Lesson 9 – I Peter Chapter 2:15-19

We talked last time that as Christians we are to submit to all authorities that are over us. We do this as obedient children of God, knowing that God has created all the foundations within human society, that would be work, family, and government. We are to be obedient to all authorities as long as we’re not asked to do anything sinful.

We also talked about the fact that whether we realize it or not, we are being watched by an unbelieving world. Everything we do and say can have an impact in God’s economy, meaning we’re always to be a good witness before mankind. Remember the story of the missionaries in the Japanese prisoner of war camp that we talked about in our previous lesson, and how their witness had an impact on an evil godless man. Being a good witness for God brings us to verse 15.

I Peter 2:15
“For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”

The reason why Christians should submit to all authority is clear and to the point, as such conduct shuts the mouths of the gospel’s critics.

The will of God… God’s will or His priority is the Christian’s character, the things we do for Him become who we are in Him. It is the will of God for believers to involve themselves in doing right. One of the ways we do this is by respecting authority, so as to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

Granted, there are those who are so evil it doesn’t matter what anyone does, nothing will change them.

The word silence means to literally close the mouth with a muzzle, and in this case, it means to stop the mouth, to become speechless, or reduce to silence.

It would be like someone presenting an excellent argument to which there is no come back from the other person. Down South they might say, “Well shut my mouth.”

Peter also uses the word ignorance, which means more than a person having a lack of knowledge. This Greek word indicates a willful, hostile rejection of the truth, which really describes to us the people Peter is referring to here. Again, this is reminiscent of the Japanese camp commandant, Konishi. The ignorant evil he demonstrated would lead you to think he could never be saved, yet God had different plans.

Of foolish men… this term means “senseless, without reason,” and could also express a total lack of mental sanity.

After defining these terms that Peter is using, you would naturally what to keep a safe distance from anyone who falls into this category, and yet, it is our witness that God uses to reach people like that.

I Peter 2:16
“Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”

Peter continues with our Christian conduct, he says, Act as free men. So, what does a “free” believer look like in this context?

First off, we must realize who we are because of Christ saving us. This brings us back to chapter 1, verse 18 and 19:

“Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

Through the blood of Christ we are free!

Rom. 6:6-7
“Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”

Not only are we “free to move about the cabin,” we are free to live completely for Christ. And certainly, we are free to walk in purity and humility. Submission to lawful authority does not contradict Christian freedom.

Gal. 5:13
“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

I Cor. 10:23-24
“All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.”

Some people like to twist what Paul is saying, with the thinking that “anything goes.” Freedom is not a license to sin! The believer should not live as if “everything is permissible.” Beyond the book of Corinthians, Paul makes it clear that freedom in Christ does not equate to freedom to sin, he says in Romans: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? . . . What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!” (Romans 6:1–2, 15)

Seeking the good of your neighbor is what it means to serve one another in love, and it’s all connected with our freedom. The point Peter is making is the right attitude is imperative if submissive Christians are to maintain their credibility in an unbelieving world. In other words, in a light hearted way, your witness in this world shouldn’t look like you were baptized in lemon juice.

And do not use your freedom as a covering for evil…

This would be believers using their freedom wrongly, by not submitting to rulers. Our freedom is not an excuse to do evil.

But use it (freedom) as bondslaves of God…

“Slave” from the same word as bondslaves, defined the lowest level of servitude in the Greco-Roman empire. At the time when Peter wrote this, the majority of the Roman population were slaves, and with that, they were treated as less than human most of the time. Yet, being a bondslave for the believer was the freedom to be servants of Christ, and to do what was right rather than do what was wrong.

Eph. 6:5-6
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.”

It’s important that as we walk in obedience as children of the Kingdom of God, that we make sure to always do so with the right attitude… our attitude is a reflection of our heart.

I Peter 2:17
“Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

Four big statements from Peter.

When we hear, Honor all people… You may be saying to yourself, “Really, do I have to?” Yes we do. This is kind of like submitting to all authority.

Gen. 1:26a
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”

With this in mind, all people are due some degree of respect. When I think of some of the evil people in this world, this is a little hard to digest. Believers should be conscious of the fact that each person has been uniquely created in God’s image. When Peter wrote this, most people viewed slaves as “non-persons” and having no rights whatsoever. This is contrary to how believers should treat people, we are not to discriminate against any class of people because of race, nationality, or even economic status.

We see the opposite of this with false-god religions such as Hinduism. The Hindu caste system divides people into four rigid classified groups, based solely on heredity. Members of each caste are restricted in their occupation and their association with other castes. Hinduism’s holiest books, the Manusmriti (mono-sir-tee), sanctions a cruelly unjust caste system that has enslaved legions of people for more than three millennia. This way of living is an offence to Christianity.

Rom. 2:11
“For there is no partiality with God.”

It goes without saying, if there is no partiality with God, there shouldn’t be any with us as well.

Bible commentary on honoring all people; “That does not mean believers ignore different levels of authority and social structure or that they engage in a mindless tolerance for everyone’s conduct, but it does mean they show proper respect for everyone as individuals made in the image of God.”

Love the brotherhood…

The apostle John through the Holy Spirit gave us so many Scriptures on us loving those around us.

John 13:34
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I John 3:23
“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.”

Keep in mind, these are commands and not just suggestions.

The Beatles were quite prophetic when they sang, “All you need is love,” except they were singing about a different kind of love.

I John 3:1
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”

Peter told us back in chapter 1 to love our brothers…

I Peter 1:22
“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,”

For the first and only time in history, Jesus created a group of people whose identifying factor is love. We saw this in the early church.

Acts 2:44-46
“And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.” (NLT)

By obeying the Spirit, through the Word of God, the believer can love just as Christ loves. That love should be unconditional, sacrificial, and having a willingness to forgive fellow believers… but it doesn’t stop there. The believer also shows the love of Christ to friends, to family members, and to coworkers. Even enemies are to be the recipients of Christ’s love.

It’s not always easy to love, especially to those who are opposed to us, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. For Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) We can only love like Christ, when we live for Christ.

Fear God…

Ecclesiastes 12:13
“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

Fear is something most of us want to avoid. But “fear of the Lord” is good and right for believers. The Hebrew word translated as “fear” in Ecclesiastes 12:13 refers to a genuine reverence and respect for the Lord. To “fear God” is to realize His absolute greatness, immutable power, and His justice… which are all perfectly holy.

Those who have a genuine reverence and respect for God naturally want to obey Him and keep His commands. The biggest thing we have come to understand is that His commands to us are loving instructions, from a good and caring Father. God wants only the best for His children, like the perfect Father He is.

James 1:17
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

Psalm 128:1
“How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.”

If we fear God and keep His commandments, we’ve tapped into true wisdom that will guide us on the right path all throughout life. We fear God by worshiping Him with the utmost loyalty, respect, and honor; we are to obey His Word; thus we keep an eternal perspective.

Honor the king…

Peter is instructing Christian slaves to not only honor the king, but to submit to their masters as well. With this in mind, how can we have the nerve to whine and complain about our president, government officials, and all those who have authority over us, when our brothers and sisters in Christ served cruel masters and honored a demented king, whose main objective was to annihilate them? Thinking about them kind of puts it all into perspective, doesn’t it?

Proverbs 24:21a
“My son, fear the Lord and the king;”

I think we need to keep reminding ourselves (I know I do personally) that every president, prime minister, government official… all who have authority over us are agents for God. Now, how they carry out those responsibilities is totally on them.

The positions given by God are worthy of the respect that God mandates. When we obey the principles laid out here, it gives a genuine credibility to our faith.

I think this is why you don’t see true believers participating in violent protests, looting, or disgracing the church. Our voice might not be the loudest, but our behavior speaks volumes.

I Peter 2:18
“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.”

Considering the culture of the Roman world at this time, the majority of the workforce were slaves. How the slaves were treated all depended on who owned them. Some were accepted as part of the household, but many were nothing more than the master’s property. The philosopher Aristotle wrote, “A slave is a living tool, and a tool is an inanimate slave.” Then we have Varro a Roman nobleman, in his writing about agriculture he said, “The only thing distinguishing a slave from a beast or a cart was that the slave could talk.” Some slaves were treated like family, others were treated as less then human… the ladder was most common.

Things changed immensely when the gospel of Jesus Christ spread. When slaves received salvation, they learned that they were free in Christ. This was brand new to them because they had never tasted freedom before. With this new found freedom, they assumed it included a personal and political freedom as well.

Gal. 3:28
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

You can understand how a slave would get the idea that they were completely free from everything.

Obviously, there were slaves in the church body, and as they grew in Christ, some, because of their spiritual gifts, became leaders within their church. This created an interesting paradox, in that, if their “master” had become a believer in the same church.

In other words, if a slave became an elder in the church, he would now be the spiritual “overseer” of his now believing master. An interesting quagmire to say the least. The issue of the slave’s subordination to his master in the workplace needed to be delt with. Paul addressed this issue:

I Cor. 7:20-24
“Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you – but if you get a chance to be free, take it. And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.” (NLT)

Peter says, Servants, be submissive to your masters…

The way this has been grammatically stated, it’s important to note that this is a “continuing action” on the part of the servant/slave. And to put this in a slightly different way, replace the word servant with the word employee. We can then say, Employees, be submissive to your employer.

To be submissive means to arrange under, to be subordinate according to the Greek. Another way to put it would be, to recognize the person who is in charge of you… in today’s terms, it’s your boss.

With all respect…

One commentary says, “That is, without bitterness or negativity, but with an attitude of gracious honor.”

In doing this, it shows the believer’s respect for God and fulfills Peter’s teachings about us having the “fear of the Lord.” Our obedience to God might be the only time a master or boss hears the gospel.

John MacArthur writes, “God designed the servant-master relationship to ensure safety, care, support, productivity, and the conduct of human enterprise. The earth yields its produce and material wealth to support and enrich mankind through the providence of work relations.”

In this mix we find there were good bosses and bad bosses.

Not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable…

This is life, right? As long as sin exists and living in a fallen world, we are going to find good people and “unreasonable” people, that’s just reality. Peter is saying that we should have a God-fearing attitude toward the good as well as to those who are unreasonable…

Good can be described as; pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent, distinguished, upright, and honorable. This is a good place for us to be camped in.

Gentle is also a desirable characteristic; it refers to someone who is considerate, reasonable, and fair-minded. Therefore, good and gentle describes an upright, kind, and gracious person. It wouldn’t be too hard to show respect to this kind of boss/master.

The Unreasonable person… is a whole different story. The Greek defines it as someone who is crooked, perverse, wicked, unfair, and abrupt.

Paul states God’s will on this whole issue:

Eph. 6:5-9
“Slaves (employees), be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”

Notice how Paul included masters (or bosses) as well. There will always be servants/employees and masters/bosses. God’s Word applies to both. Most of us stand in the ranks of employee, and with that, every task, every project, every job we do, we must do it as though Jesus is our immediate supervisor (which He really is). If we do this, we will find impossible situations much easier to bare.

A chief characteristic of a Christian should be humility. When we are submissive, this allows God to mold us into Christlikeness… we do all these things for Christ’s sake not the master’s.

I Peter 2:19
“For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.”

“For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment.” (NLT)

For this finds favor… literally, “this is a grace with God.”

To put this simply, God is pleased when His children do their work in a humble and submissive way for their superiors.

For the sake of conscience toward God (or, when mindful of God) a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly…

Servants can bear up under the pain of injustice remembering that God is there. God sees everything and He will honor our submission to authority.

This is about suffering unjustly. Whether it was a slave in Peter’s day patiently enduring brutal treatment, or whether it is today with an employee not retaliating against an unkind and unfair supervisor, God is pleased. God isn’t pleased when we are mistreated, but He is pleased when we are Christlike in our behavior. How we react to our circumstances means everything to our witness, whether spoken or not… again, remember the missionaries in the prisoner of war camp. This is a good example of what James was talking about:

James 1:2-4
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Here’s a story about a real trial in a person’s life…

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter was famous for two very different reasons. The first reason was his success in the boxing ring during the early 1960’s. In 5 years, Carter defeated 27 opponents in 40 professional fights; 8 of his 20 knockouts came in the first round. He was on the verge of becoming the world champion.

The second reason was because in 1966 he was unjustly convicted of a felony he did not commit. While making plans for a second fight for the middleweight championship, Carter and a friend, John Artis, were charged with a triple murder that occurred in a tavern in Carter’s hometown of Paterson, N.J. Despite the facts – that both men had rock-solid alibis, that the two key witnesses were petty thieves who later recanted their testimony, and that the murder weapons were never found – Carter and Artis spent most of the next 20 years in prison.

In 1974, while an inmate at Rahway State Prison, Carter published his story: “The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender to #45472.” In the following year, he became somewhat of a celebrity after Bob Dylan made him a folk hero with a song about his struggle for justice. But after a brief period of freedom, a second trial sent Carter back to prison, where he remained for a second decade, until a federal judge gave Carter his freedom in 1985. Though prison left him blind in one eye, and despite spending more than a third of his life incarcerated, he said, “There is no bitterness. If I was bitter, that would mean they won.” (“Storm of the century,” by Frank Houston, Dec. 24, 1999).

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter’s witness was on full display for all the world to see!

We’ll close with this…

When we gave our life to Christ, we were never promised a “rose garden” as they say, and if you do find yourself in a rose garden, count your blessings while it lasts.

As a Christian looking back in history, you know who suffered unjustly. The answer is Jesus of course. How are we to react to unjust suffering when it comes into our life? We are to follow in Christ’s footsteps, as He also suffered unjustly during His life on earth. Jesus committed no sin and yet He suffered on our behalf. In the Christian faith, God shows that He cares and understands our suffering, as He Himself has experienced unjust suffering at the hands of sinful men. Jesus was more powerful than those who executed Him and yet He did not retaliate or return power for power. He did not give into bitterness, resentment, and hate. Instead He pleads with the Father to forgive them.

Hatred always seeks revenge in the face of unjust suffering, but love always produces forgiveness.

Our witness speaks to the world:

Be a bondslave of God.

Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

Submit to authority.

Endure unjust suffering with humility.