Peter continues to instruct us on Godly living in submission to Christ’s example. Women are called to submit to their own husbands. This is not a command for women to be subordinate to men in general but only to their husbands as part of the order within the home. A wife’s submission is not dependent on her husband’s walk with the Lord. If they are not walking with the Lord, whether a disobedient believer or an unbeliever, they may be won without a word by observing the conduct of their wives. A wife’s actions will speak louder than her words. While the world may prize women without outward beauty and adornment, God prizes a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit. This doesn’t mean a woman should not wear nice clothes, jewelry, or make-up but that should not be the focus. The Christian woman is to adorn herself with godly character. Remember, man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7). Peter uses Sarah, Abraham’s wife as an example. Twice Sarah was told by Abraham to lie about being his wife and she had to trust God to deliver her from the kings’ harems (Gen 12;20). Peter acknowledges that life with some husbands may be equally frightening and yet wives are to submit to their husbands like Sarah did and then trust fully in God.

Again Peter uses the word likewise to remind us that husbands are also to live in submission to Christ’s example. Men are to treat their wives with understanding, showing them honour and recognising they are the weaker partner. Women are physically and perhaps emotionally more easily hurt, but not inferior in any way. This weakness is to be honoured, not exploited or abused in any way by her husband. Peter reminds husbands that their wives stand before God with them as equal participants in the eternal inheritance God is reserving in heaven for every believer (1 Peter 1:4). Then he warns husbands that God will not listen to the prayers of a man who does not honour his wife.

It is certainly harder to live the way God has called us to live when we believe someone else should change first. This is certainly true in marriage. But God calls us to live a holy life with Jesus as our example in spite of how our spouse might be living. Will you choose to do things God’s way even if your spouse hasn’t?

Peter continues his instruction on how Christians should live in society, now focussing on servants. What Peter says to servants has application for those in the workplace, school, and university as well.

We are to work in submission to those over us and show them respect whether they are good and gentle or unjust. We must serve our employers with the reverence and willingness with which we serve God (Col 3:23-24). A bad boss is not an excuse for a bad attitude or work ethic. We must submit to those over us with our minds fixed on God, knowing He is present. We receive no credit for patiently enduring punishment if it is deserved. But it is commendable before God if we are patient and exhibit a good attitude when suffering for doing good. We have an opportunity to show God’s grace when suffering quietly as Jesus did. Peter says we were called for this purpose—to suffer as Christ did. He left us an example for us to follow. He committed no sin in action or word before or during His suffering. He didn’t retaliate in any way but instead continually entrusted Himself to the Father who judges justly and even prayed for their forgiveness (Luke 23:34). Jesus took our sins on Himself when He was crucified so that we might die to sin and not live for ourselves, but for righteousness. Jesus’ death bought us spiritual healing. Jesus’ death brought us back under the care and protection of the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. Jesus cares and provides for believers who depend on Him, even when we suffer unjustly.

Thankfully none of us work in conditions that could be considered slavery or even unjust. Yet we can grumble quite easily when we think our employer is less than for us. How differently would you be at work if you truly believed your work was for God and not for men. How can you be a dispenser of God’s grace at work or school today?

Peter’s readers were pilgrims in a foreign land. Not just Jews living amongst Gentiles but believers living amongst non-believers. As believers, we are still pilgrims living on earth which is not our home. Because this is not our home, we should not have our hearts and loyalties set on earthly things (Col 3:1-4). Therefore we should not indulge in all those things that are driven by fleshly desire. These desires are strong enough that Peter urges us to fight against them because they wage war against us. Our fleshly passions, if given into, have the ability to cause real damage to us. When we abstain from fleshly lusts we live an honourable lifestyle that will have a positive effect on non-believers who observe us. Even though they may speak badly of us, ultimately they will recognise our good deeds and give glory to God when Christ returns—probably because they have been moved to belief.

What does it look like to live an honourable life? Honour your government and the various legal establishments. Why? Because this is God’s will and we do it for His sake. God is the one who established the government over us (Rom 13:1). God’s purpose is that in doing good and obeying a non-Christian government is that it will silence ignorant and foolish people. There is a place to disobey the government, but only when its laws directly violate God’s requirements (Acts 4:19). As Christians, we have been set free but our liberty should not be used as a license to sin because it is from sin that we have been set free. Instead, we should use our freedom to live as servants of God. We are free to avoid evil and follow the laws of the land and we should do that in honour of God. Our lives should show respect to all.

In this world of social media, our response to the government can be very quick and very loud. What does your social media feed say about how you honour your government? In times when the government calls you to do things you don’t agree with, but which don’t violate God’s law, are you more inclined to obey or not?

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?

Because we have been born again of imperishable seed (1 Peter 1:23), we should live differently. We should put aside those things that are opposed to the truth. We should not be malicious, spiteful, and hostile towards others. We should not be dishonest. We should not be hypocritical in pretending to be what we are not. We shouldn’t be envious or hateful towards others. And we should not speak badly of others and lie about them. These things have no place in the believer’s conduct. Instead, we should long for the truth of God’s word like a baby longs for its mother’s milk. We should long for God’s word because it nourishes us and matures us, changing us to be more like Christ. Our motive for studying God’s word must be more than just knowledge, but growth and maturity. Peter’s closing question is rhetorical, we should all have indeed tasted that the Lord is good and so be motivated to have more of Him.

We live holy lives by coming to and fellowshipping with Jesus, the living stone. Jesus as the living stone has life and gives life to those who abide in Him. He was rejected by men but God chose Him as precious. We identify with Christ as living stones who, as we become more like Him, are built into a spiritual house. We are the new temple of God (1 Cor 3:16-17) and God lives within all believers. Believers are also a holy priesthood who offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God (Heb 13:15-16; Rom 12:1). Jesus is the cornerstone on which everything else is built and all who believe in him will not be put to shame. In contrast, those who do not believe, have rejected the stone and Jesus has become an issue of stumbling and offence for them. They stumble because they do not obey God’s word and suffer the consequences of their choice to reject Him.

Unlike those who have rejected Jesus, believers in the church are a chosen people of God. We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God’s own possession. This was the description given to Israel (Ex 19:6). While God is not done with Israel, and the church has not replaced her, God does have a special place for the church during this time. We are to proclaim the excellencies of God who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Our purpose is to display the excellencies of our God. We are God’s people because we have received His mercy.

What wonderful news. We are special to God and we have a special purpose. What are you doing to make sure you are living a holy life that proclaims the excellencies of God who called you from darkness into His marvelous light?

Peter just called on us to be holy just as God who called us is holy (1 Pet 1:15-16). If we call on Him as Father, which we do, and He judges what each one does impartially, which He does, then we should conduct ourselves with fear and reverence for Him. Even though our position in Christ is secure we are still judged for the work we do. We will be judged and experience discipline in this life and we receive or are denied rewards in the next if we do not live in the fear of the Lord. We should not be flippant about how we live our lives because we know that our lives were ransomed from our sinfulness. Jesus didn’t use silver or gold but paid with His very life to buy us our freedom from sin. Because of what it cost God to redeem us we should appreciate how concerned He is with how we conduct our lives. The payment Jesus made for your sin was planned before the foundation of the world. God knew before He made Adam and Eve that they, and we, would sin and Jesus knew He would have to pay the price to redeem all of us. Belief in God is the only way to receive this salvation (Joun 14:6) as a result our faith and hope are in God.

The result of living holy lives of obedience to God’s truth is love for one another. We should love from a pure heart. We should love because we have been born again (John 3:5-8). Our physical birth was of perishable seed (we all will die) but our new, spiritual birth is of imperishable seed that is eternal life based on God’s promises that never fail. Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8 showing the contrast between humanity whose lives are fleeting like grass and its flower which withers and the flower falls. But God’s word remains forever.

Consider how secure your salvation is because it is based on belief in God’s unchanging and unfailing word. If our salvation required our work then our hope would be based on the fleeting withering substance of man.

Our living hope in our final salvation at Christ’s return is also based on our faith in God’s word. The Prophets of the Old Testament knew that they were writing about the future sufferings of Christ and His subsequent glory but they didn’t understand everything they were saying. They pondered the details of these things like who exactly the Christ would be and when exactly He would come. They knew they were not writing for themselves but prophetically for a future generation. Those details have now been announced by the Gospel writers and other witnesses who have shared the very details the prophets wondered about. The Spirit of Christ spoke through the prophets and the same Holy Spirit speaks through those who preach the gospel now. We are incredibly blessed to be living in a time, like Peter’s readers, where we have the complete redemption story. The Old Testament prophets longed to understand it fully. The angels are amazed when they see God’s grace made manifest in Christ because they cannot experience it. We get to actually experience it.

Because of our certain spiritual destiny, we should respond appropriately. We must prepare our minds for action. Our mindset must be one of action. But it must be sober-minded, not panicked but rational and clear-thinking. Our hope must be fully set on the grace that will be ours at Christ’s return. We have a sure hope, a guaranteed salvation that is ours now and forever. And so we must live as obedient children, not doing the things we used to do before we were saved or getting entangled in the things of the world (Rom 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17). Instead, just as God is holy, so we should be holy in everything we do (Lev 19:2; 20:7).

Are you fully focused on your spiritual destiny? Is your hope fully set on the grace that is yours when Jesus returns? Does your life reflect that in obedient and holy living? Or are you still doing things that run counter to God’s way? What do you need to change today?

The author of this letter is Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. He wrote to the exiles of the Dispersion. These were Jewish believers who had been chosen (elect) to be temporary residents in Gentile countries outside Judea. Their movement abroad into Gentile nations wasn’t random but was done with the foreknowledge of God the Father with the Spirit’s sanctification. Obedience to Jesus is the goal of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification in a believer’s life. The sprinkling of Jesus’ blood looks to the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross that cleanses us in the same way blood was sprinkled in the cleansing of the template, inaugurating the Law, and ordaining Aaron to the priesthood. In the same way, Jesus’ blood cleanses us and restores us to fellowship with God day by day (1 John 1:7,9). Note that all the Persons of the Trinity are mentioned in this verse. Peter closes his greeting expressing a desire that grace and peace would not just be experienced but be multiplied to his readers.

According to God the Father’s great mercy, He has given us a living hope through our rebirth in Jesus that was made possible by His death and resurrection. Referring to them as born again tells us that Peter is writing to believers. Biblical hope is not a wish but a certainty based on God’s promises yet to be fulfilled. Our hope is for an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Our hope is permanent, it cannot waste away or be lost. Our hope is unstained by sin. And our hope does not lose its luster or desirability. This hope is reserved for us in heaven by God. Our hope does not rest in our own ability to stay the course but in an inheritance that is already ours and is being protected by God and His faithfulness. The salvation Peter is talking about is our future destiny in heaven which will be fully revealed when we appear before Him.

We can rejoice in this sure hope even though we might find ourselves grieved as we face various trials. The word Peter uses for trials covers both negative experiences like sickness, accidents, and war along with persecution for their faith. As a Christian, your joy should be independent of your circumstances. Trails themselves should even be considered reasons for joy (James 1:2). Though they bring temporary pain, they don’t change the living hope we have in Christ Jesus. The various trials we face serve to strengthen our faith and show its genuineness. Genuine faith is more precious than gold which eventually perishes. Genuine faith will result in a commendation, the “well done” that will be given by the Father (Matt 25:21) when Jesus is revealed at His second coming. Peter reminds these believers that while they were not eyewitnesses of Jesus, they still believe (John 20:29). Our faith should be based in the person of Jesus and that should result in an inexpressible joy as we focus on the end result of our faith—eternal life with Him.

Do you have joy in your life that is independent of your circumstances? What have you been focussing on that is robbing you of the joy that is yours in Jesus Christ? Do you need to remind yourself of the living hope you have in Jesus so you can inflame that joy again?

The disciples were still talking about their experiences with the risen Christ when Jesus appeared and stood among them. “Pease to you” is exactly what we should all feel with an abiding relationship with Jesus. But the disciples were frightened because they still hadn’t fully processed that Jesus was fully resurrected in body. He showed them His hands and feet which bore the marks of His crucifixion as validation that it was indeed Him standing before them. He also had something to eat in their presence to show that He was not a spirit but resurrected body.

Then Jesus explained to all of them from the Old Testament how He was always going to suffer, die and rise from the dead. Luke includes the Psalms specifically in this description of the Old Testament because of how much they contribute to Messianic prophecy. Then Jesus told them that they were tasked with sharing the news that repentance for the forgiveness of sins was to be proclaimed to all nations, beginning with Jerusalem, who had rejected the Messiah and extending from there to the Gentiles who had not heard of or expected the Messiah but nevertheless needed to turn back to their Creator. They were to go out as witnesses of all Jesus had done in fulfilling the Old Testament from His ministry among them, His crucifixion, and His bodily resurrection. They were not going to go out alone but would be equipped with the empowering of the Holy Spirit who would come on them soon. We have the same task, to share the story of Jesus with others and proclaim forgiveness of sins in His name.

Then Jesus led them out to Bethany, to the Mount of Olives, where He blessed them and was taken into heaven. Jesus ascended to His rightful place at the Father’s right hand. The disciples worshipped Him and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy and continued to gather in the temple, a familiar place but surely with renewed purpose and fervour.

Luke began his gospel by stating his purpose was to bolster Theophilus’ faith and give him certainty about the things he had been taught. I trust that your study through the gospel of Luke has helped to reinforce your own faith and given you greater certainty of the things you believe.