I Peter 2:13-25 - Respect and Service

Respect and Service

1 Peter 2:13-25

New Living Translation (NLT)

Respecting People in Authority

¹³ For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, ¹⁴ or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

¹⁵ It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. ¹⁶ For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. ¹⁷ Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.

I once had a Greek professor who was very tough. I was in a class of 24 students, of which a few were taking his class for the second or third time. You could not pass New Testament Greek if you did not study. It wasn’t a class you could fluff your way through. However, I never heard any of those repeating students complain about the professor. Instead, I saw tremendous respect for him. I think I discovered why. The professor gave respect to every student…he treated each one as a valued person, and never put anyone down for not having his homework done. In return, the students wanted to do their best for this professor, and he was held in very high esteem.

Respect. You cannot possess integrity without respect. You cannot show love without respect. How much you are respected is often reflected by how much you respect others. Peter addressed the issue in this portion of his first letter. He made it very clear that God instituted governmental authority, and it was man’s responsibility to respect that system by submitting to its laws. The only exception would be if the civil law violated a law of God.

Obedience to the civil law calls for respect for the authorities that govern that law. As Christians we are called to be good citizens as an example to others. The freedom we have as followers of Christ does not give us the right to live as we please and ignore authority. How we treat others speaks loudly about who we are. Because everyone is made in God’s likeness, and has the potential to become His follower, we are to show them our respect. By doing so, we honor our King. When we demonstrate the love of Christ to those who are not worthy of it, we show what true Christianity is all about. We serve Christ by serving those for whom He died.

Slaves

¹⁸ You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. ¹⁹ For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment. ²⁰ Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

In these verses Peter gives us some guidelines on how to handle being mistreated. It is only human to blame others, and want to get even. What starts with resentment for our “ill treatment” quickly turns into seeking to get revenge. Then bitterness settles in, turning our hearts into stone. We feel sorry for ourselves, but that only leads to depression. Sometimes we put our feelings on the back burner and allow them to simmer for a season, but that will never solve anything. Eventually the simmer will blow its top.

Peter gives us a better way to handle what seems to be unfair treatment. In the culture of his day, the Roman Empire, ruled by Nero, treated Christians very cruelly. Yet Peter told the Christians they were not to resist government leadership or try to overthrow the government. Instead they were to give to Caesar what was his, including respect and honor, because of his leadership role.

Also in that culture, slaves were expected to do all the work, while the Romans remained the masters. Slaves were not considered to be people, but things, and they had no rights. Even though there was a certain freedom in becoming a Christian, slaves were still to humble themselves, submitting to their masters. In that way, their attitudes were a testimony to the difference Christ made in their lives.

In today’s culture this passage might be more of a reference to the relationship between an employee and employer, or perhaps even relationships within church leadership. We are called to submit to those over us, and keep a right attitude. Such submission can only come about by first of all submitting to God, depending upon Him to give us patience and endurance in the face of adversity. He gave us an Example to follow.

Our Example

²¹ For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered^[c] for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

²² He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
²³ He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
²⁴ He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed.

²⁵ Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.

We are not called to do anything that Christ Himself has not done. He was rejected, betrayed, brutally beaten to the point of death’s door, and then hung on a cross in shame…yet He did not retaliate. Instead He willingly gave His life so that others could know there is a better way to live.

To be able to forgive is divine, and through Christ we have that power. Our focus is changed from being “self”-centered to being “others”-centered, so that Christ receives the glory and praise. In that, there is true freedom…freedom from self, freedom to serve. As we do, we keep our eyes on Jesus, our Supreme example who sacrificed Himself because of His love for us. It is our privilege to follow His example.

My life verse summarizes what Peter is saying to us in this passage:

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13, NLT)

I Peter 2:4-12 - Chosen

1 Peter 2:4-12

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.

⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. ⁶ As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

Peter continues his epistle, encouraging followers of Christ to see themselves as being chosen to be made in the image of Christ. Just as God chose His Son, Jesus, to be the foundation stone of the Temple, He is also transforming us into the stones that support the spiritual Temple of God. We are based on a firm foundation, and now we ourselves must be made firm in our faith, unshakable. We are representing God to the world, and He needs us to be trustworthy.

The point Peter is trying to drive home is that we have not been casually selected by just anybody to be a part of a house. We have been chosen by God to be part of His Temple. He wants to purify us and make us holy as His Son is holy. People can depend on Jesus, they know what He represents. They are looking for examples of that character of Jesus that is so vastly different from what the world represents. God has designed His Temple to be solid. If we choose to follow after Jesus, to be remade in His image, then we must purpose to reflect the very image of God.

⁷ Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,” The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”

⁸ And,” He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

For those who choose not to believe in Jesus, or to follow after Him, there is another destiny ahead for them. Rather than being built into the Temple of God, they will be eternally separated from God. He will not have those who are willfully disobedient in His Kingdom. Even though He has chosen us, the final choice of our obedience and allegiance is up to us. Our choice will determine our destiny.

⁹ But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Peter reminds believers that we are chosen by God to represent Him to those who do not yet know Him. In order for His Holy Spirit to live within us we must crucify the human self, the desires of our earthly nature, and allow ourselves to be transformed into the image of Christ. This is not something we can do in and of ourselves. It is a daily surrender of what we want in exchange for what God's desires are for us. That kind of surrender will only come through listening to God through His Word, and communing with God through prayer. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we are going to look like Him, act like Him.

¹⁰ “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

When we come to Christ we give up our aimless being, and we become distinctively different. We take on a new look, one that resembles the holiness of God. This only comes about because of God's mercy, for we can do nothing to earn salvation and sanctification. We simply have to believe and grow in our faith daily, and God will remake us into His people, His vessels, conduits of His love flowing out to others.

¹¹ Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. ¹² Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

As a child of God, a believer in Christ, we are no longer citizens of this earth, but our allegiance belongs to Heaven. We should no longer desire the evils of this world, but long after the integrity of Christ. Since the world is watching us, we must live so that they see goodness, kindness, honesty, and purity. Our lifestyle must point them to Jesus. For that reason alone, we are chosen.

Now the question is, what do we choose?

I choose Jesus, I choose truth, I choose purity, I choose faith. Thank you, Father, for first choosing me!

A Quick Note

I am in the middle of our busiest season of the year on the camp grounds, so I'll get back to this blog in early fall, when things slow down.  I do keep up with a once a week blog entry on my Journal Pie, however.

I Peter 2:1-3 - Growing in Christ

I Peter 2:1-3

Verse 1

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. (NIV)

So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. (NLT)

Peter continues to address the people he was writing with their need of unity amongst themselves. They needed to be a community that displayed Godly love and supported one another after being in exile so long, and under such extreme conditions. They truly needed one another. Any evil activities or attitudes needed to be stopped. By “rid yourselves” he meant “QUIT!”

Any nature that wants to harm others, or envies others, has to be destroyed. Envy will often show itself by slandering another. Deceit and hypocrisy comes out of a person who wants to impress others by pretending to be something he/she is not. Such a person is two-faced and does not have pure motives for what he/she does.

A person who sincerely repents turns away from such ways and turns to a life of truth and love. When one possesses the mind of Christ, he/she seeks the good of others. The closer we walk with Christ, the more our desires become like His.

Verse 2-3

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it your may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (NIV)

You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk; now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. (NLT)

Just as a baby craves milk, new born babes in Christ should crave spiritual milk, which is the Word of God. Babies grow when they are fed, and so do new Christians. The mind must be fed with the pure milk of the truth found in God's Word. It is a source of nourishment that can be trusted.

Once we find out how satisfying the truth of God is, we should long for additional nourishment. We have found God's grace through our redemption, and we know that He is good...all the time. May our spiritual cravings take us into His Word so that we may grow strong and wise through our time with Him.

The Distinctive Marks of a Christian - (I Peter 1:13-25) - Conclusion

When we claim the name of Christ we are identifying whose family we belong to.  God is a holy God and, as we represent Him to our world, we must also bear the family image of holiness.  In a world that is extremely materialistic and self-obsessed and deceitful, there is a cry for someone to be distinctively different, someone who will stand for truth and purity and integrity.  


It must grieve God's heart to look on His children and see how much they mimic the world's lifestyle.  He has called us to live a higher calling, a life that is set apart for His service.  After all He has done for us, and knowing He is our ultimate Judge, dare we live below our calling?  Through yielding to His Spirit's leading in our moment by moment decisions, we can walk as Christ walked and re-echo God's call to all of humanity to be holy and pure.

"Oh, to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer.

Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee!  Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart!

The Distinctive Mark of Brotherly Love - I Peter 1:22-25 - Part B

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  (v. 23)


"Born again", just like "purified" from the previous verse, is a perfect participle in Greek.  This signifies one decisive act in the past that has abiding results in the present.  Because we have been born again is another reason why we should love one another.


Peter gives us a firm foundation to build on in this verse by indicating that God is at work in the life of a believer, through His eternal Word. This is not just a temporary work, but something that will last for all time and eternity.  Through His Word He is continually cleansing us and preparing us for our destination with Him.


For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."   And this is the word that was preached to you.  (v. 24-25)


In these verses Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8.  He reminds us that one day everything in life will pass away.  God alone is eternal.  We need to quit focusing on the temporary things and situations of this life, and begin focusing on God and His Word.  Our life in Christ is all that will last for eternity.


God's Word continues to speak to men down through the ages because it is truth, and truth never changes.  The Word is living and abiding because the Holy Spirit continues to confirm God's truth in us.

The Distinctive Mark of Brotherly Love - I Peter 1:22-25 - Part A

These verses give us the consequences of holy living in that Peter talks about the attitude of Christians toward one another.  After believers have received new life from God, they express this new life in new ways...such as in brotherly love.


Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.  (verse 22)


The truth is what searches out motives.  It comes from God's Word and is the tool that the Spirit uses to bring about God's desired results in our lives.  God produces purification through His Word and His Spirit by our being yielded to the Spirit and not giving is to our own selfish desires and impulses.  Purity in the Old Testament referred to ceremonial purification, but in the New Testament it refers to moral purification, being delivered from the power of sin in our lives.  As we are obedient to truth, which is the living and eternal Word of God, we are purified and the love of Jesus compels us to love others.


As we yield to the Spirit, the fruit of love for our brothers is produced in our hearts.  This happens because we are filled with love for Jesus, which compels us to show love and kindness to others.  If we have little love for Jesus, we also have little love for others.  As we walk close to the Lord, love for Christ overflows towards others.  There is no substitute for love for our brothers in practical, everyday Christianity.  How much we give to the Lord's work, and how much time we spend in personal meditation, is without merit if we do not also love and serve others.  A Christian without love is not fruitful, or even usable, in God's kingdom.


This love must come from the heart and be sincere.  That means it is free from hypocrisy and evil.  When love comes from a heart that has been purified, it is genuine...one does not have to play-act.  Sincere love is selfless, not self-centered.  The love of God sets one free from focusing on one's self and refocuses on meeting the needs of others.  Just as Christ gave of Himself sacrificially, we are to follow His example and sacrifice ourselves by serving others with a love that is fervent.