Conversation without words

Psalm 37:14

The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

Galatians 1:13

For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

1 Timothy 4:12

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Peter 1:15

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Philippians 1:27a

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ

That old King James word conversation doesn’t necessarily mean conversing with each other through words.  You can also do that without words; you can do it with your lifestyle.  Peter tells the women in Israel, particularly those in the future and in time past, not to try to get their unbelieving husbands to become believers through words. 

1 Peter 3:1

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

God didn’t put women in the position to speak to their husbands about spiritual things.  He put the husband in charge.  Men view themselves as problem-solvers; God made them that way.  We want to rescue and save and fix things.  So I tell ladies that the best way to get an unbelieving husband to become a believer is to, in the quietness of their heart, study the word; then call their husband over and point out to him a passage like Ephesians 5 and say, “Honey, I know you don’t believe the word of God, but I have a verse I need help with, can you look at it please?”  Then show him this verse:

Ephesians 5:22

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

You got him right there.  He is going to read that and say “you need to submit to me your husband as unto the Lord.”  Try that out on a lost guy.  He’ll love it because God made a man to be reverenced.  That’s how you gradually get to them.  He will accept that as wisdom from God.  And you tell him that you will do it the best you can. 

You will get him, but it takes time through prayer.  You won’t have to reach him through words, but your godly conversation – your living the faith (i.e., allowing Christ to live in your life: "not I, but Christ"); not trying to lord it over him and to be God the Spirit in his life; but by just submitting to the word of God for Christ’s sake – even to your lost husband, not in sin, but within the will of God.  Peter says he can be won.  I think that the same principle can be applied in our dispensation.

Transcribed from an audio message by Ron Knight