For a while I have
been praying my way through the book of I Peter. It has been very clear that
all God’s children are living in this world as beloved sojourners and exiles.[1] This means we are to see ourselves as the
beloved children of God no matter what happens to us in this earthly life; as
sojourners we are to consider our lives in this world as a very short and
temporary experience, a mere blip in our eternal life; and we are to see ourselves
as foreigners to this world, exiles who cannot help it that we are not yet
home, but living consistent with our homeland, not the world in which we
presently reside.
This morning I
began meditating on a paragraph that begins like this:
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, (I Peter 3)
Whenever there is a
“for”, we must find out what it is
there for! It means that what is in this paragraph is elaborating on what was
just written. In this case, the fact that Jesus suffered unjustly, the
righteous one suffering for the unrighteous ones, is foundational to what is
expected of us, that, as we “are zealous
for what is good” (vs 13), and that may mean that we “suffer for righteousness’ sake” (vs 14), we are to keep in mind
that, “it
is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for
doing evil” (vs 17).
The “for” in verse 18 now associates what
may happen to us in suffering for doing good to what Jesus suffered for us in
doing good. Which made me look at this:
Question: How many ways has Peter described believers suffering for the sake
of righteousness?
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. (I Peter 1)
POINT: “the sufferings of Christ
and the subsequent glories” were prophesied so that we would recognize this
as a characteristic of the true Messiah’s ministry, and of the beloved sojourners
and exiles who came into his kingdom.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (I Peter 2)
POINT: what matters here is that Jesus was, “a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and
precious,” and we, “like living
stones are being built up as a spiritual house”. Jesus was very clear that
the spiritual house he would build would be treated the same way as himself,
which means, “rejected by men but in the
sight of God chosen and precious”.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (I Peter 2)
POINT: in our momentary lives in this foreign land of the world our
abstaining from fleshly passions, and our honorable conduct, will be spoken
against with lies and slander. However, in the future, at the return of our
Savior, God will be glorified for the honorable way we lived our lives in
reverent fear.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (I Peter 2)
POINT: ignorant and foolish people will speak against us, even while we
do greater good than anyone in the world,[2] but our continuing zeal for what is good
will one day silence those who have spoken against our good behavior in Christ.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. (I Peter 2)
POINT: when servants/employees suffer unjustly on the job, meaning that
they do not deserve the suffering they experience, they are to continue
subjecting themselves to their masters/employers “with all respect”, because it is “a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while
suffering unjustly”.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (I Peter 2)
POINT: it is no credit to a believer if we suffer on the job because we
are sinning against our employer, but if we “do
good and suffer for it,” and we “endure”
what is done to us, “this is a gracious
thin in the sight of God.” Peter now connects this directly to the
suffering of Christ, that Christ’s suffering was for us, and it leaves us with
an example to follow.
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (I Peter 2)
POINT: with Jesus’ example staring us in the face, Peter identifies how Jesus
was sinless in all his actions, including when he was reviled, and when he
suffered unjustly. His continuing way of life in all things was, “entrusting himself to him who judges
justly.” For the believer, we are reminded that Jesus’ unjust suffering was
because “He himself bore OUR sins in his
body on the true, that WE might die to sin and live to righteousness.”
Everything about our return to Christ is about an entrance into the life he has
given us through his suffering, and the life of suffering we will experience
while waiting for our home coming.
1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (I Peter 3)
POINT: a wife’s subjection to her husband, and her “respectful and pure conduct”, are not based on her husband’s
adherence to the word, but applies also to those marriages in which the husband
does “not obey the word”.
9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. (I Peter 3)
POINT: we may experience evil and reviling as we seek first God’s kingdom
and righteousness (Matthew 6:33), but our calling as God’s beloved sojourners
and exiles is to bless those who seek our harm in order “that you may obtain a blessing.” We are not to “repay evil for evil or reviling for
reviling” because that is giving in to the passions of the flesh that war
against our souls (I Peter 2:11), causing us to act just like the Worldlings who
are not in Jesus’ kingdom. We will never win Worldlings into Jesus’ kingdom by
acting just like them.
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. (I Peter 3)
POINT: even though it is not natural that people who are “zealous for what is good” are harmed
for doing so, even if it should happen, and we “should suffer for righteousness’ sake,” we are the ones who are
blessed.
15 …yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. (I Peter 3)
POINT: no matter how we are treated, including slander and reviling, if we
relate to Worldlings “with gentleness and
respect,” and maintain “a good
conscience” before our heavenly Father in how we relate to Worldlings, we
will not be the ones ashamed of our good behavior in Christ, but our enemies
will “be put to shame,” if not during
this earthly lifetime (as with the Apostle Paul), but at the return of our
Savior when all things are made right. The bottom line is that we must see
suffering for doing good as better than suffering for doing evil, and follow
the example of our Savior.
Which brings us
back to:
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, (I Peter 3)
POINT: look at how Jesus suffered, not for his own sins, but for our
sins, the righteous one suffering for the unrighteous, and with the direct
purpose of bringing sinners to God. There is no greater example of someone
suffering unjustly than what we have in our Savior, and his suffering for the
unrighteous brings us to God where we can learn to be just like him. Since no
Worldling can ever act like Jesus, we who can be like Jesus must do so even in
suffering, since that is exactly what Jesus did.
Why is this so important to me in my walk
with God today? Because God wants his beloved children to be able to make sense
of our unjust suffering so that, instead of us falling into the victim-mindset
where every injustice against us immobilizes us from being zealous for good
works, we would do the same things as Jesus as he “continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”[3]
As Peter tells us later, “Therefore let those who suffer according to
God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”[4] We
do this because we are the beloved sojourners and exiles of God, beloved
children experiencing “this light
momentary affliction,” that, “is
preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”[5] as
we keep our eyes on our Savior who is presently preparing the home for us in
which we will live forever without any fear of harm ever again.
© 2017 Monte Vigh ~
Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise
noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible,
English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway
Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)
[1]
I Peter 2:11-12
[2]
This does not mean that our specific good works are superior to the good works
done by Worldlings, but that the good we are seeking in all our good works is
the eternal salvation of those who are reaching out to, including the good of
seeking the eternal salvation of those who are seeking our harm. Only Jesus’
beloved sojourners and exiles do the kind of good in the world that invites
even our worst enemies to be born again into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
[3]
I Peter 2:23
[4]
I Peter 4:19
[5]
II Corinthians 4:17
No comments:
Post a Comment