Welcome to Day 2374 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2374 – OUR LIVING HOPE – PRESSING ON EVEN THOUGH RIPPED OFF 1 PETER 2:13-25 – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church Message – 05/05/2024 Our Strange Life – Pressing on Even Though Ripped Off 1 Peter 2:13-25 Last week, we explored how we, as God’s Chosen People, are Becoming Living Stones. This week, we need to understand that we, as Christ followers, will not only be the recipients of unjust treatment at times but that there are benefits in bearing the brunt of that treatment in a message titled, Pressing on Even Though Ripped Off. Today’s passage is 1 Peter 2:13-25, on pages 1888 and 1889 of your Pew Bibles. ¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. ¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. ¹⁸ Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. ¹⁹ For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. ²⁰ 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. ²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ²² “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”^{[e] 23} 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. ²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” ²⁵ For “you were like sheep going astray,”^[f] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Have you ever bought a used car and realized a few weeks later that you got a lemon? Ever drop $100 on the latest supplement or fade diet>regimen guaranteed to make you healthy, wealthy, and wise? Who hasn't been hoodwinked by a smooth-talking salesman in a striped suit with styled hair and patent leather shoes? And who hasn't been burned by a glitzy political campaign that promised much more than it delivered? Common rip-offs like these are often relatively easy to recover from. It's much more difficult to endure when the suffering gets personal. You're in good company if you’ve ever caught the brunt of a raw deal. Saul did David wrong, Jacob cheated Esau, Joseph was brutalized by his brothers, and Job got a raw deal from the accuser himself! Of course, being numbered among the ranks of David, Esau, Joseph, and Job isn't all that great when it means being treated unjustly. Things can get pretty nasty when someone slanders our reputation, gossips behind our back, or threatens our livelihood. In my experience, our knee-jerk reactions to unfair treatment generally fall into one of three categories. First, we may adopt the aggressive pattern of blaming others, focusing on the person who did us wrong, and doing whatever it takes to exact revenge. Second, we may embrace a passive pattern of feeling sorry for ourselves, becoming absorbed in self-pity and whining constantly about our plight. Third, we may slip into a holding pattern of postponing feelings, placing our emotions on the back burner, and seething beneath a calm surface. All these natural reactions make sense from a human standpoint, right? But that's all they are—natural and human. But the apostle Peter offers a supernatural and divine alternative. Let me warn you, though. Peter's stout examples of unjust treatment probably outweigh most of our relatively petty grievances, stripping us of any excuse to default to the three typical knee-jerk reactions. -2:13-17- Remember that Peter's purpose in writing this letter is to point his readers in Asia Minor to Jesus Christ as the true source of hope in hurtful times. And what hurtful times they were! Those Christians were scattered and mistreated, imprisoned, and enslaved. Family members rejected them, singled out by employers, and attacked by law-enforcement officials who were supposed to protect them. And all of them—throughout the empire—were living under an emperor who was growing increasingly insane and anti-Christian—Nero. So, when Peter begins his God-honoring response to the unfair treatment with “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority'' (13), it doesn't sound strange—it sounds radical! The word “submit" comes from the Greek word hypotassõ, a term describing respect to another person's authority. A brutal authority might impose his will on an unwilling subject; however, Peter calls for believers to submit with a willing heart. Submitting to human government requires that we “render to Caesar" our civil obedience (Matt. 22:21). It involves sincere prayer for rulers in authority over us (1 Tim. 2:1-2),>regardless of whether we agree with their politics and policies. And it means we live honorably and peacefully in their realm (Rom. 13:1-7). Believers are to be model citizens, not social rebels and misfits. So Peter urges his readers to recognize the higher authorities (“kings or president") and even the local authorities (“governors or mayors"). Regardless of their corruption and idolatry, the existing authorities were to be respected and supported. But why? Peter gives the reason for this radical submission in 2:15: For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. The word for “silence” (phimoõ) means “to muzzle,” as in You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain. (1 Tim. 5:18). But more often, the New Testament uses the term in its metaphorical sense to render somebody speechless because of guilt (Matt. 22:12), to defeat in debate (Matt. 22:34), or even to submit to higher authority (Luke 4:35). Peter has in mind the metaphorical “muzzling” of Christianity's foolish opponents. You see, baseless charges and rumors had been flying around about Christians in those days. “They're loyal to a different king.” “They're a rebellious sect.” “They want to overthrow the government.” “They're subversives!” By submitting voluntarily and doing right before God and people, they would muzzle the mouths of those spreading such vicious and erroneous rumors. Behind Peter's command to submit (2:13-14) and his reason for submission (2:15) stands an essential principle about our attitude toward submission (2:16-17). In today's context, we submit to the president even if we didn't vote for him or his party. And we submit to lawmakers' decisions even though we think their laws are sometimes senseless and excessive. In short, we submit not because we're blind nationalists but because we're “God’s Slaves.” As such, our obligation is to serve Him, and to do so, we need to live in such a way as to honor His reputation in the public square. Bulletin Insert - With this principle come four brief commands like a barrage of gunfire in rapid succession: “Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.  Fear God, and respect the king.” (2:17). These fourteen words are easy to write, but together they create a tricky balancing act, don't they? We are to honor and respect all people, regardless of their faith in Christ, their godless lifestyles, or their attitudes toward Christians. At the same time, we must love the brotherhood of believers unconditionally. God must have our reverence and allegiance, treating His will as supreme. But we must also honor the king, who may hate us, hate his people, and hate God! Let's be realistic. The Bible never suggests that rulers will be perfect, and our civil submission is not conditional upon whether our government is modeling Christian virtue or reflecting Christian morality. Remember, in Peter's day, the empire wasn't a benevolent, pro-Christian monarchy. A percentage of the taxes Christians paid supported the construction of pagan temples and funded unjust wars. And don't forget—the insane dictator, Nero, was notoriously cruel toward Christians. This combination posed a dilemma for Peter and his readers: How does one Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king? Shouldn’t they refuse to pay taxes that support such an oppressive regime? Or maybe take up arms and resist a government with such a leader? Peter said no. Nowhere in Scripture are revolt and anarchy promoted. But Peter’s call to submit to an established government as a system for maintaining order doesn't mean God endorses every ruler. Neither does He approve of particular laws that stand in defiance against His will. Believers are not obligated to follow laws that conflict with His clearly revealed will (Dan. 6; Acts 5:29). Nor are they instructed to keep silent in the face of blatant social and political injustices (Mark 6:17-18). In cases where God has given His people a command—like preaching the gospel and shunning idolatry—believers must obey God rather than human leaders. But in so doing, they must also be ready to suffer the legal consequences for that disobedience and outspoken criticism. Our responsibility to submit to human government and our responses to the evil of that same government are matters we must approach wisely, carefully, and prayerfully. Neither is the answer to follow the unholy agenda of a tyrant while waving our flags of patriotism. That would dishonor God,>the Church,> and the world. We are not to barricade ourselves in a barbed-wire compound and wage war against the corrupt government officials who come knocking with a tax bill or a search warrant. That would dishonor the king and bring reproach on Christ. But between these two extremes, we live in the constant tension of Peter's seemingly impossible commands: “Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.^[j] Fear God, and respect the king.” Only God-given wisdom can help us live appropriately in this tension. -2:18-25- Leaving the more significant issue of submission to a government authority, Peter turns to a particular example of submission quite common in the first century: slavery. In a twenty-first-century world that rightly shudders at the sound of slavery as an abject violation of fundamental human rights, Peter’s words will seem shocking. To some, they will be downright offensive! The institution of slavery in Peter’s day was much different from the disgusting racist system in modern history or even the deplorable underworld slave-trafficking in our own days. But slavery in the ancient world could still be miserable, even deadly—especially if a master didn't appreciate his slave's newfound faith in Christ! Many people have drawn an analogy between first-century slavery and today’s employer-employee relationship, suggesting they were similar enough to apply this passage to modern-day work situations. In some ways, this is appropriate, but in many fundamental ways, the analogy breaks down. As far as applying the principles of this text in today's world, the realm of our employment is the place to start. Still, we must never forget that the vast majority of employment situations in the Western world today are voluntary, not compulsory. SLAVERY IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 1 PETER 2:18-25 It would be incorrect for us to understand slavery in Peter's day as similar to slavery in the modern world. While certainly not free, slaves in the ancient world should be regarded as a social class. Historians believe the total number of slaves in Roman society may have constituted twenty-five to forty percent of the population. Before Peter's time, the Romans acquired most of their slaves as the spoils of war, but men and women could become slaves in several ways. Children of slaves automatically became slaves, and abandoned children could be brought up as slaves. People might sell their children —or even themselves—into slavery to fulfill debts or other obligations. As such, slavery in the Roman world was based more on social, economic, and political status than on race or ethnicity. The actual daily tasks of slaves varied depending on their skills,| the status of their masters, |and the city or region where they lived. Duties could be as menial as cleaning |or as brutal as mining. Other slaves could be prized cooks,| teachers,| or even physicians. And the treatment of slaves depended on the temperament of their masters or mistresses. Masters could set their slaves free at their leisure when the slave took his master's name and was typically granted the same social status as his master. Since Roman law allowed for the possibility of granting rights to such slaves, the composition of the slave population began to change over time, especially concerning an increase in ethnic diversity. Whereas at one time, only non-Roman peoples were slaves, by the time of Peter, the population of slaves included both Romans and non-Romans. Throughout history, some radical Christians have interpreted the freedom they have in Christ as warranting social and political freedom from authority and oppression. During the Reformation, Martin Luther’s emphasis on the “freedom of the Christian">from spiritual bondage at the hands of the Catholic Church was taken to an extreme by enthusiastic peasants who took up arms against the German lords who ruled over them. Today, many advocates of “liberation theology" have interpreted the message of the cross in socialistic or communistic ways, pushing for overthrowing oppressive social systems and economic equality for all. However, the apostles and the early church leaders knew the dangers of pushing for social and political upheaval apart from a true conversion of the hearts and minds within society. It is true that where the gospel of Jesus Christ penetrates people's hearts on a broad scale, culture is transformed, and evils like poverty, slavery, and oppression are radically diminished. But these social changes are the result, not the goal, of God’s ultimate priority— transforming hearts and minds (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 7:20-24). Knowing the human tendency to rebel against unfair treatment, Peter urges Christian servants to submit to their masters, even those who are rough and unreasonable. Admittedly, that’s a hard load to bear. But Peter's exhortation to submission makes sense when we connect it to our calling to shine as reflections of Christ's character in a dark, godless world. Peter makes this point clear when he brings it back to Christ's own unjust suffering: “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered>for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” (1 Pet. 2:21). When we suffer unjustly at the hands of a cruel dictator or an unfair and overbearing boss, we participate in Christ's ministry of unjust suffering on behalf of others. Christ suffered on behalf of us. We suffer on behalf of unbelievers who need to see the gospel lived out in our everyday lives. Nobody suffered as unjustly as Christ. The only perfect man who ever lived was misunderstood by listeners, maligned by enemies, forsaken by family, betrayed by friends, abandoned by disciples, tortured by law enforcers, and executed by politicians. The only one in history with every right to complain remained silent. The only man who could have called on God to judge His enemies| quietly endured undeserved judgment (2:23). And He did all of this not for Himself |but for us (2:24). Dying in our place on the cross— the just for the unjust—He healed our souls so that we can live a new life of righteousness (2:24). Peter calls his readers—and all of us—to submit willingly to people in authority, even if they behave unjustly. But he doesn't make this call to keep the peace or uphold a world system. God’s kingdom takes priority over any worldly empire. Instead, he points us to Jesus Christ as the epochal example. Christ entrusted Himself to “Him who judges righteously,” and could endure injustice with hope. Similarly, we can entrust ourselves to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (2:25). By following Christ's example, we can secure an unshakable hope in hurtful times.   APPLICATION: 1 PETER 2:13-25 Benefits of Bearing the Brunt Peter’s approach to facing unjust treatment from government...