In 1 Peter 2, Peter began to explain his doctrine of suffering. In short, he explains that suffering is to be expected, but it will also be rewarded at the return of Christ.
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In 1 Peter 2, Peter began to explain his doctrine of suffering. In short, he explains that suffering is to be expected, but it will also be rewarded at the return of Christ.
Stay engaged with new and up-to-date content, including newsletters, articles, podcasts, etc. Download the Teach Me the Bible App from any app store or Apple TV/Roku device.
You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast, where we unpack the meaning of books, passages and themes from Scripture. Join us each week as Dr David Klingler walks us through God's Word and teaches the Bible. Each episode has a study guide available in the show notes. This is Teach Me the Bible podcast.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone and welcome to our Teach Me the Bible podcast. My name is Tim Webb and I'm here with Dr David Klingler for another episode, just as we've been walking through just the overview of 1 Peter here, david, and now we've gone through chapter one. You've convinced me and I get convicted every time I say chapter. I've been on this trail for a while and I hate it when I break up the message stuff. We have to keep track and keep everybody on pace.
Speaker 2:We've walked through chapter one, we're on chapter two. First Peter and second Peter. I just love what's going on here, because he reminds us of what Christ said. His words follow me. He's the example, and so he's going to get into more detail with this.
Speaker 3:Yes, so where's the movement here? Yeah, do we?
Speaker 3:need to back up a little bit. Well, you always. Yeah, I was in a discussion yesterday with one of our students and he was talking about you know, he's talking with another pastor and they were talking about Romans, chapter eight, and the pastor's view. One of the pastor's view was Romans eight really didn't have anything to do with Romans chapter seven. Whoa, what do you think about that, doc? I said, well, you know, I don't have to read it because chapter eight has these three words, that the one at the beginning of verse one and verse two and verse three. I mean all three of them. Right, for this reason, you know, ara, un, un, you know those are Greek words. For this reason, therefore, therefore, that seems to settle. That's kind of a connecting. And so it's so hard, it is so hard to delete these verses, these chapters in your mind and read it.
Speaker 3:There are Bibles out there that actually remove the chapters and verses and it looks like a letter and all of a sudden it reads differently. It reads like a letter. Some of the Bible apps, you know, I use Logos and you can turn off the chapter and verse designations and read it and it really changes how you read it. There's something about you open the Bible, you see the chapters and verses and everything becomes. And now another line, a word from our sponsor, a verse to put on your refrigerator. When these are, these are all letters.
Speaker 3:In fact, all 66 books of the Bible were written to address a specific situation. And so the author writes to address a specific situation, to produce a specific outcome. And first, peter is no different. So you've got these Jewish believers. And the problem with all of these books is if you don't know the story, so why we keep emphasizing the story, the story, the story. Because if you don't know the story, you don't know kind of what's going on. That produced the letter. And so the promised Messiah of the Old Testament has come. He's been appeared, validated by his words and works, crucified, death, burial, resurrection, appeared to the disciples. They proclaimed that word out. Peter, james and John have taken the gospel out to the Jews. Paul and Barnum has taken the gospel to the Gentiles. Some of the Jews have believed, most of the Jews have rejected, and now the Jews who have rejected are persecuting the Jews who believed. Meanwhile, the gospel is going to the Gentiles and the Jewish believers are hanging out with the Gentile believers and the Jewish unbelievers have a problem with this.
Speaker 3:If you don't have all that kind of nailed down in your mind, then this isn't going to make any sense, right? And so what you'll be left with? And it's not like you've got to be a seminary professor, a PhD or anything, you just have to have read the Bible, kind of like you'd read any other book. This is a collection of works, collection of texts, but they all fit together in revealing what God has been up to through all history. So now Peter writes this letter to these people who are under persecution, right, that they're being distressed by various trials and the solution is to endure. Now, one more thing that we need to well, several more things that we need to add that kind of relevant data points in the history of the story. All this was foretold by the prophets and it's gonna be referred to all throughout this letter. Israel was to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. They were to be the people of God, but because they had gone after the gods of the nations and they've rebelled against him, the prophet Hosea comes on the scene and repeats, basically Deuteronomy 32, the song of Moses, that because Israel has gone after the gods of the nations, even though they were to be his people. The Lord will call his people, not his people, and he will have no compassion on them. Then, at the end of the story, he will have compassion upon them and when they believe in Christ, they will be his people again. And so all of that context, all of this Old Testament story, it's like watching a starting a movie. At the end of the movie and watching a scene, you go, I don't know what's going on. Well, of course I don't. I don't. You gotta watch the movie. What makes it a little more difficult in the Bible is that you're not actually watching the movie, you're watching commentary on the movie. In other words, the movie, the script, is playing out in real time.
Speaker 3:These writers are reflecting on the story and how to address a specific situation, and so we pick it up here in chapter two. Excuse me Therefore, putting aside all Malison Gile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. What's he talking about here? Well, he's summoning an Old Testament passage. It's actually Isaiah, chapter 28. And he's going to actually refer to chapter 28 here in just a few verses down in verse six.
Speaker 3:What's going on in chapter 28? Well, in chapter 28, israel has been disobedient. The leaders of the nation, they're like drunkards and they've rebelled against the Lord. And so who's gonna believe the message? And it's the Gentiles. It's a line upon line. The Lord will speak back to this people, Israel, through a lying lip and a foreign tongue, that the Gentiles are gonna believe the gospel, proclaim it back to Israel in a foreign language, and that message is gonna go out to the languages. And so there it talks about these who are just weaned from their mother's milk. These are the ones.
Speaker 3:And so he's summoning this chapter 28 passage. And in chapter 28, it also talks about this precious stone, this precious stone that's laid in Zion, a chief cornerstone, and he who believes on him will not be disappointed. And so what's happening in Isaiah is that you've got this remnant. Who's going to believe the gospel in Isaiah? And they're looking for the promised one to come, and there's going to be a continue to be a remnant led by the disciples, and they're gonna believe the gospel, but Israel, for the most part, will reject. And so in verse four, chapter two, verse four, and coming to him as a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God. He also as living stones are being built in the spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. There is a boatload of background here, of necessary biblical material here.
Speaker 3:This goes back to Isaiah, chapter eight. The Lord will become a sanctuary, but to both houses of Israel, a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense, and so the Lord will become a sanctuary. This remember. Jesus says just destroy this temple. In three days I will rebuild it. And he was talking about his body. And what's happening in the story is this development of this imagery of this temple, the apostles and prophets being the foundation, being living stones being built on the foundation of the testimony of the apostles and prophets, christ Jesus being the chief cornerstone who holds the whole building together. I don't know why when I think about this, I think about a temple or a pyramid. It seems like built together and there's this one thing that holds it all together it's probably not right.
Speaker 1:I'll probably go and get all kinds of things.
Speaker 3:Oh, no, no, no, that's not how it works. But there's this. And inside of the building is where the spirit dwells. And so Paul uses the same analogy in the building up of the body of Christ, the building up of the household. And they both use this imagery together.
Speaker 3:And Israel was always supposed to be this people of God who took the gospel to the Gentiles. And so, in chapter six, he says for this is contained in scripture behold a land, zion, a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, and he who believes it shall not be disappointed. This precious value, then, is, for you who believe, right. For those who disbelieve, the stone which the builders rejected has become the very cornerstone, that's Psalm 118. And so you have three passages Isaiah, chapter eight, isaiah 28,. And then Psalm 118, all talking about this chief cornerstone. For they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to this doom. They were appointed.
Speaker 3:But you, because you have believed, jewish believer, you have taken your place, rightful place, as the chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of people for God's own possession, that people for God's own possession. If you track that language down, it goes from Exodus, chapter 19, runs through Deuteronomy, on different passages in Deuteronomy, malachi, chapter four, all of these people, among all the nations, israel was to be a people, a prized people for God's own possession, and so this is just standard Old Testament language. And so they were people for God's own possession. That you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness and into the marvelous light. For once, you were not a people, but now you're people of God. Who were they to proclaim these excellencies to? Well, to the Gentiles, for sure, but now also to their fellow brethren who have rejected as well right.
Speaker 3:And so this is Paul's ministry. Paul's gone to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous, to move them to anger that he might save his fellow countrymen. And so all this is tying together into the story. And so, because this is all true, he's saying look, you are the believing remnant. You have believed in the promised chief cornerstone, the same stone that the rest of your brethren rejected. Then I urge you, as aliens and strangers, to abstain from fleshly lust, which weighs war against your soul. Now, why are they still aliens and strangers when they believed? When Israel repents and believes in the Christ, then they will be restored to the land. They're saying we're still aliens because the rest of Israel is still rejecting. And so keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing that they slander you as evil doers, well, who's slandering?
Speaker 3:One of our guys that is also involved with us and teach me the Bible and teaches for us at the seminary made a good point one day. Name is Caleb Foley, and Caleb you know it's writing his dissertation in the book of Revelation, and really sharp guy. And he said I don't think that the people who are slandering them as evil doers are the Gentiles. You know, you read it that way. So it kind of he says no, no, it's the ones who are slandering them because they're hanging out with Gentiles, are the unbelieving Jews? Right, and so they. So they, they're hanging out with the Gentiles.
Speaker 3:They're they're your behavior excellent among the Gentiles in relation to the Gentiles. So the in the thing that the that the Jewish unbelievers slander you as evil doers. They may account on your good deeds as they observe them, because you're doing the job of being a kingdom of priests, the holy nation, taking the gospel out. You are not a people, but now you're people. They're proclaiming the excellencies of him to the Gentiles and they've been called out of the darkness into the marvelous light. That's more Isaiah language. You who walk in darkness will see a great light, so that in the day of visitation, you may glorify, they may glorify God. And so so this whole story of Israel's rejection, the remnant believing the remnant taking the gospel to the Gentiles, all of it is playing out in real time, which leads us to chapter chapter two, verse 13. And and so, therefore, submit yourselves, for the Lord's sake, to every human institution, whether to a king or to one, an authority, and you say well, no, okay, so you're supposed to do whatever the king says, you're supposed to do whatever the governor says. Well, the problem with that is that Daniel doesn't a Shadrach, meshach and Abednego don't right. And so when do you submit, to the Lord's sake, for every human institution, whether a king or one, an authority, the governor sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do what's right. What's he talking about here? Well, it would be easy to generalize this and say well, government was created by God to be good. And so listen to the king. God sets up kings, god takes down kings. What about the evil dictator? What about the one who's just pure evil, who's killing people and all that? You're supposed to listen to him. And so then we get into this. Well, it's, so long as that they do what's right, we get into these kind of in this case, you can do it in that case. But that's not what he's saying here. Well, why would he be saying this? If you go back to the story and remember, he just said that they're residing as aliens and strangers, they're dispersed, they're under the Babylonians Gentile, the rule of all of these foreign nations. And I'm reminded of Habakkuk, habakkuk's whole plight. Lord Judah's Israel, we're evil. Lord says yep, I'm on it. Okay, care to explain yourself. Yeah, I'm sending the Babylonians, the Chaldeans, and they're gonna haul you out of the land and they're gonna wipe you off the map. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second, lord, you wouldn't judge the wicked with the more wicked, would you? Oh, I would, yeah, I would. And so the Assyrians, babylonians, medes, persians, romans, they were all brought upon Israel, kingdom after kingdom. And this is Daniel, this is Jeremiah, this is the Old Testament story, to punish evil doers, so that Israel would repent.
Speaker 3:We were talking this last week about the book of Daniel and our PhD students have to put the whole argument of the book together and say, okay, now, now you've got chapter one through 12. Now, back up, what's the point? You know, you got chapter one and you got the Daniel eating, and chapter two and you got this vision and chapter three. Yeah, yeah, I got all that. But back out, what's the message of this whole thing? Well, the message of the whole book is written for the Jewish believer who's living in the midst of the Babylonian exile, and it's, and he's still living in it. 70 years have been proclaimed For Israel to be under Babylonian captivity. They were supposed to repent because of it. They didn't. Everybody on the scene I mean everybody understands why King Nebuchadnezzar is saying look, the God of Daniel is the God of God's, the Lord of lords. He sets up kingdoms, he takes down kingdoms. That's right. Who can you know who can stand against?
Speaker 2:this one.
Speaker 3:It's gone. You know, when Shadrach, meshach and Meneghal story there's, you know Nebuchadnezzar says there's no one who can deliver you from my hand. You better bow down or you're going into the furnace. And you know, I think, the three they quote out of, they know Isaiah, isaiah's message. And they say you know, god is able to deliver us from the fire, even if he doesn't. We won't bow down and they don't, and he does deliver them. And so Nebuchadnezzar's conclusion is there is a God. It's right out of Deuteronomy 32. Your problem is a Nebuchadnezzar. Your problem isn't the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, greeks, the Romans, the Assyrian None of you are there. Problem, your problem is the Lord and the reason why you're in Exile, the reason why why you know the Gentiles, rome is still ruling over you is Because you're still rebellious against the Lord. The Maccabee and revolt. Right, hey, we'll just overthrow the Roman government. The Roman government's not your problem, that's right. The Roman Caesar's there because you've rebelled against the Lord, and so we're going against Caesar.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we're belly against Caesar is not gonna solve the problem. Now here's these Jewish believers who are still residing as aliens. Well, why? Because Israel's, because their brethren still haven't repented.
Speaker 1:So what do you do?
Speaker 3:nation is a repented. So submit to the Lord's sake, for every human institution, whether, as king, one historian got Governors sent by him to for the punishment of evil doers and the praise for doing what's right. Well, they're the ones doing what's right for such as the will of God, that in doing what was right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. And so don't join in the rebellion against Rome. That's not the problem. You need to pray for your brethren, your fellow fellow Jews, to repent. Yeah, that's the solution. To continue on. Yeah, and so For such as the will of God, that by doing what's right, doing what's right in the eyes of Lord, recognizing the judgment that's at hand over Israel, over your, over the nation, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men. Do not use freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as servants of God, bond slaves of God. Now, one of our other, alex, who you know, alex Wolf, who does this podcast with a sum to, and he's done a study and this whole servant and really came up with some interesting things. But but this whole bond servant, every time that you have this bond servant of God, they're, they're representing God to a certain people. And Israel is to be representing God to the nations, to be a kingdom of peace, right in this same context, and so continue to operate as bonds, slaves, servants of the Lord. Honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king, servants. So how do you live this out? So, servants, be submissive to your masters in all respects, not only those who are good and gentle, but those who are scoliosis. It's the crooked. Crooked and perverse generation, sons, in whom there is no faithfulness. Deuteronomy 32.
Speaker 3:Same word here, for this finds favor If, for the sake of conscience towards God, a man bears up under sorrows while suffering unjustly. And we need to make the point that the suffering is not just. There's nothing right about it. Right, and so Peter continues. For what credit is there when you sin and you're harshly treated for it? But if you endure it with patience, that's a better deal. If you do what is right and suffer patiently for it, this finds favor with God. So here's Israel under Gentile rule. What are they supposed to do? Pitch a fit or do they endure? You just hang in there, for you are called for this purpose.
Speaker 3:The point here is and we got to back out to the whole point of this letter is that here are these Jewish believers who are being persecuted. They're living their life out. Others are coming to faith through their suffering. Right, they're seeing them suffering. What's wrong with you? Why are you willing to endure such harsh treatment by your brethren?
Speaker 3:So let me tell you about Jesus, right? Well, it's the same thing here. This is what Christ did For you have been called for this purpose since Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in his steps. And so when the servant is unjustly treated and endures patiently and keeps trusting in God, just as Christ did, he continues for Christ. For he who knew no sin, nor is any deceit found in his mouth While being reviled, he did not revile in return. While suffering, he did offer no threats, but he kept in trusting himself to the one who judges righteously, for he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For by his wounds you were healed, for you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardians of your souls, in the same way wives, in the same way husbands. And so here's the so enduring in the midst of unjust suffering, you know, not just in the midst of suffering, that's bad enough, but unjust suffering.
Speaker 3:And I think one of the things that we have done in our culture is say, well, if it's, I'm willing to suffer, if it's just, but if it's unjust, I'm not willing to suffer. And of course, then we get to determine what's unjust, right? Well, I'm not for unjust. So, you know, this isn't just that. You know, my husband doesn't, you know, treat me the way that I, exactly, whatever. And so we come up with all these categories and that's not what he's saying here, right?
Speaker 3:And if what we're doing doesn't lead to in the midst of unjust suffering, if we're gonna jump a little bit down here in chapter three, because we're gonna pick it up next time, but this whole chapter two continues all the way through chapter three. That's how we started this whole thing, that you can't separate who is there to harm you. If you prove zealous for what is doing, what is good, what's good in the eyes of the Lord, and even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, for doing what's good in the eyes of the Lord, you're blessed. So don't fear their intimidation and don't be troubled. There's nothing they can do to you. They can kill you, they can persecute you. We are doing beachy.
Speaker 2:That's gaining.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but Dying is gaining. Yeah, but you know that's hard theology right? Sure it is, but he continues. But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone, to ask you to give an account for the hope that's in. Why are you willing to suffer, to sacrifice, to endure? Why not just be an American and say we have the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, best life. Now, why are you? What are you doing? Let me tell you about Jesus?
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's your opportunity.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's your opportunity right. Unfortunately and we probably need to close this up because we've run long this time, but unfortunately so often the way we sell this in the church has come to Jesus. He'll fix all your problems. Now. You'll be happy and healthy and wealthy and it'll all go great for you now, and then it doesn't happen. That's not the promise of Christ. Come to Jesus and he will fix all your problems, but you better figure out when right, because until then, sorrow, suffering, it all continues and you also get persecution and asked to endure unjust suffering for the cause of Christ, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in his step. And so this is a high call.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's hard to cut this off because there's so many other passages that Paul joins in this discussion. You go to Romans five and then James, and there's something that's going on in the middle of that suffering though that is unique and remarkable. If you never go there and you don't understand this, you're missing so much.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that suffering and the refining of the believer's faith that happens in the midst of suffering is as old as Canaanate. That's right, and it's gonna continue until the return of Christ.
Speaker 2:But there's a work going on in that process.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely, and it's a good work, right, james says it this way. You mentioned, james in chapter five. We count those as blessed who endured that's right, endured in the midst of trials, tests, tribulations.
Speaker 2:But that's not a bless that we wanna look at. No, well, we don't like that bless. We want the boat, I want the cash. I wasn't gonna push that button. Yeah, no, we don't want that one.
Speaker 3:We wanna win the lottery, yeah, and have all the cash. So it's a, but this is a high calling, and so next time, chapter three, we're gonna continue down this trail and we're gonna hear more about suffering, and it's not a fun lesson to learn but it is so, it brings joy.
Speaker 2:Well, from a pastor's perspective, I'm always just I'm going there. That's gonna be hard for me to stay focused with you on the walking through the text because this being lived out it impacts so much Sure it does, and so just drawing people's attention to that. So I'll do my best when we get to chapter three for a second time and not distracting you and there's just so much going on here and so many people try to separate apologetics from suffering Correct and they're tied together.
Speaker 3:We'll explain that next time Exactly what a pastor's saying.
Speaker 2:All right. Well, thank you, david, and I just wanna encourage everyone to continue joining together, gathering together as the church being the church, and continues to grow in their understanding to know the word Absolutely. Thank you, david.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our desire is to use the power of God's word to change lives. For more information, download our app. Join us next week for another episode of Teach Me the Bible.