Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does 1st Peter Chapter 2 mean?

How Christians live on this side of eternity does, in fact, matter. First Peter 1 established who we are as God’s people, through faith in Christ. It described why believers are called by God to lead holy lives, different from those in the world around us. God has set us aside for a different purpose. Peter now begins to get specific about what that looks like in our day-to-day reality.

He begins by telling Christians to put away some specific negative attitudes and actions. Instead, we are to grow our appetite for the pure spiritual food available in Jesus. Why does that matter? Because Jesus is the long-prophesied cornerstone, or foundation stone, in the new spiritual house which God is building. Jesus is the chosen and precious one. Those who trust in Him are also living stones in this house. They are a holy priesthood, each one, serving in the house with a responsibility to offer themselves as spiritual sacrifices.

Those who reject Christ are destined to stumble over Him, but those who trust in Him will receive honor with Him. We have been called out of the darkness that all others remain in, and into God’s light. So then, it matters all the more that we lead good lives now. Not because we might lose God’s mercy—we will not—but because we represent Him to the world around us. Peter insists that we must change our understanding of where “home” is. We must begin to see ourselves as foreigners in the world, preparing to leave to be with our Father.

It’s not easy to live that way. In Christ, we have been forgiven for our sin, and we have been freed from sin’s power to tempt us to do evil. But we still want to sin. The desire to do wrong wages war against our souls. We must engage in the battle with ourselves, now that we have the ability to win it.

One aspect of that battle with ourselves is submission to human authorities. Peter’s readers at the time must have felt they had legitimate reasons to rebel against human leadership. When Peter likely wrote these words, the Roman emperor was Nero, an evil man who brutally killed Christians, among others. Many of the early Christians lived as slaves in the Roman world, some wickedly mistreated by harsh masters.

Surely being free in Christ gave Christians the right to rebel against unworthy human authority, didn’t it? Peter says no. To be free in Christ means that we have a higher authority, God Himself. God’s will for His people is to submit to our human authorities—not out of fear of them or because of loyalty to a man or the state—but to freely give respect and honor to all for Christ’s sake.

So Peter is clear: Christians must submit to every human authority, whether the emperor, the governor, or the slave master. This does not mean “obeying” all that human authority tells us (Acts 5:29). It does mean accepting the consequences of obeying God, rather than men. Nor does Peter endorse slavery or the mistreatment of slaves and servants. Rather, he tells Christian slaves how God wants them to endure unjust suffering.

Going further, Peter says that all Christians are called to suffer for doing good. That’s what Christ, our example, did for us when He suffered on the cross. He did not retaliate or threaten. He endured the pain and sadness of His suffering and took our sins on Himself, dying the death we deserved. We didn’t ask Him to do it, but we would still be lost sheep if He had not. Because He did, we are under the protection and care of our shepherd and Lord.

Chapter Context
First Peter 1 described the glorious reality of our present and future as God’s children, by His grace and through our faith in Jesus. He called us a holy people redeemed by God for new purposes. That means believers must live differently than those in the world around us. In this chapter, Peter narrows down exactly what it means to lead a holy life, including doing battle with our own desire to sin. This also means suffering under human authorities, even unjust ones.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

At the end of chapter 1, Peter urged his Christian readers to love each other deeply, earnestly, exhaustingly, from pure hearts. They had been born again through the word of God, which lasts forever. They had become eternal people with the capacity to give true, Christlike love to each other. In other words, built into our identity as Christians is the responsibility to love each other. This is not because of how it will benefit us, but because it is what our Father does. It is one way that He expresses His holiness (1 Peter 1:15–16). We are made to do the same.

In verse 1, Peter describes the ways in which we fail to give love to each other. He writes that we must get rid of these five attitudes and actions which oppose love. In every case, they represent a choice to focus on my benefit over and above the interests of someone else.

Malice is a wicked ill-will, hoping for another person to be harmed. Deceit is intentional dishonesty. Hypocrisy is also falseness, holding others to standards we don’t live up to, for the sake of pride. Envy has been called “resentful discontent,” focusing our angst on someone who has what we crave. Slander is using false or misleading words to harm another’s reputation.

To put away these attitudes and actions means not serving ourselves first or above all other people. The church—the community of Christians—is intended to be a place where each of us is confident of God’s care and providing. The relationships we have with each other should free us from promoting and defending ourselves, and enable us to do the work of freely and fully loving each other as our Father loves us.

Context Summary
1 Peter 2:1–12 describes the spiritual house God is building. Jesus is the perfect foundation stone God has chosen for the house. Those who trust in Him are also living stones used to build the house. In addition, we individually serve as both the priests and the spiritual sacrifices, our lives offered to the builder. Thus we must live good lives, as strangers in the world preparing to go home to be with our Father, engaged in battle against our desire to sin.

Verse 2. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation —

Having set aside unloving attitudes and actions (1 Peter 2:1), Peter writes that we must now crave something other than our own selfish gratification. Notice that Christians are being commanded about what to want. We have to be told what to crave because this appetite doesn’t always come to us naturally. This “pure spiritual milk” is exactly what we need: the stuff that meets our deepest needs. In fact, we do not always long for it.

How do we develop this appetite? We must start drinking. Newborn infants will sometimes reject the very milk they are crying for, at first, until they get a taste of it. And then they guzzle hungrily. In Peter’s metaphor here, all Christians are to crave this milk like newborns, even the mature believers. This is not to be confused with Paul’s separate metaphor of milk and meat in 1 Corinthians 3:1–3. No Christian reaches the point on this side of eternity where spiritual growth is completed.

So what is this “pure spiritual milk” we need to hunger for? The word “pure” simply means undiluted or uncontaminated. The word used to describe this milk in the original Greek is logikon, which could also mean “rational or reasonable.” More importantly, it shares a root with the word logos, “the word.” This phrase is sometimes translated as “pure milk of the word,” as in the NASB. “The word / Word of God” can refer both to His revealed word in Scripture, including the message of the gospel—and to Christ Himself, the Word made flesh (John 1:14).

So this command means we must learn to crave the undiluted word of God, as a newborn craves milk. By drinking this milk, taking in God’s word, drawing close to Christ, believers will continue to grow up in our salvation. Peter has already made clear that God has secured our salvation (1 Peter 1:3–5), that we are being saved (1 Peter 1:9), and that we will receive salvation fully when Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:5). For now, taking in the “milk” of God’s Word is the intended path of spiritual growth.

Verse 3. if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The previous verse includes a command from God to Christians: crave “pure spiritual milk” as a newborn baby craves milk, so you can grow up in your salvation. This verse concludes that thought by referencing Psalm 34:8. Depending on the translation, the verse either starts with the word “if” or “since.” Some choose “since,” assuming that Peter’s readers had indeed tasted that the Lord is good. Still, the word “if” encourages us to think about our answer to the question.

How have we tasted that the Lord is good? Have we received comfort and confidence in knowing that God has caused us to be born again into a living hope (1 Peter 1:3)? Have we experienced joy in believing in Him (1 Peter 1:8)? Have we found great purpose in the ability to set ourselves aside and give genuine love to each other (1 Peter 1:22)? Peter assumes those things to be true of his readers and of all Christians. Having tasted that the Lord is good should increase our appetite for Him. It should make us even hungrier for the Word of God.

Don’t be confused, though. Peter is not suggesting that we “taste” the circumstances of the moment to see if the Lord is good. He has already written that his readers may be suffering greatly (1 Peter 1:6). In fact, we all suffer. We “taste” the goodness of the Lord in and through our suffering and in His promises that our suffering will end as we continue on with Him forever.

Verse 4. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,

In beginning a new thought, Peter again makes an assumption about his readers and about Christians, in general. We should continually come to the Lord. Coming to the Lord—the Word of God—is a way in which we drink the “pure spiritual milk” and “taste” that He is good. And who is this Lord that we come to? In addition to being the “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3) and the “living word” (1 Peter 1:23), the Lord is now identified as the “living stone.” Each of the three emphasize that Jesus was resurrected after His death on the cross.

Specifically, Peter calls Jesus the living stone rejected by men, a reference to Psalm 118:22. Peter also quoted this verse when making his defense of Jesus before the Jewish religious leaders after they arrested him for preaching the gospel. There, he specifically called out those men who had Christ crucified as the rejecters described in Psalm 118.

In this verse, Peter identifies the Lord both as the rejected one and the chosen one—rejected by Israel’s official leadership, but chosen by God Himself and precious (of enormous value). As the coming verses will reveal, Christians who experience the world’s rejection can be encouraged by two things: Jesus was rejected as we are and, like Him, we are also chosen by God and precious to Him.

Verse 5. you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

In the previous verse, Peter identified Jesus, the Lord, as the living stone. He is living because He was dead and now is alive. We will see in the next few verses that He is called the stone because He is the cornerstone of the house of God. Now Peter includes believers in the metaphor. Like Jesus, Christians are living. We once were dead spiritually, but have been made alive by God’s grace through our faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:5). We may die physically, but our resurrection is already secured by God’s promise (1 Peter 1:3–5).

Christians are stones, as well, set aside for a specific project. God is currently building us into a spiritual house, a dwelling place for Himself. In this new temple—made out of the people of God—each of us also serve as priests.

Under the Old Testament Law, of course, the people would come to the temple where the priests would represent them to God. Now, Peter writes, God’s people in Christ are the temple. We are also the priests. All of the barriers between God and us have been removed. We come to our loving Father boldly, needing no other mediator but Jesus Himself (Hebrews 4:16).

Also under the Law, the people would have brought sacrifices to the temple where the priests would have killed the animals and offered them to God on behalf of the people. Now, in Christ, the people are the temple; we are the priests; and we are also the sacrifices offered to God.

However, as Paul writes in Romans 12:1, we are living sacrifices. With our sin already forgiven through Jesus’ death, no more death or blood is required. Instead, we offer our living bodies—every part of ourselves—as acceptable spiritual sacrifices to be used by God for His purposes.

Verse 6. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,a cornerstone chosen and precious,and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Peter supports the points he has made in the previous verses by referencing Isaiah 28:16. Peter affirms that Jesus is the one Isaiah pointed to, the cornerstone of the building God is completing at this very moment. The cornerstone served as the basis for the foundation of a structure. Its size, placement, and solidity were crucial if the building was to stand. A good builder would invest much time and energy in choosing and shaping the perfect cornerstone.

In this spiritual house, Christ is that cornerstone. This building will not fall. Those who trust or believe in Jesus will be vindicated for their faith. This is more than simply proving that believers were not foolish for trusting in Christ. It’s also that Christians can be confident that God will not shame us in judgement. In Christ, a Christian’s sins are covered, and our purpose is clear. We are part of the house built by God, the house that will never fall.

Verse 7. So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone,”

In the previous verse, Peter continued a metaphor about God building a house. Jesus is the cornerstone—or key foundation stone—of that house, chosen and greatly valued by God. Those who trust in Him, Christ, will never be shamed or judged as guilty by God. Now in verse 7, Peter states the positive: believing in the cornerstone is an honor for Christians. Jesus is of precious value to God. As believers, He becomes our precious value, as well. Through faith, we share in His honor.

But for those who do not believe in Christ, who do not place their faith in Him, the cornerstone serves a very different purpose. Peter references Psalm 118:22 and applies it to Christ. The builders rejected the cornerstone that God chose. Those once responsible for the house of God, in Peter’s metaphor, are the Jewish religious leaders—the same ones who officially rejected Jesus on behalf of Israel. Jesus Himself quoted the same verse when talking to those religious leaders in Matthew 21:42–46.

Verse 8. and “A stone of stumbling,and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

In verse 8, Peter concludes a thought begun in the previous two verses. In this metaphor of building a house, Jesus is the key foundation stone or “cornerstone.” God placed enormous value on Jesus and chose Him to be the cornerstone. Those who believe in Christ, then, won’t ever be put to shame (1 Peter 2:6). Jesus is of precious value to us, as well, and by believing in Him we share the honor He receives from the Father.

Those who do not believe in Christ, though, experience Him as a stone in a very different way. In the previous verse, Peter echoes Jesus’ own words to the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus also quoted Psalm 118:22, applying it to Himself, describing those leaders as the builders who rejected the stone that God had chosen (Matthew 21:42–26).

Now, Peter references Isaiah 8:14. Isaiah described the Lord as a rock of stumbling for Israel. Peter writes that Jesus, the cornerstone, is exactly the stumbling rock Isaiah was talking about. All who reject Jesus, who refuse to place their faith in Him, will stumble over Him. Why do they stumble over Jesus? What does it mean that they disobey the word? “The word,” as Peter has been describing it so far, appears to refer to the message of the gospel. As Paul stated that message, to someone who asked, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

To disobey the word, then, means to refuse to believe in Jesus. Those who reject Christ as the path to God will stumble over Him. He is either the way to God, or the obstacle that prevents one from reaching God (John 14:6). Peter adds that those who stumble because they disobey the word were destined to do so. He doesn’t suggest they are not responsible for their disobedience. Simply put, the destiny of all who reject Christ is to “stumble” over Him.

Verse 9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

In contrast with those who reject Christ and are destined to “stumble,” Peter now describes the chosen people of God.

Peter uses language that had been used to describe God’s special relationship with Israel. As Israel was, we—believers, the church—are also a chosen race. Unlike Israel, though, we are not a race in the sense of our family, ethnicity, skin color, or country of origin. We are a spiritual race, in the sense that, in Christ, we share a single spiritual Father. In that same meaning, we are a “holy nation,” a specific group of people called out and set apart from all other nations.

Christians, together, are a royal priesthood. In Israel, under the Law, one tribe was given the task of serving as priests, performing the duties of mediators between God and the rest of the nation. Very few held the honor and responsibility of actually coming into God’s presence. But in and through Christ, the King, all believers are priests with direct access to our Father. We need no other mediator.

Finally, God has formed this nation, this race, this priesthood to take possession of us. We are His people in a very real way. It’s not just that we pledge our allegiance to Him; it’s that He has taken ownership of us. We belong to Him.

Why? For one, He has made us to declare His praises. That’s more than just a natural response to our Father’s mercy or something we should do to be polite. Declaring God’s greatness is one reason for our very existence. When we praise Him, we fulfill our purpose. He has called us out of the darkness of a meaningless life, and an eternity apart from Him, and into His wonderful, marvelous light. Because we belong to Him, we belong in His light.

Verse 10. Once you were not a people, but now you are God ‘s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

In verse 10, Peter references Hosea 2:23. This Old Testament prophet was a living symbol of God’s willingness to forgive sin, and to redeem mankind. Even though Hosea’s wife was constantly unfaithful, he forgave her and rescued her from a life of slavery. Like Israel, all Christians together—the church—have been changed. We have a before and an after. Before, we were not a people. We belonged to ourselves and served only our own desires. But in Christ, we have become God’s people. We have belonging. We have purpose. We have a shared destiny with Him in eternity.

Before, we had not received mercy. We would have received the full penalty for our sinful choices. But through faith in Christ, we have received mercy. Our status has been permanently changed. Notice that both statements are in the present tense. We are not seeking and hoping to become God’s people and receive mercy. In Christ, we are God’s people. We have received mercy. The transaction is complete.

Verse 11. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

How should God’s people live? How should those who are, in Christ, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) live from day to day on this side of eternity? Peter answers that question in this verse while revealing two crucial truths about what it means to live as a Christian.

First, calling his readers friends, Peter also calls them foreigners, sojourners, aliens, strangers, or exiles, depending on the translation being read. He means for them to stop thinking of themselves as locals, but as people who aren’t from around here. The transformation God has made in Christians through Christ is so extensive, so complete, that our home town has changed. What used to be normal for us is now foreign. We no longer fit naturally into the thinking and practices of the world around us. And we must not try to fit it; we’ll be going home soon.

But, Peter admits, this can be difficult. Our body wants to sin in the way that comes so naturally to humans, to those who are at home here. Peter has made it clear that we have been saved from the penalty for our sin in Christ. And we have been freed from the authority of sin; we have the ability to choose not to sin now, in the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

In other words, we have not lost the “want” to sin. Even knowing its destructive power, the “want” to sin continues to attack our soul. Peter is not saying that we risk losing the salvation God has given us. He is saying that we are in a battle to make choices appropriate to our status as God’s people. So he urges us to engage the battle. Don’t give in. As saved, holy people in Christ, we ought to “just say no” to the desire to sin.

Verse 12. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

In the previous verse, Peter urged his readers, all Christians, to abstain from the sin they want to do. One reason for that is found in this verse: the world is watching. Although Peter has described Christians as aliens and strangers in the world, he says that we still live among the people of the world. We are not isolated. We see them, and they see how we live.

He also notes that those in the world will accuse Christians of doing wrong things. Jesus had told Peter and the other disciples that the world would hate them because, in part, they would not belong to the world (John 15:18–25). We should not be surprised, then, when we are falsely accused by unbelievers.

However, we do have a powerful defense: we can focus on leading good lives, making good choices. Peter insists that our choice to do good deeds in the world now truly matters. One reason is that those in the world around us will notice our good works. This will trigger them to give glory to God on the day He visits us. Even as those in the world resent Christians for our refusal to participate in the sinful practices they enjoy (1 Peter 4:3–4), our good works will attract them to our Father.

Verse 13. Be subject for the Lord ‘s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,

In the previous two verses, Peter has referred to Christians as aliens and strangers on the earth. He urges us to abstain from the sin we want to do and to choose to lead good lives, instead. One result of this is that even those falsely accusing Christians of wrongdoing will give God glory.

It’s possible that some early Christians had argued that if, a) they were being falsely accused and b) they were spiritual “foreigners,” perhaps they were not under the authority of human governments. They may have suggested that being a Christian gave one immunity from human laws and judges. Peter rejects this approach. In fact, he tells Christians to submit to every human authority, including the emperor. Why? For the Lord’s sake. The reputation of Christ is built by His followers, and Peter insists that His followers should be known as people who submit to human authorities.

At the time Peter wrote these words, the emperor may well have been Nero. Many Roman emperors were notorious for cruelty and injustice, especially to Christians. As is clear in the following verses, Peter is not telling Christians to submit to authorities because those leaders are necessarily good, but to show that Christ is good.

As passages such as Acts 5:28–29 show, “submission” is not necessarily “obedience.” Accepting the government’s punishment for obeying God is, in and of itself, a form of appropriate submission to human authority.

Context Summary
1 Peter 2:13–25 reveals God’s will for those who are free in Christ: to willingly submit to every human authority for God’s sake. This includes emperors, governors, kings, and even slave masters. Peter does not endorse slavery, but he does instruct Christian slaves to endure unjust suffering, as Jesus did for our sake on the cross. He does not expect us to ”obey” when the instructions are sinful. Rather, Christians are called to imitate Christ by suffering for doing good. Because Jesus was willing to do so, we lost sheep are now under the protection of our shepherd.

Verse 14. or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

This verse finishes the sentence begun in verse 13. Peter tells Christians to submit to every human authority, starting with the emperor: the very highest human authority. He continues that we should also submit to those under the highest human authority, namely those who enforce the law. In Peter’s time, it was a Roman governor’s role to punish those who do wrong—according to the government—and give praise to those who do right. When a governor did this, he was fulfilling his God-given purpose (Romans 13:4).

As Peter has already suggested in previous verses, though, some were falsely accusing Christians of wrongdoing. Still, Peter insists on submission to government authorities. He encourages Christians to make their defense by leading good lives, making right choices, and trusting God to care for them. Believers are not to fight back by rebelling against those in authority, even if wrongfully accused or unfairly treated.

This is hard for some Christians to accept, but it is the clear teaching of Scripture. Jesus taught and demonstrated such submission to human authority Himself, as did Paul (Romans 13:1–7). In the following verses, Peter will show why God wants us to live this way.

Verse 15. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

In the previous verses, Peter commanded Christians to submit to every human authority. This does not necessarily mean obeying everything we are told to do by human government (Acts 5:28–29). Paul delivers these instructions knowing full well that Christians may often be falsely accused of wrongdoing. In teaching submission to human authority, Peter echoes Jesus’ own teaching as well as those of Paul in Romans 13:1–7.

Why would God ask Christians to submit to human authorities, even those who wrongfully accuse us or treat us unfairly? This verse is part of the answer. First, Peter spells it out: This is God’s will. Peter isn’t stating a personal philosophy or a practical strategy for living as persecuted people. He is unequivocally telling Christians exactly what God wants them to do. Why does God want us to pursue goodness in this way? To silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Notice that Peter doesn’t say that the end result of our submission to authority will be fair treatment or even freedom from harm. Instead, God plans to use our good choices to shut prejudiced people up.

What does that mean? Those who know believers well enough to see our faith lived out, on a day-to-day basis, recognize that we do good because we are Christians. They will stop believing that Christians are a destructive force in society, or that Christians do evil, or that Christians are dangerous. They will stop being ignorant about what Christians are really like, because they will know better, by direct experience.

Of course, that result depends on Christians leading good lives out in the open, including being submissive to human authorities.

Verse 16. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

In the previous verses, Peter has revealed that God’s will for Christians is to submit to every human authority, from the emperor (in Peter’s time) down to those who enforce the law. Peter delivered this command understanding that Christians would sometimes be falsely accused and treated unfairly by those in authority.

But don’t Christians have a higher authority? Aren’t we servants first and foremost to God and His will? Peter says yes. That’s exactly the point he is making. Christians are free people in Christ. We are no longer subject to the Old Testament Law, and our true purpose and future are not determined by any human government.

Peter doesn’t want his Christian readers to think of submission to human authorities as any kind of slavery. We should submit to human authority of our own free will. We should submit to human authority not out of loyalty to governments or men, but out of obedience and loyalty to God. As His “slaves,” we follow His command to submit to human laws. God is the one we are serving in our submission to any other authority. That makes us truly free. Believers are not people who submit to governments out of cowering fear, or even earthly loyalty. We submit because our God tells us to, and we are His people set aside for His purposes.

We must never, Peter writes, claim our freedom as God’s people as a way of justifying wrong or sinful (or “evil”) choices. To do so shows that we deeply misunderstand what it means to be a free servant of God. Nor are we to use “submission” as an excuse to do something sinful, simply because the government has told us to do it (Acts 5:28–29).

Verse 17. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

How should a citizen of heaven live on earth? These four simple commands sum up what God wants from us as we interact with human authorities, our neighbors, and other believers.

First, honor everyone. That’s a broad statement, but it also makes life very simple for believers. Instead of picking and choosing who is worthy of our respect, God’s will for us is to give respect to every single person. Will everyone deserve such treatment? Obviously not. But Christians are supposed to be known as people who give respect to others because of our obedience to Christ. Period.

Second, love the brotherhood or the family of other Christians. Again, this is a blanket statement. Peter doesn’t mandate strong feelings here. He does not say, “like each other.” He describes action—an act of the will to give love to every other Christian. Jesus said that the world around us would know we are His disciples by our love for each other (John 13:35). Peter likely has that in mind here.

Third, fear God. When used in reference to God, the word fear is not necessarily a command to live in shrinking terror of God, afraid that at any time He may decide to crush us. God has already demonstrated His love for us and promised us an eternal place in His family. But Peter’s command reminds us to continue to hold His power, majesty, and sovereignty in awe and wonder. We are to continue to fully submit to Him as humble servants, or “slaves,” as in the previous verse.

Finally, honor the emperor, or king. Again, the emperor or king may not be an honorable person. In fact, the emperor at the time Peter wrote this was probably Nero, a definitively evil leader who persecuted the people of God. Still, the command stands. As Paul wrote, there is no authority not established by God (Romans 13:1). We give honor and respect to the king as free and foreign citizens answerable to the authority who allowed the king to come to that throne.

Verse 18. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

After commanding all Christians to submit to every human authority, including emperors, kings, and governors, Peter specifically says the same to Christian servants (or slaves) about their masters. The word used here is not the Greek douli, the classic term for “slaves.” Rather, it is oiketai, probably best translated as “servants.” That being said, the line between servants and slaves was blurry in Peter’s time. Slavery had little to do with race, as modern readers often process the idea, and more to do with economics and social class.

Slaves consisted of those captured in war, those born into slavery as children, and those who had sold themselves into servitude for a set time. Some “slaves” were highly educated and served as artists, accountants, skilled craftsmen, etc. Others worked under terrible conditions (in mines, for example). Many suffered significant abuse; few reasonable legal restrictions existed about the treatment of slaves. Slavery in this era was completely normalized, and a large percentage of Peter’s readers in the early Christian church were slaves and/or servants of one kind or another.

It’s important to recognize here that God’s commands to slaves about submission are not an endorsement of slavery as an institution. It was simply a reality of the day. As someone who was now “free in Christ” by the grace of God, how should a Christian slave live in the world? Peter insists that God’s will for slaves is the same as His will for everyone under any kind of human authority: Don’t make it about your master; make it about God.

This command is to demonstrate reverence for God by giving respect and submission to one’s master, no matter how fair and kind or harsh and unreasonable he may be. In fact, the term translated “respect” in translations such as the ESV and NASB is phobō, from the same root word used to describe a respectful “fear” of God in verse 17. Those who are truly free aren’t dependent on any human authority to determine their actions or attitudes. We submit to human authority for the Lord’s sake (1 Peter 2:13) and, as Jesus did, trust our Father to provide for us (1 Peter 2:23).

Verse 19. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

In the previous verse, Peter wrote that Christian slaves must submit to their masters. Indeed, all Christians must submit to everyone in positions of human authority. He emphasized that our submission should not be dependent on whether that authority is kind or harsh. As discussed in verse 18, the “slavery” of the biblical era is not the same concept which a typical modern reader thinks of.

It’s essential to remember that many of Peter’s Christian readers were slaves, and were very likely to face mistreatment by their masters. Peter is well aware of this. Here, he acknowledges that unjust suffering will bring them pain and/or sorrow. He does not call that a good thing. What he calls a good thing is intentionally enduring that pain and sorrow out of an awareness of God. Or, one might say, out of trust and submission to God.

In verse 23, Peter will remind us that Jesus endured pain and sorrow while being treated unjustly. Jesus made the intentional choice to entrust Himself to the one who is the just judge: His Father. So it is “commendable” (NIV), “a gracious thing” (ESV), or finding “favor” (NASB) to endure that pain and sorrow. We do this with the awareness that our God is the one who will judge all such actions in the end. He is also the one who meets our deepest needs in the moment.

Verse 20. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

Peter continues with the topic of Christian slaves submitting to masters that he began in verse 18. In the previous verse, he called it commendable, or a “gracious thing,” when a believing slave endures unjust suffering from a harsh master. Commentary for verse 18 helps to explain how biblical “slavery” is not the institution most modern readers think of.

In this verse, Peter clarifies that a Christian—slave or otherwise—receives no credit or commendation for pain that comes as a result of doing wrong. In other words, if a Christian slave is beaten for something that would be in rebellion to God’s will, that’s not commendable.

We have to be careful here. As defined from a modern perspective, slavery itself is an evil thing. And certainly, beating a slave, even for wrongdoing, is also an evil thing. Again, these verses are not endorsing slavery or the beating of slaves. Instead, Peter is giving practical direction to Christians who are themselves slaves and who may be beaten by their masters. If that beating comes as a result of theft or rebellion, for instance, the Christian slave should not think of him or herself as suffering in the same way Jesus did (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus never suffered for wrongdoing; suffering for sin is never “favored” by God even if that suffering seems overly harsh or out of proportion with the sin.

Suffering for doing what is right, though, is commendable before God. In fact, the next verse will tell us it is exactly what we are called to do.

Verse 21. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

In verses 18–20, Peter has been discussing why and how Christians must submit to the human authority of their masters. This is a necessary part of submitting to the true authority: God Himself. Peter wrote that enduring pain and sadness for unjust suffering at the hands of human masters is commendable before God. In verse 21, he makes a bold and surprising statement: All Christians are called to endure suffering for doing what is good. We are Jesus-followers, after all, and that’s what Jesus did.

More to the point, Jesus endured pain and sorrow while doing good for us. He suffered for us, receiving beatings from Roman guards, being crucified on the cross, and bearing our sins in that act of love. Peter says Jesus’ actions are meant to be an example for us to follow. Part of our purpose as Christians is enduring pain and sadness, for doing good, for the Lord’s sake (1 Peter 2:13). However, this does not include suffering the natural consequences of our own sinful choices (1 Peter 2:20).

Following in Jesus’ steps often leads to suffering for doing what is right. When that happens, it indicates that our lives are going in the right direction, not that we have made a wrong turn or that God has abandoned us.

Verse 22. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

Peter is making the case that Jesus’ suffering during His earthly life was unjust. He suffered because He was doing what was right. That is, He endured the pain and sadness of His trials willingly, out of submission to His Father, and for our sake. However, this was never as a result of any wrongdoing on His part. Peter quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9, pointing to the coming Messiah. Jesus’ innocence from sin included never being deceitful in any way.

This verse builds on 1 Peter 2:18–21. There, Peter has asserted that Christians are called to follow Jesus’ example. We are to walk in His steps, and those steps may well cause us to suffering for doing good. We should expect this, and not see all suffering as a sign of our failure or of God’s faithlessness (John 17:14–19). We will, in fact, be commended for enduring under that kind of suffering (1 Peter 2:20).

Verse 23. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

Peter builds on the theme of previous verses. Christians are called to suffer for doing good because we follow in the steps of Jesus. He endured extreme suffering while being completely innocent. He serves as our example of how to live as Christians when we are mistreated though guiltless. This verse explains how the innocent Christ responded when He was victimized. To be reviled is to be abusively insulted. Our human instinct is to throw insults back. Jesus refused to retaliate to the angry insults of Jewish religious leaders, the Roman guards, or those taunting Him while He was on the cross.

More, when physically attacked, beaten, tortured, and crucified, He refused even to threaten those who were hurting Him. Jesus would not have had to rely on bluffs, or empty threats, of course. After Peter cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in a foolish attempt to defend Jesus from being arrested, Jesus said to him, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).

Instead, Jesus exercised great self-control. He resisted any urge to retaliate, insult, or even rightly describe the coming judgment of God. How did He do it? It wasn’t just self-control. Jesus made a choice in the moment to trust God, His Father, to be the perfect judge at the perfect time. He trusted that His Father would vindicate Him, would execute justice, would provide all that was needed. So Jesus was free to fulfill His purpose and not make justice for Himself.

Verse 24. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

In the previous verse, Peter described Jesus’ refusal to retaliate against those who mistreated Him. Jesus chose this path because He trusted the Father to be the just judge, to make all things right. Jesus suffered for doing good, without fighting back, so He could fulfill His purpose. Verse 24 describes exactly what that purpose was.

If Jesus had not willingly endured unjust suffering, we would have remained lost in our sin. Instead, Jesus bore, or “carried,” our sins on the cross. He actually died in order to pay the penalty for our sinful actions. He became our substitute, dying the death we deserved. God, the one who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23) judged Christ for our sin in that moment, pouring out His wrath on His own Son to satisfy the payment for our sin. He endured suffering so we could die to sin. In that action, by God’s grace and through our faith in Christ, we have been freed. Believers are free from the price of our own sin, and from the power of sin to poison our choices. Now, thanks to Jesus’ suffering, Christians can live righteously. We don’t have to sin; we are free to make right choices that please and honor our God (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The verse ends by quoting Isaiah 53:5, a profound play on words. As Christians, we have been healed from the penalty and power of our sin by Christ’s wounds, by His death in our place, by His suffering for our good. The wounds—the suffering—of Jesus are the means by which Christians are healed—forgiven by God for our sins. This reference is not about physical conditions, but our spiritual destiny.

Verse 25. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

In verse 24, one of the most profound statements in all of Scripture, Peter described what the fully innocent Son of God accomplished with His suffering and death on the cross. He bore our sins, paid our penalty, and died our death. Through faith in Christ, we have been healed by His wounds.

In this verse, Peter again references Isaiah 53 to make the point that we were not asking to be healed. Instead, we were moving away from God like wandering sheep. As Paul writes in Romans 5:10, we were still God’s enemies when Christ died for us.

Now, though, those who trust in Christ have turned around. The innocent Shepherd endured unjust suffering, without retaliation, to make it possible for us to come back to Him. The one who died on the cross for us now oversees our very souls. Christians now acknowledge Him as our leader and final authority. We are secure as members of His flock.

End of Chapter 2.

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