I PETER 1:2-4

  1 Peter 2:11-3:17

“Submission” is the major theme of this section, as evidenced by occurrence of this word at 2:13,18 and 3:1. The body of this section contains advice addressed to different facets of the Christian community, the so-called Household Codes. The intent of this section is to make it clear that “there is to be no exception to the Christian rule of submission.”

Structure of I Peter 2:11-3:17

1. Abstain from fleshly desires (2:11)

2. Suffering for doing good (2:12)

3. Accepting authority (2:13-3:7)

a. Be subject to every human institution (2:13-17)

b. Servants, submit to your masters (2:18-25)

                                    b'. Wives, be submissive to your husbands (3:1-6)

a'. Husbands, honor your wives (3:7)

1'. Turn away from evil (3:8-12)

        2'. Suffering for doing good (3:13-17)

Section 1' elaborates on the “desires of the flesh” mentioned in Section 1. The common theme of units 2 and 2' is the maligning of Christians by unbelievers. The key word “conduct” appears in these two symmetrical sections (2:12 and 3:16) as well as at the approximate center of IIA (at 3:1 and 2). Unit 3a is bounded by the parallel injunctions to “submit to everyone” (2:13) and “honor everyone” (2:17). Justification for pairing 3a and 3a' comes from the similar admonitions in 2:17 and 3:7 that the Christian is to “honor” others. Units 3b and 3b' are both addressed to generally oppressed members of society; both discuss the importance of believers’ conduct in the sight of God; fear is an underlying theme in each; and both cite notable examples of exemplary behavior as models (Christ and Sarah, respectively).

Some general principles relating to 2:13-3:7:

1. Submission is mutual.

2. Submission does not imply inferiority.

3. The main reason for submission is to maintain a good Christian witness to outsiders.

Outline of I Peter 2:11-3:12 by Norman Ericson

from The Literature and Meaning of Scripture (Inch and Bullock ed.)

Beloved,

1. Abstain from the passions of the flesh (negative command)

        II. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles (positive command)

       REASON: so that they will see your deeds and glorify God (2:11-12; similar to 1:14-15)

                III. Be subject to every human institution

                    REASON: for the Lord's sake (2:13; similar to Ephesians 5: out of reverence for Christ)

                A. Citizens, by submitting to the emperor and even the governors

                    REASON: to silence the ignorance of foolish men (2:13-15)

                B. Servants, by submitting to your masters, even those who are overbearing and harsh

                    REASON: to be approved by God and follow Christ's example (2:18-25)

                C. Wives, by submitting to your husbands even if they are unbelievers

                    REASON: in order to win them to Christ and be children of Sarah (3:1-6)

                D. Husbands, by being considerate to your wives even though they are the weaker sex

                    REASONS: because they are joint heirs and so that your prayers will not be hindered (3:7)

                E. All believers, by living in harmony and love with one another, even those who do evil toward you or revile you

                    REASON: so that you may obtain a blessing (3:8-9)

He that would love life and see good days,

I. should keep from evil (negative command)

    II. and do right by seeking peace (positive command)

1 Peter 3:18-4:1)

This short section can be broken up into two parallel cycles with the same basic elements, which, however, do not appear in exactly the same order except for the first and last:

1. “Christ suffered... in the flesh” (3:18a; 4:4a)

2. “alive in the spirit” (3:18b; 4:6b)

3. proclamation to the dead (3:19-20; 4:6a)

4. believers as a new creation (3:21; 4:1b-5,7-11a)

5. Christ's glorification (3:22; 4:11b)

This parallel construction strongly suggests that the reference to preaching to the spirits in prison of 3:19 is equivalent to the preaching to the dead in 4:6.

1 Peter 4:12-5:11

This section begins with “Beloved” and finishes with “Amen,” The body itself roughly falls into an ABA pattern:

1. General admonitions (4:12-19)

2. Specific instructions regarding elders (5:1-5a)

1'. General admonitions (5:5b-11)

Davids explains the presence of subsection 2 between two units on suffering as “a logically necessary explanation of the intra-church solidarity that is required in the face of persecution.” Two of the major “suffering” sections in 1 Peter appear in units 1 and 1', as does the theme of submitting to God’s hand in discipline. Unit 1 ends as 1' begins, with a quotation from Proverbs.

I Peter 3:1 I witnessed a good example of this while growing up. My mother always took my brother and me on church Sunday mornings while my Dad stayed home and read the paper in his work clothes. I never heard her complain to my Father once about his lack of interest. After years of this pattern, one Sunday he suddenly came into the living room all dressed up, and from then on he attended church with us, eventually becoming an elder.

I Peter 3:3-4 Unfortunately, I also witnessed a negative example of this situation when I was teaching the adult Sunday school class in a very small church in the Northeast. The wife of a visiting minister came in loaded with jewelry and rings on every finger. That alone would not have been a distraction, but unfortunately it was an indication of a deeper problem. I happened to be teaching this very passage, but I could hardly get a word in edgewise. She went on and on about how horrible it was that women don't know their proper place and how they tended to monopolize discussions at church. She never seemed to see the irony in her statements.

In regard to proper dress, we should always be more concerned about the inside than the outside. The underlying principle is more important than a specific outward appearance since the ways of living out those principles may vary with time and location.

 

1 Peter 3:5 Note that it doesn't say "hoped in their husbands."

 

I Peter 3:6 I once heard it said that fear (lack of security) is great problem for women and Satan's 

greatest tool against them. Just as husbands can help satisfy that need, wives can help their husbands 

satisfy their need for significance. But ultimately, all human beings need both in their lives and only 

God can provide both in abundance.

 

I Peter 3:5-6 There is sometimes a great misuse of the OT example given here. It has been taught in 

the church that a husband is the Lord of the wife just as Jesus is the Lord of the husband. This usually 

includes the idea of a wife's absolute obedience to her husband. Keep in mind, however, that (1) Sarah 

“hoped in God,” (b) “Lord” may imply respect but in the Hebrew it is a simple word for husband, and 

(3) in Genesis 21:12 God actually tells Abraham to obey Sarah.

 

1 Peter 3:7 The phrase “live considerately” is well defined by several writers:

Keith Miller: It might mean taking out the trash even though it is “woman's work.”

Billy Graham: Being as courteous to your wife as when you were dating.

Peter: He was accompanied by his wife in his travels (I Corinthians 9:5). He brought Jesus to his sick 

mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14).

weaker = delicate, or more precious according to some. Others feel it may refer to relative weakness 

physically, economically and in terms of education (as present during the time of writing).

“prayers hindered” – This is similar to the saying in Matthew 5:23-24 about forgiving and asking 

forgiveness before one's offerings and prayers. James Boice: “Simply put, this means that God will not 

even hear the prayers of a man who is too ignorant to know how to treat his wife, or too foolish to 

value her as the greatest gift God has for him on earth.”

 

I Peter 3:18b-20

Luther: “This is a strange text and certainly a more obscure passage than any other passage in the NT. I still do not know for sure what the apostle means.”

View 1: Christ announced his victory to imprisoned evil spiritual beings (fallen angels) referred to in Genesis 6. Preach can mean proclaim or even denounce, without an idea of possible repentance. Peter does not use the common Greek word from which we get “evangelism,” employed by him elsewhere four times. In favor of this view is that “spirit” never refers to a dead human being in the Bible without clearly identifying it as such. In I Enoch, the fallen angels are said to be in prison. This is not the same as Hell at all, but a special holding tank. Thus, Jesus pronounces the final judgment on them.

Variation on this theme: The spirits are the Nephalim.

View 2: It refers to the pre-incarnate Jesus preaching (in his spirit through Noah) to those who would later die in the flood. Prison = flesh.

Anti: Doesn't quite fit with the immediate context of Christ's death and resurrection.

View 3: It refers to Christ after his death preaching to spirits of human beings who died in the flood (examples of a particularly evil generation), (a) with a possible chance of repentance or (b) just to announce judgment on them.

Anti: Why preach only to them? (a) Second chances are not mentioned anywhere else in Bible.

I Peter 4:6

View 1: It refers to those dead in their sins who accepted the word while they were physically alive. Now they are alive in the spirit even though they may have died physically. Not related to I Peter 3.

View 2: Refers to all who are spiritually dead. Not related to I Peter 3.

Anti: “Dead” in the rest of the passage refers to the physically dead. And preached is in the past, one-time, tense.

View 3: Refers to all the dead up to that time (or at least to the righteous dead) so that they had a second chance. Might be related to the event in I Peter 3.

Anti: Second chances are not mentioned elsewhere.

I Peter 4:11b The doxology appearing unexpectedly in this verse has caused much speculation over the years regarding the composition of the book. Some have proposed that two original letters represented by 1:1-4:1 plus a conclusion and 4:12-5:14, respectively, were combined at a later date with appropriate additions. But as demonstrated by the literary structure of I Peter, the book as a whole is marvelously constructed as a symmetrical unity.

I Peter 4:12-19 The teachings on suffering are now resumed from 1:6-7. General principles were dealt with in the earlier passage. Now there is a call to response to actual persecution. One commentator calls this a “re-imaging” of pain so that we can view it from a new perspective.

I Peter 4:12 There is a possible reference to the burning of Rome and subsequent burning of Christians 

as torches by Nero in 64 AD.

I Peter 4:13 “Participate” comes from the noun koinonia (fellowship, communion).

I Peter 4:14 There are several textual and interpretation problems with this verse. KJV has the phrase 

“on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified,” which is not found in the earlier 

manuscripts.

This verse recalls Jesus' promise in Matthew 5:11-12. There is also a reference here to all three persons 

of the Trinity.

There are two OT references here:

A. The Shekinah Glory (pillar of cloud and fire, smoke in the tabernacle, etc.) is a present reality in the 

life of persecuted Christians (see the example of Stephen).

B. The wording is inspired by Isaiah 11:2 in which the language first applied to the suffering Servant of 

God, and then to Christ, and now to the believer himself since the spirit of Christ dwells in a believer 

who suffers like Christ.

Teachers similar to those who espouse the health-and-wealth gospel today may be countered in this 

passage.

I Peter 4:15 The last in this list of sins is the obscure word allo-tri-epis-kopos, perhaps coined by 

Peter. It comes from two root words meaning “belonging to another” and “overseer.” It has been 

variously translated as a concealer of stolen goods, a sorcerer, a spy, an informer, a revolutionist, or one 

who meddles in things that do not concern him. There is an irony in including this last common sin 

among the criminal charges that precede it; it gets our attention. If the word refers to a busybody, then 

it may refer to new Christians trying to change the behavior of non-Christian acquaintances.

Persecutions are no excuse for retaliation in kind.

I Peter 4:16 “Christian” only appears two other times in the NT, both in Acts. It was either (1) a term 

of contempt used by others (That would fit the historical context of persecution for the Name.) or (2) 

“ian” was a common ending added to a family name when a person was adopted into a Roman family 

and therefore taken on voluntarily by believers.

Peter perhaps recalled his own denial of the name of Christ in the middle of persecution.

I Peter 4:17 “Strange and “surprised” come from the same Greek root.

“Fiery” may be taken literally to refer to Nero setting Christians on fire, but more likely it is 

metaphorical, referring to the refining of metals. Alternatively, it may be a reference to the destruction 

of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 AD.

The Jews were accustomed to being a persecuted minority, but Gentile converts might have been 

especially surprised that they were suffering for religious reasons. Right now evangelical Christians 

command general respect among the political powers in America, but we shouldn't be surprised if that 

changes sometime in the future.

Peter utilizes a form of rabbinical reasoning called “light and heavy.” The idea here comes from the OT 

although no one specific passage is actually quoted. For example, consider Jeremiah 25:29. The 

implication is that one reason for suffering to come upon Christians is not to punish them but as 

discipline to refine away their sin.

Note that it doesn't say “disbelieve” but “disobey.” It is mainly an issue of will and behavior, not belief.

I Peter 4:18 This quotation is taken from the Greek Septuagint of Proverbs 11:31. Read the English 

translation of the Hebrew text found there to see the difference.

“Scarcely saved” or “hard to be saved” means that it is a hardship (accompanied by pain and loss in 

this life), not that it is a difficult feat to be mastered or earned by works.

I Peter 4:19 “Do good” may primarily apply here to a proper behavior toward those who are 

responsible for our persecution. In other words, don't retaliate but love your enemies – the second 

command in this passage.

“Entrust your soul” is the same language used by Christ on the cross: “Father, into your hands I 

commit my spirit.” “Creator” is used here to remind us of God's power over circumstances.

Summary of 4:12-19

The Meaning of Suffering:

1. It is a test to prove the reality of our faith.

2. It is a sharing of Christ's suffering.

3. It brings glory to God.

4. It is a reminder to Christians that God is beginning his judgment with them, but they can look

 beyond the suffering to the promised glory.

Our Proper Response to Suffering:

1. rejoicing (vv. 12-15)

2. praise (vv. 16-18)

3. commitment (an active word that results in right behavior) and steadfastness (v. 19)

Reasons for Rejoicing in Suffering:

1. We will share in glory “in so far” (to the same degree) as we suffer.

2. We obtain the presence of the Glory of God.

3. We can contrast our ultimate fate with that of the non-suffering non-believer in eternity.

There are numerous reasons for suffering given in the Bible. Like Job, we may never know exactly 

why on this earth. We need to have faith that whatever the cause of our particular suffering, it is 

according to God's will and therefore has a meaning.