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Join Peter Englert, a pastor, and Dr. Ron Hall, professor and pastor, as they delve into the book of 1 Peter. This book helps readers cope with suffering in an antagonistic world by offering hope in Jesus. Whether you're exploring faith or a long-time follower of Jesus, read through the book of 1 Peter on your own or with a group of friends with insights to better understand this book of the Bible.
1 Peter 2:11-3:7
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Peter Englert: [00:00:00] Welcome to the first Pete Reading, first Peter podcast. I am Peter Engler, one of your co-host, and I am here with the pastor, professor, and we'll just call him the bishop of Podcast World Ron Hall. Are you ready today? Ron?
Ron Rall: Let's go for it.
Peter Englert: Are Ron's very focused? We are gonna be reading first Peter two 11 and then, uh, into three, and we're gonna end at chapter eight.
Um, and so it says this. Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority, or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right for it is [00:01:00] God's will.
That by doing so, you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a coverup for evil. Live as God's slaves show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers, fear God and honor the emperor. Slaves and reverent fear of God. Submit yourselves to your masters not only to those who are good and considerate, but also so to those who are harsh.
For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they're conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God to this. You were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.
He committed no sin and no eat and was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no [00:02:00] threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins and his body on the cross so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.
By this, his wound, by his wounds, we have been healed for you or like sheep going astray. But now you've returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Wives in the same way, submit yourselves to your own husband so that if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words, by the behaviors of their wives.
When they see the purity and reverence of your lives, your beauty should not come from the outward adornments, such as elaborate hairstyles and wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is great worth in the sight of God.
For this is the way holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called [00:03:00] her Lord. I. Called him her Lord. You are, you are her daughters. If you do what is right and do not give way to fear husbands in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with the respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Finally, all of you be like-minded. Be sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble. That my friend was a lot, and it's probably disorienting to modern readers. But before we jump into maybe the depth of the text, why don't you kinda walk us through what you think Peter is trying to get at and just to maybe just outline it for us to help us, uh, jump off from the text.
Ron Rall: Okay, let's be able to capture verses 11 and 12. That idea of being strangers [00:04:00] and aliens. Uh, that idea is used repeatedly. We think about, uh, now with what's going on in our country, but I. Strangers and aliens is a recurring theme. We find it in Revelation. Peter refers to it from chapter one and the idea of people that our kingdom is not of this world.
We're we're aliens as believers because we belong to a different kingdom. So he's addressing these people that are strangers and aliens that are really not a part of the world, and then he deals with their behavior. Throughout this whole section is the running, uh, focus upon the idea of behavior. How do we conduct ourselves? So we've been recurring the theme, living our lives in an antagonistic world. How do we live out this Christian life? When we have attacks coming against Christianity, we do it by our behavior. then the structure is all around submission. We do not like the [00:05:00] word submission in our culture. means to line up under. So it's the idea that we are seeking to cooperate and work with others, but at the same time taking the stand for our faith. So verse 11, it has, uh, everybody submitting, uh, to the government. We don't have time to unpack that, but Romans 13 is a great, uh, parallel. Then it has in verse 18 about slaves. There's two different Greek words used for a slave. Now this is the one dealing with domestic slaves, how they conduct themselves. Then what really seals the deal on submission is that Christ is the example, and in verse 21, he left us an example that we should follow. word, for example, is so important to know. We used to use carbon paper years ago so that when you would write on a paper, you could have a carbon underneath it and then it would show [00:06:00] up. That's what this idea is. Christ is the underwriting. He's leaving us an example that we should follow in his footsteps. And so what did he do? He submitted all the way to the death on the cross, and then Peter, true to form gives the gospel in those closing verses of chapter two. Then in verse chapter three, verse one, wives in the same way be submissive to your husbands. Same way as what? As Christ. He's the example. Then in verse seven, husbands in the same way. Then in verse eight, finally, all of you. So it's a running three theme of submission, but everything revolves around the example that Christ has set for us.
Peter Englert: All right. So, um, let's kind of jump to maybe the two areas that are gonna trip us up just as modern readers. So let's first of all talk about slaves. You mentioned the word [00:07:00] that it's different domestic slaves and. I think what's different about slavery was, uh, in the ancient world, it, it was a form of repaying of a debt.
So the Bible's very clear in different places. One Corinthians seven where it talks about. You know, you're, whether you're a slave or a free person, um, you know, do it all into the glory of God. And even we read the story about Philemon, um, Philemon who owns a slave Onesimus. Um, there's some commentators that struggle that the Bible doesn't say more about slavery in the sense of freeing people.
And obviously, um, in the American Civil War, there were people that misapplied, uh, what the Bible was trying to say. It seems like though slavery's very different and, um, it's still not right, but I don't know. What would you add to, to some of that context to help us kind of really understand what the [00:08:00] original readers were seeing?
Ron Rall: Yeah, it's very important because back then it was not tied to a race. we think about America and the Civil War, we're dealing with race, but back then it was anybody could be a slave. So when the Romans would go in to take over, uh, a country and invade, they would bring back whatever nationality was there. So it's not about race. It was a collective. The best estimates is that about 23% of the Roman Empire were slaves. think about that one out of every four people being slaves, that's how they built their roads, that's how they built their coliseums. And the extensive structures that were there were in a, a large part due to the slave labor. you're invaded by Rome, you're conquered, and therefore they would pick you to go ahead and serve for them. Now, there's two words, as I was saying, and you picked [00:09:00] up on that. This is the one rather than do loss, where Jesus said that we're all supposed to be slaves, servants as he sets, as an example. And that's covered repeatedly in the gospels. But this one is a domestic. So in particular, it's focusing on those who are laboring within the house of somebody. um, they're told to submit themselves and they show their their true Christianity by the behavior that they live out. And I know you talked about not giving as much of a reference to slavery. Actually, Paul and Galatians says, in Christ, there's neither slave nor bond nor free. And so ultimately God, uh, God is not endorsing slavery. Um, and then we have history to walk through the resentment that has come with so many people out of it.
Peter Englert: Hmm. That's a great understanding. So let's jump down to wives and I, I [00:10:00] think probably the best way to explain this passage is, let's jump to verse six. Like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham, I. There's a little bit of mystery there, but why don't you give some context to that story that might help us understand exactly what Peter's saying.
Ron Rall: Yeah. Now remember, we have to frame it that Christ left it as an example that we should follow, and he submits himself. He dies on the cross for securing our salvation, and that is the foundation. So then chapter three, verse one.
Peter Englert: I.
Ron Rall: in the same way, be submissive to your husbands. then uses Sarah as an example. And of him, her, Sarah in Genesis, chapter 18, uh, calling him, Lord, that was a term that was used back then referring to someone that you showed due honor to. It wasn't the way we think of that. Husbands are gonna walk [00:11:00] around and say, you belong calling me Lord. It was a term of endearment back in Genesis time, verse 18, chapter 18. It was a sense of showing respect. And reverence. And that's what Sarah's doing. She is submitting to him. Even though the angels came and said, you're gonna have a child. She laughed about it, did think it would happen 'cause she was barren. And sure enough, a year later she did have, uh, the child. So it's, it's not the idea of Lord, except, you know, to, for the husband to say, I'm boss, you obey me.
It's the term of endearment and respect.
Peter Englert: I, you know, I heard a pastor share in this passage, and I think that there is some mystery to it, but there's two times in Genesis where Sarah obeys Abraham by. Fitting into the lives. So there's twice that Abraham actually says, Sarah's his sister instead of his wife. And both [00:12:00] time God intervenes. And you know, I think you can see a little that you are her daughters if you do what is right and not give way to fear.
And so I think in a lot of ways. There's more complication to this passage that the biblical writer is understanding. 'cause the more you unpack the story of Sarah and Abraham, the more you kinda see the human brokenness and sinfulness of the world around us, and you actually see how inspiring this passage is.
Ron Rall: Yeah, well, you also see how raw the Bible is
Peter Englert: Mm-hmm.
Ron Rall: on the Genesis account of Abraham actually lying. And then God holds the people responsible for how they were gonna, uh, violate, you know, his own wife Sarah. it's, we don't like to see that rawness of the Bible, but that's what we have. We have the truth that's presented. There is the sense where have to [00:13:00] parallel this passage with Ephesians chapter five. in chapter five of Ephesians verse 21, submit yourselves one to another out of reference for Christ. Then in verse 22, wives submit to your husbands well without verse 21. In Ephesians, you don't have that running theme of submission. the wives submit to their husbands. It doesn't say they obey everything they say they are lining up under to work cooperatively. But then in verse 25 it says, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church. So it's that sense of responsibility that a wi with her husband. A husband loves his wife as Christ loved the church, which is a far greater responsibility 'cause more verses are devoted to the submission of the husband. Laying is down his life like Christ laid down his life for the church. We call that concept mutual regard. [00:14:00] there's a sense of this mutual way that we function. You wanna move on to verse seven, so I could show that?
Peter Englert: Well, uh, yeah, we can, let's run to verse seven. I, I think one kind of transitional point to verse seven that I think is really important is. We read this as modern readers and we say, I have to honor the government. You know, and I think when we apply it, slaves with employers, um, you know, wives to husbands, but I think even where we're jumping to verse seven is I.
This is very radical to the people in power at that time. Like this is giving people who don't have agency, agency, and I think that that's probably one of the best ways to understand verse seven. You can push back on that or jump with that.
Ron Rall: No, I'm with
Peter Englert: I.
Ron Rall: is counterculture. This shows the uniqueness of Christianity because in the Roman culture, and also going back to the Jewish culture [00:15:00] and, and the Grecian culture, men were dominant and, and wives Submission was not this biblical submission. It was the idea that they were in charge, period. And you had to do what you were told. So women were put down, they were squelched, they were not able to take on and run businesses the same as other people. There are exceptions and acts like, you know, Lydia dealer in purple. Uh, but women are not the norm of being a dominant force because it was a patriarchal system rather than matriarchal. And so here is Peter coming along. Same parallel teaching as Paul in Ephesians talking about this mutual regard, uh, for one another, mutual responsibility. And it even goes so far as to say that men, uh, they get in trouble, uh, by not treating their wives in the right way. Verse seven, husbands in the same way, be considerate as [00:16:00] you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner. Airs with you of the gracious gift of life so that nothing will hinder your prayers. if a husband doesn't treat his wife properly, his spiritual life is impacted. So that's how serious God takes us, and that is what Stone neglected with the submission passage to be. Ephesians five, as well as over here, a husband does not have a right to walk all over his wife. It's the mutual submission, mutual regard. Now we need to clarify that weaker partner. What does that mean being a weaker partner? Well, it is not the idea of being intellectually weaker. of fact, uh, we can do a lot of test assessments to show that in many ways women are superior intellectually. It's probably the idea of weaker in the sense of physically, which is um. It [00:17:00] occurs over and over again in our society that women are not as strong physically as men. And it could also be the idea of culturally where women did not have the same expression. either physical it's referring to, or what's going on culturally. there's husbands with that incredible responsibility that they have to fulfill to how they treat their wives.
Peter Englert: Yeah, and I think that the cultural side is really, really important because we live in a society today that statistically there's actually women, more women in college than men. I. And I mean, within the past a hundred years though, there's a lot of, you know, questions on women's rights. There's still issues to go.
It is night and day versus the ancient world. Um, the idea that women can hold office, and again, I, I bring all this up as fact as we're jumping into [00:18:00] this passage. As, and, and you can look at the list in the Roman government of, you know, it was men, slaves, children, like, there was a whole list of people that were more important than women.
And, and again, I think that that's something powerful that we have to reflect on. And it goes back to what Dr. Dave Dipple taught me, what you taught me, the three questions of study in the Bible. What does it mean to the original hearers? What does it mean to us? Uh, what does it mean always? And then what does it mean to us today?
You be, you begin to see the radical application of how the gospel works in a broken, sinful world.
Ron Rall: Yeah, and that's where we find out that the Christian family and marriages should be a model for the world of that which is healthy for the way in which they cooperate together, rather than this dominant force of husbands thinking they have the right to, to squelch and walk all over their [00:19:00] wives. That's not the case. is a caveat in here about how a wife who's a believer to an unbelieving husband. So back in those first two verses in chapter three, it's she's doing it in the way that she conducts herself so that she can win her husband over without words, by the behavior that she has. So remember how we said this running theme of behavior,
Peter Englert: Mm.
Ron Rall: uh, that how do we behave ourselves in an antagonistic world? great tie-in passage is out of Matthew chapter five, verse 16. Let your light so shine before men that they might want see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven. So a Christian rises above in an antagonistic world and they live out by example, and a wife lives out by the example.
The husband lives out by his example.
Peter Englert: Hmm. So we're, we're gonna go a little longer, which it's okay. We, [00:20:00] this is very heavy and I think it's important for people and, um, we didn't wanna break it up either because this theme of submission is so powerful. But let's talk about how do we apply this to today's life and world, um, whether I follow Jesus or not, you know, why is this so timeless for us today?
Ron Rall: I was just with an individual yesterday at church. He's a missionary from India, he is actually raised in India and then came to the United States and now he is a liaison for all different types of people. Uh, going to India, and this is fascinating because of the way their culture is, the amount of persecution, 80% of India is Hindu and. Statistically, they'll say three to 4% are Christians, and he said it's more like seven to 8%. And so you have [00:21:00] 80% Hindu. You have the the Muslims, and then you have the small bed of Christians. So what are these Christians supposed to do in the culture that is against them? They do it by living out, for an example. India is one of the top 10 countries in the world of suffering persecution of Christians. So how do we apply it? We're talking about a suffering church. We live out the life of Christ regardless. What do you do if you were in a place like Iran? You know, you have a point where you live out the Christian life regardless, whatever the culture is in, and we have a hard time with that. I'm reflecting back with you, bringing it up about Wilberforce. And Wilberforce wanted to know that he, he took a stand for the gospel, just the same against slavery that was going on. whenever we are asked to do something that would violate our conscience, [00:22:00] uh, we say no to it in Christ, but otherwise, we're living out by our behavior regardless.
Peter Englert: Hmm. Yeah. And the way I would apply this, um, this is why I love the eighth, eighth, uh, three, eight, the final verse. Uh, I think sometimes we read into Christianity, like take the other cheek and we don't really unpack what all that means. And I just wanna give an example in Philippians two, one through four, it's this beautiful passage that actually talks about, you know, mutual regard and community.
I. And there's a comment that Paul makes, don't esteem yourself higher than each other, um, but serve one another. And the assumption is it's not to become a doormat, but it's actually if you are living in a community that people are living out. Gospel, loving God and loving others. You are gonna have that regard.
And so I think verse eight is a great just model and frame. [00:23:00] How can I be like-minded with Jesus? How can I be sympathetic? How can I love one another? How can I be compassionate and humble? And it's the spirit and even just experience and wisdom that says, Hey, I am, you know, for my, if my daughter has a temper tantrum.
I'm actually gonna submit to her, and sometimes I'm actually gonna help her by maybe giving the thing that she's crying for. And there's other times when I'm actually gonna submit to her and I'm not gonna give the thing that she wants, and I'm, I'm gonna receive that anger because I want to train and teach her and help her.
And, and so I think that it's not as easy to live out. But it's important to say that this idea of submission and mutual regard isn't just meaning that you are a doormat, but you have the mind of Jesus to serve other people.
Ron Rall: Yeah. Well, it, it's a good parallel and I'm glad you brought up your daughter as an example. You have in Ephesians chapter six, verse four. [00:24:00] Fathers, do not exasperate your children to anger. Instead, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Peter Englert: Hmm.
Ron Rall: The same is picked up over in Colossians chapter three. So even parents have a responsibility of submission to their children by not walking all over them. Why? Because their children are, first of all, they belong to the Lord. Then secondly to them. So the parents given a responsibility that they can't walk all over, uh, their, their children. Uh, so you, you brought up a good example and back to that first Peter three eighth then. So it's finally all of you. Peter is gathering together this running theme of submission that he's been dealing with. And so all of you, you live in harmony with one another. You be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Then he'll continue on that theme of of behavior. So when you talk [00:25:00] about application, we hear it over and over again, dude, it's living out the Christian life. We have to go ahead and we have to flesh this out. And that's the importance of us being in a community of faith with small groups, being a part of a church community. So we're living it out with each other, even though we rub elbows and we bump and we have all of our kinks to us, we work that out. And then when we go out in the world, in our workplace, uh, we're living out the Christian life. Uh, I have people in our neighborhood who aren't Christians and some of them live together without being married. All Red Cross the street got people. That's a lifestyle they adopted. But what do you do? We live out the Christian life before them. They know what we stand for. You know, they, they'll start swearing and they catch themselves. Well, we've never blasted them with Jesus. Uh, but we live out the Christian life and, and they take that to heart and you can tell them putting [00:26:00] checks on themselves.
Peter Englert: Well, and one last thing that I'd say with that is 'cause I loved how you brought that up, is I think what's been helpful for me is when am I reactive versus when? When am I responding to what God's doing? So often I. You know, somebody does something like swearing that's offensive and we're, we're reacting in our mind.
And so immediately we say something like, you shouldn't swear, or we don't say anything. But I think, I think what this passage is saying, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another. To be able to think through, okay, you know, maybe this person's swearing. 'cause they, they hit their thumb, you know, with a hammer.
And so how can I adjust to what's the role that God's called me to have in this relationship? And I think that you take those little simple things and you begin to see, see that maybe my first reaction, sometimes it's what God's asked me to do, but sometimes it isn't.[00:27:00]
Ron Rall: Yeah. Yeah, it's good to keep that, you know, in check as to how far we go. I was dealing with an individual and, uh, not getting help my wife and I needed, and, uh. She did not have to fulfill a responsibility where someone else would've said, forget it. But it was such character that she demonstrated that she did it anyways, and she's not a Christian, but I told her, you know, this speaks so highly of your character as a person. So it's looking for a way to affirm people in the positives that we can, because there's so many negatives in the world going on.
Peter Englert: Well, that's a perfect place to close. Ron, do you wanna close this in a word of prayer?
Ron Rall: Lord, we thank you for this understanding that you brought us, that you left that as an example that we should follow in your steps. thank you for that underwriting that underpins us in order to live out this [00:28:00] Christian life because in and of ourselves we can't do it. But through your enablement, we can. Help us to come to terms with our need to submit line up in healthy ways, not to be walked all over, as Peter has referred to as a doormat, but instead that we are living out the life as an example, through the behavior of our lives. Pray for every marriage represented here that's been hearing today, uh, and that they would have, heart to live out that true Christianity through how they conduct themselves in their marriage.
We ask it in Jesus name, amen.
Peter Englert: Thank you for joining us in the Reading First Peter podcast.