| Transformed Relationships
Peter continues giving logical guidelines on how to live based upon what we have learned about ourselves as new creations of God. Who we are now in Christ will drastically affect our relationships to marriage, our relationships in society, and with those suffering wrongfully. First of all, marriage should look very differently for those who are born of God and are members of His heavenly Kingdom. A wife can now bring a powerful force for good toward her husband that would have never been possible before. From her new heart birthed by God, she can bring a deep inner beauty, a gentleness, and an attitude that is able to wisely avoid loud, argumentative confrontations. It becomes possible to not only bring a calming influence that humbly yields to her husband's leadership, but also draws him to Christ. Her approach to marriage is redemptive, selfless, and kind—an approach that will leave no question as to the source of this change within her. Likewise, a husband will find within himself the desire to selflessly build a home that genuinely takes into account an understanding of his wife. Her emotional, spiritual, physical, and romantic needs are his true concern (v. 1-7). Turning to our relationships to all people, we find we now have a truly altered point of reference. We are no longer primarily driven by selfish interest. We are much more interested in bringing blessings to others than trying to receive them ourselves. Yet, in doing so, we will find ourselves more blessed by God than ever before. God will gladly hear and answer our prayers beyond whatever we may have achieved by being self-seeking in our relationships with people. This selflessness in marriage and life in general is rooted in the new life of Christ within us. The fact is, if we do not live with increasing selflessness in this fallen world, we prove how much of Christ within us is suppressed and undeveloped. Make it your aim to be who you really are—the new you in Christ—step by step until you see Him face to face. | |||
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1 Peter 3:1-22  Submission to Husbands 1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. A Word to Husbands7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. Called to Blessing8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For "He who would love life 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; 12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, 13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Christ's Suffering and Ours18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. | |||
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| 1 Peter 3:1-22 v. 1 wives – Gune (Gk.) is actually a general term for women, whether virgin or married, of any age. But the context determines that Peter is addressing married women. likewise – Refers to 1:18-21. submissive – A voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden. Peter is not telling wives to be slaves, but rather be cooperating volunteers as the word helpmate implies (Gen. 2:18). to your own husbands – Scripture teaches that all women are not required to be submissive to all men or to all husbands, but only to their own. if some do not obey the Word – Peter is clearly instructing wives here to take a submissive attitude to their husband even if he is not a Christian and doesn't obey God's Word. without a word – Actions speak louder than words. It is important that a Christian wife live out the Gospel for her husband in such a way that he might observe and experience it rather than just hear about it. v. 2 chaste – hagnos (Gk.) Innocent, pure, modest, and reverent. This implies that a Christian wife should be pure in her conduct and attitude. fear – This fear should not be a terrible dread of her husband but a fear of God, fearing the consequences of living a life of rebellion and defiance. v. 3 adornment – decoration, beautification, may include makeup, jewelry, and clothing outward – Referring to observable physical appearance rather than inward spiritual character. arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – These are now and always have been practices that work their way into a woman's priority system. They are not evil in themselves, but a Christian woman's adornment (beautification) should not consist only of these things. Peter is warning that the greatest priority of a godly wife should be inner character as indicated in the next verse. v. 4 the hidden person of the heart – There are really two sides all of us: 1) the person everyone sees, and 2) the person that is hidden deep inside our heart. the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit – The beauty of outward appearance will only last so long because it is temporary, corruptible beauty. As Paul taught, the outward person is decaying daily (2 Cor. 4:16). The incorruptible beauty Peter is speaking of is a gentle and peaceful spirit that which is separate and distinct from the flesh). precious in the sight of God – This is descriptive of the gentle and quiet spirit defined above. Two of the things that this text clearly defines as precious in His sight are an easygoing disposition and a humble, yielding attitude. v. 5 being submissive to their own husbands – A wife's attitude of submission towards her husband is a clear sign of submission to God and His authority structure (1 Cor. 11:3). Never do we find a godly woman in scripture setting an example of rebellion or insubordination . v. 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham – You can read about Abraham in Genesis 12-25. God's desire is that each family member knows their role and place in the family structure and happily live out that role to God's glory. whose daughters you are if – As Abraham is referred to in scripture as the father of our faith (Rom. 4:1,11,12,16), true believers are considered sons of Abraham. In a similar way, Christian wives would naturally desire to be called daughters of Sarah. Peter is indicating that this can only be said if you follow the example given in this text by being submissive to your husband with the attitude of reverence and fear towards God. not afraid with any terror – Though the fear of God is a godly characteristic (2 Cor. 7:1, Eph 5:21), the scripture instructs the believer not to give in to the fear of man (Prov. 29:25). Fear can cripple a person's life and paralyze us from making any spiritual progress. Peter may likely here be encouraging Christian wives not to be afraid of their unreasonable, non-Christian husbands, but to love them instead (1 John 4:18). v. 7 husbands – aner (Gk.) A male. This Greek word is a general term used for a man. But the context provides ample cause to translate this word as husbands. likewise – homoios (Gk.) equally, in the same way. Just as the wife has a divine job description within marriage, so also does the husband. Each member of the family has duties to perform and roles assigned by God. dwell – A husband is to be present in the home. He is to spend time with his wife and not be an absentee husband. One of the greatest needs of a woman is the need for attention. A husband who lives at home, yet ignores his wife, is also in violation of this command. understanding – gnosis (Gk.) Knowledge signifies in general intelligence, understanding. But in this context, a deeper more perfect and enlarged knowledge. A husband here is instructed to know and understand his wife's needs, likes, and dislikes, and then be considerate as he treats her according to how he knows she needs to be treated. giving honor to the wife – The Greek root for the word honor here implies a placing of great value upon something. This word can even be translated as precious. When a wife feels that she is precious to her husband, she responds with love and warmth. weaker vessel – Christians are often referred to as vessels throughout scripture (Rom. 9:21, 1 Thess. 4:4, 2 Tim. 2:21). A vessel is a container. As these bodies we live in contain our soul and spirit, as well as God's Holy Spirit, we can rightfully be referred to as vessels. It is a fact that females are generally weaker both physically and emotionally. Therefore husbands should be tender and treat their wives as delicate and precious containers of God's Spirit. This phrase in no way implies a weakness of intellect, spirit, or personality. heirs together – All true children of God will inherit the Kingdom of God together someday (Matt. 25:34, James 2:5). This makes all Christians heirs (Rom. 8:16-17). Keeping this in mind, Peter is saying a husband should not think himself superior to his wife, as both will inherit the Kingdom one day. grace of life – This phrase is referring to God's free gift of eternal life given to all believers in Christ. hindered – ekkopto (Gk.) To frustrate or cut off. Peter is actually implying that if a husband does not honor his wife and if he does not dwell with her in an understanding and considerate way, if he does not treat her as delicate and precious, his prayers may be hindered. This could mean that a husband will find trouble praying in faith with a clear conscience if he is not treating his wife properly, or it could also mean that God will actually shut His ears to the husband's prayers who is mistreating his wife (Ps. 66:18). v. 8 all of you – There are no exceptions allowed here. Every Christian must follow the instructions Peter gives in the following verses. one mind – homophron (Gk.) Agreeing, harmonious, like-minded. Peter is commanding all Christians to be harmonious in their thinking. The only way this can be possible is that all Christians humbly obey the same Lord and joyfully yield to the same instruction manual for living, the Bible (Phil. 2:1-4). compassion – sumpathes (Gk.) sympathetic concern, kindness, consideration, care, or empathy love as brothers – These three words are translated from one Greek word (philadelphos) which means loving one like a brother or loving one's fellow countrymen. tenderhearted – eusplagchnos (Gk.) Well compassioned, sympathetic. This attitude would especially apply to our attitude towards those suffering and afflicted around us. courteous – philophron (Gk.) polite, considerate, friendly, and kind v. 9 not returning evil for evil – God's way of dealing with being wronged is the opposite of the world's way. This verse makes clear that God is opposed to human retaliation. Vengeance is mine says the Lord (Rom. 12:19). reviling – loidoria (Gk.) abusive railing or insults blessing – eulogia (Gk.) Praise, adoration, or flattering speech. Peter is declaring that the believer's reactions to verbal attack should be the opposite from the unbeliever's reaction. Jesus taught us that we are to bless those who curse us (Luke 6:27-36, Rom. 12:14). called to this – The Apostle Peter's writings teach us that we as Christians are called to suffer for Christ's sake and in faith and obedience, do right to those who do wrong to us (1 Peter 2:21, 5:10). inherit a blessing – An inheritance only comes after a death. Some blessings we inherit because of and after Christ's death. Other blessings can only be inherited because of and after our death. The underlining lesson in this text is that we might have to die to ourselves in order to inherit a blessing from God. v. 10 he who would love life – Verses 10-12 are a quotation of Psalm 34:12-16. v. 11 turn away from evil and do good – This command is a good definition of repentance. Again, Peter is using OT quotes to support his teaching (Ps. 34:14, 37:27). peace – There are many forms of peace depending on whether you are referring to a country, a system, or an individual. The peace referred to in this context is a harmony of living with other individuals in love and rest without dissention or rivalry. v. 12 the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous – A concept repeated often in scripture (2 Chron. 16:9, Ps. 11:4, Prov. 15:3). righteous – This refers to those who are approved of or acceptable before God. His ears are open to their prayers – According to scripture, God does not hear the prayers from a wicked heart but He pays close attention to the prayers of the repentant and the righteous (Ps. 66:18; Prov. 15:8, 28:9; Is. 59:2; 1 John 4:6, 5:15). against those who do evil – There is evil and there is good. Only God has the right and ability to define one from the other. The scriptures teach that God loves what is good and hates what is evil (Prov. 6:16-19, Zech. 8:17). v. 13 who will harm you – Peter is not stating that no one will harm you if you do good. If you do what is good, you will be in good standing with God and He will certainly not seek your harm. But the next verse makes allowance for one who might still seek your harm even when you are followers of what is good. v. 14 blessed – makarios (Gk.) happy, fortunate, blessed. Suffering doesn't eradicate the blessings of God from our lives. troubled – tarasso (Gk.) To be perplexed of mind, anxious or distressed. Peter is exhorting believers to not be overcome with fear or have troubled hearts when persecution comes. v. 15 sanctify the Lord God in your hearts – To sanctify is to set apart for God. In context, Peter is stressing here that more important than being concerned about trouble or persecution our concern should be to honor and reverence God as master of our lives and be set apart unto Him for His purposes and His will. defense – apologia (Gk.) This word means to give a reasonable argument of defense. Peter is exhorting all believers to be ready to defend the faith with a reasonable answer to anyone who might ask. reason – logos (Gk.) a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea hope – elpis (Gk.) to anticipate, usually with pleasure a reason for the hope – The Christian's hope is not something derived from imagination or fantasy. We have good reason for our hope. Our faith is based upon the sure, inerrant Word of God and the literal, historical life and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:2-6). meekness and fear – When we give an answer to others for why we believe what we believe, it should not be in arrogance or cockiness. We must defend our faith with humility, respecting others and fearing God. v. 16 conscience – Conscience is internal sense of what is right and wrong that governs somebody's thoughts and actions, urging him or her to do right rather than wrong. defame – katalaleo (Gk.) To slander or speak evil of ashamed – kataischuno (Gk.) disgraced, dishonored v. 17 for doing good – Our ultimate example for suffering according to the will of God is Jesus Christ (2:21-24, 3:18). We know that it is sometimes within the will of God for us to suffer for doing good. Peter is saying here that it may also be the will of God for us to suffer if we have been doing evil. But one is definitely better than the other. v. 18 Christ also suffered – Referring to his scourging and crucifixion (Is. 53:4-6, 1 Cor. 15:3, Heb. 9:28). once for sins – Two very important facts can be found in these three words. 1) Jesus died once. That means: After His resurrection He remained alive forever; He didn't go to other planets to die for other civilizations. He doesn't need to die over and over again for people's sins when they keep sinning; 2) Jesus died for sins. Jesus' death served a purpose, which was to take the punishment for our sins. sins – hamartia (Gk.) failure, offense, to miss the mark. To sin is to fall short of God's perfect requirements (Rom. 3:23). just – dikaios (Gk.) correct, righteous, innocent unjust – adikos (Gk.) descriptive of one who violates or has violated justice that He might bring us to God –The primary objective of Jesus' mission of suffering was to bring us to God. In context, Peter is making the argument that suffering according to the will of God is very beneficial and always redemptive. in the flesh – Jesus came in the flesh as promised according to the scriptures (Is. 7:14, 9:6; Rom. 1:3). v. 19 by whom – Referring to the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15). spirits in prison – There is a spiritual prison where spirits can be held to await judgment (Rev. 20:7). According to this verse, Jesus went to this prison to preach to the spirits who were being held there. By the context, this seems to have taken place after His death and before His resurrection. Some believe that this preaching was an evangelistic message offering salvation to those who formerly were disobedient in Noah's time. Others believe this was strictly a message of condemnation and judgment pronounced upon the disobedient. Keep in mind that the context informs us that these spirits were once disobedient and are now in prison. Peter does not clarify whether these spirits are angels, demons, or deceased humans. We do know that the scriptures never give hint of a second chance after death (Heb. 9:27). v. 20 disobedient – These spirits in prison were apparently there because of their disobedience to God. divine longsuffering waited – Or, God waited patiently. in the days of Noah – This phrase clarifies the time period these spirits Peter writes about were from. eight souls were saved through water – We know from Genesis 7:23 that after the floodwaters rose in the days of Noah, only Noah and his family were saved, a total of eight people. No other humans survived and remained alive on the earth after the flood. v. 21 an antitype, which now saves us—baptism – If not understood properly it might be easy to jump to the false conclusion that a person is saved by being baptized. But notice in context Peter is comparing what happened to the eight souls on Noah's ark to baptism as an antitype. Baptism is not a removal of dirt from your body; it is an appeal to God from a clean conscience. The flood symbolizes baptism. Baptism is a symbol of salvation in that it depicts Christ's death, burial and resurrection and our identification with Him in these experiences (Rom. 6:4). antitype – antitupos (Gk.) A similar pattern or type. In Bible language, this word does not mean "opposite" as it does in English. which now saves us – Believers are saved by what baptism symbolizes—Christ's death and resurrection. The effectiveness of the act of baptism is what is happening in the heart and conscience of the one being baptized the answer of a good conscience toward God. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward happening. through the resurrection of Jesus Christ – Peter has already established this truth in the beginning of this letter (1 Peter 1:3). In the final analysis, people are saved not by any act or ritual of man, but by the supernatural power of the resurrection. If He would have merely died for us, we may have forgiveness of sins but no eternal life. The resurrection assures us eternal life (Rom. 6:5; 1 Cor. 15:21; Phil. 3:10, 11). The resurrection also proves that Jesus is the Son of God (Rom. 1:4). v. 22 who has gone into heaven – Jesus did not only raise from the dead. He ascended into heaven back to the place from which He came (Mark 16:19). And the guarantee of His promise to return again is evidenced by his ascension (Acts 1:11). at the right hand of God – To sit at the right hand of a ruler is to sit in the highest place of honor and authority. Jesus now sits at the place of supreme power and rule as He is sitting at the very right hand of God the Father (Eph. 1:20-23). angels – aggelos (Gk.) A messenger of God. However this word is almost always referring to the spiritual beings that visit earth and reside as angels in heaven. authorities – exousia (Gk.) Referring to the power and privilege to act. This word refers to any and all power of rule, whether it be in heaven, on earth, or under the earth (Phil. 2:10, Rev. 5:13). For more insight into this word, see 1 Corinthians 15:24, Ephesians 1:21, and 6:12. powers – dunamis (Gk.) Refers to all strengths, whether it is the strength to survive, fight, or dominate. made subject – To be made subject means to be put under authority of. This means that all of the various powers mentioned above, which covers any and all possible powers that may exist, are under the authority and rule of Jesus Christ. We know that God is a jealous God and will share His glory with no one (Ex. 20:5, 34:14; Is. 45:21). Yet the scriptures also declare that God the Father freely shares His glory, authority and power with the Son. This is another of the many hints of the Deity of Christ found in the scriptures. | |||
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| Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. –1 Peter 3:8-9 Your ways, Jesus, are not the ways of this world. We see this clearly in Your words today. Loving one another, showing courtesy, and returning evil with blessing is our calling in You, Lord. Where we are selfish, show us. Where we are hard hearted, show us. Where we return evil for evil, show us. We pray to seek to inherit the blessing, Jesus, that we know waits for us in Heaven. | |||
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3:8-9 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
Keepers of the Home
