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1 Peter 3:8-9: Starting at home

8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” NIV

‘’Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.’’ The Message.

I appreciate that some who read these notes will be living alone. My heart goes out to you, especially if you’re finding it extra hard at the moment. But these words do apply to you, and you will be given many challenging opportunities in life to practice this teaching with people who live beyond your four walls:

‘’That goes for all, no exceptions’’.

 Nevertheless, please will you bear with me while I say a word to couples and families? It’s just this: that the behaviour Peter advocates is not merely a recipe for harmony in the local church. It starts at home, and arguably that may be (at least for some) the most difficult place to do this. These days of ‘lock-down’ could well have compounded the problems. But remember, in the early church, many Christian congregations would be located in homes, and made up of extended families. This teaching very much applies to home life.

But, thankfully, Peter does not envisage anyone having to live this way under their own steam – as we shall see.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I once heard that home is ‘the place where we are treated the best, and behave the worst.’ I pray this will not be true of my home, but with your help, let it be a place of harmony, peace and true Christian fellowship.

 

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1 Peter 3:8: ‘One another’

“8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” NIV

In a number of places in the New Testament, Christians are exhorted to do a whole variety of things for ‘’one another’’. Here is one of those passages.

I heard the leader of a growing church speak at an event towards the end of last year. He said, ‘’In our fellowship we speak about ‘pastoral share’ rather than ‘pastoral care’.’’ There was a clear expectation from him that the members of the church would look after ‘’one another’’

Now I wish to be understood. I believe in the pastoral gift. I count it a privilege to be a pastor. But the old idea of a ‘One man band’ who does everything is outmoded and should never have been in vogue. In the church, one or two may have a pastoral gift, but everyone should be involved in pastoral care. It is the calling of the whole church.

Especially in this long, drawn-out season, where we can’t be in the same room, we need to think prayerfully and creatively about how we carry on the ‘one anothering’ ministry.

PRAYER: Lord, it is a blessing beyond words to know you, and to be part of your church. Please show me the role you want me to play in serving others.

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1 Peter 3:7 The importance of prayer.

“7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” NIV

The possibility of prayer somehow being ‘hindered’ should set off alarm bells for us all. I wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?

‘’If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened’’ (Psalm 66:18).

Peter says to Christian husbands, in effect, ‘If you don’t treat your wives as you should, your prayers could be obstructed’:

‘’…in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.’’ The Message.

But I believe what we have to consider here is not just the possibility that my prayers, as a husband, will be hampered, but that our prayers, as a couple could be adversely affected. (It’s not totally clear in the passage whether ‘’your prayers’’ is singular, plural, or both.)

As Jesus taught, there is something powerful about the principle of agreement:

‘’When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.’’ (Matthew 18:19, 20: The Message).

Could this be why Christian couples often admit they struggle to pray together? There is something mysteriously powerful about two people praying in agreement. Now, who do we know who just might feel threatened by that, and want to put a stop to it?!

Yes, I thought you’d come to that conclusion too!!

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1 Peter 3:1-6: True beauty.

“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” NIV

In the central section of 1 Peter, which runs from 2:13-3:7, there is an over-arching theme of submission in relationships – relationships to the state, in the workplace and at home. Going hand-in-hand with this, we find a repeated emphasis on the power of goodness.

Not long after I went to Bible College, I heard the testimony of Graham and Treena Kerr, when they spoke one Sunday evening at Guildford Baptist church. At one time, Graham was quite a celebrity, famous for his television cooking show, ‘the Galloping Gourmet.’ But behind the scenes, domestic life was a train-wreck. Their marriage was falling apart. Then something happened to Treena. She became a Christian. As I recall their story, she didn’t preach to her husband. She simply prayed for her him and quietly lived a Christian life. He noticed the difference, and this caused him to seek Christ for himself. He too was converted, and their marriage transformed.

Today, what is regarded as beautiful by many, often looks plastic. There is a cosmetic beauty that is stuck on from the outside. But true beauty flows outwards from the inside (4), and, what is more, age cannot wither it. I don’t think we are to understand Peter as saying that jewellery or make-up or nice clothes should never be worn. But he does want us to understand that these things do not make a person truly beautiful.

Although the direct application here is to wives, I remember that Jesus said, ‘’I am the good shepherd’’ (John 10:11). I understand that the word translated ‘’good’’ can mean ‘beautiful’. There is a beauty about Jesus, and it will be reflected in all who are being changed into His likeness, whether male or female.

PRAYER: ‘Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.’

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1 Peter 2:24-25: The Lord is my Shepherd.

“24 ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’ 25 For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” NIV

In writing to slaves about how to bear with unjust treatment, Peter, as we have seen, points to the example of Jesus. The Lord didn’t retaliate, but prayed. He ‘’entrusted himself to him who judges justly’’ (v.23b).

But Christ is not just our pattern; He is also our Saviour, and there is such a wonderful theology of the cross packed into these two verses. You don’t have to think about them for long to hear echoes of Isaiah 53: a remarkable prophecy about the death of the Messiah given some 500 years before Jesus appeared.(In fact, this also also applies to the whole section from v21-v.25).

Note a number of things:

  • ‘’He himself…’’ Jesus did not delegate the saving of the world to an angel or some other ambassador. God Himself came in His Son.
  • In order to enter into the benefits of what Jesus did for you when He died, you have to repent (v.24b). You have to do an about turn. This is spoken of as dying ‘’to sins’’ and living ‘’for righteousness’’. It’s a complete U-turn;
  • God is often spoken of in the Old Testament as Israel’s Shepherd, and Jesus (God in human form), said, ‘’I am the good shepherd.’’ We are so lost and discontented and frustrated as human beings because we are ‘’astray’’ from our ‘’Shepherd’’. But there is a way back to Him through the Cross. Salvation involves turning from sin (v.24b) and turning to God (v.25)

‘’But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.’’ (Isaiah 53:5,6).

PRAYER: Lord, the world is wounded. May we look to you, and your cross, for our healing.

 

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1 Peter 2:19-23: Follow Jesus

“19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.22 ‘He committed no sin,and no deceit was found in his mouth.’[ 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” NIV

Jesus is our example in life. He is our pattern. It needs to be emphasised that He is more than just a good example. He is also our Saviour, and in verses 24, 25 we will go on to consider some of the theological implications of His death. Try as we may, we can’t come anywhere near to following Jesus’ example successfully, until we first come to know Him as Saviour.

Peter is writing at this point to Christian slaves. Many slaves were well-treated in those days, but not all of them. So what does Peter have to say to those who experience ‘’unjust suffering’’ (19)? In essence he says, ‘Follow Jesus.’ Jesus was perfect (which not even the best of us are), and He was unfairly treated. He suffered so much at the hands of sinful people. But Jesus did not hit back. Instead, He entrusted Himself to the God who always ‘’judges justly’’ (23). We know that He was vindicated. Bad men put Him to death, but a good God raised Him, and put Him on the throne of the universe. As someone said, Jesus’ resurrection is ‘the divine reversal of the human verdict’ on Him.

‘So there is your template’, says Peter. ‘Don’t retaliate, but commit yourself to God.’ The example of Jesus shows that all who do this will be in safe Hands.

 

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1 Peter 2: 18-19: ‘Conscious of God’

“18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.” NIV

We are in a section of 1 Peter which is all about submission ‘’for the Lord’s sake to every authority’’ (2:13). In verses 18-25, Peter moves from a citizen’s relationship to the divinely instituted government, to a slave’s relationship to his master. There may be much here, therefore, that we can’t relate to.

However, I felt the need to press the pause button at verse 19, because there is ‘’suffering’’ in the current circumstances. In a lot of cases, it is suffering with a very small ‘s’. But for many people, the suffering is sadly coming with a big fat capital ‘S’. I wouldn’t be surprised if lots of cries are rising up from all corners of the globe saying, ‘It’s not fair!’ What’s happening seems unjust. But there is a way to handle such a situation. It is this: to be aware of God; to live moment by moment with the consciousness of God’s presence. There are hardships we can face with faith and prayer that we could not endure any other way. Knowing God makes all the difference.

PRAYER: Lord, I have found that knowing you does not remove the difficulties from life, but it does make it possible to come through all kinds of struggles with a heart in tact. Thank you for your grace towards me. We pray today for all who are feeling any form of suffering, that they may be conscious of God.

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1 Peter 2:13-17: Good citizens.

“13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.”NIV

In recent days we have seen that declaring ‘’the praises of him’’ who called us ‘’out of darkness into his wonderful light’’ (9) involves living a good life in the world, before men. The idea is reinforced in today’s reading in terms of citizenship (15). How we conduct ourselves as citizens of a nation is governed by this over-riding belief: it is ‘’for the Lord’s sake’’ (13) that we live as we do. God has created the world for government. He has established authorities.

It is interesting to note that Peter was not writing from within a liberal democracy. He, and his readers, lived under the pagan Roman Empire. It was often harsh, cruel and persecuting. It’s not easy to live under a dictatorship. But Peter saw it as important that believers should be good citizens. This is a key part of our witness. People may throw mud at us, but let the lives we lead speak for themselves.

The message of the whole paragraph, it seems to me, is encapsulated in verse 17. It’s a neat summary.

Of course, there may come a time when followers of Jesus have to say, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’ If the state demands what God forbids then we must follow our consciences. But for the most part we don’t face such choices.

Our government is asking difficult things of all of us in these days of restriction and confinement, but it is clearly for the common good. I believe Christians should be at the forefront of honouring what is being asked of us by the authorities. In so doing we can reflect the ‘’wonderful light’’ we have been brought into. This light is God Himself.

If we ‘Submit’ then, it is ‘’for the Lord’s sake.’’

PRAYER: Lord, you never tell us to do anything without also giving us the strength to do it. Help us please to shine for you in our citizenship. We pray for wisdom and strength today for all in authority, that they may receive your help in the heavy burdens of responsibility they carry.

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1 Peter 2: 11-12: The good life

“11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”NIV

As we saw yesterday, ‘’declaring’’ God’s ‘’praises’’ is, in this context, very much about how we live; the pursuit of holiness.. It is not merely about living a ‘’good’’ life, but living ‘’such good lives’’. There is a goodness which is ‘’the fruit of the Spirit’’. It is supernatural goodness: God-given, God-directed, God-energised. It’s not ordinary, every day goodness. It is goodness with a plus in it. The call is to live ‘’such good lives among the pagans’’.

 Peter heard the ‘ sermon on the mount’ live. He was there in person when Jesus preached His famous message. I wonder, was he remembering and re-echoing part of it when he wrote v.12? (See Matthew 5:16). Just as Peter wrote about living ‘’such’’ good lives, Jesus had said, ‘Let your light ‘’so’’ shine before men. Two little words carrying big weight.

By the way, you may also see a likeness to what we have read in chapter 1:13-15. Peter does not say, ‘Don’t have ‘’sinful desires’’ ‘.That would be impossible for anyone who has a sinful nature, and the last time I looked I still had one! What about you? No, what Peter exhorts his readers is to ‘’abstain’’ from these longings which assault the ‘’soul’’.In other words, don’t give in to them; don’t nurture or feed or encourage them. Don’t vote for sin. You hear its campaign speeches, but don’t be taken in

We ‘fight the good fight’ against indwelling sin recognising that we are ‘’aliens and strangers in the world.’’ As I’ve said before, we are a people who don’t belong here and who won’t be long here.

This morning, I read a prayer which could not be more relevant. Having thanked God for the many blessings of the day, John Baillie says:

‘Yet let me never think, O eternal Father, that I am here to stay. Let me always remember that I am a stranger and pilgrim on earth. For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Lord, by your grace prevent me from losing myself so much in the joys of earth that I have no longing left for the purer joys of heaven. Do not let the happiness of today become a trap to my overworldly heart.’

 

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