1 Peter Study #6

“Walking in God’s Favor”

1 Peter 2:18-25

Study #6 in 1 Peter Series

INTRODUCTION:

Every child wants to please his/her parents. That is just how God made us. Of course, there are exceptions but that is the norm. Children long for the favor of their parents. That is true of the children of God as well. We want to please our Heavenly Father and experience His favor.

TRANSITION:

In this study of 1 Peter 2:18-25 Peter tells us twice about something that triggers God’s favor toward us. Let’s see what that might be.  

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 18: Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.  

• “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect” – We have already explored the subject of slavery in the 1^st Century. Our problem is that looking at it through our 21^st Century eyes we tend to rise up in righteous indignation at the mere mention of this hot-button issue. Many modern Christians find it totally unacceptable that Jesus and Peter and Paul and the other NT writers never condemned slavery, not even once! “How could they be so blind?” they say. Now I am quite certain that none of those early Christians would have defended slavery as an institution, but they accepted it as a fact of life. Jesus and the biblical writers focused on encouraging Christians from all walks of life to live godly lives and strive to honor the Lord regardless of their circumstances. Peter’s argument here is really a continuation of what he said in the preceding verses, in 13-17, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution [including slavery], whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. ¹⁵ For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. ¹⁶ Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. ¹⁷ Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”
• “…be submissive…with all respect” – The Greek word Peter uses here does not mean “respect.” If that had been his thought he would have used the word ἐντρέπω (entrepo), meaning “to respect, regard, or have reverence toward.” Instead, he used the Greek word φόβος (phobos), which in the Gospels is consistently rendered as “fear, dread, or terror.” It is the word that gives us the English word “phobia” meaning a strong fear of something. That is its normal, usual meaning. Peter is telling the Christian slaves in the church that they need to maintain a healthy fear of their master, because he holds the slave’s life in his hands. In a few places, such as in 1 Peter 1:17 and Philippians 2:12 the word phobos (φόβος) has the meaning of “reverential fear” but I do not believe that is the case here in 1 Peter 2:18.
• “…not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.” – This goes right along with Peter’s admonition to submit to kings, governors, and other leaders, even if they are scoundrels. He would put unjust slave-masters in the same category. Our tendency is to say, “Well, if he’s nice to me I’ll be nice to him.” But is that what Jesus would tell us? Remember His words in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”   

Verse 19: For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.

• “For this finds favor…” – Notice that this phrase appears at the beginning of verse 19 and again at the end of verse 20. And this is important because every child of God wants to know that he is dwelling in the favor of our Heavenly Father. But what is it according to Peter that brings that divine favor?
• “…if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.”  – There it is! God is pleased when His children follow Christ’s example and choose to do right and to obey God despite being punished for it. When our “conscience toward God” outweighs our fear of torture and mistreatment we are exhibiting the character of Christ because that is exactly what He did on the cross for us. He suffered unjustly for a just cause. The Holy One of Israel died to save us, the Just for the unjust, to bring us to God. Now, as stated in verse 21, we are called to learn from His example and “follow in His steps.”

Verse 20: For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 

• “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?” – Notice that in this verse Peter lays out two scenarios. In the first scenario you have sinned and are now reaping the consequences of your bad behavior. In other words, you are just getting what you have coming to you, reaping what you have sown. You screwed up and now you pay the price. You brought it on yourself. Enduring your punishment with patience is great, but don’t try to talk yourself into thinking that you are being righteous and noble and suffering for righteousness’ sake. Just take your punishment and shut up about it. Don’t whine and moan and try to convince yourself and others that you are being treated unjustly.
• “But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.” – In the second scenario the Christian has done the right thing, the godly thing, but is being punished unjustly for it. He is patiently enduring harsh and unjust treatment despite having done nothing wrong. In other words, he is suffering for righteousness’ sake. Peter assures us that this brings God’s favor and blessing. And remember, God keeps accurate records. He does not forget those who mistreated His children. He said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.”   

Verse 21: For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

• “For you have been called for this purpose…” – These words should immediately bring us to attention. Peter here is telling us the reason why God has tracked us down, taken custody of us, adopted us as His children, called us, cleansed us, saved us, and commissioned us as His ambassadors. It’s for this purpose that Christ suffered for us: THAT WE SHOULD FOLLOW CHRIST’S EXAMPLE AND WALK IN HIS STEPS. Indeed, Jesus is our example as someone who endured punishment unjustly.

Verses 22-23: …[He] who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;  

• “…[He] who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;” – What does this mean? Jesus never sinned, not in thought, nor in deed, nor in word. Deceit starts in the mind and in the heart, but Jesus had no deceit in Him. He never entertained a sinful thought, never committed a sinful act, and never spoke a sinful word. He was perfect in every way while still being 100% human as well as 100% God.
• “…and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats,” – He was reviled many times, not just at the trials before His crucifixion and while He hung on the cross. John tells us, “He came unto His own and His own received Him not.” The religious leaders accused Him of being a heretic, a liar, a demon-possessed prophet of Satan, etc. He was reviled all throughout His earthly ministry. And yet, He bided His time, stuck to His mission, and continued to love even the worst of His enemies.
• “…but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;” – Jesus came to do the will of the Father. He came to live a perfect life and point us to the Father. He came to die as the Perfect Sacrifice for our sins. He came to rise from the dead for our justification. And through all that Peter reminds us that He kept entrusting Himself to God the Father, the Righteous Judge. Even at the end while hanging on the cross, just like the old hymn says, “He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free. He could have called ten thousand angels, but He died alone for you and me.” Instead of reviling and cursing and blaming God, He entrusted Himself to His Father knowing that He was in good hands. His last words were, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit.” We need to learn that lesson for when we go through hard times of temptation, testing, or persecution.  

Verse 24: …and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds, you were healed.

• This verse is one of the most misunderstood, misquoted, and misapplied passages in the Bible. In fact, it’s right up there with Matthew 18:18-20, which says, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in Heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in Heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
• All the Pentecostals and Charismatics, along with all the New Apostolic Reformation wingnuts and Word of Faith moonbats, claim that 1 Peter 2:24 proves that God wants all of us to be in perfect health and that physical healing is guaranteed in the Atonement. They say that if we are still sickly and weak it is because we are lacking the faith to believe that God has already pronounced our healing. In other words, they blame the victim.
• This is where accurate biblical hermeneutics must kick in. Look at the context. Is physical healing mentioned anywhere in this text? NO! That’s not the subject. It’s not even close to what Peter has been talking about up until now. Look at it again.
• “…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;” – The subject leading up to the phrase in question is SIN, not physical healing.
• “…for by His wounds, you were healed.” – Notice, you cannot separate and isolate this phrase from the rest of the sentence.  Peter is talking about Jesus’ physical death on the cross. He was scourged until the flesh was hanging off Him in tatters. He was nailed through His hands and feet to that wooden cross. He was stabbed through with a Roman sword. His wounds were the proof of His death. And He did that not for His own sins, because He was sinless, but because of our sins. “He bore our sins in His body” to save us. The issue is our salvation and the price paid to redeem us. Christ’s Atonement was for our salvation from sin, “so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” It had nothing to do with healing us from physical infirmities. That was never promised. The healing Peter is referring to is obviously the spiritual healing of our souls. We “were healed” past tense, by Christ’s death on the cross in our place.  
• What you might not know is that Peter pulls these words directly from Isaiah 53:5 which says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Again, in the context of Isaiah 53 there is not a scintilla of evidence that Isaiah was thinking about physical healing when he penned these words. He was writing about the Messiah who would one day come to die for His people to save them from their sins. Notice the words “transgressions” and “iniquities.” SIN is the subject at hand, not physical healing.

Verse 25: For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 

• “For you were continually straying like sheep” – Peter here is reminding his readers of their lives B.C., “before Christ.” When we were still unsaved, unbelieving, and unconverted we were like rebellious, recalcitrant wild sheep, constantly running away from the Good Shepherd, hating Him, fearing Him, and mistrusting Him. That’s just how unbelievers act. That was normal for us in the past
• “…but now you have returned…” – The NASB is a little bit misleading here. Peter is not saying that his readers used to walk with God but then backslid and walked away from Him, eventually seeing the error of their way and returning to Him. That is not the scenario he is describing. He uses the Greek word, ἐπιστρέφω (epistrepho), which means “to turn to, or to turn toward.” Peter’s point is that the day came when God stopped us in our tracks, we heard His voice, we turned toward Him and really saw Him for the first time. The word “repent” means to stop, do a 180^o degree about-face, and start going in the opposite direction. That’s what we did. We quit running away from Him and instead ran toward Him.
• “…but now you have [turned to] the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” – In this verse Peter uses two words with which we are already familiar from our study of Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. He uses these words to describe Christ’s ministry toward us. He is our Shepherd (Gr. ποιμήν, poimen), our Pastor. This is the usual word in the New Testament for the pastor of a church. Christ is our Perfect Pastor. He feeds us, comforts us, watches over us, and stays with us. He is also our Guardian (Gr. ἐπίσκοπος, episkopos), our Overseer. He leads us, directs us, teaches us, and corrects us. Christ is our Merciful Master.

CONCLUSION:

Peter’s words in verse 25 remind me of a classic Christian poem first published in 1890 by Francis Thompson, a man who spent years trying to run away from God. It is entitled, “The Hound of Heaven.” In this 182-line poem the author describes his experience of fleeing from God in terror, only to finally stop, turn to face his pursuer, and realize that he had been foolishly running from the One who was the lover of his soul. I think you will be able to see yourself in the story. I certainly can. Here are just the beginning of the poem and the ending to give you a taste.

The Hound of Heaven

By Francis Thompson, 1890

I fled Him down the nights and down the days

I fled Him down the arches of the years

I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind, and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped and shot precipitated

Adown titanic glooms of chasm-ed fears

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

 

But with unhurrying chase and unperturb-ed pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat — and a Voice beat,

More instant than the feet:

 

“All things betray thee who betrayest Me.”

 

(Skipping ahead, the poem ends like this, but I would urge you to look it up

and read the whole poem.)

 

Now of that long pursuit,

Comes on at hand the bruit.

That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:

“And is thy earth so marred,

Shattered in shard on shard?

Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!

Strange, piteous, futile thing;

Wherefore should any set thee love apart?

Seeing none but I makes much of naught” (He said),

 

“And human love needs human meriting —

How hast thou merited,

Of all Man’s clotted clay, the dingiest clot?

Alack, thou knowest not

How little worthy of any love thou art!

Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,

Save Me, save only Me?

All which I took from thee, I did’st but take,

Not for thy harms,

But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.

All which thy child’s mistake

Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:

Rise, clasp My hand, and come.”

 

Halts by me that footfall;

Is my gloom, after all,

Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?

 

“Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,

I am He whom thou seekest!

Thou dravest love from thee who dravest Me.”