1 Pet 2:18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

For some of us, when we come across references to slavery in the Bible, and especially when it is in the New Testament, we immediately move into negative mode but that, I would suggest, simply indicates our lack of thought about history. It is legitimate to wonder why God didn't eradicate slavery because the Bible speaks often of Him being a God of justice. The truth, I believe, comes in the recognition that God gave humanity free will and He never forces His will on us. Thus when we go back to the New Testament period we see that slavery is common in the world and that nowhere in that world are there any stirrings to suggest change. The Lord would have to wait centuries for the likes of William Wilberforce so the battle to remove slavery would be won. Yet, tragically, even now there are places in the world today where there are slaves.

Thus when we come to the Gospels or letters of the New Testament we find they simply accept the fact of slavery and live within it. Peter has been telling his readers to stand out in the world and live in such a way that they bring honour and glory to their Saviour. Now he turns to a group of people who might have every cause to feel negative about others. But no, he doesn't let them get away with that; he demands that even slaves respect their masters.

Now this takes the teaching about respect that we considered yesterday, to an even higher level. It is a strong word: “Slaves submit yourselves to your masters with all respect.” Now when we think about this more fully in the light of the whole revelation of the Bible, we realise that within Jewish society at least, and according to the Law, slaves would be those who had sold themselves into slavery, probably to help the finances of their family. The Law also required slaves to be released at regular intervals, so slavery in that society was not the same as that which had been seen, say, in the southern states of the USA. This was more like a case of employment but the wages had been paid up front.

The quality of the life of the slave would depend on the master and theoretically if you sold yourself into a family for seven years you would only do it with a master with a good reputation. Yet Peter recognises the reality of living in a Fallen World, that there will be slave owners who are harsh. This was more likely in that period where Rome had subjugated all the nations of that area and so slavery in that context would not have the protections provided by the Law of Moses and in the area to which this letter would go, slave owners were mostly not Jews who respected the Law of Moses.

So, as much as we might wish to think otherwise (as it should have been in Israel in earlier centuries) now with Rome being the dominant force, slavery was a much tougher experience, which makes Peter's teaching all the more amazing. If in the previous meditation we saw that we should value every person – whoever they are – as people made in the image of God with their own unique special features, this still applies to slave owners. They are still people! They are still people and so, if we have understood this teaching, they deserve respect. We don't have to like the bad side of their lives but they are still people who perhaps God wants to reach.

This is purely an academic discussion until we place it in the context of modern life, of you being an employee who has a harsh or unkind or unfair employer. Now on occasion the labour market means that sometimes it is possible to change jobs if you don't like your employer, but that isn't always possible, and so we need to face this teaching. With God's grace we have the opportunity to be completely different employees to the rest or the world. The truth is that if there is an employer, manager, supervisor etc. who is harsh, unkind etc. then the other employees will probably be thinking (and talking) badly of them as well.

You and I, with the grace of God, may wonder, why is it that this person is like they are? I remember a teacher at school who was known for being tetchy and harsh with discipline and it wasn't until I was older and further up in the school that I came to hear that he suffered with constant pain. Understanding what that person is carrying may help us cope with them. Seeing them as someone that Jesus loves and would like to draw to himself – through us? – may also help us adjust our thinking and our behaviour in respect of that person. Causes and possibilities! What causes them to be like they are? Does my bad work add to their attitude? Maybe it's me who need to change first. What possibility is there of God moving in this person's life? What could be the outcome if I will be open to what the Lord might want to do in them?

When we suffer an unkind, insensitive or harsh person above us in employment, the temptation is to go down under it and to be negative about them. That is not the way of the New Testament. There is always hope of change and faith looks to the Lord for such change to come. Be a blessing at work. Change the world!

1 Pet 2:19,20 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is 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.

Remember that in these recent passages Peter has been exhorting his readers to live well so that they will be a testimony to those who look on. In the previous meditations we considered first his call to respect all people and then how he applied that specifically to slaves having respect for their masters. This does really move into areas where we really need the grace of God to do the will of God. I think that very often Christians just drift through life without much thought or even (apparently) need of God, but sometimes the Lord allows us to go through times of difficulty where we have to cry out to Him for His grace to cope. But then there is teaching which, if we really think about it, we realise can only be obeyed by receiving the grace of God first.

I remember as a very young Christian going to a Bible Study in a church that shall not be named, and the subject was the Sermon on the Mount. It was a discussional study and it was clear that the people in the group wrote off the teaching as impossible ideology. What they failed to comprehend was that without God's grace we cannot live up to the standards that God sets before us. So it is true, I believe, with these passages we are dealing with now. The theory may be all right but when we come to apply it to our own life situations that will be something completely different!

So here Peter is continuing directly on from his exhortation to slaves to show respect by giving an extra encouragement: “ For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.” There are some important bits to notice here. He is speaking to them about coping in the face of “unjust suffering”, i.e. to those who have harsh taskmasters. We cope in these situations because we are “conscious of God”, conscious of His desire for us, conscious of what He may be wanting to do in the lives of those who treat us harshly, conscious that He may want to speak through us to them. Yes, all of these things can help us cope when they treat us badly. The ‘natural' man wants to react and revolt, but the Christ-led and Holy Spirit empowered Christian is to be something else. We are to be those who continue to work well and continue against the odds to respect those who are against us, for God may yet have plans for them!

To respond like this is “commendable” for indeed it is good when we can get the grace of God to not be put down by unjust suffering, but Peter goes on by comparing that with suffering that we have brought upon ourselves: “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.” The key in the comparison is you “doing wrong.” There is no credit for bearing up under punishment when you deserved it for doing wrong.

There is a cult which turns up on the door, pours out their mantras and refuse to listen to your objections, and treat you with disrespect and then gets excited because they are rejected by most. Persecution or opposition which we bring upon ourselves by our lack of grace or poor behaviour is not something to be commended. I have seen young Christians speak glowingly about the suffering which they are enduring from their families or employers because they have been trying to share the Gospel with them, but so often that sharing has been insensitive and graceless and it has been no wonder that they have been snubbed or even actively opposed. No, if we share the Gospel without respect or sensitivity, we have only ourselves to blame when we are rejected.

But how about those times, to bring all this into our own day, when we are full of grace and goodness and people treat us badly and think ill of us simply because we are Christians? It is then that Peter's teaching becomes full on. At such times we can whinge or whine and go on about these terrible non-Christians who oppose us and who appear so hard hearted against God, or we can maintain respect and still look for good in them and for signs of God's moving in their life – and if we cannot see it, pray for it!

Very often people who are being hard, insensitive, callous, harsh and unkind, know it deep down! God makes them aware of it. They know it but can't do anything about it. Very often such behaviour is a response to the life pain that they have received and their inability to cope with it. They need the Lord's help but don't yet realise that and so struggle in their circumstances and are thoroughly unpleasant as they fail to cope. They are like we were before we came to Christ! Like James and John (Lk 9:54 ) we may want to call down the fire of judgment on them but maybe God wants them to experience mercy. We are certainly to pray against sin and wrong doing, but let's pray and work and live in such a way that we never put stumbling blocks in the way of those who need Christ. Instead let's be light (Mt 5:16 ) that shows them the way to Him!

1 Pet 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

This is the hard side of the Christian life, the side that most of us in the West prefer not to think about. We will in the next meditation go on to look in detail to how Christ acted but for now we must just focus on the fact that he suffered and we are also called to suffer for the Gospel. Remember Peter has just said about slaves, “ if you suffer for doing good….” This is not self-inflicted suffering; this is suffering because we are Christians.

Now to get balance we have to note that it isn't always like that in life and there are also times in the New Testament when the church found favour with the world: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people .” (Acts 2:46 ,47). Indeed, it should be our purpose to win favour by our good lives, as Paul said a similar thing to the slaves in Colosse: “ Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” ( Col 3:22). Yet the truth also is that there will be times when the world around us will be hostile to us because we are Christians.

Jesus laid out this teaching very clearly to his disciples: “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.” (Lk 21:12-19).

Now there are some crucial points in this. First, note, “This will result in your being witness to them.” i.e. when you are hauled before authorities see this as an opportunity to testify to the Lord. Second, note the Lord's provision: “I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” Wow, that is positive!

Why will people oppose us? Listen again to Jesus' teaching at the Last Supper: “I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: `No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name.” (Jn 1519-21). Ultimately all opposition we receive as Christians is because of Christ. The enemy is against him and against us as his representatives.

This teaching goes right back to the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you,” (Mt 5:10 -12) yet there it is expanded to remind us that all of God's servants throughout time have been opposed. But, says Jesus, you will be blessed when you are persecuted and we are to rejoice in such circumstances because (implied) it shows we are part of God's family, doing God's will.

The nature of this persecution is made even more clear in John's Gospel: “So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (Jn 5:16-18) Jesus was ‘working' on the Sabbath because his Father was working and that upset the religious ideas of some. Then we he associated himself with his Father that upset them even more.

Our call is to do the will of God as the Holy Spirit leads us. Sometimes that will upset people (see Acts 4). When we associate ourselves with our Lord that will sometimes also upset people. We are not to be purposely antagonistic but if our simple declarations spoken gently bring hostility simply because of the content – despite the delivery – then so be it! That is our calling. But remember it is a calling that brings the grace of God with it. He will enable and He will look after us. Those are His promises.

1 Pet 2:22 ,23 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Peter, we have observed, has been calling on his readers who suffer unjustly in persecution, to stand as witnesses to the Lord by the way they respond and cope with it. In the previous meditation we noted his declaration: “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” Now he expands on that and writes about how Christ did that. He starts with a general statement about Christ: "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." It appears to be a quote from Isa 53:9. In his arrest, trial and crucifixion Christ neither said nor did anything wrong. This was the classic illustration of history of injustice and persecution and yet Christ took it and trusted his Father and responded with not a wrong word.

So, says Peter, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.” Again and again throughout the process, there was both verbal and physical abuse. Before Caiaphas we read: “The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, "This fellow said, `I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.' " Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent.” (Mt 26:59-63). There it is in its stark reality: they were looking for false evidence. Eventually two reported Jesus' teaching about the Temple but the whole thing is such a mockery that Jesus remained silent. It just isn't worth defending.

Isaiah had prophesied, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isa 53:7). Again and again in the accounts we find Jesus NOT responding to what was being thrown at him. Before Pilate: “When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" But Jesus made no reply , not even to a single charge--to the great amazement of the governor.” (Mt 27:12-14) Then before Herod: “When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.” (Lk 23:8,9) Then finally on the Cross, “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads… In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him,” (Mt 27:39,41) where there is no record of him making any response.

Peter gives us the reason: “Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” All that was happening was happening according to plan as Peter had preached on the day of Pentecost: “This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” (Acts 2:23 ). This was that which had been agreed within the godhead before the foundation of the world, as we have seen previously.

So how does this apply to us? How can Peter say that Christ was an example for us to follow? Christ was following a set plan; how can that apply to us? Is persecution God's set plan? Well in as far as He gave mankind free will and allows us to exercise that free will even to persecute one another, yes it is within God's will. The Lord could sovereignly act to stop such things but mostly He chooses not to. Instead He works within the things that happen to bring good out of whatever happens. That is a theme that is seen throughout the Bible, from the classic case of Joseph – “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives,” (Gen 50:20) – through to the Cross and Peter's understanding that we just quoted above. It was Paul, though, who encapsulated it in his declaration, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28 )

But there is more to it than that for there are further helpful declarations in the New Testament: “God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Heb 13:5) i.e. He will always be with us in whatever is going on, and, “he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9) and “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor 9:8) God's resources are there for us in whatever we have to go through as we follow Christ's example. We have an example, and we have the resources to enable us to follow it. May it be so!

1 Pet 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Some think this verse is Peter diverting to the atonement as another subject that comes to mind when he thinks of Christ's example, but when we look at in detail we will see that it is because of Christ's work on the Cross that we can now live new lives, lives that will reveal God to the world. This verse is thus an extension of Peter's ongoing theme here about testimony and witness. Let's consider it in detail.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.” This is without question a reference to Christ dying on the Cross. In the New Testament accounts, the Cross is often referred to as ‘a tree', e.g. “whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree .” (Acts 5:30 ) and “They killed him by hanging him on a tree.” (Acts 10:39 ) and Paul specifically links it to the Old Testament reference and curse: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Gal 3:13 quoting Deut 21:23 ). So yes, this is a clear reference to him dying on the Cross, but what about the reference to “bore our sins in his body ”?

Think about the Old Testament sacrificial system. Within that, when a man sinned, he had to take an animal to the Temple to be sacrificed. He placed his hands on its head, as means of identification, and the animal was then killed. It was a picture of the sins of the man being passed to the animal who then took the punishment (death) for those sins. So the New Testament teaching is that in the same way, when Christ died on the Cross he was dying in our place and took our sins. For it to apply to us, we have to come to God in repentance, believing in Jesus as our substitute and God then declares us forgiven and cleansed. Because he is the eternal Son of God, he acts as our substitute wherever we are in history, even though he died in time-space history two thousand years ago.

Now that is what Jesus did so that two things could then happen to us: “so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” We have already explained when and how it takes place (at our conversion) but that is only the start. When we came to Christ, we rejected our old self-centred life of failure and guilt and turned away from that old sin-focused life. Peter uses the same language as the apostle Paul when he refers to this for he speaks about us dying to the old life, dying to sins. The apostle Paul taught, “We died to sin… count yourselves dead to sin.” (Rom 6:2,11) This teaching says the old life has gone; we no longer live like we used to. Sin no longer dominates us and no longer has power over us.

We have been freed FROM that so that we may now ‘live for righteousness'. Righteousness – living rightly according to God's design for us, is now the basis for our lives. Paul's counterpart teaching is, “we too may live a new life… count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God… offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” (Rom 6:4,11,13).

Do you see the link now between what Peter has been saying previously? He was saying, live out lives of witness and testimony, responding differently to everyone else when you suffer unjustly, so that you glorify God, but you also do it and live like that because of what Christ has achieved for you on the Cross and the nature of the life you now live because of that. You cope with suffering unjustly because you are a new person, a Spirit-energised person, a Cross-redeemed person, a person with the nature of Christ being formed in you.

He closes the sentence with, “by his wounds you have been healed.” In that short phrase he uses two shorthand words, words used to summarise a lot more. When he speaks of Christ's ‘wounds' he means all that was done to him before and on the Cross. He is in fact quoting Isa 53:5 exactly: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Pierced, crushed and wounded are words that do have specific applications but they also apply generally in a spiritual sense.

You might like to meditate on how Christ was pierced in his spirit, crushed in spirit and wounded in the spirit. These are all part of what he went through, and the result is that we are ‘healed'. This is usually taken to mean in spirit. Previously we had been sin-sick, our lives deformed by sin, damaged by sin, and by his work on the Cross Christ made it possible for sin to be removed from our bodies, our twisted lives straightened out and the effects or damage done by sin to be removed. Those are the possibilities that we have to claim and take hold of, part of the salvation that is ours through the work of Christ on the Cross, which now enables us to live as people different from the rest of the world. May it be so!

1 Pet 2:25   For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls

Sometimes Scripture says things that are so simple that they are almost overwhelming. This simple verse is like that. This is Peter tacking in one more nail in the coffin of our self-centredness. He has, you will remember, been challenging us to be people who stand out for God in this world and he's just reminded us in the previous verses that we are to follow Christ's example of coping with unjust suffering as a means of doing this. He had gone on to describe what Christ had done but now he sums up that work with the way it has changed us. Anyone who thinks being a Christian is about being nice or being religious, clearly hasn't read the New Testament carefully, or taken in such verses as we have here today!

This verse clearly speaks about change. We were one thing but now we are something else. But it is not merely about activity; it is about position, in fact it is all about position and if we have not moved we are not Christians! We were in one place but now we are in another. Peter envisages us as sheep. It is a popular analogy in the Bible.

David had written that famous Psalm 23 starting out, “The Lord is my shepherd.” It is a psalm all about him thinking of himself as a sheep and God as his Shepherd. Speaking of the discipline Israel suffered Psalm 44 declares, “You gave us up to be devoured like sheep,” (v.11) and “we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (v.22). Speaking of the Exodus, Psalm 78 declares, “he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert.” (v.52) and Psalm 49 declares, “Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever,” (v.13) while in psalm 100 we find, “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (v.3), and Isaiah was to write, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” (Isa 53:6)

That is the thing about sheep, as preachers and now Peter delight in reminding us: sheep go astray. Given the opportunity they will wander off. Adam and Eve ‘wandered off' out of the will of God, and every human being since has wandered away from God in a purposeful, self-centred, self-concerned, godless life. Instead of rejoicing in the wonder of life of relationship with the Creator of all things, we go our own way. As Jeremiah pictured it, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jer 2:13), conveying exactly this same thing through a very different picture.

That, says Peter, is how we had been, “like sheep going astray”. If you've never realised it before, that is the truth. You are (if you've never yet come to God through Christ) or were, a ‘sheep that had gone astray'. You are or were out of relationship with God, the relationship He had designed us to have but which we didn't know. We were ‘away' from God. That was our position.

Now, says Peter, speaking to Christians, “you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” This is where we are today, if we are Christians. At some point in our lives a major change came about and we were brought from a place of aloneness to a place of close relationship with the Lord. Paul spoke of this same thing in a different way: “he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” Col 1:13). There was a major positional change. We were out in the cold, out in the darkness of Satan's dominion, but now we have been brought in to the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God 's Son, the place where it is all about relationship.

But note particularly how God is described by Peter: “the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” The picture of the Shepherd is one that conveys a caring provider. Thus David had written, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psa 23:1) But a shepherd is also a protector of the sheep and Peter emphasizes this by calling God our ‘Overseer'. He oversees us or watches over us to guard and protect us. Thus David was able to write, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Psa 23:4,5) David could face death and face his enemies and still be secure because God was his Shepherd and God watched over him and cared for him and protected him. That is what Peter is also referring to. Hallelujah! Know His provision and His protection as your Shepherd!

1 Pet 3:1,2 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

In the West in the twenty-first century, these words of Peter (and similar words of Paul) feel very uncomfortable. Christ and Christianity has done more to bring women into a place in life where they do not have to feel inferior, yet many of us, in our misunderstanding, still feel uncomfortable with the use of such words as ‘submission' or ‘submissive'.

I would like to make a suggestion: these words (and Paul's) were spoken to the Church, to born again believers and not to the rest of the world. If we try to apply them to a godless, unregenerate world they will be abused! Also, like much New Testament teaching, without the grace and wisdom of God we will not be able to comply with the teaching. So what is the teaching and why is it?

The call for ‘submission' here is, unlike Paul's call, for a specific outcome. It is a call to Christian wives who have non-Christian husbands, and it is to be a means of winning them over. I would like to do something that may, at first sight, appear strange. I want to associate it with Jesus' teaching on divorce. When questioned by the Pharisees as to why Moses commanded divorce, Jesus answered that he didn't command it but permitted it and the reason he permitted it was ‘hardness of heart' (see Mt 19:3-8). ‘Hardness of heart' simply means that an individual has a heart that is resistant, fixed, rigid, unmoving, demands its own way, is not open to advice or counsel, is not able to sorry or, ‘I am wrong'. ‘Submission' here therefore simply involves an absence of those things which are hindrances to God moving in the relationship.

Now there also needs to be a recognition that if your husband is not a Christian, then it is quite likely that he will exhibit some or all of those things. If you are to avoid conflict, one of you is going to have to have the grace to give way and Peter says it ought to be you who are the Christian, for you can get God's grace to cope with that, whereas your husband cannot! The impact or effect of you behaving like this means that God can speak to the unbelieving partner and convict them by your gracious behaviour which is revealing Jesus.

Look, says Peter, you are going to win them over in a way that is completely different from the way the world goes about it. You are not going to be like the non-Christian woman and so “ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.” ( v.3) That, he implies is a superficial beauty which will fade and anyway it cuts no ice with God. Instead, he says, “it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.” (v.4) The beauty that really impresses (and certainly impresses God and opens the way for Him to move) is on the inside, a “gentle and quiet spirit.” I wonder how many Christian women can dare claim that that is what they have? This woman never argues or nags. She may disagree but does it with gentleness and respect; she never forces her will on her husband! Again, I wonder how many husbands give way because of the nagging of their wife and the desire for a quiet life? That is far from the teaching of the New Testament!

Yes, I know there is the other side of the coin with requirements on the husband, but for the moment, we are dealing with the role of the Christian wife and it is no excuse to say, “Well my husband doesn't play his part according to the New Testament teaching.” We each have to play our part and are each answerable to the Lord. I wonder how much blessing is missed in Christian marriages because one or other of the partners is not following the Biblical pattern?

Peter finally reminds us that we have examples in the Bible to follow: “For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.” (v.5,6) Abraham wasn't perfect but Sarah went along with him. The one time she badgered him, it led to ongoing difficulties and originated the whole Arab-Israeli conflict! (see Gen 16 onwards).

Peter concludes with a strange statement: “You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” (v.6) i.e. you are offspring of Sarah if you follow her pattern. But what about the fear? Surely the fear has to be fear of being abandoned to a life of servitude by God. You having a submissive attitude, the enemy whispers, means that your man will take advantage of you and abuse you. Hold on! You are first a daughter of God and He is there to look after you. This is all as much an issue of faith as anything else we've considered in this letter from Peter. If you fear like that you will fight for your rights and you will be stopping God being able to move. He never competes with us. If we decide we're going to make the running and defend ourselves, He's not going to intervene until we ask Him to and surrender to His will. Perfect love casts out fear, wrote John (see 1 Jn 4:18 ) but similarly fear excludes love. If you fear the Lord will not be there for you, you are excluding His love. Don't let that happen! Be channel for His blessing and so be the woman of God He calls you to be and wait for the harvest He will bring!

1 Pet 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Remember what we said in the previous meditation: we must realise that these are instructions to Christian husbands and therefore they are all about living under the Lordship of Christ and with the grace of God. It is clear from the latter parts of this verse that this does not apply to non-Christians for they have not received the gift of life and they don't pray! You may think this is a mundane point but it isn't; these are instructions to Christians – men who have come to belief, have been born again and who look to Christ for their leading and their resourcing. Now that is important to remember.

So Christian men, before we get into this, do you take Christ's Lordship over you seriously? Are you answerable to him? Well you are whether you realise it or not! Do you turn to him to receive his grace, his enabling, to be the man of God he calls you to be? If you don't you need to, especially when you view these instructions.

This verse is obviously addressed to husbands; that almost goes without saying, but do you note the words, “in the same way”? We didn't pick it up yesterday but this chapter started off speaking to wives, “in the same way” (v.1) and there Peter was saying, in the same way that those who are suffering unjustly get God's grace, so you too need to get God's grace when your husbands aren't always as wonderful as you'd wish them to be! So now he extends it to husbands and says, in the same way, you too need to have grace in the way you love and care for your wives, and (implied) realise that as the stronger and often more dominant partner, there is the tendency for there to be an element of unfairness, hardness or lack of consideration that comes from you – so avoid that.

The answer? “Be considerate as you live with your wives.” To be considerate means to consider, to be aware of, and to be understanding. Words in Scripture aren't wasted, and so note, “as you live with your wives”. It may be obvious but it means as you live out your daily relationship with your wife, living under the same roof, think about these things. Focus on what goes on in your home. Think about it. Think about her, think about what she does, what she thinks, what she feels. Be aware of her and respond accordingly. The apostle Paul instructed husbands to “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” (Eph 5:25) which means to put them first in your considerations and be ready to lay down your life (‘self') for them. It is a call to NOT be self-centred but to be one who cares and protects of your wife.

But this isn't only a ‘mind' thing, an ‘awareness' thing, this is to be something worked out in daily practical life: “treat them with respect.” ‘Treat' is an action thing. It means live your life, act out your life with her in such a way that your behaviour reveals that you respect, or understand, her weaknesses as a member of the female sex. In the fight for equality, feminism has sometimes lost the reality that many women experience – of weakness. It is part of the life, and the husband should be aware of it and accept and respect it and act accordingly.

Merely because the woman suffers weakness, does not mean in any way she is inferior. Historically the man was the hunter-provider, the strong partner, but physical strength does not imply superiority, although in the world that has often been how it was. In God's design the woman is equally an heir of all that God has for us in Christ. That is what Peter means when he speaks of, “heirs with you of the gracious gift of life.” She is just as much a child of God as he is, and just as precious to God.

Failure to treat the women as Peter is saying, indicates that the man is falling short of God's will and not hearing what God is saying. Is it any wonder therefore that Peter warns husbands that if they don't heed this, their spiritual lives will be impaired, their prayers will be hindered! There is a subtle warning for all of us here that failing to comply with God's will, with His design for us, means that it will have tangible effects in our spiritual lives. Is this the answer to those who say, “Well, I pray but I see so few answers”? There are other reasons why we see so little response from heaven when we pray – perhaps we're praying selfishly, perhaps we are praying contrary to God's will as revealed in the Bible, or perhaps our prayers are just habit and don't come from heart revelation. There may be a number of reasons when we see little response to our prayers, but here in today's verses we are given one specific reason, and we would do well to heed the warning that Peter brings us who are Christian husbands.

1 Pet 3:8,9 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

When you come across verses like this and think about them in the light of the world in which we live, it makes you realise what the world is NOT! If the world was actually like the things in these verses, how good it would be! Let's consider them.

“Finally.” Don't be deceived by this word. Peter is being a classic preacher. He thinks he's near the end but, as we'll see, he's got a lot more to say yet. But it is the end of the very specific instructions to slaves, to wives and to husbands and so in a sense it is a summary of how to live.

“Live in harmony with one another.” That sounds simple enough, doesn't it! Paul had said exactly the same thing on Romans 12:16. When we think of the word ‘harmony', we think of blending together in a good way. In music a harmony is two or more voices blending together to produce a pleasant sound. Harmony therefore, is about good relationships that flow together in unity and accord. Is that what Paul meant when he spoke of being “one in spirit and purpose.” (Phil 2:2) I wonder how many homes there are, though, where this sort of unity, this harmony, is completely unknown?

“Be sympathetic.” When you are sympathetic you are understanding and caring, feeling for that other person. When you are sympathetic you draw close in understanding to that person and it is another aspect of the unity that Peter and Paul had in mind. When we are sympathetic we do not stand at a distance but come close to that other person. To be able to sympathise with someone means we understand what they are going through. The writer to the Hebrews, speaking of Christ, wrote, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.” (Heb 4:15,16). He was saying Christ sympathises with us for he has been through the same things as us and because he does, that can give us confidence to draw near to him.

“Love as brothers.” Sometimes people struggle to put content to the word love, but I think a simple definition is “ warm affection, attachment, liking, benevolence or strong benign feelings for someone, or "selfless, sacrificial, unrestricted good will towards all others." But here Peter says “love as brothers.” He has in mind the specific relationship. The writer to the Hebrews said exactly the same thing (see Heb 13:1) Brothers are for one another. The family tie means there is a loyalty, support and togetherness. It is the unity of family.

“Be compassionate and humble.” Compassion is a stage further on from sympathy. Sympathy means having understanding and siding with that person but compassion takes us further and is about entering into the feelings of that person and feeling as they feel. That is true unity. Compassion brings us down to the level of the plight of the other person and instinctively it means we humble ourselves and do not hold ourselves above that person. No, we recognise that without Christ we are all the same. This knowledge is a good leveller.

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.” Yes, you are going to receive insults and there will be those who intend evil for you, but don't be like them. Refuse to join in that game. See people as potential brothers and sisters in Christ and not as enemies. If you view them as enemies, then remember Christ's instruction: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mt 5:44) There it is, love and pray for them!

“but with blessing.” That is the way to overcome. Don't just be defensive about your enemies but seek to bless them. I am always mindful of the Lord's instructions to Israel while in exile, that came through Jeremiah: “ seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jer 29:7) That is amazing! Bless your captors! This requires a completely different mindset, a godly mindset.

“because to this you were called.” Realise that we have been called not so that we can just be saved from sin and hell, but so that we might live lives that reveal Christ to the world. It is a calling and the Spirit is there to enable us to fulfil that calling.

“so that you may inherit a blessing.” As we are obedient and allow the Spirit to equip and enable and guide us, so blessing follows. Blessing in this case is what is waiting for us, God's plan for us, our inheritance. It is simply goodness. Goodness will follow what we do when we live like this. It is very practical. This is how thing WILL work out if we live this way. Let's do it!

1 Pet 3:10,11   For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.

There is a danger that arises in interpreting Scripture that we must face here before we make comment on these verses. It is the danger of taking verses out of context and building doctrine on them out of context. For instance, in our verses today there is a danger of seeing these things as the means to salvation. They are not; they are the outworking of salvation in a person's life. Peter has already said plenty about a person coming to Christ and being born again. Everything he has been saying recently has been to Christians after they have been born again. We need to emphasise again; these things are to be the outworking of faith in a person's life, not the means of bringing them to salvation. They are already saved; these are just ways that their salvation should now be worked out in daily practice.

So, says Peter, “Whoever would love life and see good days.” What a nice summary of the ‘good life'. This is a good objective in life – to love and (implied) enjoy the life that God has given us and which has now taken on a new dimension now we are Christians. What does it mean to see ‘good days'? You sometimes hear people reminiscing and saying, “Those were good days.” The Lord wants us to know that all days are now ‘good days' with Him in our lives. So how do we enjoy and experience such days?

Peter makes three suggestions. The first is in respect of speech. Such a person must “keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” Why might that be? Possibly the answer is because our speech is a reflection of our heart. Jesus said, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Mt 12:34). You inner motivation is now empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit and He is a Spirit of love. Love will never speak evil or say things that seek to deceive others and undermine truth. Moreover such speech brings disharmony and upset and those are two words guaranteed to ensure that you cannot love life and see good days! So, first of all, what now comes out of your mouth is important.

His second suggestion is in respect of general behaviour. “He must turn from evil and do good.” For the person who has been born again, as we indicated above, they are now energized and motivated by the Holy Spirit who is the perfect expression of the Father who is encapsulated by the words love and goodness. The Father never does evil and He always purposes good for us. Thus as we let the Holy Spirit teach and guide and direct us we will never do anything that could be considered ‘evil' and indeed everything we do should fit the description of ‘good'.

His third suggestion is in respect of general attitude: “he must seek peace and pursue it.” The new believer is working on a completely different basis from that which he or she worked on before. Previously they had been working on the basis of self first. That had meant that sometimes they argued, sometimes they sought to get their way regardless of the wishes of others and this caused upset and disharmony. The person who has never died to self will always be pushing their own agenda and upset and disharmony will always accompany them. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Mt 5:9). Those of us who now have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ will always be working for peace: peace between us and God (putting right quickly our attitude or behaviour when we have moved into a wrong place), peace between us and others (ensuring right relationships), and peace between others (seeking to bring peace and harmony into society.)

Now something we haven't noted yet is that in these verses Peter is directly quoting from Psalm 34. Now the verse that goes before these three verses in Psalm 34 quoted by Peter (Psa 34:12-14) reads, “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD .” (Psa 34:11) The phrase, ‘the fear of the Lord' is often used to encapsulate a right attitude and relationship with the Lord. Above we noted that these instructions are to be an outworking of the new life that we have received. Another way of putting it could be, they are expressions of our attitude and relationship in respect of the Lord Himself. We do these things because of the relationship that we have entered into in respect of the Lord. We don't do them as cold application of a new law, but simply because they all comply with the nature and character of God, who we love, which we too now have by the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.

So, by way of summary, can we look at our lives and be assured that our lips never say anything that is inappropriate in the light of the relationship with now have with the Lord? To reflect Him, do our lips speak that which is holy, loving and good? In our general behaviour, is the same true? Can we let the Holy Spirit shine into all corners of our life and ensure that there is only good coming out of our lives and that we are working for peace at all times and in every way? These are helpful checks to ensure we are living godly lives. May it be so!