1 Peter 2

1 Peter 2:1

2:1 Because they are partakers of the divine life, Christians should put away once for all the following unloving acts: Malicethe harboring of evil thoughts against another person. Malice nourishes antagonism, builds up grudges, and secretly hopes that revenge, harm, or tragedy will overtake another. George Washington Carver was refused admission at a university because he was black. Years later, when someone asked him the name of the university, he replied, Never mind. That doesn’t matter now. He harbored no malice. Deceitany form of dishonesty and trickery (and what a variety of forms it takes!). Deceit falsifies income tax returns, cheats on exams, lies about age, bribes officials, and pulls shady deals in business. Hypocrisyinsincerity, pretense, sham. The hypocrite is a play-actor, pretending to be someone he is not. He pretends to be happily married when his home is actually a battlefield. He pretends to be spiritual on Sundays but he is as carnal as a goat on weekdays. He pretends interest in others but his motives are selfish. Envybare-faced jealousy. Vine defines it as the feeling of displeasure produced by observing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others. It was envy that caused the chief priests to deliver Jesus up to Pilate for death (Mat_27:18). Envy is still a killer. Women can look daggers at others because of their better homes and gardens, smarter clothes, or superior cooking. A man can praise another fellow’s new car or speedboat but what he is thinking is, I’ll show him.

I’ll get something better.Evil speakingbackbiting, malicious gossip, recrimination. Slander is the attempt to make oneself look cleaner by slinging mud at someone else. It may take very subtle forms such as: Yes, she is a lovely person but she has this one failing … . and then the knife is deftly thrust into her back. Or it may even have a religious pose: I mention this only for your prayer fellowship, but did you know that he … . and then the character is assassinated. All of these sins are violations of the fundamental commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. No wonder Peter tells us to decisively rid ourselves of them. 2:2 A second obligation flowing from our new birth is to have an insatiable craving for the pure spiritual milk of the word. The sins mentioned in the previous verse stunt spiritual growth; the good word of God nourishes it. The phrase as newborn babes does not necessarily mean that Peter’s readers were new believers; they may have been saved for several years. But young or old in the faith, they should thirst for the word just as infants cry for milk. We get some idea of the thirst of the healthy baby by the impatient, aggressive, determined way he sucks and swallows. By the pure milk of the word, a believer grows up spiritually. The ultimate goal toward which all spiritual growth in this life is moving is conformity to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2:3 If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. What a tremendous impetus for thirsting for the pure spiritual milk! The if does not express any doubt; we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Psa_34:8). His sacrifice for us was an act of unspeakable goodness and kindness (Tit_3:4). What we have already tasted of His kindness should whet our appetites to feed more and more on Him. The sweet taste of nearness to Him should make us dread the thought of ever wandering away from Him.

1 Peter 2:4

D. His Privileges in the New House and Priesthood (2:4-10) 2:4 Now Peter moves from exhortation to a consideration of believers’ privileges in the new house (the church) and in the new priesthood. In the new order, Christ is central, and so we come to Him. Because Peter is thinking in terms of a building and of building materials, we are not surprised to find the Lord presented figuratively as a stone. First, He is that living stonenot an inanimate or dead stone but One who lives in the power of an endless life (Heb_7:16). Incredible as it may seem, He is rejected by men. In their stupid, selfish, amateurish blueprints for life, insignificant, shortsighted men can find no place for their Creator and Redeemer. Just as there was no room for Him in the inn, so there is no place for Him in the plan of their lives! But it is not man’s opinion that counts. In God’s sight the Lord Jesus is chosen … and precious. He is chosen as not only the suitable stone but the indispensable One. And His value to God is inestimable; He is precious beyond computation. If we are going to be used in God’s building program we must come to Christ. Our only suitability to be building materials is derived from our identification with Him. We are only important as we contribute to His glory. 2:5 The spiritual house is built up of all believers in Christ, and is therefore the same as the church. The church has this in common with the temple of the OT that it is the dwelling place of God on earth (1Ki_6:11-13; Eph_2:22). But it is contrasted with the temple, a physical, tangible building made of beautiful but lifeless, perishable materials. The church is a structure built of living stones. Now the figure changes swiftly from a spiritual house to the holy priesthood that functions in connection with the house. Believers are not only living building blocks in the house; they are holy priests as well. Under the Mosaic Law, the priesthood was limited to the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron. And even those who were priests were forbidden to approach the Presence of God. Only the high priest could do that on one day of the year (Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement) following the precisely ordained procedure outlined for the event by the Lord. In the new dispensation, all believers are priests with instant access to the Throne Room of the universe, day or night. Their function is to offer up spiritual sacrifices (in contrast to the animal, bird, and meal offerings of the Mosaic Law). The spiritual sacrifices of the NT priest are:

1. The presentation of the body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This is an act of spiritual worship (Rom_12:1).
2. The sacrifice of praise. That is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name (Heb_13:15).
3. The sacrifice of good works. Do not forget to do good. … This sacrifice is pleasing to God (Heb_13:16).
4. The sacrifice of possessions, or pocketbook. Do not forget … to share. This sacrifice also is pleasing to the Lord (Heb_13:16).
5. The sacrifice of service. Paul speaks of his ministry to the Gentiles as a priestly offering (Rom_15:16). These sacrifices are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. It is only through Jesus Christ, our Mediator, that we can approach God in the first place, and it is only He who can make our offerings acceptable to God. All that we doour worship and our serviceis imperfect, flawed by sin. But before it reaches the Father, it passes through the Lord Jesus. He removes all the sin, and when it reaches God the Father it is perfectly acceptable. The high priest in the OT wore a gold plate on his turban with the words HOLINESS TO THE LORD (Exo_28:36) inscribed on it. It was for any sin that might be involved in the offerings of the people (Exo_28:38). So our High Priest wears a miter for us, for any human failure that may be involved in our sacrifices. The priesthood of all believers is a truth that should be understood, believed, and joyfully practiced by every Christian. At the same time, it must not be abused. Though all believers are priests, not every priest has the right to preach or teach in the assembly. There are certain controls which must be observed.
6. Women are forbidden to teach or to have authority over men; they are to keep silent (1Ti_2:12).
7. Men who speak should do so as the oracles of God (1Pe_4:11). That means they should have a distinct assurance that they are speaking the words which God would have them speak on that particular occasion.
8. All believers have some gift, just as every member of the human body has some function (Rom_12:6; 1Co_12:7). But not all gifts involve public speaking. Not all have the special service gifts of evangelist, pastor, or teacher (Eph_4:11).
9. A young man should rekindle the gift of God that is within him (2Ti_1:6). If that gift involves preaching, teaching, or some other form of public speaking, he should be given opportunity to exercise it in the assembly.
10. The priesthood of believers is seen in operation in 1Co_14:26 : How is it then brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.In that same chapter are many controls limiting the public exercise of gifts in a congregation to insure order and edification. The universal priesthood of Christians must not be used to justify abuses in the local church. 2:6 Still thinking of the building, Peter reverts to Christ the stone, and in particular, to Christ as the chief cornerstone. By quoting from Isa_28:16, he shows that Christ’s role as cornerstone was foretold in Scripture. He points out that God has determined that Christ will have this unique position, that He is an elect and precious stone, and that He is completely dependable. No one who trusts in Him will ever be disappointed. The word translated cornerstone in this passage may be understood in at least three ways, and each applies with equal validity and force to the Lord Jesus.
11. A cornerstone in modern architecture is placed at the base of one corner, where it binds two walls together and symbolizes the foundation on which the entire building rests. Christ is the cornerstone, the only genuine foundation (1Co_3:10-11), the One who has united believing Jews and Gentiles (like two walls in one building) into one new man (Eph_2:13-14).
12. Some scholars think that this stone is the keystone in an arch. It is the stone which completes the arch and holds the rest of the building together. Our Lord certainly meets this description. He is the topmost stone in the arch, and without Him there would be no strength or cohesion to the building.
13. A third view is that the stone is the capstone in a pyramid, occupying the highest place in the structure. It is the only stone of that shape in the structure. Its shape determines the shape of the entire pyramid. It is the last stone to be put in place. So Christ is the Capstone of the church, the truly unique Stone. The church gets its character from Him. When He returns, the building will be completed. He is a stone elect and precious. He is elect in the sense that God has selected Him to occupy the place of chief honor; He is precious because there is not another like Him. He who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame. The original passage in Isaiah from which this is quoted is rendered he who believes will not act hastily. Put these two together and you have the wonderful promise that those who have Christ as their cornerstone are saved from frustrating humiliation and from frantic haste. 2:7 In the preceding verses the Lord Jesus has been presented as the living stone, a rejected stone, a precious stone and the cornerstone. Now, without using the word, Peter seems to picture Him as the touchstone. A touchstone reveals whether certain minerals rubbed against it are genuine or spurious. It shows, for instance, whether a nugget is gold or fool’s gold. When people come in contact with the Savior, they are shown for what they really are. In their attitude toward Him they reveal themselves. To true believers, He is precious; unbelievers reject Him. The believer can get some small indication of how precious He is by trying to imagine what life would be like without Him. Not all earthly pleasures are worth comparing for a moment with a Christ-filled life. He is Chief among ten thousand and altogether lovely (Son_5:10, Son_5:16). But what about those who are disobedient or disbelieve? The writer of Psalm 118 predicted that this precious stone would be rejected by the builders, but would later become the head of the corner. There is a persistent legend in connection with the building of Solomon’s temple that perfectly illustrates this prophecy. The stones for the temple were prepared in advance in a nearby quarry. As they were needed, they were raised up to the building site. One day the workers in the quarry sent up a stone of unique shape and proportions. The masons saw no place for it in the building so they carelessly pushed it over the hill where, in time, it became overgrown with moss and surrounded with weeds. As the temple neared completion, the masons called for a stone of certain dimensions. The men in the quarry replied, We sent that stone up to you long ago. After careful search, the discarded stone was found and was set in its proper place in the temple. The application is obvious. The Lord Jesus presented Himself to the nation of Israel at His First Advent. The people, and especially the rulers, had no room for Him in their scheme of things. They rejected Him and delivered Him to be crucified. But God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in heaven. When the Rejected One returns to earth the second time, He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will then be publicly manifested as the chief cornerstone. 2:8 Now the figure changes from Christ the touchstone and the head of the corner to Christ the stone of stumbling. Isaiah predicted that for those who did not believe, He would be a stone that will make men stumble and a rock that will make them fall (Isa_8:14-15). This was literally fulfilled in the history of the nation of Israel. When their Messiah came, the Jews were offended by His origins and His simple way of life. They wanted a political demagogue and a military strongman. In spite of the most convincing proofs, they refused to accept Him as the promised Messiah. But this does not apply only to Israel. For any who will not believe on Jesus, He becomes a stumbling stone and a rock that trips them. Men either bow before Him in repentance and faith to salvation or stumble over Him into hell. What might have been their salvation is made the cause of their deeper condemnation. There can be no neutrality; He must be either Savior or Judge. They stumble, being disobedient to the word. Why do they stumble? Not because of honest intellectual difficulties. Not because there is anything about the Lord Jesus that makes it impossible to believe in Him. They stumble because they willfully disobey the word. The trouble is in the human will. The reason men are not saved is because they do not want to be saved (Joh_5:40). The latter part of verse 8, to which they also were appointed, seems to say that they were destined to disobey the word. Is this what it means? No, this verse teaches that all those who willfully disobey the word are destined to stumble. The words to which they also were appointed refer back to the entire preceding clause, they stumble, being disobedient to the word. God has decreed that all who refuse to bow to the Lord Jesus will stumble. If a man insists on going on in unbelief, then he is appointed to stumble. Unwillingness to obey makes stumbling a foregone conclusion (JBP). 2:9 Peter now turns again to the privileges of believers. They are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special people. God had promised these very privileges to the nation of Israel if they would obey Him: Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exo_19:5-6 a). Because of unbelief Israel failed to realize the promise of God, and the nation forfeited its place as God’s own people. During the present age, the church occupies the favored place that Israel lost through disobedience. Believers today are a chosen generation, chosen by God before the foundation of the world to belong to Christ (Eph_1:4). But instead of being an earthly race with common ancestry and distinct physical characteristics, Christians are a heavenly people with a divine parentage and spiritual resemblances. Believers are also a royal priesthood. This is the second priesthood mentioned in this chapter. In verse 5, believers are described as holy priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices. Now they are said to be royal priests, proclaiming the excellencies of God. As holy priests, they enter the sanctuary of heaven by faith to worship. As royal priests, they go out into the world to witness. This difference in priesthood is illustrated by the imprisonment of Paul and Silas at Philippi. As holy priests they sang praises to God at midnight; as royal priests they preached the gospel to their jailor (Act_16:25, Act_16:31). Believers are a holy nation. It was God’s intention that Israel should be a nation distinguished by holiness. But the Israelites stooped to the sinful practices of their Gentile neighbors. So Israel has been set aside temporarily and the church is now God’s holy nation. Finally, Christians are a people for God’s own possession. They belong to Him in a unique way and are of special value to Him. The last part of verse 9 describes the responsibility of those who are God’s new race, priesthood, nation and people. We should proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once we were groping in the darkness of sin and shame. By a stupendous deliverance we have been transferred into the kingdom of His dear Son. The light is as clear and brilliant as the darkness was oppressive. How we should shout the praises of the One who did all this for us! 2:10 Peter closes this section by referring to the book of Hosea. Using the prophet’s own tragic family life as an object lesson, God had pronounced judgment on the nation of Israel. Because of their unfaithfulness to Him, He said He would no longer have pity on them and that they would no more be His people (Hos_1:6, Hos_1:9). But the casting aside of Israel was not final, for the Lord also promised that in a future day, Israel would be restored: … I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; then I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people! And they shall say, You are my God! (Hos_2:23). Some of the people to whom Peter was writing had once been part of the nation of Israel. Now they were members of the church. Through faith in Christ, they had become the people of God, while unbelieving Jews were still cast aside. So Peter sees in the condition of the converted Jews of his day a partial fulfillment of Hos_2:23. In Christ, they had become God’s new people; in Christ, they had obtained mercy. This handful of saved Jews enjoyed the blessings promised to Israel through Hosea long before Israel nationally would enjoy them. No one should conclude from this passage in Peter that because the church is now God’s people, He is through with Israel as a nation. Neither should one assume that the church is now the Israel of God, or that the promises made to Israel now apply to the church. Israel and the church are separate and distinct entities, and an understanding of this distinction is one of the most important keys to interpreting the prophetic word. Israel was God’s chosen earthly people from the time of the call of Abraham to the coming of the Messiah. The nation’s rebellion and faithlessness reached its awesome climax when Christ was nailed to the cross. Because of this crowning sin, God temporarily set aside Israel as His chosen people. They are His ancient earthly people today but not His chosen people. During the present age, God has a new peoplethe church. This Church Age forms a parenthesis in God’s dealings with Israel. When the parenthesis is closed, that is, when the church is caught away to heaven, God will resume His dealings with Israel. Then a believing portion of the nation will become God’s people again. The final fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy is still future. It will take place at the Second Advent. The nation that rejected its Messiah will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn (Zec_12:10). Then repentant, believing Israel will receive mercy and will become God’s people once more. The point Peter is making in verse 10 is that believing Jews today enjoy an advance fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy, while unbelieving Jews are still alienated from God. The complete and final fulfillment will take place when the Deliverer will come out of Zion and turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Rom_11:26).

1 Peter 2:11

II. THE BELIEVER’S RELATIONSHIPS (2:11-4:6) A. As a Pilgrim in Relation to the World (2:11, 12) 2:11 Most of the rest of 1 Peter concerns the conduct that should characterize the Christian in the various relationships of life. Peter reminds believers that they are sojourners and pilgrims in the world and that this fact should leave its stamp on all their behavior. They are sojourners in the sense that they are living in a foreign country where they do not have the rights of citizens. They are pilgrims in the sense that they are obliged to live for a while in a place which is not their permanent home. The hymns of yesterday remind us of our pilgrimage. For instance: Called from above, and heavenly men by birth (Who once were but the citizens of earth), As pilgrims here, we seek a heav’nly home, Our portion in the ages yet to come. We are but strangers here, we do not crave A home on earth, which gave Thee but a grave: Thy cross has severed ties which bound us here, Thyself our treasure in a brighter sphere. James G. Deck But these sentiments have largely dropped from our hymnology. When the church has settled down in the world, it seems a bit hypocritical to be singing beyond our experience. When we read the exhortation to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, we think immediately of sexual sins. But the application is wider than that; it refers to any strong desire that is inconsistent with the will of God. It would include over-indulgence in food or drink, catering to the body with excessive sleep, the determination to amass material possessions, or the hankering for worldly pleasures. All these things wage incessant warfare against our spiritual well-being. They hinder communion with God. They deter spiritual growth. 2:12 Not only must we exercise discipline in the area of fleshly indulgence, but we must also maintain our conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that is, the pagan world. In our day we must not pattern our lives after the world. We should be marching to the beat of a different drummer. Almost inevitably we will be criticized. At the time Peter wrote this Letter, writes Erdman: … the Christians were being slandered as irreligious because of not worshiping the heathen gods, as morons and ascetics because of refraining from popular vices, as disloyal to the government because of claiming allegiance to a heavenly King. Such criticism cannot be avoided. But under no circumstances should believers give the world a valid reason for such reproach. All slanders should be refuted by an unbroken record of good deeds. Then the accusers will be compelled to glorify God in the day of visitation. A day of visitation is any time the Lord draws near, either in grace or in judgment. The expression is used in Luk_19:41-44. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because it did not know the time of its visitation, that is, Jerusalem did not realize that the Messiah had come in love and mercy. Here it may mean: (1) The day when God’s grace will visit the critics and they are saved, or (2) the day of judgment when the unsaved will stand before God. Saul of Tarsus illustrates the first interpretation. He had shared in accusing Stephen, but Stephen’s good deeds triumphed over all opposition. When God visited Saul in mercy on the road to Damascus, the repentant Pharisee glorified God and went forth, like Stephen, to influence others by the radiance of a Christ-filled life. Jowett says: The beautiful life is to raise men’s thoughts in homage to the glorious God. When they behold the Divine realized in the human, they too are to be wooed into heavenly fellowship. They are to be wooed, not by the eloquence of our speech, but by the radiance of our behavior. By the imposing grace of noble living we are to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, and that silence will be for them the first stage in a life of aspiring consecration. In the second interpretation, the thought is that unsaved people will be compelled to glorify God in the day of judgment. They will have no excuse, for they not only heard the gospel, they saw it in the lives of their Christian relatives, friends, and neighbors. God will then be vindicated through the blameless conduct of His children.

1 Peter 2:13

B. As a Citizen in Relation to Government (2:13-17) 2:13 The next five verses deal with the Christian’s relation toward government. The key word here is submit. In fact, the injunction to submit is found four times in the Epistle. Citizens are to submit to the government (1Pe_2:13). Slaves are to submit to their masters (1Pe_2:18). Wives are to submit to their husbands (1Pe_3:1). Younger believers are to submit to the elders (1Pe_5:5). Lyall says: The ultimate Christian answer to persecution, detractors and critics is that of a blameless life, conduct beyond reproach and good citizenship. In particular … submission is a supremely Christlike virtue. Human governments are instituted by God (Rom_13:1). Rulers are God’s servants (Rom_13:4). Even if the rulers are not believers, they are still God’s men officially. Even if they are dictators and tyrants, their rule is better than no rule at all. The complete absence of rule is anarchy, and no society can continue under anarchy. So any government is better than no government at all. Order is better than chaos. Believers should submit to every human institution for the Lord’s sake. In doing so, they are fulfilling His will and doing the thing that pleases Him. These instructions apply to the emperor or to whoever is the supreme ruler. Even if Nero happens to be occupying the imperial palace, the general exhortation is to be subject to him. 2:14 The injunction of obedience applies to subordinate officials such as governors. They are authorized by God to punish offenders and to praise those who keep the law. Actually, government officials have little time or inclination to do the latter, but that does not alter the responsibility of the Christian to obey! The historian Arnold Toynbee observed that as long as original sin remains an element in human nature, Caesar will always have plenty to do.Of course, there are exceptions. There is a time when obedience is not required. If a human government orders a believer to act contrary to the revealed will of God, then the believer must disobey the government.

In that case he has a higher responsibility; he should obey God rather than men (Act_5:29). If punishment is meted out for his disobedience, he should endure it courageously. Under no circumstances should he rebel or seek to overthrow the government. Technically, those who smuggle Bibles into closed countries are breaking the law. But they are obeying a law that has precedence over any human law the command to go into all the world with the gospel. So they cannot be condemned on scriptural grounds. Suppose the government orders a Christian into the armed forces. Is he obligated to obey and to bear arms? If he feels that this is in direct violation of God’s word, he should first exhaust any options that are open to him in the status of a non-combatant or a conscientious objector. If these fail, then he would have to refuse induction and bear the consequences. Many Christians do not have conscientious scruples about serving in the military forces. It is a matter in which each one should be fully convinced in his own mind, and allow liberty for others to disagree. The questions as to whether a Christian should vote or engage in politics are of a different order. The government does not demand these things, so it is not a question of obedience or disobedience. Each one must act in the light of the principles of conduct and citizenship found in the Bible. Here too we must allow liberty for differing viewpoints and not insist that others see eye to eye with us. 2:15 God’s will is that His people should live so honorably and unblamably that the unconverted will have no legitimate basis for accusation. By lives of exemplary conduct, Christians can and should expose the ignorance of the charges made against Christianity by foolish men. Christians and the Christian faith are ceaselessly bombarded by the ignorance of foolish men. It may be in the university classroom; it may be in the science laboratory; it may be in the pulpit. Peter says that one of the best answers to such blasting is a holy life. 2:16 Act as free men. We are not in bondage or slavery to civil authorities. We need not live in servility or terror. After all, we are the Lord’s free men. But that does not mean we are free to sin. Liberty does not mean license. Freedom does not include lawlessness. So we must never use our freedom as a pretext for evil. Sinful disobedience should never be justified by some pseudo spiritual excuse. The cause of Christ is never advanced by evil masquerading in religious clothes. If we live as bondservants of God, our relationship with governmental authorities will fall into proper place. We are to act in the light of His presence, obey Him in all things, do all for His glory. The best citizen is a believer who lives as a slave of the Lord. Unfortunately, most governments don’t realize how much they owe to Christians who believe and obey the Bible. Ponder the expression bondservants of God. Heaven takes our most dreaded terms, F. B. Meyer writes, and makes them sparkle in its own light, till what seemed the synonym of terror becomes the target of our noblest aims.2:17 No relationship of life can be left outside the sphere of Christian responsibility. So Peter here runs the gamut with four crisp commands. Honor all people. We cannot always honor their words or their behavior, but we can remember that every single life is of more value than all the world. We can recognize that every person was made in the image and likeness of God. We must never forget that the Lord Jesus bled and died for even the most unworthy. Love the brotherhood. We are to love all men, but we are especially obligated to love the members of our spiritual family. This is a love like God’s love for us. It is utterly undeserved, it goes out to the loveless, it looks for no reward, and it is stronger than death. Fear God. We fear Him when we reverence Him as the supreme Lord. Glorifying Him then becomes our number one priority. We fear doing anything that would displease Him and we fear misrepresenting Him before men. Honor the king. Peter returns to the subject of human rulers for a final reminder. We are to respect our rulers as officials appointed by God for the maintenance of an ordered society. This means we must pay taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear (Rom_13:7). Generally speaking, the Christian can live under any form of government. The only time he should disobey is when he is ordered to compromise his loyalty or obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:18

C. As a Servant in Relation to His Master (2:18-25) 2:18 It is significant that the NT gives more instructions to servants than to kings. Many of the early believers were servants, and the Scripture shows that most Christians came from the middle or lower strata of society (Mat_11:5; Mar_12:37; 1Co_1:26-29). This passage is addressed to domestic servants, but the principles apply to employees of any kind. The basic appeal is to submit to the master with all respect. It is a built-in fact of life that in any society or organization, there must be authority on the one hand, and obedience to that authority on the other. It is for any servant’s own good to submit to his master, otherwise he would not have employment. But it is much more important for a Christian to submit. More than his paycheck is involved; his testimony depends on it. Obedience should not vary according to the temperament of the employer. Anyone can submit to an employer who is good and gentle. Believers are called to go beyond that and be respectful and obedient to the harsh, overbearing boss. This stands out as distinctly Christian behavior. 2:19 When we suffer unjustly, we win God’s approval. He is pleased when He finds us so conscious of our relation to Him that we endure undeserved pain without vindicating self or fighting back. When we meekly take unjust treatment, we display Christ; this supernatural life gains God’s Well done.2:20 There is no virtue in patient suffering for our own misdeeds. Certainly there is no glory for God in it. Such suffering will never mark us out as Christians, or make others want to become Christians. But suffering patiently for well-doing is the thing that counts. It is so unnatural, so other-worldly that it shocks people into conviction of sin and, hopefully, into salvation. 2:21 The thought of believers’ suffering for righteousness’ sake leads inevitably to this sublime passage on our great example, the Lord Jesus. No one was ever treated as unjustly as He, or bore it as patiently. We have been called to act as He acted, suffering for the wrongs of others. The word used here for example carries the idea of a copybook that contains flawless penmanship. The pupil seeks to reproduce the original as closely as possible. When he copies the model carefully, his writing is quite good. But the further he moves away from it, the more the copy worsens. Our safety is in staying close to the Original. 2:22 Our Lord did not suffer for His own sins because He had none. He knew no sin (2Co_5:21); He committed no sin (this verse); in Him there is no sin (1Jo_3:5). His speech was never tainted by deceit. He never lied or even shaded the truth. Think about that! A Person once lived on this planet who was absolutely honest, absolutely free from trickery or deceit. 2:23 He was patient under provocation. When He was reviled, He did not pay back in kind. When blamed He did not answer back. When accused He did not defend Himself. He was wondrously free from the lust of self-vindication. An unknown author has written: It is a mark of deepest and truest humility to see ourselves condemned without cause, and to be silent under it. To be silent under insult and wrong is a very noble imitation of our Lord. When we remember in how many ways He suffered, who in no way deserved it, where are our senses when we feel called to defend and excuse ourselves? When He suffered, He did not threaten. No ungentle, threatening word escaped His silent tongue. Perhaps His assailants mistook His silence for weakness. If they had tried it they would have found it was not weakness but supernatural strength! What was His hidden resource in bearing up under such unprovoked abuse? He trusted God who judges righteously. And we are called to do the same: Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink, for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom_12:19-21). 2:24 The Savior’s sufferings were not only exemplary, but expiatory as well. We cannot imitate His sufferings in this respect, and Peter does not suggest that we should. Rather the argument seems to be as follows: The Savior’s agony was not brought on by His own sins, for He had none. It was for our sins He was nailed to the cross. Because He has suffered for our sins once for all, we should never allow ourselves to get into the position where we have to suffer for them too. The fact that He died for them should cause us to die to them. And yet, it is not simply a matter of negative goodness; we should not only die to sin but live to righteousness. By whose stripes you were healed. The word stripes is actually singular in the original, perhaps suggesting that His body was one massive welt. What should be our attitude toward sin when our healing cost the Savior so much? Theodoret comments: A new and strange method of healing. The doctor suffered the cost, and the sick received the healing.2:25 Before conversion, we were like sheep going astraylost, torn, bruised, bleeding. Peter’s mention of straying sheep is the last of six references to Isaiah 53 in this passage: v. 21 Christ … suffered for us (cf. Isa_53:4-5). v. 22 He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth (cf. Isa_53:9). v. 23 When He was reviled, He did not revile in return (cf. Isa_53:7). v. 24 Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree (cf. Isa_53:4, Isa_53:11). v. 24 By whose stripes you were healed (cf. Isa_53:5). v. 25 For you were like sheep going astray (cf. Isa_53:6). When we are saved, we return to the Shepherdthe good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep (Joh_10:11); the great Shepherd who tends with sweet, unwearied care the flock for which He bled, and the Chief Shepherd who will soon appear to lead His sheep into the green pastures abovefrom which they will never stray. Conversion is returning to the Guardian of our souls. We were His by creation, but became lost through sin. Now we return to His keeping care, and are safe and secure forever.