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  • Husbands and Wives Reflecting the Gospel

    “Actions speak louder than words.” This popular saying sheds light on our passage today. Continuing his theme of submission to authority in chapter 2, Peter moves to the marriage relationship in 3:1-7. There is perhaps no greater picture of the gospel in human terms than marriage between one man and one woman. According to verse 1, wives are to be subject to their own husbands. The reasoning here is that the godly conduct of the wife can win the heart of her unbelieving husband. Mere words and constant griping and complaining will not do the job. The love of Christ overflowing from the heart of the wife may soften the hard heart of the husband to the point of spiritual receptivity to the gospel. Loving deeds softens hearts in a way words alone cannot. Wives must be careful what they say to their husbands, as constant badgering may turn him off to the faith. Furthermore, the “respectful and pure conduct” of the wife may lead to the salvation of her husband. Such is the case with well-known Christian apologist and former investigative journalist Lee Strobel. It was the radical change in her character and treatment of others that led him to investigate the validity of Christianity. He was later converted (https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/the-case-for-grace-lee-strobel-story).

    Moving to verses 3-6, the apostle implores wives to put on the clothing of godliness and humility. A woman should not focus more upon her physical appearance than her spiritual character. In fact, focusing merely on the external-the braiding of hair, wearing jewelry, and wearing expensive clothing, will lead to vanity. This does not mean that a woman should never wear makeup or fix up her hair, it means that her primary focus should be on cultivating a “gentle and quiet spirit,” which is true beauty in God’s sight (v. 4). This is the spirit that Sarah had towards Abraham, the father of the Hebrews in Genesis 12-25. She submitted to his leadership and therefore received God’s blessing of being the mother to the ancient Hebrews. Christian women prove to be her “children” by doing good deeds and not being afraid (v. 6). 

    Husbands are addressed in verse 7. Peter writes to Christian men: “Live with your wives in an understanding way,” showing honor to them as the “weaker vessel.” This does not mean the wife is less important or less valuable than the husband. In my understanding, this means physical strength and not spiritual merit. Understood in this way, the husband is to provide, protect and nurture his wife and family. To be honest, this is humbling writing on this topic as a single man but the Word of God is clear: Men are to lead in love and women are to follow in faith. This dynamic is meant to align every marriage with the triune God. Moreover, as Christ is head of the church and sacrificed his life for her, the husband is to do the same with his wife. Accordingly, wives are to respect their husbands (Ephesians 5:25-33). Roles within God’s creative order are extremely important. Therefore, we must take seriously these verses from 1 Peter. Only then can a husband and wife rightly relate to one another and model the gospel for a watching world.

    Application Questions

    1. Wives, how can you honor and respect your husband today?  Husbands, how can you self-sacrificially love your wives today? Do you pray for each other?
    2. Pastors, are you pouring into marriages within your church? How can you strengthen your brothers and sisters in their lives right now?

  • Sufriendo Como el Salvador (1 Pedro 2:18-25)

    Sea intencional o no, gran parte de nuestro evangelismo y de cómo compartimos el evangelio ha pasado por alto la realidad del sufrimiento en la vida cristiana. ¡Ciertamente, el evangelio es las Buenas Noticias! Sin embargo, el temor de fallar en compartir la verdad acerca del sufrimiento por la fe pinta un retrato color de rosa del cristianismo que simplemente es falso. Tu mejor vida no es ahora, sino la vida por venir. Sin duda, hay un gran gozo en tener una relación con Dios por medio de Jesucristo, pero el medio para crecer en esa relación no es mediante la auto-comodidad, sino mediante la conformidad al Hijo (Romanos 8:28-29). Esto normalmente ocurre a través del sufrimiento.

    El sufrimiento no solo nos hace crecer para ser más como Cristo, sino que también puede ser una herramienta para señalar a otros hacia Cristo. Esto es precisamente a lo que Pedro se refiere después de su exhortación sobre vivir de manera honorable al someternos a la autoridad del gobierno. Los cristianos glorifican a Dios honrando a aquellos que están en autoridad sobre ellos. Ahora él añade que los siervos deben someterse a sus amos. El mismo principio se aplica: debemos someternos a quienes están en autoridad. Por supuesto, la objeción surge rápidamente: “¿Pero qué pasa si los que están en autoridad son injustos?” La respuesta de Pedro es consistente: sométanse.

    Para aclarar, esto no es un llamado a ser pasivos o a soportar abuso sin buscar ayuda. Más bien, es un llamado a sufrir incluso cuando uno no lo merece. En otras palabras, es una exhortación a soportar el sufrimiento injusto porque resalta la gracia de Dios al buscar Su gloria. ¿Cómo lo hace? Recordándonos la persona y la obra de Cristo, y llamándonos a seguir Su ejemplo. Cristo es quien enfrentó el sufrimiento más injusto, muriendo en una cruz una muerte que no merecía y absorbiendo la ira de Dios que nosotros merecíamos por rebelarnos contra Él. El Salvador sin pecado sufrió por nosotros para que pudiéramos ser salvos, y solo entonces podemos seguir Su ejemplo (2:21).

    Por lo tanto, aun en nuestro sufrimiento seguimos a Cristo. Sufrir como el Salvador significa que no respondemos con pecado ni engaño (2:22), y que no devolvemos maldición ni amenazas (2:23a), sino que nos encomendamos a Dios. Cuando enfrentamos personalmente el sufrimiento injusto, lo dejamos en manos del Juez Justo (2:23). Con toda honestidad, no buscar venganza puede ser difícil, si no imposible. Sin el poder de Dios por medio del Espíritu Santo, eso es cierto. Pero para los cristianos, el Espíritu Santo mora en nosotros para darnos poder y capacitarnos para hacer lo que no podríamos hacer por nuestras propias fuerzas. Sabemos que podemos confiar en Dios, el Juez Justo, mirando a la cruz (Romanos 3:26).

    Cristo murió por nosotros y resucitó para que “muramos al pecado y vivamos a la justicia” (2:24). La vida justa consiste en confiar en Cristo, y lo hacemos sufriendo por Él y señalando a otros hacia Él en medio de nuestro sufrimiento. Es por Su sacrificio que somos sanados y por Su pastoreo que somos reconciliados con el Padre (2:25). Debido a Su sufrimiento y Su gloria, podemos recibir la salvación y sufrir como el Salvador.

    Preguntas para Reflexión:

    • ¿Cómo afecta la realidad del sufrimiento en la vida cristiana la manera en que respondes a las dificultades y la forma en que compartes el evangelio con otros?
    • ¿Cómo puede la iglesia ser un mejor testimonio en su respuesta al sufrimiento en la vida cristiana?

  • Suffering Like the Savior (1 Peter 2:18-25)

    Whether intentional or not, much of our evangelism and sharing the gospel has neglected the reality of suffering in the Christian life. Truly, the gospel is the Good News! Yet, the fear of failing to share the truth of suffering for the faith paints a rosy-colored portrait of Christianity that is simply false. Your best life is not now but is the life to come. Certainly, there is great joy to be found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but the means of growing in that relationship is not through self-comfort but through Son-conformity (Romans 8:28-29). This usually occurs by the means of suffering. Suffering does not only grow us to be more like Christ but it can also be a tool to point others to Christ. This is what Peter is getting at after his exhortation on living honorably by submitting to governmental authority. Christians glorify God by honoring those who are in authority over them. He now adds for servants to be subject to their masters. The same principle applies: we must submit to those in authority. Of course, the objection still is quickly raised, “But what if those in authority are unjust?” Peter’s answer is consistent: submit. To be clear, this is not a call to be passive and to take abuse without seeking help. Rather, the call is to suffer even when one may not deserve it. In other words, it is an exhortation to endure unjust suffering because it highlights the grace of God in seeking to glorify God. How does it do that? By reminding us of the person and work of Christ and calling us to follow His example. Christ is the one who faced the ultimate unjust suffering, dying a death on the cross He did not deserve and absorbing the wrath of God we deserved for our rebelling against Him. The sinless Savior suffered for us so that we could be saved, and only then can we follow His example (2:21). Therefore, even in our suffering we follow Christ. To suffer like the Savior means we do not respond in sin and deceit (2:22) and we do not repay in condemnation or threats (2:23a), but we entrust ourselves to God. When we personally face unjust suffering, we leave it in the hands of the Just Judge (2:23). In all honesty, to not seek revenge can be difficult, if not impossible. Without the power of God by the Holy Spirit, that is true. For Christians, though, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to empower and enable us to do what we cannot do in our own power. We know we can trust God, the Just Judge, by looking to the cross (Romans 3:26). Christ died for us and rose again so that “we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (2:24). The righteous way of life is trusting in Christ and we do that by suffering for Him and point others to Him in our suffering. It is by His sacrifice we are healed and it is by His shepherding we are reconciled to the Father (2:25). Because of His suffering and glory, we can receive salvation and suffer like the Savior.

    Reflection Questions:
    How does the reality of suffering in the Christian life affect the way you respond to hardships and the way you share the gospel with others?
    How can the church be a better witness of responding to suffering in the Christian life?