Lesson 4
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we pray for the pure milk of Your Living Word to feed our weary souls. We pray for Bread of Life, Living Bread, Living Manna, and Living Water, Living Rock, and Living Stone, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 Peter 3:1-22, marital relationships, no retaliation, true beauty, apologetic, substitutionary atonement
VV 1-6, 1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, maybe won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward, arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.
Wives should submit to husbands and give them good testimonies through good behavior, conduct, and lifestyle. Wives should avoid overdressing, extensive make-up, and flaunting expensive jewellery, 1 Timothy 2:9-10. True incorruptible beauty comes from a person’s character and heart attitude. People look at outward appearances but God looks at the heart, 1 Samuel 16:7. Sarah submitted to Abraham and called him Lord.
1 Samuel 16:7, But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Timothy 2:9-10, “in like manner also, that the nwomen adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and 5moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works”.
V 7, Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
Husbands should love wives with understanding, honor, and due considerations for their inherent physical weaknesses. Husbands and wives are joint heirs in the kingdom, sharing the same heavenly inheritance through grace. Husband’s love for his wife is a prerequisite to answered prayers.
VV 8-12, Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For “He who would love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Christians should be unanimous in compassion, love, care, and courtesy towards each other. They should not repay evil with evil but return evil with good by turning the other cheek, Matthew 5:39, and Romans 12:21. God sees the righteous, hears their prayers. but turns His face away from the wicked. Peter quoted Psalm 34: 15-16
Matthew 5:39, “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also”.
Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”.
Psalm 34: 15-16, The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
VV 13-17, 13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Christians should not be afraid of suffering and external threats. Suffering for the gospel and righteousness sake is a blessing. Greek for defense is “apologia”, which means a well-reasoned reply. Christian apologetic is a branch of theology in defending the Christian faith against objections by non-believers. Christians should be ready to defend their faith and give testimonies on their salvation to non-believers out of love, humility, meekness, and good conscience.
VV 18-22, 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us, baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
Through a substitutionary atonement on the cross, Christ who is righteous suffered for the sins of the unrighteousness. Jesus, the sinless One, was made into a sinner to make sinners righteous before God, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Between His death and resurrection Jesus Christ descended into hell and preached the gospel to the disobedient souls who died in the flood during the time of Noah. Not all scholars agree with this interpretation. Augustine proposed that Christ preached the gospel to the disobedient unbelievers during Noah’s time in the spirit, through Noah.
Noah’s ark and the flood are the foreshadows of Christ and water baptism. Noah and his family were saved in the ark. Christians are saved in Christ. Noah and his family emerged out of the flood with new lives. Christians entered the water of baptism in death and emerged out of the water into new lives.
2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”.
Application
Wives should submit to their husbands just as husbands submit to Christ. Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved His bride, the church, and give His life for her. Christians should be unanimous in compassion, love, care, and courtesy towards each other. Christians who suffered for the gospel will be blessed by God.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help us apply Peter’s encouragements, instructions, warnings, and admonishments to his audience into our lives according to our unique life situations. Help us to submit to one another, to government authorities, to kings, and You. Thank You for the inerrant, infallible, and inspired Word of eternal life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.