1 Peter Study #9

“He said what?”

1 Peter 3:17-22

Study #9 in 1 Peter Series

INTRODUCTION:

There are portions of God’s Word that are hard to interpret and hard to understand. The text for today’s study is one such passage. It requires us to carefully examine the text and compare Scripture with Scripture, even as the Bereans of Acts 17 did, “…examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Some of the gold nuggets of biblical truth are easily accessible, lying right on the surface, available to anyone. But other nuggets are buried deep, encased in granite, requiring effort and dynamite to free them and bring them to the surface. 

Two statements made by Peter in this text have resulted in endless discussions by Bible scholars of all persuasions, and now we must join in the fray to try and make sense of what Peter and the Holy Spirit of God want us to understand.   

TRANSITION:

In our last study we looked at 1 Peter 3:7 where Peter completes his teaching about the need for all believers to practice Christian submission in the family of God, submitting ourselves first to God and then to other people, putting their needs and welfare above our own. He applies that teaching specifically to Christian husbands in verse 7. On the heels of that in verses 8-12 Peter urges all of us to live purposefully and peaceably in the Body of Christ, doing everything possible to bless others, recognizing that we were called by God for this very purpose, that we might be a blessing and that we might inherit blessings from our Heavenly Father.  

Then in verses 13-16 he discusses the need to let our righteous ‘salt and light’ get out into the world where it can touch other people, recognizing that even living righteously might still go unappreciated at best, and be totally misunderstood, rejected, and persecuted at worst. It is important to remember that Jesus was perfect and yet they still hated Him and eventually killed Him. Peter’s point is that, even if the Christian is compelled to suffer unjustly for his faith, he is only walking the path that Jesus has already walked.

Let’s review verses 13-16 to refresh our memories and get us back into the context.

¹³ Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, ¹⁵ but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a [verbal] defense (i.e., apología) to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; ¹⁶ and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 17: For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.  

• In the context Peter has been talking about Christians suffering unjustly, despite living godly lives and doing and saying all the right things, recognizing that God sometimes allows that to happen to us to fulfill His greater purpose. We might not understand the ‘why’ of it, but we continue to trust Him anyway. And Peter says that it is vastly better that a Christian suffer for welldoing than for evildoing. The one brings glory to God; the other does not.
• However, it is important to be honest and to recognize that sometimes our suffering has nothing to do with suffering for Jesus or the Gospel. Sometimes we bring it down on ourselves and have no one else to blame. It is a fact that we humans, and even Christians, have an amazing ability to talk ourselves into believing things that are not true. Moreover, we almost always give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and believe that our motives are pure and that our actions are totally justified. Regrettably, sometimes Christians are rude, obnoxious, and offensive, and end up suffering for it. They might wish it were unjust persecution for the sake of the Gospel, but really, they are simply suffering for doing evil.
• One more point… Although Peter used the suffering of Christ to encourage and strengthen his readers, he also set Jesus completely apart from all others in His suffering. We suffer for a variety of reasons, but Jesus suffered for us, the Just for the unjust, to redeem us and bring us to God. That made His suffering uniquely different from ours. Peter makes that clear in the next verse.    

Verse 18: For Christ also died for sins once for all, the Just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

• “For Christ also died for sins once for all” – This verse is a real slap in the face of Roman Catholic teaching about the Mass. They claim that Jesus dies again and again to provide us with His body and blood which are necessary for salvation. But Peter says that Christ died once, and that was the only sacrifice needed because Jesus was the perfect sinless Lamb of God. In the words of the old hymn, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.” And His last words on the cross were, “It is finished!” No other sacrifice or atonement can please God other than what Jesus provided at the cross. Even our own suffering will not pay for our sins. The debt has already been paid. The writer of Hebrews makes this clear in several passages but let’s just look at Hebrews 10:10-14, “By this [sacrifice] will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹ Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; ¹² but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. ¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” (See also Hebrews 7:27 and 9:28)
• “…the Just [One] for the unjust” – In Greek the word for just is δίκαιος (díkaios). It is also the word for righteous. These two English words are pretty much interchangeable, and they both really only apply to Jesus, at least in their absolute sense. By that I mean, of all mankind, Jesus is the only one who has ever been truly Just and truly Righteous. Jesus is “the Righteous One,” the sinless Son of God, the only truly Just man who has ever lived. All others are mere shadows of the justice and righteousness of Jesus. In the New Testament, the title “The Righteous One” is only applied to Jesus Christ. Acts 3:14 records Peter’s sermon at Pentecost where he said, “You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be released to you.” He was clearly identifying Jesus as “The Righteous One,” emphasizing His innocence and the injustice of His crucifixion. Later, in Acts 7:52 in Stephen’s apología before the Sanhedrin he said, “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him.” Only Jesus is Just. The rest of us are unjust in our natural state.
• “…so that He might bring us to God” – The purpose of Christ’s sacrifice was to bring us to God, to bring us to salvation so that we might be with the Lord forever in Heaven. That was the plan and purpose of the Father, and Jesus came to carry out the work of the Father and make it a reality. In our sin we could not approach God, but through the blood of Christ we have been cleansed and made holy so that we might draw near to Him.    
• “…having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;” – “Put to death in the flesh” means that Jesus died physically. His earthly body really died, completely, 100% deceased. He was not “only mostly dead” like what Miracle Max said about Westley in The Princess Bride movie. No, Jesus was certifiably dead. The Roman soldiers killed Him. And the Romans were good at killing people. They knew what they were doing. They had a lot of practice doing it.
• “…but made alive in the spirit;” – Peter affirms that Jesus did die in His body, but He was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit. Here, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. In Romans 6:4 we are told that the Father raised Jesus from the dead. And in John 2:18-22 the apostle says that Jesus raised Himself from the dead. All this leads us to the conclusion that the resurrection was the work of the Triune God operating in concert.
• In the interest of full disclosure, the last part of verse 18 poses a bit of a problem for scholars because the Greek text literally says, “…having been put to death in flesh, but made alive in spirit.” It doesn’t say “in the flesh” nor “in the Spirit.” In the best Greek manuscripts, there are no definite articles with the nouns. Despite this, most of the versions translate the phrase as though they were there, opting to translate the phrase with the sense that Jesus was raised “by the Holy Spirit.” It may or may not make any difference. I will leave that for you to sort out.

Verses 19-20: …in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, ²⁰ who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 

• Here we encounter the first of the two massive eye-popping statements that Peter makes in this text. We might even wish that we could remove verses 19-21 entirely so that we don’t have to deal with them but that is not possible because of our view of inspiration, so let’s dive in.
• “…in spirit; in which also He went and…” – So, by this Peter is simply saying that this occurred in the spiritual realm, not in the physical realm.
• “…made proclamation [preached] to the spirits now in prison,” – Before Christ’s resurrection Hades was the place of the dead, both of the righteous dead and of the wicked. From the time of Noah right up until the death of Jesus the soul of every person who ever died was kept in Hades. In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus told the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in which He described Hades as a place of torment for the rich man and a comfort for Lazarus. From the description there in Luke 16 apparently Hades was divided into two parts: (1) Abraham’s Bosom, the place of the righteous dead, a place of peace and joy, and (2) Hades or Sheol or Gehenna, the side where the souls of the wicked were kept, which is described as a place of torment for those awaiting their final judgment and assignment to Hell. In verse 26 we learn that the two parts were separated by a great chasm, a great gulf, so that no one could pass from one side to the other. I believe that between Jesus’ death and His resurrection, He descended to Hades where He proclaimed His victory over sin and death to the souls there. This would have been great good news to the righteous, and very bad news for the wicked because it meant that their doom was sure. Jesus’ message was clearly not evangelistic because there are no second chances for the wicked. I believe that Jesus preached a message of judgment and final condemnation in light of His finished work on the cross to these disobedient spirits.   
• “…who were once disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark,” – Peter doesn’t mention the righteous but only the wicked. He focuses especially on those who had lived during the time of Noah and had loudly and proudly rejected God’s offer of physical and spiritual salvation, the message of which Noah preached for many years, giving all of them ample time to repent and believe and live.
• “…in which a few, that is, eight persons [lit. souls], were brought safely through (lit. “by means of”) the water.” – Out of all those on the earth only eight people (lit. souls, ψυχή, psuchē) were saved: namely, Noah and his family. The rest perished in the flood waters. For the wicked it was a baptism of death. For those on the Ark it was a baptism of life. They came through the water in the Ark and so were saved by means of the water despite the flood around them.
• This brings us to the second eye-popping statement that Peter makes in this passage, and to understand it we must examine it in its context.     

Verse 21: Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

• “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you” – Taken at face value this statement is jarring, but in the context, it makes sense if we can follow Peter’s logic. Peter is creating a word picture, using the OT story of Noah’s physical salvation in the Ark as a picture of what happens through baptism. What Peter says is that baptism is an antitype of Noah and his people in the ark. To help explain this concept I am going to call on William Barclay’s Commentary on 1 Peter:

There are two closely connected words. There is tupos (τύπος), type, which means a seal, and there is antítupos (ἀντίτυπος), antitype, which means the impression of the seal. Clearly, between the seal and its impression there is the closest possible correspondence. So, there are people and events and customs in the Old Testament which are types, and which find their antitypes in the New Testament. The Old Testament event or person is like the seal; the New Testament event or person is like the impression; the two answer to each other. We might put it that the Old Testament event symbolically represents and foreshadows the New Testament event. The science of finding types and antitypes in the Old and the New Testaments is very highly developed. But to take very simple and obvious examples, the Passover Lamb and the scapegoat, who bore the sins of the people, are types of Jesus; and the work of the High Priest in making sacrifice for the sins of the people is a type of His saving work. Here Peter sees the bringing safely through the waters of Noah and his family as a type of baptism.

• “…not the removal of dirt from the flesh,” – Peter is not talking about bathing with soap to get off the dirt and grime. Water baptism doesn’t save anyone, and it doesn’t wash away sins. Only the blood of Jesus can do that. But Peter is pointing out that the water of the flood in Noah’s day washed away sin and wickedness and brought a new world with a fresh start before God. And baptism pictures the same thing, illustrating a passage from the old life to the new. Of course, the saving by baptism which Peter here mentions is only symbolic (a metaphor or picture as in Romans 6:2-6), not actual, as Peter is quick to explain. It isn’t the actual water washing of baptism that saves us, but the spiritual reality behind the immersion in water. In baptism our sin dies with Christ.
• “…but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” – What really saves us is the answer of a good conscience toward God, a conscience made good through the completed work of Jesus by His death, burial, and resurrection and His blood applied to us. Baptism, Peter explains, does not wash away the filth of the flesh either in a literal sense, as a bath for the body, or in a metaphorical sense of the filth of the soul. No ceremonies can affect the conscience, but “only the blood of Christ the blood of Christ can cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (cf. Hebrews 9:13-14). Peter here expressly denies that the rite of baptism results in the remission of sin.  

Verse 22: …who is at the right hand of God, having gone into Heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.  

• “…who is at the right hand of God, having gone into Heaven,” – The “who” obviously refers to Jesus Christ mentioned of at the end of verse 21. Having completed the work He came to do He ascended back to Heaven telling His disciples that He was going back home to prepare a place for them. The Lord’s 33+ year sojourn on earth was just a temporary assignment from God the Father. At the cross, some of Jesus’ last words were, “IT IS FINISHED!” He had completed the work of redemption, conquered sin and death, established His Church, left a trained staff in charge to carry on under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and fulfilled the Law and all the prophecies about Him. After the resurrection He showed Himself publicly for 40 days then ascended back to Heaven, having accomplished everything He was sent to do.
• “…after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” – I believe that when Jesus came to earth all the evil powers of Hell lined up to oppose Him at every step. Satan tried his best to sabotage the work of redemption. All the demons of the abyss redoubled their efforts to stop Jesus at every turn. They used every sneaky trick in their wicked playbook. But they could not thwart the plans and purposes of God, nor could they stop Jesus. He died according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose from the grave on the third day according to the Scriptures and all the holy angels in Heaven rejoiced. When Jesus returned to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Most High, He proved His superiority over Lucifer, the fallen angels, and all the powers of Hell. In Ephesians 6 Paul speaks about our constant daily struggle against the forces of evil: “¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” These are the same forces that lined up against Jesus during His time on earth and He conquered every one of them in the power of the Spirit and by the authority of the Word of God. In doing that He showed us that we too can walk in victory over the devil and his forces because God has put the very same resources at our disposal for our use. Jesus proved that they are a defeated enemy and we have no need to fear them. Praise God! 

CONCLUSION:

11 precious Bible verses about Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father:

1. Mark 16:19 – “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” 

2. Acts 7:55 – “But being full of the Holy Spirit, he [Stephen] gazed intently into Heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”

3. Romans 8:34 – “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” 

4. Ephesians 1:20 – “Which He [the Father] brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.”

5. Colossians 3:1 – “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”

6. Hebrews 1:3 – “And He [Christ] is the radiance of His [the Father’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He [Christ] had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” 

7. Hebrews 8:1 – “Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a High Priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.”

8. Hebrews 10:12 – “But He [Christ], having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.”

9. 1 Peter 3:22 – “Who is at the right hand of God, having gone into Heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” 

10. Revelation 3:21 – “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

11. Revelation 22:1 – “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

1 Peter Study #8

“The Reason for Our Hope”

1 Peter 3:7-16

Study #8 in 1 Peter Series

INTRODUCTION:

As we chat with people, we discover that many folks these days live without hope. They are pessimistic about the present, and fearful about the future. They look around and wonder what tomorrow will bring, fearful about what life will be like for their children and grandchildren. For this reason, many young couples are even choosing not to have children. But Christians should be different. We should be the most optimistic people on the planet because we know that our God reigns and holds our future securely in the palm of His hand. We have many reasons to be hopeful, and in this passage, Peter tells us that we should always be ready to share that hope with anyone who asks us about it.

TRANSITION:

In 1 Peter 3:1-6 the apostle described the actions and attitudes of a godly Christian wife toward her husband, including her voluntary submission to his leadership in their home. Now he turns the table and addresses their husbands, describing the actions and attitudes of a godly Christian husband toward his wife and his sacrificial Christlike love for her, putting her needs above his own, laying down his life for hers and showing her the honor that is her due. And as I explained in our last study, this is just one more example of the broader teaching that Christians, all Christians, whether masters or slaves or men or women or adults or children, we are all to live lives submitted first to God and then to other people. None of us is exempt. Jesus is our example; He came to earth in submission and obedience to the Father and fulfilled His mission by laying down His life for sinners, even those who despised and mocked Him.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 7: You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.  

• “You husbands in the same way…” – Peter has been addressing the subject of Christian submission; namely, submitting ourselves first to God in every way, and then, following the example of Christ, laying our lives down for the benefit of others, living to put others first. In our last study, looking at 3:1-6, we discussed what this submission looks like in the Christian home when the wife voluntarily submits to her husband’s headship. Now Peter is going to examine the other side of the coin and address husbands who, “in the same way,” are “…for the Lord’s sake” to do what Jesus did; namely, He laid down his life for His Bride, putting her needs before His own. Jesus died for us, in our place. He submitted Himself to the cross and to death, and He did that for us. He put our need of redemption before His need of glory and vindication.
• “…live with your wives…” – A godly husband truly lives with his wife. He doesn’t just house-share like some of us did back in our college days. These days we hear of a lot of cases where the husband and wife are nothing more than housemates, coming and going as they please, living independent lives. But according to Paul’s teaching on marriage in Ephesians 5:25, 28-30, Christ’s love for His Church is our template: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her… ²⁸ So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; ²⁹ for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the Church, ³⁰ because we are members of His Body.” God has established the essential unity between husband and wife and patterned it after His own love for His Bride. The word Peter uses here for “live with” is the Greek verb, συνοικέω (sunoikéo), meaning “to dwell together, to reside together, to have intercourse together.”
• “…in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman;” – This is one of the passages that feminists have used to bolster their argument that the Bible’s view of women is out of date. They bristle at that idea that some people might think that women are somehow weaker than men. But Peter does not refer to strength of character, moral stamina, mental capacity, volitional fortitude, or battlefield courage. He is only talking about physical strength, the fact that most men are stronger than most women. Even a wimpy little dude can, in a fair fight, beat up most of the women who would dare step into the ring with him. It’s just a fact. Of course there are exceptions, but the exceptions do not disprove the rule.
• “…in an understanding way…” – A godly husband studies his wife, observing her, listening to her, and asking questions because he wants to understand her. By knowing her well, he is able to show his love for her more effectively and this helps to bring unity to the marriage and to the home. He needs to learn her love language and become fluent in it.
• “…as with someone weaker, since she is a woman;” – Again, Peter is not badmouthing the ladies. On the contrary, he is urging their husbands to treat them as valuable and precious, the way we might treat a priceless porcelain vase or a valuable work of art. Men should not treat their wives in the same way they treat their roughneck buddies and rowdy brothers. Men sometimes get pretty rough when they are just horsing around. Peter says, “Hey nitwit, don’t be doing that stuff to your wife. Treat her nice, with kindness and gentleness.”
• “…and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” – Women experience the saving grace of God on equal terms with men. Your wife is a fellow heir of God’s grace. That means that she is not only your wife but also your precious sister in Christ, and she should be honored as such. And notice that Peter says, “Show her honor.” Showing honor to someone is more than just thinking honor in your head. But how do we demonstrate honor toward someone, you might ask? Well, a godly husband who has been observing and studying his wife will figure out how to make her feel honored. Even though she submits to him in obedience to the Word of God, he must be careful that she does not feel like she is an employee or a servant living under a tyrant. He must find practical ways in words and actions to make her feel honored and valued.
• “…so that your prayers will not be hindered.” – Peter tacks this phrase on the end of this verse, but it leaves us scratching our heads. “What does he mean by that?” we ask. Apparently, the failure to live as a godly husband has spiritual consequences. It can and it will hinder the husband’s prayer life. Commentators have long pondered what Peter meant by this, but I think we must take it at face value and understand it just as it is written. This is not figurative language. Peter is telling us that if we neglect, misuse, or undervalue our wives, God sees this as sin, and like all sin, it affects our relationship with Him. Sin always hinders our prayers. That is a universal biblical truth. Communication with God breaks down when we are walking in disobedience.      

Verses 8-9: To sum up, all of you, be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; ⁹ not returning evil for evil or insult for insult but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

• “To sum up, all of you…” – In verse 7 Peter has been addressing the husbands, but now he is widening the focus again and drawing conclusions for the whole argument, which started back in 2:13 where he said, “Submit yourselves [plural] for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” So, here in verse 8 “All of you” refers to all believers regardless of social status, gender, or net worth. What Peter is about to say applies equally to every Christian.
• “…be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;” – In this phrase Peter strings together 5 adjectives to describe what kind of people we should be:

o   Harmonious = Greek word ὁμόφρων (homóphrōn), meaning of one mind, like-minded, concordant. See 1 Corinthians 2:16 – “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” We are all to seek to know the mind of Christ but that only comes through a knowledge of His Word.

o   Sympathetic = Greek word συμπαθής (sympathēs), meaning suffering or feeling the same with another, having compassion one for another.

o   Brotherly = Greek word φιλάδελφος (philádelphos), meaning loving someone like a brother or sister. In John 13:35 Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

o   Kindhearted = Greek word εὔσπλαγχνος (eúsplangchnos), meaning compassionate, tender-gutted, full of pity. Literally it means having good/strong bowels, because the Jews considered the gut to be the center of our emotions.

o   Humble in spirit = Greek word ταπεινοφροσύνη (tapeinophrosunē), meaning humbleness of mind or lowliness of mind. The idea is modesty, having a humble opinion of oneself and a deep sense of one’s smallness.

• “…not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult,” – The natural human response to mistreatment is to retaliate. As Americans we are programmed from an early age to defend ourselves, to stand up to a bully, to give back as good as we get, and to repay an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That is our natural inclination, to always punch back. But here Peter calls all that logic into question. In the family of God there is no place for this kind of revenge mentality. We are to treat one another with love and kindness, even when we have been wronged by a brother or sister. Vengeance only exacerbates the problem. The terrible ethnic conflicts all over the world illustrate this truth – one group wrongs another, then as enemies, both sides dedicate themselves to repaying that wrong, resulting in blood-feuds like the one between the Hatfields and the McCoys. Only the love of Jesus for our enemies can break that terrible cycle. So once again, Jesus is our template. Peter made this point back in 2:23-24 but it is worth repeating – “²³ …and while being reviled, He [Jesus] did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 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.”
• “…but giving a blessing instead;” – What? Is Peter nuts? There must be something seriously wrong with this translation. He can’t be serious! It’s one thing not to punch back, but to bless them instead? Is that even possible? The answer, of course, is “Yes, it’s possible with the Lord’s enabling.” In Matthew 5:43-47Jesus reminded us that it is no great credit if we just love those who love us back; the real test of love is to demonstrate compassion to our enemies or people who have hurt us in some way. ⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ Therefore you are to be perfect [i.e., lacking nothing necessary to completeness, Gr. τέλος], as your Heavenly Father is perfect.
• “…for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” – So, here Peter gives us another reason for which God called us to Himself; namely, so that He might bless us. Notice the interplay of these two phrases in verse 9: to give a blessing, and to receive a blessing. God called us, we who formerly were His enemies, so that He might pour out blessings on us. And He wants us, in turn, to pour out blessings on those who are our enemies or who have hurt us. If we accept blessings from our Father’s gracious hand, can we refuse to love and bless other people? Of course not.  

Verses 10-12: For,

“The one who desires life, to love and see good days,

Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

¹¹ “He must turn away from evil and do good;

He must seek peace and pursue it.

¹² “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,

And His ears attend to their prayer,

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

• To support his argument Peter here quotes Psalm 34:12-16a, which demonstrates the blessing that comes to those who “turn away from evil and do good.” But there is no guarantee that it is always going to work out perfectly. Doing good is often difficult because, as a rule, evil is rewarded immediately and the reward of doing good is often delayed, which is frustrating. But even so, based on the promises of God in this passage, the rewards of doing good are better and far more secure than the rewards of doing evil.    

Verses 13-14a: Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.

• “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?” – Peter asks a rhetorical question, the answer to which proves true most of the time. As a rule, no harm comes to us for doing the right thing. Telling the truth, being honest, going the extra mile, giving a full day’s work for a full day’s pay, being kind, treating others with respect, etc., will usually pay rich dividends in the long run. But, of course, there are exceptions when our good deeds and kindness are misunderstood and misinterpreted. So, Peter raises this possibility in the next phrase.
• “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.” – Although Peter says that Christians should always answer evil with good, he also lived in the real world, and he knew that people often repaid good with a response of evil. We live in a broken world with upside-down values, and people are often suspicious of Christians and our righteousness, mistaking good for evil because their own values are so screwed up.
• “But even if you should suffer…you are blessed.” – Peter reminds us that there is even a blessing for us when we suffer unjustly for righteousness’ sake, because God will still take care for us. Moreover, He sees, He knows, and He will one day make things right. He is the Avenger of His people, and He has a long memory.

Verses 14b-15: And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, ¹⁵ but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;  

• “And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,” – I think that Peter here is speaking of those times when Christians are called on the carpet and forced to defend themselves because of being misunderstood. Jesus spoke of such circumstances in Matthew 12:11-12, “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” In Matthew 10:28 Jesus taught His disciples that they should never fear men because they are limited in what harm they can inflict on us. He said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
• “…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” – This is very important! If we are to be good apologists for the Gospel, we must do it in the power of the Spirit rather that by our irrefutable logic, our dazzling wits, our stunning oratory, and in the strength of our personality. We must crown Christ on the throne of our life, elevating Him as Lord in our heart, giving Him all the glory. Only then are we ready to take on the job of opening our mouth to give our apología (ἀπολογία), our testimony, our verbal defense of our faith in Christ and in the Gospel.   
• “…always being ready” – This statement reminds me of Paul’s words in Romans 1:14-16 where he makes three personal statements about his eagerness to preach the Good News in Rome. He says, “I am a debtor…I am ready…and I am not ashamed.” Look especially at verse 15: “So, as much as in me is, I am ready [i.e., eager] to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also.” We too should always be ready and excited to share the Gospel wherever there is an open door.
• “…to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you,” – Unfortunately most Christians think this means that we all must be knowledgeable and outspoken about the Gospel and this scares them. They visualize a courtroom where they sit in the witness box getting grilled by skilled lawyers, intent on showing how little they really know about the Christian Faith. But that is not what Peter has in mind here. In truth, God calls very few people to be professional apologists for the Christian Faith. Men like Cornelius Van Til, Norman Geisler, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, Tim Keller, Frank Turek, and C.S. Lewis, etc. are few and far between. However, all of us can be witnesses, telling what Christ has done for us and how He has made us new from the inside out. We are all capable of telling our own story, using a few verses to support our arguments, telling people about our hope in Christ Jesus, and giving all the glory to God. And the more often we do it the better we get at it. It is like anything else, the more we do it the easier it gets. Certainly, Peter knew how important it is to be able to give a defense to anyone who asks you. He was called on many times to do this (see Acts 2:14-39, Acts 3:11-26, Acts 4:8-12, and Acts 5:29-32). In each case Peter relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to give him the right words at the right time and thus was able to give a defense of the Gospel and of his faith in Christ.
• “…yet with gentleness and reverence;” – It is not only important what we say but also how we say it. Our attitude is just as important as our words. If we come across as arrogant, preachy, and better-than-thou, we will drive people away rather than attract them. Our approach to people must always be gentle and humble, keeping in mind the words of that old Gospel song, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” Moreover, we must always keep in mind that we cannot argue or debate anyone into Heaven. We cannot save anyone by well-reasoned explanations. Only God can save, only the Holy Spirit can illumine the truth and draw a person to Christ.      

Verse 16: …and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

• “…and keep a good conscience” – A good conscience is ours when we do the right thing for the right reasons, even when it is unpopular or misunderstood by others. Peter is concerned with us being able to look the Lord in the face without embarrassment or shame. Paul talked a lot about this too in his letters. In 1 Timothy 1:5 he said, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (See also 1 Tim. 1:19, 3:9, 2 Tim. 1:3, 1 Peter 3:16, 21)
• “…so that in the thing in which you are slandered those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.” – The only real defense we have is the righteousness of Christ and the rightness of our cause. Righteousness is its own reward. Those who hate us and misunderstand us might never come around to see life the way we see it. They might never agree with us or accept our arguments, but we need to live in such a way and express our faith in such away that they at least come to respect us and perhaps even lower their defenses long enough to consider the claims of the Gospel. Our behavior (i.e., lifestyle including our verbal witness) should be exemplary so that those who have adamantly rejected the Faith will feel ashamed and come under godly repentance.   

CONCLUSION:

So then, what is the takeaway from this passage? What is the Spirit of God saying to you? What needs to change to bring your life into conformity with what Peter lays out here? What might be a first action step to take right away? Pray and ask God what He wants you to do with what you have learned from these verses.   

1 Peter Study #7

“Is Peter Picking on the Women?”

1 Peter 3:1-6

Study #7 in 1 Peter Series

INTRODUCTION:

We have all heard the criticisms from woke feminists, and even some who self-identify as Christian women, who say that the Bible is misogynistic. They point to the treatment of women in the Old Testament and find fault with the patriarchal system of the Israelites. In the New Testament they especially dislike the Apostle Paul who they say was outspokenly anti-woman, seeking to keep women out of leadership roles in the church and demanding that they take a backseat to men in general, but especially in the home. For this reason, many modern women, and some men, have rejected certain passages in the Scriptures, claiming them to be anachronistic and obsolete. They say that those parts were just Paul’s opinion and are no longer binding on us in the modern Church because our culture has evolved beyond those primitive ideas. Therefore, they promote an egalitarian theology that says that men and women are equals in every way, and that there are no longer any gender-specific roles in the church.   

TRANSITION:

But are they correct? Has everything changed? Our text for today’s study is one of those passages that the feminists hate and berate. Although not written by Paul, the guy they claim to be the Bible’s #1 Woman-Hater, it was written by his pal, the Apostle Peter. In these six (6) verses Peter singles out the women of the churches and lays some heavy teaching on them about how they should think, dress, act, adorn themselves, and submit to their husbands. However, what many of these critics fail to understand is that these teachings are couched in a broader context about Christian submission incumbent on all believers: men, women, servants, leaders, everyone. Peter is not picking on the women!    

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 1-2: In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the Word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, ² as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.  

• “In the same way…” – This phrase is important for our understanding of how to interpret these verses in context. Chapter 2 begins by reminding us of who we have become in Christ. We have been changed by God. We are living stones in God’s Temple. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God’s own possession. Because of this the world scrutinizes us with curiosity, criticism, and consternation. They are always watching to see if we screw up and fail to live up to our claims of being God’s kids. So, in verse 13 Peter begins talking about how important it is for us to submit ourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution—to kings, governors, police officers, etc. Then in verse 18 Peter turns his attention to Christian slaves, exhorting them likewise to submit themselves for the Lord’s sake to their masters, whether they were good men or not. As Christians in that society, they needed to live exemplary lives, even though they were slaves. Then Peter shifts his focus and brings up Jesus Christ who is our example in every facet of life. He explains that Christ submitted Himself to the will of the Father and came to earth to die for sinners. He established the pattern, the template for Christians in all places and in all times to live in submission to God and to the people that God loves. We are called to submit ourselves for the Lord’s sake, no matter what our station in life might be. That brings us to 3:1 where Peter says, “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands…” Notice that Peter says that wives are called to submit to their own husbands but not to all men in a general sense. Male headship is God’s commanded principle for the home and the church, albeit not for society in general. And just a few verses later, in verse 7, he turns the spotlight on their husbands saying, “You husbands in the same way…”
• The principle of submission is applied to many different groups in the New Testament:

o   Jesus submitted to His parents (Luke 2:51).

o   Citizens must submit to government authorities (Rom. 13:1-5, Titus 3:1, 1 Pet. 2:13).

o   The universe submits to Jesus (1 Cor. 15:27, Eph. 1:22).

o   Christians must submit to their church leaders (1 Cor. 16:15-16, 1 Peter 5:5).

o   Wives must submit to their husbands (Col. 3:18, Titus 2:5, 1 Pet. 3:5, Eph. 5:22-24).

o   Children must submit to their parents (Eph. 6:1-3, Col. 3:20)

o   The church must submit to the Lord Jesus (Eph. 5:24).

o   Servants must submit to their masters (Titus 2:9, 1 Peter 2:18).

o   Christians must submit to God (Hebrews 12:9, James 4:7).

·       But notice that none of these relations are ever reversed. For example, masters are never told to submit to servants, Jesus is never told to submit to the Church, and so forth. So, while there must be a servant-like love and attitude on the part of those in positions of authority, that does not eliminate the concept of God’s order of authority and the corresponding submission.

• So, you see, everybody gets their turn. Peter is not just picking on the ladies. So now let’s go back and unpack what Peter is actually saying to the women. “…you wives, be submissive to your own husbands” – The verb here translated as “be submissive” is the Greek word ὑποτάσσω (hupotasso), a compound verb made up of the preposition ὑπό (hupo or hypo) meaning “under, beneath, below” and the verb τάσσω (tasso) meaning “to arrange, to put in order, to station.” When we parse this verb in the sentence, we see that it is a present passive participle, which means that wives are to do this themselves on a continuing basis. It is not something imposed on them but rather it is an attitude they choose to take toward their husbands. With all that in mind the literal translation of the sentence goes like this: “You wives, put yourself under, submit yourself to, line yourself up behind your own husbands.”
• A note in the Blue Letter Bible says: This word, hupotasso, was a Greek military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader.” In non-military use, it was “a voluntary attitude of obeying, giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden.”
• “…so that even if any of them are disobedient to the Word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, ² as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.” – Here Peter explains why it is important that wives submit themselves to their own husbands; namely, to win them to Christ. For reasons that I do not fully understand it seems that more women respond to the Gospel than men. Since the days of the Early Church until now it seems that women are more open to believe in Christ and to turn to Him than are the men. That was true in Peter’s time, just as it is in ours. Looking back on my 50+ years of ministry I have counselled many Christian wives married to unsaved husbands, but very few believing husbands married to unbelieving wives. It’s strange but true.
• “…so that even if any of them are disobedient to the Word” – Notice that Peter does not differentiate here between a non-Christian husband and one who may be a believer but is not walking in obedience with Christ. The same principle applies in either case: the wife’s godly character and godly life are a powerful duo that God can use to bring her husband into alignment with the Word. And Peter makes the claim that her consistent godly life and her submissive attitude toward her husband, despite his apparent disinterest in the Gospel or the Christian faith, is a Christian wife’s most powerful tool to win her husband to the Lord. But notice the phrase, “…that they may be won without a word.” Wives are not to try and talk their husbands into Heaven by constantly nagging, harping, and arguing with him. That is like kryptonite; it will drive him away. Rather, it is by him observing her “chaste and respectful behavior” that he will be drawn to Christ, finally desiring to have what she has.
• Just a quick sidenote…The King James Version translation of this verse says, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the Word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.” This verse has caused much confusion for many years because of the word, “conversation.” The phrase preceding it is great, “…[that] they also may without the word be won…” But then comes that next phrase. What people need to understand is that in King James’ era the word “conversation” did not mean speaking but rather your entire manner of life, what we today call your lifestyle. From then until now the word has totally changed its meaning. Peter is not telling the wives they should try to talk their husbands into the Kingdom of God. That pretty much always backfires.   

Verse 3: Your adornment must not be merely external – braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;

• “Your adornment must not be merely external” – Peter is not against external adornment. The key word to notice here is “merely.” Every woman looks better when she is clean, with her hair washed and well groomed, perhaps with some jewelry and a little makeup. Peter mentions braiding the hair, which was in fashion in his day. He also speaks of wearing gold jewelry and pretty dresses. There is nothing wrong with any of these things. They are simply ways to enhance the woman’s natural beauty and attractiveness.
• Peter’s concern is that Christian women, and men too, understand that true beauty, nobility, and godliness come from the inside, and are not merely painted on the outside. A woman can be drop-dead beautiful on the outside but be filthy and immoral on the inside. A man can be handsome, well-groomed and well-dressed and still be a dirty, rotten scoundrel and a murderer. For Christians, men and women alike, we should be more concerned with what is on the inside and make sure that is good, and godly and truly commendable. 1 Samuel 16:7 is a good example: But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his [Saul’s] appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”   

Verse 4: …but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 

• “…but let it be the hidden person of the heart” – Only God can fully know what we are on the inside, but when we are around a person for a while we can pick up clues about what they are really like. Oh yes, sometimes we can be fooled for a while, but sooner or later the rottenness will become evident. But in the same way, genuine godliness shines out of a Christian’s life, becoming evident through their loving words, kind actions, and righteous attitudes.
• “…with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” – In context Peter is talking about godly wives who demonstrate “a gentle and quiet spirit” especially in their homes. He claims that this “imperishable quality” will be instrumental in bringing their unbelieving and disobedient husbands to faith in Christ. “Imperishable” means that it does not decay or worsen with age. Instead, imperishable beauty only gets better with age and is therefore of much greater value than the beauty that comes from beautiful hairdos, expensive jewelry, or fancy clothes.
• But I must give you a caution here. Do not take these verses as a promise. Rather, Peter is giving us a principle, a truth that has been proven reliable time and time again. But it is like the OT proverb that says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Some parents glom onto that verse like a lifeline and claim it as a promise, then get mad at God when their kid turns out to be a drug-dealing sex-crazed criminal in prison on a 45-year sentence. That verse is a proverb, not a promise. It is a truism, meaning that it is more often true than not, but still subject to the human will of the people involved. The same is true of this passage in 1 Peter. I have known godly Christian wives who have hoped and prayed for decades that their husbands would get saved but they never did, but their individual experience still does not diminish the truth of this passage.
• “…which is precious in the sight of God.” – Even if the husband never comes around to repent of his sins and turn to Christ Peter’s argument is still valid. A godly woman living to please her Heavenly Father despite getting no spiritual support from her husband is still precious in God’s sight, and she will one day be rewarded for her faithfulness. 

Verse 5: For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands;

• “For in this way in former times the holy women also…” – Peter here reminds Christian women that he is not calling them to some new standard but to the same obedience that was practiced by holy women of former times, referring I think to godly women in the Old Testament. He is just reminding them that when Christian women submit to their husbands and do not rely on their outward adornment to give their lives meaning and value, they are like the holy women of the past who trusted in God and demonstrated their faith through their inward beauty rather than through physical adornments. 

Verse 6: …just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him “lord,” and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.  

• “…just as Sarah obeyed Abraham” – Peter had many Old Testament examples of godly wives that he could have chosen: Rebeckah and Isaac, Rachel and Jacob, Ruth and Boaz, Hannah and Elkanah, Abigail and David, Esther and King Xerxes, etc. But he chose to focus on Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Although she was not a perfect woman nor a perfect wife, Sarah demonstrated her submission to her husband in at least two important ways: First, she obeyed Abraham even when it was difficult and even when he was wrong, as was the case in Genesis 12:10-20. Second, Peter says that she honored Abraham by calling him “lord.” Of course, it is possible to obey someone without showing them the honor that is part of submission. However, true submission includes both obedience and honor. Sarah embodied this truth in her relationship with Abraham.

·       “…and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.” – In other words, you have become like her, almost like her daughters, if you treat your husbands in the same way that she treated Abraham. True submission, motivated by faith in God, has no room for fear or terror. It does what is right and leaves the result to God, knowing that God rewards those who walk in obedience to Him. The words “if you do what is right” remind us that true biblical submission is not a grumbling surrender to authority but is an active embrace of God’s will, demonstrating confidence in Him.

CONCLUSION:

I hope you will see that this paragraph about the importance of Christian wives choosing to submit to their husbands for the Lord’s sake is just one piece of a much larger argument that all believers are to live in submission to Christ and to other people. The principles in these verses apply to men as well as to women. Peter is not picking on the ladies. 

I also hope that you will understand that in our own strength none of us can subdue our flesh and live a life of biblical submission. We can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit and by keeping our eyes focused on Jesus who is our example. He modeled a life of submission, submitting His will to the Father, and laying down His life for us. He left us an example, that we should walk in His steps.