The death of Charles Spurgeon. Michael Reeves reflects.

TRAITS OF THE BELIEVER - 1 PETER 3:8-12

Traits of the Believer
3:8-12

Peter wraps up the section of the epistle that deals with living in relationships or institutions: citizen to government, slave to master, wife to husband, and husband to wife. That is why he used the word “finally”. (8) He has emphasized living in submission for the sake of Jesus, empowered by the freedom we have in him.

Verses eight and nine summarize what he has been saying. He gives five characteristics of the life we should live:

unity of mind
sympathy
brotherly love
a tender heart\compassion and
a humility.

It sounds simple when it is a list, doesn’t it? But let’s look at these traits Peter says we should have.

“Unity of mind” or “like-mindedness”. Believers should be unified in a mind that sets its hope on the return of Christ. (1:13) It is a hope based on eternity that gives the ability to look past the present problems to the glory that will later appear. It is a mind that cares more for the well being and sanctification others than for personal pride and privilege.

Paul gave a similar instruction to the Philippian church: “complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind”. (Philippians 2:2) He went on to say this mind is ours in Christ Jesus. (Php. 2:5) The Holy Spirit will unite our minds in pursuit of Christ if we do not let our selfishness get in the way. “Unity of mind” reveals the mind and love of Christ. It shows we pursue Christ, love him, and love his people.

Christian life is also marked by sympathy. Sympathy is rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15) Again, this models a trait of Jesus. He is the high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15)

Brotherly love, or love for one another (CSB) is the love we have because we are brothers and sisters in Christ. He loved, and loves us, so we must love each other, our fellow believers. We love them regardless of gender, or color, or race, because we who were not a people are now a people, the people of Christ. (2:9)

The bond in Christ transcends the bonds we have based on anything else. Paul put it this way: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

Compassion is to have a tender heart for each other. Paul said to be compassionate to each other, forgiving each other, as God forgave you in Christ. (Ephesians 4:2) Jesus had compassion for the crowds and for the sick. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to have compassion on all who need it. (Luke 10:33) We received compassion, so we have compassion for others, demonstrating Christ’s compassion to them.

Compassion is often the opposite of judgmental. It does not mean we ignore sin. But, it acknowledges that we all have weaknesses. It acknowledges that some are suffering for various reasons, but still suffering. And we can feel for them and help them.

The last trait is humility. We have looked at this trait before. It is modeled on Jesus, who was gentle and humble. It may be mocked in society, but is honored by God. Humility is not exalting yourself. It is putting others before yourself, not feeling entitled or prideful. Nietzsche mocked it as “slave mentality”. It is definitely “servant mentality”, based on the Christ’s humility that resulted in our salvation.

Putting these traits into action, we do not repay evil for evil. We do not revile those who revile us. (Revile mean to criticize and insult.) Instead, we bless those who revile us. (9) Again, our example is Jesus, who was reviled by the Jews and the Romans, yet did not revile them or act out evil against them.

We bless them by praying for their good and for their salvation. Stephen even prayed for God to forgive those who stoned him. (Acts 7:60)

This is difficult. Only the believer committed to Jesus and living in the power of the Holy Spirit can do it. It is against our human nature to do so. But the transformed believer can do it. As Jesus trusted his fate to the Father, we can trust that the Father will vindicate us and bring justice, if not in this life, then at the judgment. We can leave that to him and bless those who curse us.

If we do this, bless rather than revile, we will obtain a blessing. (9) Peter quoted Psalm 34: 12-16 as the source of his teaching. The Lord promised that his eyes would be on us for our protection and our prayers would be heard. We will love life and see good days. I love it when there is a reward involved, don’t you? Your reward is the favor and fellowship of the Lord.

I have this picture in my mind of Jesus returning to heaven after the resurrection. He had completed the mission the Father gave to him. He returned as Lord and King. The angels and creatures in heaven bowed before him. As he approached the throne, all of the love and favor of the Father poured forth upon him as he took his seat on the throne.

We receive favor from the Lord as we live for him on earth. But we also receive reward in heaven. Imagine having lived this life in love and humility, then being welcomed into heaven by Jesus who smiles upon you in love and favor and tells you that you have done well and to now enter into your reward.

Keep that picture in mind as you live your daily life trying to live out these traits that Peter lists.

BE SUBJECT TO - HUSBANDS: 1 PETER 3:1-7

Be Subject To - Husbands

3:1-7

The third institution Peter mentions is marriage. As with the other two institutions, Peter begins with “be subject to”. (1) (Many versions say “submissive”, but the Greek word is the same as that translated “be subject to”.) He instructed wives to be subject to their husbands.

Peter said to to do this “in the same way” or “likewise”, meaning in the same way Christians submit to the authority of government or slaves submit to their masters. Christians can do this because they know who they are in Christ and can submit themselves to others freely knowing it does not diminish who they are. If Jesus, who is Lord, could submit himself to the disciples by washing their feet, and submit himself to the Roman authorities to die on the cross, we can submit ourselves to bring honor to Jesus. Women can submit to the authority of their husbands because they know who they are in Christ.  

He said for wives to be subject to their husbands even if the husbands are not living in obedience to God’s word. The reason is that they may be won to Christ by witnessing the conduct of their wives. Even if they do not believe the gospel when they first hear it, they may come to believe it as they witness the good character of their wives. 

He also advised making their gentle and quiet spirit their main adornment rather than their clothing and accessories. That is not to say women cannot makes themselves look pretty. But that the thing that will witness to Christ is character not physical appearance.    

Jesus described himself as gentle and humble. (Matthew 11:29) Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Paul urged all believers to aspire to live quietly. (1 Thessalonians 4:11) It is a spiritual trait all believers should strive for. Here, Peter says it is part of submitting yourself to another.  

There is a cultural element here. As people came to Christ, they had to figure out to deal with their Christian freedom in the context of their daily lives. At that time, most societies were patriarchal. A woman who realized her freedom in Christ, married to an unbeliever, might feel free to disrespect him. But, that would not make her look good, nor would it make her religion look good. 

But the same basic principle applies today. If a married woman becomes a Christian, is she more likely to lead her husband to Christ if she is nice to him and respectful to him, or if she constantly argues with him and disrespects him? 

A warning is needed here, however. Peter does not say a woman must submit herself to all men or all husbands, only her husband. Additionally, Peter does not give a right of enforcement to husbands, Husbands receive the submission of their wives, but do not have a right to physically or verbally abuse their wives to obtain submission.  

Peter also had an instruction for husbands. He does not use the phrase “be subject to”, wanting to maintain the Scriptural structure of marriage, but sets a high standard of behavior. He said to live with your wives in an understanding way. (7)

Men need to understand that women think and feel differently than they do. Men usually love that when they are dating. They love a woman’s tender heart, her affection, her emotional makeup. But, sometimes, after marriage, men find those things annoying and lash out at their wives. Peter said, live in an understanding way. Understand she is different. Enjoy that. Realize that her differences can help you. God made woman to be a helper to man. That implies that he needs help. I know I do. 

For example, my wife can ascertain if someone is troubled within seconds of meeting them. She can get people to tell them their troubles and comfort them. She has taught me to do this much better than I ever did on my own. 

Peter also said to show honor to the woman as the weaker vessel. There was a time when men held the door for a woman, carried her packages, and did the more physical things. It was not because men did not believe women could do those things. It was to honor them. 

The most important thing to remember is that women, wives, are equal to men, husbands before God, both heirs of grace. (7) Both are made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27) 

Failure to honor your wife in this way will even hinder your prayers. 

Christian life is not lived by demanding our rights, but by giving them up for the sake of Christ. It is important that spouses remember that their marriage is not just for their fulfillment, but to glorify Christ in the world.

BE SUBJECT TO... 1 PETER 2:13-3:7

Be Subject To - Government
2:12-17

Part of living among the lost as those who bring honor to God is living within the structures God ordained. Believers who live as servants of God must be willing to be in submission to others. Because we know who we are in Christ, we do not need to cherish our dignity and honor in society.

One of these structures is human government. Peter tells us to be subject to (or submit to) every human institution for the Lord’s sake. That is, Christians should obey their governments so that they will not be seen as lawbreakers who are dangerous to the society.

For example, there is a group in Africa known as the Lord’s Resistance Army. They are known for abducting children, slavery, and terrorism. They do not bring glory to the Lord when they commit atrocities. They bring shame. In contrast, Christians who obey the law and are good neighbors bring glory to God. Peter wrote “…by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people”. (15)

Paul wrote about this subject in Romans 13. He likewise said to be subject to the governing authorities. He went on to say there is no authority except that comes from God and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. He said to obey, respect, and pay taxes to whom they are due.

Jesus said “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s”. (Mark 12:17) The context was paying taxes. The Pharisees wanted to know if it was lawful under Jewish law to pay taxes to Caesar.

The question first asked is “when does the government get so bad that a Christian does not have to obey it?”. As context, we should remember that Peter wrote to people under the rule of the Roman Emperor Nero who would ultimately execute him. Peter knew Nero was evil, but most of the Roman law was acceptable and had to be obeyed.

Ultimately, Nero demanded that Christians renounce, or at least minimize, Christ, and worship the emperor. This they could not do, so they refused and were punished for it.

The key here is Peter’s statement that the Christian’s freedom is not a license to do evil, but to live as servants of God. (16) We should weigh all of our actions in terms of obeying God’s will and bringing glory to him.

Verse 17 has an all encompassing instruction on how to live with other people. First, honor everyone. Treat everyone with respect and dignity. Second, love the brotherhood. Have genuine love for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Third, fear God. We treat other people with respect, but we only express reverent fear toward God. Only he deserves that level of honor and devotions. Fourth, honor the emperor. That was a difficult one for Christians in the Roman Empire at times. It is difficult for us at times also. Yet, it is the will of God for us.

Be Subject To - Masters
2:18-25

The second human institution Peter deals with is slavery. He specifically directed his message to slaves who had become Believers. Peter instructed them to be subject to their masters with respect, whether the masters were good or not. It is similar to the instruction regarding the government.

Peter acknowledged that they may suffer, but says when they suffer and endure with a Christ-like Spirit, God sees it as a gracious thing. It is gracious because they suffer in order to be a witness to others.

Christ is the example in this, for he also suffered although he did nothing wrong. (22) And, though he suffered unjustly, he did not retaliate or revile. (23) He simply trusted himself to the Father.

He even did this for us, dying on the cross so that we could be forgiven and live in righteousness, even though we had been in rebellion against God. (25)

Be Subject To - Husbands
3:1-7

The third institution Peter mentions is marriage. As with the other two institutions, Peter begins with “be subject to”. (1) (Many versions say “submissive”, but the Greek word is the same.) He said for wives to be subject to their husbands even if the husbands are not living in obedience to God’s word. The reason is that they may be won to Christ by witnessing the conduct of their wives. He also advised making their gentle and quiet spirit their main adornment rather than their clothing and accessories. That is not to say women cannot makes themselves look pretty. But that the thing that will witness to Christ is character not physical appearance.    

There is a cultural element here. As people came to Christ, they had to figure out to deal with their Christian freedom in the context of their daily lives. At that time, most societies were patriarchal. A woman who realized her freedom in Christ, married to an unbeliever, might feel free to disrespect him. But, that would not make her look good, nor would it make her religion look good.
But the same basic principle applies today. If a married woman becomes a Christian, is she more likely to lead her husband to Christ if she is nice to him and respectful to him, or if she constantly argues with him and disrespects him?

Peter also had an instruction for husbands. He does not use the phrase “be subject to”, wanting to maintain the Scriptural structure of marriage, but sets a high standard of behavior. He said to live with your wives in an understanding way. (7)

Men need to understand that women think and feel differently than they do. Men usually love that when they are dating. They love a woman’s tender heart, her affection, her emotional makeup. But, sometimes, after marriage, men find those things annoying and lash out at their wives. Peter said, live in an understanding way. Understand she is different. Enjoy the good parts of that and tolerate the difficult parts of it. Realize that her differences can help you. God made woman to be a helper to man. That implies that he needs help. I know I do.

For example, my wife can ascertain if someone is troubled within seconds of meeting them. She can get people to tell them their troubles and comfort them. She has taught me to do this much better than I ever did on my own.

Peter also said to show honor to the woman as the weaker vessel. There was a time when men held the door for a woman, carried her packages, and did the more physical things. It was not because men did not believe women could do those things. It was to honor them.

The most important thing to remember is that women, wives, are equal to men, husbands before God, both heirs of grace. Failure to honor your wife in this way will even hinder your prayers.

Christian life is not lived by demanding our rights, but by giving them up for the sake of Christ. 

LIVE LIKE A STRANGER IN THIS WORLD - 1 PETER 2:6-12

The Old Testament temple and priesthood were types of the church, a people among whom God dwells and who praise God and live for him in witness to the world.

Peter refers to Isaiah 28:6 to make his point. It was from that verse that Peter learned and taught that Jesus, the cornerstone, is chosen and precious. He was chosen by the Father and he is precious to the Father.  Both at Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration, the Father spoke and said he was pleased with his Son. He also loved the Son. The Father called the Son his “beloved Son”. (Mark 1:11) And the Father loves us and is pleased with us because we are in the Son.

Isaiah also wrote that whoever believes in the living cornerstone will not be put to shame. That is, at the end of this age, we will be honored as Jesus’ sons and daughters. (6) Peter reiterated that truth saying this honor is for you who believe.  This is the promise Jesus made in John 3:16: whoever believes in the only begotten Son shall have eternal life.

Those who reject Jesus in this age are those who fulfill Isaiah 8:14. To them Jesus is a stone of  stumbling and a rock of offense. We certainly see this in our age, don’t we? It is hard to imagine that you would be offended by someone dying to save you, but the doctrine of penal substitution (Jesus dying for our sins) is under attack in many quarters. Some even call it cosmic child abuse. Many actually find it offensive because it shows how bad our sin is before God. Only the sacrifice of a perfect one could pay the price for us.

Many in our time also find Christianity offensive because it is exclusive, it says only through Jesus Christ can you get to heaven. Jesus himself said that the only way to the Father was through him. (John 14:6) And you would think it would be common sense that an all powerful God could say how you get saved. But those in rebellion to God find it offensive. That is why Isaiah wrote that those who disobey God would stumble and be offended at God’s word.

Peter also said those who stumble, who reject God and his word, were destined to do so. (8) Many find this to be a difficult truth.

They also find the opposite to be difficult, when, as Paul says, God chose us (believers) in him before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4) Or as Peter says here, we are a chosen race. (6) On the other hand, I find it to be comforting and the source of great gratitude.

Peter uses several phrases to describe the body of believers, the church. He said we are:
a chosen race
a royal priesthood
a holy nation
a people for his own possession.

A Chosen Race
As Israel was “God’s chosen people” in the Old Covenant, believers are now the chosen race.  In Deuteronomy 7:6, God said “the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” But now Peter writes that believers are a chosen race.

Royal Priesthood
In Exodus 19:5-6, God said that, if Israel kept the covenant, Israel would be a kingdom of priests. Israel had such close fellowship with God that their access to him was priestly. They would show the nations that they were the people of God by living according to the covenant, witnessing to the greatness of God as he blessed them.

Peter says believers are the royal priesthood, meaning that we now live as members of the new covenant, showing the world by our faith and our holy lives how great God is. We have that same close fellowship to God, made possible through our faith in Jesus. We are a priesthood that not only offers sacrifices of praise to God, but represents him before the nations.

A Holy Nation
Also in Exodus 19:6, God said that Israel would be a holy nation if they obeyed the covenant.  They would be holy because they were set apart to God and lived according to his principles. The church is now that holy nation, which makes it all the more important that we do not conform to the principles of the world. (Romans 12:1)

A People for His Own Possession
Again in Exodus 19:5, God told Israel that if it obeyed his covenant, Israel would be his treasured possession among all peoples. The Old Testament history books show us that, when Israel obeyed the covenant, God blessed them with prosperity and safety. But, when they broke the covenant, he took away those blessings. Finally, he thrust them out of the land and sent them into captivity.

Peter says that now, in the New Covenant, the church is the people of God’s possession. He goes on to say that once we were not a people, but now we are God’s people. We were not a people because we come from al different peoples, or races. But now, in Christ, people from all the nations and races make up the church, the spiritual house. (10) We receive all of these things through God’s love and mercy. He dwells with us because he loves us and chose us. Why? He loves us because he loves us, because of who he is, not because of who we are.

God called us out of darkness and made us a chose race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for his own possession, so that we might proclaim his excellencies. (9) We do this in our worship and in our witnessing.

After making these grand theological statements, Peter gave several instances of how we live as God’s people, not as the world. The rest of the book is about this: how to live as one of God’s treasured possessions. He reminds us that we are sojourners and exiles, not citizens of this world.

First, we are to abstain against the passions of the flesh that wage war against our souls. (11) In Peter’s time, and now in ours, there is much encouragement to revel in the passions of the flesh. Movies and books make that the norm. We have holidays devoted to partying. These are all weapons of the devil to wage war against our souls, to corrupt us from holiness. If we are God’s we live holy lives because he is holy. If we are the world’s we live lives devoted to passions of the flesh to the detriment of our soul’s sanctification and fellowship with God.

We also want to live lives that testify to unbelievers, whom Peter refers to as Gentiles. (12) Our lives show us to be honorable, so even our enemies have to admit we lived to glorify God. The media loves few things more than touting the fall of a spiritual leader. But all had to admit that Billy Graham lived a Godly life, even if they did not accept his message.

Live this week as a citizen of another kingdom, reflecting the one who made you part of his kingdom, so that others can know him and you can enjoy the full fellowship of the Father.
   

A Sacrifice of Praise

The writer of Hebrews says that we should continually offer up praise to God, and that it is a sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15. We used to teach kids a song about this:

“We bring the sacrifice of praise
Into the house of the Lord.
“We bring the sacrifice of praise
Into the house of the Lord.

And we offer up to You
The sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And we offer up to You
The sacrifices of joy.”

Thus, the Old Testament temple and priesthood were types of the church, a people among whom God dwells and who praise God and live for him in witness to the world.