Reading 1 Peter Together, Day 22 - 1 Peter 3:1-7

3 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, ² when they see your respectful and pure conduct. ³ Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ 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. ⁵ For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, ⁶ as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 

⁷ Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. 

Peter has addressed his readers and given instructions as citizens, as servants/employees, and now he moves to the home.  He continues the theme of submission to authority with wifely submission to the headship of the husband.  

It’s important to note that the instruction is for wives to submit to their own husbands.  This is not a general command for women to submit to men, but for wives to willingly, joyfully respect and submit to the headship of their husbands.  

But as with citizenship and servanthood, there is no exception made for wives with unbelieving or unloving husbands.  The Christian wife is to submit to her husband and respect her husband. Period.

If the husband is an unbeliever or if he is not loving his wife as he should, the Christian woman seeks to win him over by respectful and pure conduct, not by rejecting his headship of the family and disrespecting him.  

Furthermore, the Christian wife puts her hope and her trust in the promises of God, not her looks or possessions.  

Peter gives the example of Sarah who followed Abraham as he left behind his family to go to a place that God would only later show him, and trusted Abraham even as he made some really bad decisions.  The Christian wife is not controlled by fear, she trusts in God.  As an act of that trust, she submits to the headship of her husband.

The instruction to husbands is much shorter, for reasons we do not know.  Peter tells husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with men in the grace of life.  Weaker vessel does not mean inferior in personhood, just as the instruction for wives to submit to their husbands does not mean that women are inferior in personhood.  Women are physically weaker.  Men should not physically dominate their wives, as unfortunately many men through history have done.  Men should love their wives, and not use their position as head of the family selfishly.  

Here are your questions for the day.

How do you respond when you hear/read Peter instruct wives to submit to their own husbands? Does it make you uncomfortable?

Do you think it’s unfair that God instructs wives to submit to the headship of their husbands?  Why or why not?

What does it mean for a husband to live with his wife in an understanding way?

From verse 7, how serious an issue is it when a Christian husband does not live with his wife in an understanding way?

Reading 1 Peter Together, Day 21 - 1 Peter 2:18-25

¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ²² He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ²³ When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 

We come now to one of the harder to embrace passages not only in 1 Peter, but in all of Scripture.  This section is particularly difficult for American Christians to accept and obey.

Peter tells servants to be subject to their masters with all respect, whether the master is just or unjust.  The closest parallel in contemporary society is the employer/employee relationship.  Christian employees are to submit themselves to the authority of their bosses, whether the boss treats them justly or unjustly.  Employees have the option of changing jobs where servants and slaves in Peter’s day did not, but as long as a Christian is employed, he or she is to give his or her best to the employer regardless of how the employer treats the employee.

If we do suffer, it needs to be for doing what is right, not because we have sinned.  If we are stealing from our boss and suffer because of that, there is no reward.  But if we suffer for doing what is right, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.   

Jesus gave the example of suffering without responding sinfully.  We are to strive to follow his example.  He suffered injustice sinlessly, entrusting himself to the one who judges justly.  Through this, our redemption was purchased.  We have been returned to the shepherd and overseer of our souls, so we too can now entrust ourselves to God and do what is right, trusting God with the outcome.  

Here are your questions for the day.

Why does Peter instruct servants/employees to submit to their masters/bosses with all respect, even when the master/boss is unjust?

In what ways might a Christian suffer at work for doing what is right?

How does Christ’s example encourage us?  Is his example alone enough, or do we need something more in order to live as he lived?

What does it mean to die to sin and live to righteousness?

Reading 1 Peter Together, Day 20 - 1 Peter 2:13-17

¹³ Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 

The preceding verses signaled a shift from Peter’s description of who believers are and what they have in Christ to how they are to live as Christ’s people.  Verses 13-17 will introduce one of the major sub-themes of Peter’s letter - submission to authority.

Peter instructs believers to be subject to every human institution.  In other words, in every situation where believers find themselves under the authority of someone else, whether as citizens, servants (employees), wives, or church members, believers honor Christ by submitting to authority - provided of course that submission to that authority does not conflict with the revealed will of God.

We do this so that ignorant and foolish people will be put to shame by our doing good.  From the earliest days of the church until today the unbelieving world has spoken evil of the church.  The early church was accused of incest, cannibalism, and holding orgies among other accusations. Our responsibility as Christians isn’t to defend ourselves against such accusations with words alone, but to live in such a way that the accusations make the accuser appear foolish.  We use our freedom in Christ to separate ourselves from evil, not live in evil and cover up evil.  

We are to honor all people, love those in the church, fear God, and honor the emperor (government leaders).

Here are today’s questions for consideration:

Would you say that your life is characterized by obedience to authority?  

Why is obedience to authority, even secular authorities, expected of Christians?  How did Jesus demonstrate obedience to authority during his earthly ministry?

What are some of the accusations the unbelieving world makes against Christians today?  Do you think those accusations are deserved or not?  How can we put to silence the ignorance of foolish people in this day?

Why does Peter say to use our freedom to live as servants of God?  Is that a contradiction?

Reading 1 Peter Together, Day 16 - 1 Peter 2:11-12

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 

From 1 Peter 1:3 up to 2:10 Peter has primarily informed believers of their privileged status as God’s chosen people.  They have salvation, the promise of future glory, redemption by the blood of Christ, the living word of God, and they have been made into a chosen race, a royal priesthood and a people for God’s own possession.  Verses 11 and 12 of chapter 2 function as a transition from the privileges of being chosen to the responsibilities and expectations of being chosen.  

Peter reminds them, and us, once again that they and we are sojourners and exiles.  The world is not our home.  And since the world is not our home, we should not live like the world lives.  Of course we eat, drink, work, have families, and do all sorts of other things that unbelievers do, but in other ways the lives f believers should be markedly different from the lives of unbelievers.  Our behavior is different, our values are different, our worldview is different.

In verse 11 Peter urges his readers to abstain from fleshly passions, which wage war against the soul.  When we think about fleshly passions we think of things like sexual immorality and greed, but the term being used really encompasses the spectrum of sin.  Christians should abstain from sin.  

So often our attitude towards sin is that God has made all the really fun stuff in life off-limits as some sort of test of our obedience.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Sin kills. Sin enslaves.  God, in his loving goodness, has told us what kills us, what separates us from his perfect love.  The Biblical teaching is the unbeliever has no power to abstain from sin. But the believer is a new creation in Christ, walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, who now has the ability to choose to do what is right.  Peter’s instruction is simple: abstain from sin, do what is right.

And we do this so that the unbelievers around us will us living holy and upright lives and recognize that there is actually power in the gospel.  How can we preach of message of repentance and belief for salvation from sin and continue in sin?  But if we preach a message of salvation from the penalty and power of sin, and live lives characterized by good works, unbelievers will notice and perhaps be brought to repentant faith as well.

Here are your questions today.

How does viewing as sin as something that kills us vs. a test of obedience change the way we fight sin?  How does this change our view of God?

Is living a good, moral life alone enough to see unbelievers brought to faith?  In other words, can we live the gospel without preaching the gospel and see people brought to repentance and faith?

Reading 1 Peter Together, Day 14 - 1 Peter 2:9-10

Today is day 14 of Reading 1 Peter Together.  We're almost halfway through our month long daily reading of the entire book.  Today we'll focus our attention on two verses, 2:9-10.

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

As Peter begins to wrap up the opening thoughts of his letter, he continues to distinguish between the believers to whom he is writing and the unbelieving world.  In the introduction he called his recipients elect exiles, and in verse 9 he calls them a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for his own possession.  

Peter is drawing heavily from the Old Testament books of the Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and applying to the church words that were previously spoken of the nation of Israel.  (See Deuteronomy 7:6-9 and Exodus 19:6.)  The promises and the status that once exclusively belonged to the people of Israel now belong to all believe in Christ.  

Although the church is comprised of many different nationalities and ethnicities, we are one race in Christ - a chosen race to be God’s holy people.  Formerly we were not a people, now we are God’s people.  Formerly we were in darkness, now we have been brought into the light.  Formerly we had not received mercy, now we have received mercy.

These are among the many privileges of being God’s chosen people.  But with these privileges come responsibilities.  Most of the rest of Peter’s letter will instruct believers on how we are to live as God’s chosen people in a world that hates us.

Here are today’s questions for meditation.

Peter unashamedly contrasts the privileges and status of God’s chosen people and those on the outside.  Are you comfortable thinking and speaking this way?  Why or why not?

What are the implications for believers of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds of being made one race in Christ?  Is it Christ-honoring for believers to segregate themselves in local congregations where everyone has the same skin color and cultural background?

How do we proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light?  

Reading 1 Peter Together, Day 10 - 1 Peter 2:4-8

Today is day 10, meaning we're 1/3 of the way through our month long reading of 1 Peter.  Today is the tenth day in a row you should have read 1 Peter in its entirety.  Hopefully by now it's becoming very familiar to you.

Today's focus is on 1 Peter 2:4-8.

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵ you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture: 

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, 

a cornerstone chosen and precious, 

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 

⁷ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, 

“The stone that the builders rejected 

has become the cornerstone,” 

⁸ and 

“A stone of stumbling, 

and a rock of offense.” 

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 

In the verses preceding 2:4-8 Peter has told his readers that they are to love each other and crave the pure spiritual milk of the word of God.  In these verses he begins to tell them more about who they are as a people in Christ, and how they will share in both Christ’s suffering and reward.

Jesus was “a living stone” rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.  He was rejected during his earthly ministry by the Jewish religious leaders who denied his claim to be the Messiah and put him to death, just as it was foretold in the Old Testament that they would.  He is rejected still today by all who do not believe the gospel.  Jesus told his disciples in John 15 that the world would hate them just as it hated him.  If Jesus was rejected, we can expect to be rejected as well.

But in the sight of God, the only one whose opinion ultimately matters, Jesus was chosen and precious.  So are we who are united as one in Christ.  We, the church, are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  

Though the world may shame Christians, we will not be put to shame by God.  We have honor in the sight of God.  

For us, Jesus is the cornerstone.  For those who reject Christ, he is a stumbling block and a rock of offense.  This is cited from Isaiah 8:14, one of the prophecies that Isreal would reject her Messiah.  Peter then finishes the thought with an interesting statement, “They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.”

Here are your questions to consider today.

Do you expect the world to reject and despise you because you are identified with Christ.  Why or why not?

Why did the people of Israel reject Jesus as their Messiah?

What hope do Peter’s words in these verses give believers, especially believers facing persecution and suffering for the faith?

What does Peter mean when he says that those who disobey the word were destined to do so?  How should this inform our thinking about those who reject Christ?

Reading 1 Peter Together, Day 8 - 1 Peter 2:1-3

It's day 8 of reading 1 Peter Together.  Remember, the challenge is to read the entire book every day and spend a few minutes extra meditating on the verses I highlight here on the blog.  Today we'll look at 2:1-3

2 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

Peter continues with the theme of obedience by listing five things that believers should put away - all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander.  These five things are, of course, not the only behaviors that Christians should avoid, but Peter is continuing the thought he began in the previous few sentences.  Christians are to love one another earnestly from a pure heart.  Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander have no place among people who love each other.  

Instead, believers should be like newborn infants, craving pure spiritual milk, that they may grow into salvation.  In John 3, Jesus famously told Nicodemus that a person must be born again to see the kingdom of God.  In the preceding sentences Peter told the believers that they were born again through the word of God, and that is the pure spiritual milk he is instructing them to long for.  Just as a baby needs milk to grow into a mature and healthy human, a Christian who has been born again needs the word of God to grow into spiritual maturity. There is no Christian growth without a steady diet of God’s word, which, in his loving kindness, he has given to us in the Bible.  

John Bunyan once said, “Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.” There is much truth in that statement, and it is at least equally true that reading/hearing, studying, and knowing the word of God will keep a man from sin, and that sin will keep a man from the word of God.  Peter’s instruction is put away sin, and crave the word instead.

Here are your questions for today.

Do you find your life characterized by any of the five sins Peter mentioned?  If so, what needs to change?

Do you crave the word of God like a newborn baby craves milk?

Why is the word of God so important in the life of a believer?  Why does Peter tell them to crave the living and abiding word, not prayer, fellowship, or other aspects of Christian living?