A. Submitting unto God’s will and doing good can have immediate consequences, both good and bad, but the ultimate outcome of unconditional submission unto God is God’s favor toward those who submit unto Him and the glorification of God by all.
B. This is the theme of the text for our present lesson from 1Peter 2:11-25.
II. EXCELLENT BEHAVIOR
A. To have excellent behavior, we must first abstain from fleshly lusts (1Pet. 2:11).
1. Notice three terms Peter uses to describe his readers.
a. Beloved – These Christians were loved by Peter, and all Christians are loved by God.
b. Aliens – Christians are sojourners on earth whose citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).
c. Strangers – Christians are different from other people on the earth (2Cor. 6:14-18).
2. As beloved aliens and strangers, we who are Christians must not indulge fleshly lusts.
a. Such lusts are learned from the world (1John 2:15-16) and lead to temptation, sin, and death (Jas. 1:14-15).
b. Such things “wage war against the soul” of every spiritual alien and stranger on the earth.
B. Next, we must engage in good deeds that bring glory to God (1Pet. 2:12).
1. The particular focus of this verse is on how Gentiles react to the excellent behavior of Christians.
a. The immediate reaction of the sinful Gentiles is to slander Christians as evildoers (consider how Christians are now often labeled as intolerant, hateful, bigoted, foolish, etc., by the enemies of God in the world).
b. However, in the “day of visitation,” which is the judgment day, the sinful Gentiles will realize the truth (too late for them) and praise God for the good deeds done by Christians.
2. Altogether, 1Peter 2:11-12 shows that there are two requirements for excellent behavior – refrain from evil, and do good. This will ultimately bring glory to God.
III. SUBMISSION TO GOVERNMENT
A. As we keep our behavior excellent among the Gentiles, it is necessary for us to submit unto all governing authorities, for they are ordained by God (1Pet. 2:13-14).
1. God has ordained that men shall be governed by human authorities who derive their authority from Him (see Rom. 13:1-2).
2. Such authorities are sent “for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right” and are ministers of God for good (Rom. 13:3-4).
3. Notice that Peter wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake…” (compare to Rom. 13:5, “conscience sake”).
a. Submission to governments is not for respect of men but for respect of the Lord and what is right. The original recipients of Peter’s letter lived under a highly corrupted and evil government, but they were still required to submit unto it. Sometimes government authorities are highly dishonorable, but we must honor their positions.
b. Let us understand that this is not a mandate to obey any government decree in defiance of God’s law. We must respect the chain of authority, and God always comes first. Indeed, there are times when God’s people have righteously defied authorities (Dan. 3; 6; Acts 5:29). They have also suffered for doing so (more on this below).
B. Submitting unto governing authorities and using our freedoms for good fulfill the will of God and silence the ignorance of foolish men (1Pet. 2:15-17).
1. Foolish men in their ignorance slander Christians as evildoers (see v. 12). It is God’s will that we silence them by submitting to authorities, doing good, and proving them wrong.
2. If we use our freedom for self-indulgence and evil, then we validate the criticisms made against us and God . Instead, we must use our freedom “as bondslaves of God.”
a. It is within our rights as Americans to commit all sorts of wickedness (fornication, adultery, drunkenness, etc.), but the gospel constrains us to abstain from these things.
b. If we use our liberty under government as a cover for evil, we become like David when he gave “occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme” (2Sam. 12:14).
c. We must recognize that God is our Master and thus live by His rule.
3. Notice verse 17 and how it reveals various levels of regard for others.
a. Honor all men – This means that all persons should be valued. No one should be counted as worthless.
b. Love the brotherhood – We are to practice active good-will toward our fellow Christians. Our regard for the brotherhood far exceeds the honor that we have for other men.
c. Fear God – The reverence that we have for God exceeds the regard that we have for all others (see Matt. 10:28).
d. Honor the king – The king, emperor, or other governing official is to be regarded on the same level as all men. Honor him personally as anyone else, and honor his position as the ordination of God.
IV. SUFFERING UNJUSTLY
A. True submission to authority is unconditional and finds favor with God (1Pet. 2:18-20).
1. Servants are instructed to submit to their masters whether those masters are good and gentle or unreasonable. A master’s bad behavior does not excuse a servant’s bad behavior.
2. This specific instruction is expanded to include all Christians who suffer unjustly.
a. It is right when a man suffers for his own sin. Such a man gains no favor with God.
b. However, when a man suffers patiently for doing right, this finds favor with God.
i. These thoughts will be further expanded when we study 1Peter 4:12-16.
ii. Peter had endured such experiences himself, and he had rejoiced that he “had been considered worthy to suffer shame for [Christ’s] name” (Acts 5:41).
B. Patient endurance is the very purpose our calling from God, for we are to follow in Christ’s example (1Pet. 2:21-25).
1. The point in these verses is that we must be willing to patiently suffer for Christ’s sake just as He was willing to patiently suffer for our sake.
a. Suffering for Christ’s sake is a broad concept, for it entails suffering for anything that promotes the cause of Christ. This includes suffering under an oppressive government, suffering with an unreasonable master, suffering with a disobedient husband, or suffering for any other reason that glorifies God and furthers Christ’s gospel.
b. The calling of Christ requires this, for He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24).
2. Consider the example of Christ’s suffering that we must imitate.
a. He was blameless. Nothing that He suffered was a result of any sin or deceit by Him.
b. While He was being reviled and suffering, He did not revile or threaten His persecutors. Instead, He silently entrusted Himself to His Father, for He knew that the Father would judge the situation righteously and provide ultimate justice.
c. He suffered not for Himself but for us. He was wounded for our healing (Isa. 53:5) to give us the opportunity to die to sin and live to righteousness.
d. He knew that we were like sheep gone astray in sin and needed a Savior, so He did what was necessary to become the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls.
3. To successfully follow Christ’s example, we need to have His attitude.
a. Read Philippians 2:3-8. Christ’s attitude was to place the needs of others above His own and to place the will of His Father above His own (see Matt. 26:39, 42).
b. To have this attitude, we need to have understanding.
i. Let us understand God so that we, like Christ, can entrust ourselves to Him who judges righteously.
ii. Let us understand God’s plan so that we can look ahead and see the good that will result in the future from suffering in the present.
V. CONCLUSION
A. For most of us, submission has not required much suffering, and these concepts have been hypothetical. However, there may be a time in the very near future in which these concepts become very practical. Are we ready to follow the example of Christ in patient submission and suffering?
B. In our next lesson, we will consider 1Peter 3:1-12 – “Submission, Part 2.”