OVERVIEW:
The call to be holy; Jesus Christ is our cornerstone; learning to submit; the relationship between a husband and wife; suffering for the right reasons; yielding everything to Christ.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
As the book of 1st Peter opens, Peter is pointing these Gentile believers, who were enduring intense suffering, toward the “lively hope” that was theirs because of “the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1:3) He reminds them that, though all of their possessions may be taken from them in this life (as many of them had experienced in their suffering), God has promised them “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away”, and that it has been “reserved in heaven” for them. Peter recognized that that promise would make life in the future glorious and filled with rejoicing, but he also recognized that for the present time, the readers of his letter were “in heaviness through manifold temptations” or trials. (1:6)
Verse 7 of chapter 1 is a BLOCKBUSTER. It lets us know several key things about the trials, difficulties, and sufferings we endure in this life. First, it lets us know that these difficulties are not some random acts of fate, but are rather, the God-ordained “trying of our faith.” In other words, the trials have come because God has allowed our faith to be put in the witness stand, because He wants to see what it’s made of! (Deuteronomy 8:2)
Secondly, because of Peter’s understanding of these trials, he uses a term to refer to them that seldom comes to mind in those situations when it seems as if the bottom has dropped out of our lives. Peter refers to these difficulties (trials) as “PRECIOUS”. Wow! But understand, the idea here isn’t that our trials are precious in and of themselves. The point here is that they are precious because of what they accomplish! Peter lets us know that the trial of our faith is designed by God to bring us to the place that we “might be found unto praise and honor and glory” at our ultimate accounting before the Lord Jesus Christ at His appearing. Could there possibly be anything more valuable or precious than being found unto praise, honor, and glory in that day? Peter’s point is, knowing that “praise and honor and glory” will be the result of these trials in “THAT” day, should have a major impact on our attitude as we go through them “TOday!”
Thirdly, Peter likens the refining process that takes place in our lives through these trials to the refining process of gold. Just as gold is the most “precious” commodity on earth from man’s vantage point, our faith is the most “precious” commodity on earth from God’s perspective. Just as gold is purified and refined as it is “tried in the fire”, so also are we, or so also is our faith! So, Peter gives his readers, whether they be in the 1st century or the 21st century, the hope and confidence we need as we face the trials of life.
Next, Peter transitions out of the subject of trials to the subject of personal holiness. But recognize that there is an obvious biblical and practical connection between the two. The fact is, the lust of the flesh does not have near the gravitational pull in times of pain and suffering than it has at other times. Peter communicates this fact very clearly in chapter 4 and verses 1b and 2: “For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”
Many times, when we think about “personal holiness”, for some reason our minds want to begin to create a list of the things we SHOULD and SHOULD NOT do. While holiness certainly has a tremendous bearing on our actions, what we DO and DO NOT is not the main thought behind God’s command in 1:16, “Be ye holy: for I am holy.” Being holy is not a matter of rules and regulations. It is about God working in us to make us like Himself, changing us from the inside-out; not the outside-in. It is, first and foremost, about BEING, not DOING. A simple way of saying it is: BE who God wants you to BE, and you’ll DO what God wants you to DO! Recognize, however, that the opposite is not necessarily true.
As Peter continues, he lets us know that not only should our holiness manifest itself in our reaction to trials, but in our submission to the authorities God has placed in our lives. This passage teaches us that even when those authorities are wrong and/or have a froward attitude, we are to maintain an attitude of submission. In light of Peter’s instruction concerning Christian submission, it is difficult to reconcile the fact that in the 21st century we have “Christian” organizations and lawyers fighting for Christians’ rights! Obviously, that doesn’t mean Christians can’t use the laws of the land to try to bring about change, but be it known, demanding our “rights” is a concept foreign to the Bible. God never intended Christians to be viewed as political revolutionaries, lest the message of the gospel be lost. Jesus left us a clear example of submitting to those in authority even when they are wrong or contrary. In fact, God even specifically says in this very passage that it is “thankworthy” if we suffer wrongfully for being a Christian! (2:19) When we do, we remind Him of His Son! That’s why He becomes so filled with thanks. (Imagine that! The God of the universe thanking US for something!) Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’m afraid that “fighting for our rights” has something to do with our not wanting to suffer! (Now, lest somebody take this point further than intended, let me hasten to add, that if the authorities in our lives are demanding that we violate the word of God, “we ought to obey God rather than men”! (Acts 5:29)
Peter also reveals that holiness expresses itself in having a right relationship with our spouse. A right marital relationship is the result of husbands honoring their wives, and wives submitting to their husbands. (3:1-7) Notice also that this passage reveals that carrying out our biblical responsibilities to our spouse is not dependent on whether or not they fulfill theirs! Husbands are to honor their wives, even if she isn’t worthy of honor, and wives are to submit to their husbands, even if he isn’t obeying the word of God. (3:1, 7) Men cannot HONOR the Lord, and women cannot be in SUBJECTION to the Lord without doing so! Men, pay very close attention to the brief statement found at the end of verse 7! If we refuse to fulfill our biblical responsibilities to our wives, God will refuse to answer our prayers! That is HUGE, and a key reason that men in the 21st century have so few answered prayers!
Next, Peter shows us that holiness also expresses itself in having love, compassion, and unity with other believers in our local church. (3:8–11) True holiness doesn’t render evil for evil, or railing for railing, but rather blessing. It should be noted that it is inevitable that other believers will wrong us. (Luke 17:1; Romans 12:18) But when they do, what will be our response? Will we render evil for evil and railing for railing, or will we render blessing? (3:9) Will we use our tongue to speak evilly and with guile, or to speak good things? (3:10–11a) Will we passionately seek peace, or will we allow evil to prevail in the conflict? (3:11b–12)
As we read through 1st Peter, you will notice a recurring theme: love the brethren, and endure suffering for Christ. It just so happens that those two things seem to be the very things we have the hardest time doing! Pride in us keeps us unwilling to cover the sins of others when they wrong us (4:8), and pride also makes us think that we deserve better in the midst of suffering. Perhaps that’s why God commands us in chapter 5 to humble ourselves under His mighty hand. But how do we do that? Pay careful attention to 5:5-7. God doesn’t end the sentence in verse 6, but rather, completes the thought of verse 6 in verse 7. The way we humble ourselves before God is by casting all of our care upon Him!
Most of the time this verse is applied in times of sorrow, and rightfully so, because it does certainly teach us that God cares for us, and is interested in our problems. However, God wants this verse to become practical for us, not just with the cares that make us sorrowful, but with everything we find ourselves “caring” about. Which one of us doesn’t wrestle with the “cares of this world” (our finances, our careers, our families, our future)? Notice that 5:7 says that God wants us to cast ALL of our CARES upon Him. In other words, God wants us to genuinely surrender every aspect of our lives to Him. That’s what genuine humility is all about! When we are completely yielded to Him, that’s when He pours out His grace (the desire and power to obey God) upon us. (James 4:6)
NOTE: To complete this year’s reading, plan to read 2nd Peter 1-3 on Saturday or Sunday.