Month: April 2025

Studies in First Peter Part 19

“¹⁰For, ‘The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.  ¹¹He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.  ¹²For 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’ (quoting Psalm 34:12-16)  ¹³Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?  ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.  Do not fear their intimidations, and do not be troubled “ (I Peter 3:10-14).

Continuing on this path of our good reputation, Peter quotes from Psalm 34 about keeping our tongue from evil, doing good, and pursuing peace.  Are these actions required to join God’s family?  No, we are saved by our belief in His Son.  Are these actions required to stay in God’s good graces?  No, God has promised to never turn His back on you.  Are these actions required for God to hear our prayers?  No, because righteous is who we are in our core identity, and God’s eyes are always “toward” us.

So what is Peter saying here?  This quote from the Psalms is similar to the wise sayings in the book of Proverbs.  They are wise approaches to life.  They are wise ways to live.  They are most likely scenarios.  They are not iron-clad promises.

Peter is saying that if you want to see good days and live a joyous life, do what you can to stay away from the sin that entangles us.  Live graciously.  Let grace lead you into godly living.  And the most likely outcome of pursuing this godly living is a peaceful life.  But again, these are not promised outcomes.

As Peter points out in verse 14, you may suffer exactly because of your righteous actions.  In that case, we are to face that persecution with courage; “do not fear their intimidations, and do not be troubled.”

But as far as it depends on us, let us seek to do good, to keep our tongue from evil, to seek peace, and to turn away from evil.  And may we experience life, love, and good days in that pursuit.

Studies in First Peter Part 18

“⁸To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; ⁹not 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” (I Peter 3:8-9).

Here Peter extends the encouragement to live a life of love to the larger family of God, to “all of you.”  And he sums it up this way.

Be harmonious.  This is practicing the unity of the Spirit.  What does harmonious look like?  Think about a choir.  What makes the harmony in a choir?  Is everybody singing the same part?  No, we are all singing our own part; soprano, alto, etc.  But we are all singing the same song.  We are harmonious when we sing our own part.  And we are united in our harmony when we all sing the same song; a song expressing and practicing our love for each other.

Sympathetic.  In today’s language, I would call this empathetic.  Empathy is such a beautiful foundation in a marriage and in relationships in general.  Empathy says, “I care about you.”

Brotherly.  We are called to love as sisters and brothers in the Lord in the same way that a loving family operates.  We do this by being kindhearted toward each other.

Humble in spirit.  Finally, humility leads to harmony.  Selfish ambition leads to quarrels and disputes.  We are to lay aside selfish ambition and put on humility.

Finally, we extend grace, we extend blessing, instead of revenge.  One of the most beautiful highlights of my journey into grace is how I have experienced grace-receiving saints become grace-dispensing saints.  Grace-understanding believers are grace-giving believers.  Grace is not a doctrine.  It is a person, Jesus Christ.  Grace is not a theology.  Grace is a practice; the practice of loving one another.

The grace message we preach is this.  If you have believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ, all of your sins have been forgiven.  You are a new creation with a new identity, a new purity, a new heart, a new Spirit, a new nature, a new self, a new power, a new freedom, and so much more.  You are forever clean and close with Jesus and the Father and the Spirit, because Christ Himself lives in you and is living His life through you.  This is the great news of the gospel.

This is the simple gospel message.  And here is the beautiful part.  My love for you is the same whether you believe this message or not.  So many times, groups demand our allegiance to certain doctrines to be accepted.  If you have believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ, you are accepted into the family of grace unconditionally, no strings attached.  I love you with the love of Christ whether or not you embrace what I teach about His grace.  Your response to the grace message is entirely unrelated to me accepting and loving you as a brother or sister and friend.  Here, you are loved!

Studies in First Peter Part 17

“Likewise, husbands, 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” (I Peter 3:7).

Understanding and honor, listed here, are just two of the ways we show our love to our wives.  Let’s investigate some other highlights of our role as husbands.

Patriarchal systems with men firmly in charge, particularly in marriage, have a very poor track record of actually following what the New Testament teaches.  These systems like to empower themselves with “headship” verses from Scripture and completely miss the point of what biblical headship looks like.

I said last time that equality and mutual respect are essential in a healthy marriage.  And if you feel like this goes against your understanding of “headship” in marriage, I invite you to travel with me on a short journey into biblical headship.  Or as I like to call it, headship with a heart.

Here are two of the most popular verses about the headship of the husband or man in the New Testament.  “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23).  And, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:3).

It looks to me like the apostle Paul is comparing the headship of the husband or man to the headship of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:23) and God as the head of Christ (I Corinthians 11:3).  So maybe we can learn a little about headship by looking at these relationships.  Let’s start with Christ as head of the church.

What is the number one thing that Christ does as head of the church?  It is right there in Ephesians 5 as it relates to the headship of husbands.  “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).  There are a thousand different ways we can give ourselves up for our wives.  We do this through serving them, protecting them, treating them with understanding and compassion.  But the bottom line is we serve as her head by “giving up” not by “lording over.”

Next, what does God as the head of Christ (I Corinthians 11:3) look like?  One of the clearest explanations is from the voice of Jesus Himself.  “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.  Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel’ ” (John 5:18-20).

The Jews clearly understood Jesus’ repeated claim to equality with God, the Father; so much so that they sought to kill Him.  In this passage we see this equality in action as the work of God the Father and the work of God the Son is shown as the collaboration of intimate (“the Father loves the Son”) equals.  Their relationship is rooted in equality, not superiority.  Does this equality diminish God’s headship?  Apparently not.  Thinking about how this applies to male headship, particularly in the marriage and family setting, we are to treat our wives as intimate equals.

Continuing, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.  For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgement to the Son” (John 5:21-22).  God shares His authority with the Son.  Does this diminish God’s headship?  Apparently not.  Christ did not use His shared authority to usurp the Father.  Instead, they worked in unison.  We are to share authority with our wives.

Finally, God shares His honor with the Son.  “So that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23).  Isaiah wrote, many years before, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another” (Isaiah 42:8).  But God does share His honor and glory with the Son because He wants all people to honor the Son.  Does honoring the Son diminish God’s headship?  Apparently not.  We are to give honor to our wives.

Do you see where I am going?  Based on these examples, headship is all about serving, honoring, equality, sharing authority, understanding, and laying down one’s life.  I am getting no “boss vibe” in these pictures of Christ as the head of the church or God as the head of Christ.  The abusive headship we often see in practice and encouraged by some churches is offensive, fleshly, and downright evil.

There is only one kind of truly biblical headship; it’s headship with a heart!

Studies in First Peter Part 16

“¹In 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, ²as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.  ³Your adornment must not be merely external–braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴but 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.  ⁵For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; ⁶just 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” (I Peter 3:1-6).

Peter has been writing about our reputation with outsiders and the need to give honor to all.  He now brings this into the marriage relationship with the phrase, “In the same way …”  Peter is saying that just as you are following Christ’s example (I Peter 2:21) of service in the larger society, let’s bring it home to your family.  He starts with a word to the wives.

Peter is calling on wives to treat their husbands with respect even if they are unbelieving toward the gospel.  And wives are to do this not through outward adornment but as the spiritual person that flows from their new heart.

I like how Dr Paul Ellis says it in The Grace Bible, and I paraphrase.  True submission springs from love, not from a hierarchy of power.  It is not forced upon us from above.  It is something we offer from within.  It is saying, “Because I love you, I am choosing to put you first.”

Submitting to each other is how we show love in a Christian marriage (Ephesians 5:21).  Equality and mutual respect are valued in a healthy marriage.  But equality is not the goal.  Love is.  Christ’s new command for a new covenant to love one another as Christ loves us often finds its most ongoing application in our marriages.

Practicing a life of honor, respect, serving, understanding toward your husband may soften the soil for the seeds of the gospel to take root.  And finally, living in this way with your husband has an “imperishable quality” and is “precious in the sight of God.”  Much more lasting and precious than gold jewelry or fancy dress.

Let me close with this thought.  If the words “be submissive” conjure up trauma or shame or anger from your past experiences in patriarchal systems, stay tuned for tomorrow’s post.  As Peter turns to instructions for husbands, we will discuss headship is a way you may not have heard before.  I will see you then.

Studies in First Peter Part 15

“²¹For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, ²²who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴and 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.  ²⁵For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (I Peter 2:21-25).

We follow the example of Jesus when we suffer for doing good.  We follow the example of Jesus when we are wrongfully slandered but give no retaliation.  We follow the example of Jesus when we do not return evil for evil.  We follow the example of Jesus when we “entrust ourselves to Him who judges righteously.”

And the greatest suffering that befell our Savior was His death in our place.  When Jesus died, “He bore our sins in His body on the cross.”  This part of verse 24 is very familiar and highlights what Jesus did FOR us; He took away our sins, bearing the punishment for them in His own body.

But there is a second part to verse 24 that is often overlooked.  Look at it carefully.  Jesus’ death in our place not only freed us from the penalty of our sin, but also provided a pathway for us to live free.  His death is the door through which “we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” 

We have the power to say “No” to sin and “Yes” to righteousness through the healing wounds of Jesus.  Our old self died and our new supernatural self – as partakers of the divine nature – became our default mode.  This new life in Christ, Christ living His supernatural life through us, is a miracle of miracles.  And it came to us freely by the grace of God when we believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Christ, through His death in our place on the cross, did something FOR us; freed us from the penalty of our sin.  And He did something TO us; made us a new creation child of God.  And He did something IN us; He came to live His righteous life in us.

Finally, we are no longer straying sheep.  I, for one, am tired of sermons on the stupidity of sheep and their penchant for wandering, etc.  We are obedient sheep.  We are sheep who know our shepherd’s voice.  We are the beloved sheep of His pasture.  We WERE straying sheep.  But we are not that now.  We have found our way home.  We have safely and forever “returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”