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1 Peter 2:18-25
1Pe 2:18 Servants, be subject to your
masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but
also to the froward.
Men have debated slavery since Canaan was cursed to become
the servant of servants. Gen 9:25 And he said, Cursed
[be] Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his
brethren. Peter is not endorsing slavery, but advising
them, as he knows God has children in every class of men, to
show the respect and love toward them that they would show
toward a fellow brother or sister in Christ
1Pe 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a
man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering
wrongfully. 1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be
buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but
if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it
patiently, this is acceptable with God.
By faults, we take it to mean our personal or repeating
sin. When we sin, we find we are going to be chastened for
it, as it is disobedience by description. And when that
buffeting or chastisement comes, if we fail to recall that
we are the problem, we will direct anger towards God.
Patience helps prevent compounding our problems by assigning
blame on anyone but ourselves.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ
also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should
follow his steps:
When we murmur and
complain about how unfair or hard life is, we need to look
to our example and who suffered for us, following his
steps: The world took this idiom to extremes with “What
Would Jesus Do?” and while they mostly misapplied the
concept, it’s a good place for our thinking to begin.
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his
mouth:
Your example was a
spotless, sinless, lamb, who was harmless as a dove.
1Pe 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when
he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him
that judgeth righteously:
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather
give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine;
I will repay, saith the Lord.
A man who threatened to pummel his neighbor for an injustice
was reminded by his wife of the Lord saying “Vengeance is
mine,” The man replied: “Honey, I’m just doing the Lord’s
work.” We are quick to take justice into our own hands, but
Jesus is our example once again: not reviling, nor
threatening, nor railing, but leaving the matter in the
hands of a righteous judge. If we meted out justice to our
enemies, there would be no measure to stop us, no mercy, no
love. It’s best we leave such in the hands of God.
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our
sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye
were healed.
Because Jesus bore
our sins in his own body on the tree of the cross, we should
have a call to action in gratitude of what he has done for
us.
by whose stripes ye were healed.
The healing stripes he speaks of here are multiple. He
healed us from our death in trespasses and in sins. He
healed us from sin’s bondage, sin’s depravity, from our
condition of separation from God and so much more. While
the Christian world wants to take the singular verse above
and apply it to modern miraculous healing of physical and
mental difficulties, we note the next word is For,
explaining why we were healed:
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now
returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
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