Introduction:
- How does our society think about the following themes? Pick one:
- Power
- Rights
- Submission
- Authority
Keep that in mind as we head through this next section of 1 Peter. How does the Bible challenge our culture?
Despite the lowly status of, and hardships facing, Peter’s listeners he has consistently reminded them of their status and wealth in Christ. For all that they are scattered exiles, they are also elect, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.
They are a new people, they belong to a different home, they have a different Lord and King. With all this in mind, it would be very easy for them to reject the world around them and to use their new identities and freedoms for selfish gain.
Yet Peter urges his readers to see their freedoms and riches not as privileges to be clung to and used to lord it over others, but as blessings to be freely relinquished in service of others. To see this let’s begin first with Christ.
Passage: 1 Peter 2:21-25
- Pausing the ‘to what were we called’ question for just a minute, what did Christ go through? If you were to make a movie scene based on His experience, what sort of stuff would you include?
- He suffered v21 & v23
- He was insulted v23
- He was crucified v24
- He was wounded v24
- Why did Christ do this?
- For you v21
- So that we might die to sins and live for righteousness… v24
- To return you to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls v25
Christ went to the cross, suffering scorn and shame, having been tortured, beaten, and mocked and He did all this willingly, though not lightly: Luke 22:39-46 shows us the anguish that Jesus went through knowing what was to come.
And He does all this without retaliating (v23), without threatening (v23), how???
- Entrusts Himself to God, the just Judge v23
Jesus who had all wealth and honour, power and status, willingly gave it all up for a lowly life and the most miserable of deaths. Let us not forget that He did this whilst we were still sinners, whilst we were God’s enemies (Romans 5:8 &10).[1]
In fact, it’s even more than that because Jesus still had access to wealth, honour, power and status during his earthly life, and during his arrest and execution which he makes clear in Matthew 26:53: “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
What we see here is submission. Whilst submission is a dirty word in our context, Jesus’ example shows us that it is something that is striking, challenging, sacrificial, and beautiful. If this is what submission looks like, how might we define it?
"a free choice from a position of agency to voluntarily lay down personal rights and preferences in order to participate in the will of another, motivated by a fear of God and trust in His character and supreme authority, where such an action does not result in the participant doing evil. This is the default position of every Christian, but plays out differently in different contexts”.
- Philly Chambers
With this in mind, let us turn to that which Peter’s hearers are called…
Passage: 1 Peter 2:18-20
- To what subset of believers is this section addressed?
- Consider their circumstances, what are they facing? Feel free to draw it out if that helps you visualise it.
- What does Peter encourage them to do?
Whilst it is worth knowing that Roman slavery was different to the Atlantic Slave Trade in that slaves were often trained labourers, the treatment of slaves was regulated, slaves were paid and could expect to purchase their freedom, they were still slaves.[2]
This is shocking, difficult, and subverts everything we take for granted and that’s why we need to see the example of Jesus to which Peter pointed them and points us…
- In what sense is Christ an example?
- How does Christ’s submission make sense of the calling Peter is outlining to enslaved believers?
Note that Christ’s submission isn’t an endorsement of what is going on – He expects the judge to judge justly after all. Rather Christ’s actions are a willing sacrifice, stemming from a trust in God in the service of others – they are a radical act of submission, a free choice to lay down all riches and honour in love of God and love for others.
It is also worth saying that Peter implores believers to submit, not slave owners to force their slaves to submit. Submission is a free and willing choice made by the believer out of fear of God. If the submission is compelled or enforced then it ceases to be ‘submission’ as Christ defines and exemplifies it, but rather constitutes abuse.
Passage: 1 Peter 3:1-7
- To what subset of believers is this section addressed?
- Consider their circumstances, what are they facing? Feel free to draw it out if that helps you visualise it.
- What does Peter encourage them to do?
This is a radical challenge and insult to our culture and that’s why we need to see the example of Jesus to which Peter pointed them and points us…
- In what sense is Christ an example?
- How does Christ’s submission make sense of the calling Peter is outlining to married Christian women?
To submit is no bad thing – after all Jesus does it and calls us to follow His example. Nowhere does submission suggest inequality or a lack of dignity in the Bible!
Rather, Peter is calling on Christian women to choose to lay down their preferences in order to be a witness to their unbelieving husbands. And as they do so, they stand in line with the heroes of the faith, like Sarah who lived as a foreigner and an exile alongside her husband Abraham.
Again, submission is a free, God-motivated choice, not something that can be commanded or enforced. Which is why there is an accompanying command on Christian husbands to be considerate and respect their wives.
We should note that Peter is not intimating that women are weak in an absolute sense, rather he is speaking of their low social status as well as relative physical stature generally compared to men. And this is a good thing because, in a culture where women had no rights and husbands were free to do what they like this passage would have been revolutionary!
Whilst to our eyes it might appear oppressive, the idea that a man could be limited and owe his wife anything kickstarted a revolution in the ancient world that benefitted women.[3]
Furthermore, if any husband is inclined towards domination or abuse Peter lays down a stark warning v7.
- How does God view abusive husbands? Why?
- Separation – their prayers will be hindered (v7)
- For their wives are coheirs of the gracious gift of life (v7)
If we were in any doubt about the equality of wives and husbands, Peter makes it absolutely crystal clear – women are co-heirs with men of the gracious gift of life. They are on an equal footing to men. Both are saved by the grace of God into the wealth of riches He brings.
Passage: 1 Peter 2:13-17
- To what subset of believers is this section addressed?
- Consider their circumstances, what are they facing? Feel free to draw it out if that helps you visualise it.
- What does Peter encourage them to do?
Perhaps this one sits easier for us but its call is nonetheless radical, particularly given the marginalised and persecuted lives these believers led.
- In what sense is Christ an example?
- How does Christ’s submission make sense of the calling Peter is outlining to all believers regarding political authority?
Application:
- How is this a challenge to us in our authority-subverting culture?
God wants us to obey civil leaders, even those that aren’t Christian. We read elsewhere (notably Romans 13) that their authority is legitimate and God-given and that they exist to uphold that which is good and punish that which is evil. Christians, despite our new identity and allegiance to a higher king are still to be good citizens.
- But this raises some questions. Why not have a go at answering them from the passage…
- Are we just mindless participants in civil society?
- What about leaders who are unjust or corrupt?
- Are we allowed to protest? What about revolution?
- The passage does give us some clues as to these questions:
- What is the point of human authorities? (v14)
- Believers are free. Free to do what? (vv15-16)
- What other relationships do we have? What duties do these impose on us? (v17)
Human authorities exist to punish evil and uphold that which is good.[4] They therefore have a duty to uphold their purpose and it seems that there can be a place for reminding our civil authorities that this is the case.
Likewise, believers are given freedom, but they must be wary not to use this freedom to do evil, rather they are to live as God’s slaves. We are never free from authority, rather we always under God’s – so, can we disobey human leaders and still please Him?
Biblically speaking yes. There are times when God’s people are commended for using their freedom to disobey their civil authority namely when they are commanded to do evil against fellow humanity, deny God, or cease speaking of Him, for example see:
- The Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1
- Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3 and Daniel 6
- The Apostles in Acts 4
Finally, the honour of the emperor is relativised amidst our other relationships outlined in v17. Everyone is deserving of respect, believers owe a special duty of love to their brothers and sisters, God is to be feared, and last the emperor is to be honoured. Our duty to submit to government must be measured alongside our duties to people and God more broadly. We need critical and biblical thinking to discern the answers here.
That all being said, the emphasis on the passage is that submission to our civil leaders is the norm and is good.
Pray:
- Thank God for Christ’s submission that brought us from death to life. Pray that we would follow His example and think wisely about what submission looks like in our different contexts and relationships.
- Thank God for His good purposes for government. Pray that they our government would uphold public justice both celebrating that which is good and condemning that which is evil.
- Pray that as we submit and lay down our rights for the good of others people would see our good deeds and be drawn to glorify God.
- Pray for those suffering injustice (perhaps in these contexts, perhaps in others) and pray that justice would be done now and ultimately. Entrust it to the one who judges justly.
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[1] To explore this theme further you could read Philippians 2:5-8 which is a beautiful description of Christ’s submission.
[2] Wayne A. Grudem, 1 Peter. [eBook] IVP. Loc. 12.01.
[3] See Tom Holland’s Dominion, Sharon James’ How Christianity Changed the World, Glen Scrivener’s The Air We Breathe, or Rebecca McLaughlin’s The Secular Creed to find out more about this idea.
[4] This is perhaps better outlined in Romans 13.
