Page 48 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

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attached to it.” Through their submission to any authority being governed by a human being (who
should be considered a pagan in Peter’s context), Christians would be able to prove them wrong in their
foolish talk in the form of accusations directed to them (Peter’s recipients [and us]). In the end, believers
would be proven correct in the things they believe in and the Gospel they proclaim. He encouraged
them not to use their freedom (liberation from sin) as license to sin. Rather, this freedom needed to
view as motivation to live as bond slaves of God as that would allow them to also silence those pagans
with fake slandering and prove them wrong. Then, in summarizing his exhortation, Peter commanded
his audience to respect everyone, love their family of believers, fear God, and honor the emperor. “All
people are deserving of respect, for all are created in God’s image (see Gen 1:26–27 and note).
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Respecting God is the hallmark of wisdom (Prov. 1:7; 8:13; 9:10; 10:27; 19:23; Eccl. 8:12; 12:13).”

Slaves’ Submission to their Masters (1 Pet. 2:18-25).
For those Christians who were slaves to their masters, Peter encouraged them while in reverent fear of
God, to submit to their masters who were both good and bad. Doing so was commendable before God
(but not man) especially when they would be able to withstand that pain brought by punishment that
anybody does not deserve. Possibly, some Christians were serving certain masters who were probably
paganists. So, it is likely that some of their slaves (Christians) were being forced to worship their idols
alongside them. It was in those moments were Peter’s audience were requested to reverence God by
denying to worship idols and choosing to obey God rather than men (cf. Acts 5:29). Christians are called
not to suffer just suffering and endure it but to suffer for doing good because Christ suffered for doing
good and left that to us as an example to follow.

Some of those examples are that throughout Jesus’ unjust suffering, He committed no sin and deceit
was not found in Him. As we suffer unjustly, that is, being falsely accused, denied great opportunities of
employment, denied a place for enrollment in a university, denied freedom of expression of your own
views, as we are insulted for doing good, may we not incline to threatening or retaliating. Instead, we
should entrust ourselves to the one who judges justly, God. “Peter possibly draws this from Isa 53:10,
which notes that the Suffering Servant’s anguish pleases Yahweh because of its results. God, who
observes that the righteous are suffering, will ultimately reward their endurance and punish those who
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are afflicting them (see Rev 6:9 and note).” Jesus Christ bore our sins already when He died on the
cross. He did so in order that we might not sin when we are facing unjust treatment from anybody be
them bad masters or good masters. For Peter, “Christ’s suffering on our behalf serves as the ethical
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basis for believers to turn away from sin and live righteous lives.”

Wives’ Submission to their Husbands (1 Pet. 3:1-7).
For those wives who were Christians married to probably husbands who were
not Christians, their submission to them was important. Their submission, that
is, their purity and reverence of their lives would be evangelistic to their
husbands, therefore, win them over to Christ. Because of that expected result,
wives’ beauty did not need to start from outside to inside but from inside to
outside. “It may be that the women Peter addresses were displaying their hair
in a way that was intentionally sexually enticing or intended to indicate wealth.
Their clothing choices may have had the same effect, and in the process
showed a focus on vanity and perhaps a lack of Christian charity.” Peter described the beauty from
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inside as unfading beauty of a gentle and quite spirit. This kind of beauty is of great worth in God sight.
In a nutshell, this is the beauty that breaks God into smiles. Since this way of submission to their
husbands was correct as it was also practiced by holy women like Sarah who submitted to her husband,
it was worth it then for practice by women addressed by Peter. Doing so by those women was going to

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