¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. ¹⁵ For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Act as free people, but do not use your freedom as a  cloak for evil, but as bond-servants of God. ¹⁷ Honour all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the king.¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh. ¹⁹ For this finds favour, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person endures grief when suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favour with God. ²¹ For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps, ²² He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³ and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed. ²⁵ For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls (1Pet2:13-25).

Pilgrims to be good citizens

The previous post concerned what Peter had been teaching regarding the need for Christians to  live as “strangers and aliens” in the present world, looking towards “a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells” (next chapter). Not conforming to the ways and attitudes of the majority, such pilgrims were in danger of being regarded with suspicion, even hostility by the Gentile people and authorities amongst whom they lived. Hence Peter wrote:  “Behave commendably among the Gentiles, so that with respect to the things through which they slander you as evildoers, they may in view  of your good works that they have witnessed, glorify God on the Day of Visitation” (v12). The apostle is now indicating how that is worked out in practice.

Kings and civic leaders should be respected and submitted to (vv13-14). They have been appointed in accordance with God’s will so that they might punish wrongdoers and commend those who do what is lawful and right. Paul had written on similar lines in Rom13:5-7, describing such leaders as the servants of God, even though as a  Roman citizen he was likely under the authority of the manic Christian-hating Emperor Nero at the time of writing. So there may be an element of generalization in the teaching, but for most Christians, in most places, most of the time, the truth holds that the authorities are there to uphold the good and supress lawlessness, in accordance with God’s wishes for an ordered society. Believer need to be those who, regardless of whether or not they receive it, are worthy of commendation for their behaviour within society. As well as “loving the brotherhood”, Christians are to “honour all people” and “honour the king” (v17), regardless of the latter’s religion or lack of it.

Called to suffer

Just as much as Paul, Peter is aware that Christians are what they are because they have been called of God (v21). Likewise, he confirms that as followers of Christ, they should expect suffering, ill treatment  and persecution, just like their Master. As a result of  sacramental provision and divine teaching, the true Christian has inner resources that others do not. If others who do the right thing are ill-treated or maligned for so doing, they understandably may feel aggrieved, upset or bitter. But as Peter indicates here, the Christian should “patiently endure it” (v20). Jesus went further, saying that when we are persecuted  or ill-treated we should “jump for joy!” (Lk6:23), especially if it is “for the sake of the Son of Man” (same verse). And the latter is not confined to evangelistic activity, but to anything we do in order to be faithful to the Lord’s teaching that others may oppose.  Here indeed is a test of faith and discipleship: following in the Master’s footsteps (v21) resulting in eternal rewards that the Christian’s abusers and disparagers shall never attain.

The penultimate verse speaks of Christ taking our sins upon Himself on the cross – not only so that we might be pardoned but “in order that we die to sin and live for righteousness”. Continuing a life of sin is not an option, as the writer to the Hebrews particularly made clear (10:26-30), a passage I covered in a previous post. As Peter affirms in the final verse, whilst we once strayed as sheep, we have now returned to the Bishop of our souls.

All sheep are “of God”

In terms of the broader benign providence I have been outlining regarding the majority who have not been called of God to serve His Son (v21; cf. Jn6:44), there’s something of a clue in Peter’s expression “we once strayed as sheep”. We can only have strayed from something existential, that being the light of Christ in the human spirit that governs the conscience (cf. Jn1:9 strictly KJV^NOTE1). Whilst most, but not all^NOTE2 defer to conscience, attaining a measure peace when they follow its guidance and guilt when they do not, the “fleshly lusts that war against the soul” (1Pet2:11) are ever inclined to lead the non-believer astray.

Whilst I would not wish to push the animal analogy too far, “sheep” in the New Testament, especially in Jesus’ illustrations, consistently refer to those who are “of God”^NOTE3, whereas wolves and particularly goats, the latter most definitively in the bible’s definitive judgement passage (Mt25), represent those who are of the devil. Just as tares cannot become wheat (Mt13), goats don’t convert to sheep, rather some of the lost sheep get found and “return to the Shepherd of their souls”. And by that Good Shepherd’s wounds, His personal flock have been healed/saved so that they might indeed die to sins and live for righteousness (v24).

Notes

NOTE#1  In terms of the translation of Jn1:9, it is hardly likely that John writing in the late first century would be informing his readers that the Light (Christ) “is coming into the world” (some more modern translations)

NOTE#2  Devoid of compassion, truth and a functioning conscience, these are the children of the devil.

NOTE#3  Check all New Testament references to “sheep” HERE