Sanctification of the Believer, continued

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Submission in Marriage

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Here was the situation. Many of the new converts to Christianity were Jewish ladies. Many of these ladies took their newfound freedoms in Christ to mean that they were no longer subject to their Jewish or pagan husbands. Here the Apostle tells them, "Wives, be submissive to your husbands." Peter believed that every relationship had specific responsibilities and he was quick to list them.

In this case, cheerful subjection and respect were the responsibilities that these Christian women owed their husbands, regardless of the nature of the husband. Elsewhere we read that these Christian wifely duties were very influential in the conversion of the husband. Unsaved people, or people of other religions, are observers of the way that Christians relate to others. This sometimes leads to conversion and sometimes to jealousy.

Next he deals with women's apparel. Notice three things are forbidden. The plaiting of the hair, the wearing of gold ornaments (jewelry) and the wearing of gaudy, sensual and revealing cloths. The reason in back of this had to do with association. These items were the dress of prostitutes in those days. The instruction here is not to mimic the dress and behavior of unrighteous people of any time or area.

Matthew Henry says that much more is commanded here. He believes that your dress should agree with your station in life. They should not be a sign of pride nor should they detract from your witness. "Take care," Peter says, "adorn the beauty of your souls rather than your bodies." The beauty of cloths dim with age, but the beauty of the soul shines brighter the longer we ware it.

The instructions that Peter is giving is applicable to all Christian relationships. In all of our relationships we need to be aware that the world is watching. We must always be kind and loving in all of our relationships even with unbelievers. Peter calls this, "the Christians work".

Then Peter has instructions for the husbands. "Husbands, consider your wives." Here Peter condemns three customs that were practiced in those days.

1. Un-necessary separation. Men often stayed away from their wives for days, even weeks. They did this for many reasons. Sometimes it was necessary because of work, but sometimes it was for vacation or pleasure. Wives were seldom taken along on such excursions.
2. All possessions were considered the sole possession of the husband. Even the children belonged to the husband. Peter believed that all possessions should be mutually owned and all responsibilities and benefits be mutually shared.
3. Men usually married for sexually purposes and for having children. Most men showed very little respect for their wives.

Peter says Husbands, honor your wife, respect her, maintain her, protect her, support her credit, delight in her conversation, trust her and have confidence in her. Why, dare I ask the question? Peter says because she is the weaker sex, but more importantly, because you and she are joint heirs of the Grace of life. Do this, Peter says, so that your prayers for each other will not be hindered.

Submission in all of Life

This is more often referred to as "unity of spirit". It relates to our relationship with others, friends and enemies, in the faith. The KJ calls it "Be of one mind." To the Jewish Christians of the dispersion, Peter was saying, "Be unified in your doctrine." "Be unified in the practice of your religion." AT this time in the early church in Asia Minor, there was no New Testament. Their guide lines came from people like Peter, Paul and others who had witnessed to them and had taught them about Christ. Other than this, there was very little religious instruction. The Church had not as yet established a set of beliefs or doctrines. Therefore, many went in different directions, the Gentiles looking to the Jews for leadership and the Jews hanging on to their Jewish traditions.

We have not gone very far in the obedience of this command, even after 2,000 years. We have many faiths, many doctrines and many denominations. This is sheer confusion to the unbeliever and even to some believers. Peter believed that there was strength in unity of doctrine. He believed that this would increase their witness to the outside world. He also believed that unity would be accomplished by compassion and love within the body of believers. He even suggests that we show that same compassion and love for our enemies. "Do not return evil for evil."

This was particularly hard for the dispersed Christian Jew. They were disliked by the Gentiles because they were Jews, they were dislikes by the Jews because they were Christian and they were not trusted by the pagans. They lived in a world of social persecution. But Peter says to them, "Bless them that persecute you." and in return, you will be blessed.

Then Peter quotes from the 34th. Psalm. "He that would love life and see good days, shall keep his tongue from evil." Matthew Henry says that a sincere and discrete tongue is a singular means to pass us peaceably and comfortably through this world.

Conduct in Suffering

Verse 13 speaks of the conditions as they were at the time Peter wrote this letter, conditions in which they suffered a form of social persecution. Peter says that during times like that, they would suffer very little harm if they lived a righteous life. But Peter, looking ahead to what he believed was a greater persecution, says, should they be called upon to suffer even more for the sake of Christ, they would be blessed.

Peter was telling these Jewish Christians not to be afraid of the rage of their pagan enemies that could kill only the body and not the soul, instead, be afraid of the Lord who can destroy both the body and the soul. Peter was trying to prepare these people for persecution and telling them to put their trust in the Lord who is able to keep their soul of eternity and to give evidence of this by their faith in His promises.

This kind of witness will cause non-believers to ask questions about our salvation. When we live in faith in God's promises, it invites and encourages others to ask questions where we can, in turn, give an account of the faith that is ours in Christ. These are simply opportunities to give our testimony. But this needs to be done in the quiet of people's homes so as not to embarrass anyone and be supported by prayer to the Lord. Wherever the opportunity presents itself, to a friend, to our family, in the process of worship or where ever, you need to be able and willing to an account of the "hope" that is in you, and Peter says that we should do this with gentleness, meekness and reverence and fear.

This means that we need to witness but not be condemning or judgmental. We need to witness in humility, realizing that, but for the Grace of God, we would be lost. To support this testimony and to give credence to it, we must, first, keep our conscience clear. Secondly, we must keep our conversation Christ like, always speaking well of others, speaking truthfully and always in humility and love, then, Peter says, people can accuse us of nothing but good behavior and Christ will not be put to shame. It is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong. Suffering for doing right is difficult to understand, but Peter says in verse 17, it is sometimes God's will.

This is a form of testing. A good life will expose you to criticism, but a clear conscience will allow you to take that criticism in good faith. Only the unjust and sinful man should object to criticism. Peter understood this for he had been criticized in Acts 11:2, when he went up to Jerusalem, criticized because he had been witnessing to Gentiles. He justified his actions to the Jews in Jerusalem in this manner. This kind of conduct is needful in time of persecution.

Christ's Example

As evidence to the fact that the good do suffer, Peter uses the example of Christ. Jesus was not exempt from suffering, though he was without sin. Christ suffered for the sins of mankind, it paid the price for our sins. This was certainly a case where the just suffered for the un-just. He was crucified on the cross, died, and rose on the third day.

Now we get to the age old question of what Jesus did during those three days. Here Peter says in verse 19, "He preached to the spirits in prison." On over in chapter 4, verse 6, he says, "the Gospel was preached even to the dead." The Apostles Creed, which some denominations do not accept, says that He descended into Hell, presumably, to preach to the dead.

Different denominations have come up with six different opinions concerning verse 19 and the period between the death and resurrection of Christ. I will attempt to give you a brief description of these statements of belief.

1. "Jesus, at death, went to the world of the dead as part of His suffering for man's sins." No statement is made in this belief as to what Christ did there in the world of the dead.
2. "Jesus, at death, went to Hades to personally take those, who by faith had gone to the bosom of Abraham, to Heaven to manifest His glory as the Lord of life."
3. "Jesus, at death, went into Hades to proclaim to the disobedient spirits that the redemptive work which they had been offered and which they had refused, had now been made a reality with His death on the cross." This assumes that these people had been offered God's plan of salvation sometime in the past, and refused to accept it and as the result, Jesus went to add to their misery by telling them that it had come to pass.
4. "Jesus, at death, went into Hades to proclaim salvation and to exhort the disobedient of past ages to repent and offered them a second chance." This would assume that there existed up until the time of Christ, a kind of Purgatory, where people went to await the coming of the Messiah.
5. "This passage does not relate to the three day period between the death and resurrection of Christ, it refers to the period of time during which Noah built the Ark, the Spirit of Christ witnessed to the world before God destroyed all mankind but Noah and his six relatives." This belief does not agree with verse 20 of chapter 3 in First Peter in which Peter states that Jesus went and preached to these people who lived at the time of Noah and who did not obey when God waited patiently during the building of the Ark.
6. "Jesus descended into a hole in the ground which was His humiliation and there remained in the state of the dead for three days." "This is what is described as His descending into Hell." In this belief there appears to have been no activity during those three days, no preaching as is indicated here in First Peter.

As you can see from these six statements of belief, there is much that we do not know and very little agreement on what we do know. Few denominations accept the Apostles Creed. The Nicean Creed, which eliminates the phrase, "He descended into Hell", is not used very much either. Both are man made creeds.

Matthew Henry says about verse 19, "Christ was from the beginning." "His spirit strived with the disobedient from the time of Adam and Eve." "Spoken of here is the Spirit of Christ striving with the disobedient at the time of Noah, those who were imprisoned to sin." "Christ strived and God waited patiently for 120 years." "Only 8 persons were saved."

There are 4 great lessons to be learned from this:

1. God takes notice of the advantages that people of all ages have for the salvation of their souls.
2. God was patient with sinners, but with the coming of Christ, that patience ends.
3. At death, the souls of the lost are committed to a prison called Hell, where there is no redemption.
4. The way of the majority is not always the best, the wisest or the safest way to follow. Better to follow 8 into the Ark than 8 million into the flood and Hell's damnation.

Then Peter makes another controversial statement. The last part of verse 20 says, "Eight persons were saved through water." (Verse 21) "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you..." As a Calvinist, I do not believe that there is any saving Grace in baptism as some people do and quote this verse to back up their belief. I believe if we stop with the scripture where I just did, we miss what Peter was saying in making a parallel between Noah being saved from water by the Ark and our salvation being symbolized by water baptism.

Noah was saved from the flood by building an Ark which was evidence of his faith. His faith saved him through his obedience to God, who ordered him to build the Ark. We are saved, from destruction, by faith which we demonstrate by being obedient to God's commandments, water baptism being just one of them. Many people believe that Peter was not speaking of water baptism but was speaking of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, without which there can be no decision for Christ.

How does this relate to the example of Christ? Christ followed the "outline" that was set before Him by the Father. His birth, life, death, resurrection, and whatever occurred during those three days before He revealed Himself, all was in obedience to the Father. Obedience prompted by faith, saved Noah, Peter believes we can do no less.

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