeneration is attributed sometimes to God and sometimes to man himself.

Likewise, faith necessary for regeneration is attributed to man, while at the same time it is the gift of God. Conversion, too, is the work of God and at the same time the work of man.

The difference is this: in the conception and birth of the hidden man of the heart, God participates initially, actively, and positively. Man participates secondarily, subordinately, and negatively.

Such mutual cooperation by God and by man himself in the conception and birth of the hidden man of the heart may be seen in the parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15:11-32).

On man's part, the parable presents a certain preliminary knowledge of God. It presents the cessation of distraction, or the return of the mind to itself from external things. It presents knowledge of the superabundant goodness of God.

It also presents awareness of one's own weakness and desperate condition. This condition comes from himself, from neighbors, from animals, and from things necessarily needed.

It presents the turning of the will away from the present disastrous condition and toward what is better, or the firm intention of such a conversion.

It presents acknowledgment of sins, or sincere repentance, condemnation and abasement of oneself, and the desire to return to God despite any obstacles.

It presents filial prayers to God, joined with rejection of oneself, and filial submission to God, hope, and constant love for Him.

On God's part, the parable presents the preliminary awakening of man, mercy toward him, and going out to meet him.

It presents unchangeable fatherly love, the invitation of angels to minister to him, and the bringing forth and giving of gifts to him.

These gifts are the garment prepared by Christ, that is, His merits; the ring, the seal of redemption; and the sandals, spiritual walking and evangelical preaching.

The very act of conception and birth.

The very act by which the "hidden man of the heart" is conceived and born is truly a mystery. Through it, the "kingdom of God" is conceived in man's heart (Lk 17:20-21).

This kingdom lies in the authority of God the Father alone, in the love of His Son, and in the will of the Holy Spirit.

Nevertheless, Holy Scripture does not leave this mystery without such explanation as is possible. It calls it conversion from oneself to God (Ezek 18:30), rising from sleep (Eph 5:14), and resurrection from the dead (Rom 6:4).

More precisely, it is perfect surrender to Jesus Christ, joined with trembling and awe, a firm resolve to love one's neighbor, and love for Christ, without which one cannot love one's neighbor.

From this it is evident that the conception and birth of the new man are joined to various feelings that shake man's damaged nature.

The chief among them are the feeling of sorrows proper to damaged nature, the feeling of spiritual sweetness because spiritual diseases are healed or spiritual life is restored, and the feeling of spiritual power.

This power is given to the heart, received by it, and becomes, so to speak, the soul of the soul and the heart of the heart.

Let no one deceive you with foolish and false words, saying that one can know the divine mysteries of our faith without initiation and illumination by the Holy Spirit.

No one can be a vessel of the Spirit's gifts without meekness and humility. Therefore all of us must first lay the firm and unshakable foundation of faith in the depths of our soul.

Then, on this foundation, we must build the temple of the soul's inward piety, raising high and strong walls from various kinds of virtues.

When the soul has thus been enclosed on every side, as by walls, and every virtue has settled and taken root in it, let us place upon this building the roof of the knowledge of God. Then the house of the Spirit will be complete. Venerable Symeon the New Theologian.

"Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom 12:2).

"Brethren, I do not consider that I have attained; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal, to the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14).

"The Scripture has shut up all under sin, that the promise might be given to those who believe through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal 3:22). "But we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God" (Rom 3:19).

"Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light" (Eph 5:14).

"You have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and ravaged it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, being exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers" (Gal 1:13).

"Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Thus He delivered those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb 2:14).

"But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?'" (Mt 3:7).

"Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish, that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. As it is written: He catches the wise in their craftiness. And again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain" (1 Cor 3:18-20).

"I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek 36:26).

"You were without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and were without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:12-13).

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (Jas 4:8).

"The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. If you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For many days Israel will be without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law. But when in their distress they turn to the Lord God of Israel and seek Him, He will let them find Him" (2 Chr 15:2-4).

"I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek 36:26).

"Cast away from yourselves all your sins, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit" (Ezek 18:31).

"Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me" (Jn 14:1).

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph 2:8-9).

"Turn us to Thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned. Renew our days as of old" (Lam 5:21).

"I hear Ephraim lamenting: 'Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, like an untrained calf. Turn me, and I shall be turned, for Thou art the Lord my God'" (Jer 31:18).

"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not be a stumbling block to you" (Ezek 18:30).

"He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph 1:4-5).

"The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. It teaches us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, righteously, and piously in the present age" (Tit 2:11-12).

"God works in you both to will and to act according to His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). "To Him who, by the power working in us, is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, to Him be glory from age to age" (Eph 3:20-21).

"In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ" (Col 2:11).

"Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God who gives the growth" (1 Cor 3:7).

"Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Cor 3:4-5).

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5).

"Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be annulled, so that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin" (Rom 6:6-7).

"We know that Christ, having risen from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. So you also must reckon yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 6:9-12).

"Coming to himself, he said: 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, while I perish with hunger'" (Lk 15:17).

"He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine" (Lk 15:15).

"He would gladly have filled his belly with the pods that the swine ate, but no one gave him anything" (Lk 15:16).

"When he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need" (Lk 15:14).

"I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you'" (Lk 15:18).

A woman's chief attention must be centered on the qualities of the soul, on meekness and quietness. This beauty is unchanging and for the most part hidden from human eyes, yet it is noticed by the husband's attention and is precious before God Himself. "The hidden man of the heart." The Apostle points precisely to the inner and secret qualities of a woman. Quietness, as a quality opposed to the talkativeness characteristic of most women and condemned also by the Apostle Paul (1 Tim 5:13), should serve as an outward sign and means of concealing a woman's better inward quality, meekness.

The hidden man of the heart is the same as what the Apostle Paul calls the inner man, in contrast to the outer man (Rom 7:22; 2 Cor 4:16; Eph 3:16). This inner, or hidden, man is that spiritual disposition of the heart produced by the action of the Spirit of God. It is a spiritual manner of thoughts, feelings, and desires, consonant with the Christian spirit.

It distinguishes the Christian from the pagan in the whole inward order of life by purity, spirituality, and holiness. This adornment, or beauty, must belong to all Christians, both women and men. The Apostle applies this general ideal specifically to women in the features designated by the words: “in the incorruptible beauty of a meek and quiet spirit.”

The duties of wives and husbands (1 Pet 3:1-8). To the former the Apostle commands submission to their husbands, so that by meekness and a pure life they may have a good influence on them. They are to adorn themselves not with outward braiding of hair or ornaments of gold, but with inward qualities of the heart, like the holy women, for example Sarah, who obeyed Abraham. To husbands he commands prudent and meek conduct toward their wives, as toward the weaker vessel and as toward fellow heirs of the life of grace.

Having defined the civic relations of Christians, the Apostle Peter now gives counsel concerning family life, which is first ordered by wives. He counsels them to obey their husbands and generally to live in the fear of God, since by this they can dispose their husbands toward Christianity.

Knowing women’s usual passion for finery, the Apostle counsels them to adorn themselves not with perishable beauty, but with spiritual beauty, that is, purity of heart. They should adorn themselves with what is especially precious before God: meekness and obedience, imitating the righteous wife of Abraham and other holy women.

Now the Apostle points us to the “hidden man of the heart” as the object of our most careful concern and solicitude. We must adorn ourselves beautifully by forming him within ourselves. What, then, is this hidden man of the heart?

It is the man formed in the heart when all good dispositions and feelings dwell there. Review these dispositions and feelings, and you will see the countenance of the man hidden in the heart. Here are these dispositions.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and piety,” and on our part, “giving all diligence,” St. Peter writes, “add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control patience, to patience piety, to piety brotherly love, and to brotherly love love” (2 Pet 1:5-7).

“Let your concern not be the outward man, the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the beauty of garments, but the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptibility of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very precious before God.”

It is proper for women who lead a pure and God-fearing life to care not for the outward man, or the bodily nature of man, but for the inner, hidden man of the heart, his spiritual nature. Concern for the body prompts women, either to please their husbands or to satisfy their own vanity, to resort to artificial and often ruinous means of bodily adornment. Such are elaborate hairstyles, gold ornaments, and costly clothing.