1 Peter – Page 10 – Three Minute Bible

August 21, 2020August 22, 2020

1 Peter 3:7 (b) — Giving to Get

Picture: A small animal holding flowers and looking up. (Composite)

…and treat them with respect …

Today’s topic is Part Two of Peter’s instruction to husbands. He started with what the NIV translates as “be considerate.” As Rich pointed out yesterday, the word “considerate” was translated from the Greek, “gnōsis.” This word is most often translated as “knowledge” or “knowing.” Peter intends that men should be mindful of how women are different.

Today we look at the second part of this passage, “… and treat them [your wives] with respect.” The first question that comes to mind is, “Why wouldn’t a husband treat his wife with respect?” Peter continues the passage referring to wives as “the weaker partner.” So let’s look at the question in the context of physical size.

August 20, 2020August 20, 2020

1 Peter 3:7 (a) — The Cost of New

Picture: Close-up photo of two wedding rings.

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives…

Peter has instructed wives and now turns his attention to the husbands. He begins, “… in the same way….” In the same way as what?

To find the answer, we have to go back to Chapter 3, verse 1. Peter writes, “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands.” Wait a minute. In the same way as — what?

If we go back to Chapter 2, verse 21, we read: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

August 19, 2020August 19, 2020

1 Peter 3:6 (b) — Displaced Fear

Picture: Small boy playing on the edge of a mud creek.

You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

As a kid, one of my favorite things to do was to play in the dirt. If there was water nearby, that was even better. When I was about six years old, there was a small creek that ran through the woods at the end of the road by our house. As an adult, I wouldn’t look twice at this “creek.” It was just a trickle of ditch water that meandered away from the road under the trees. As a kid, though, it was a world unto itself.

In the mind of a six-year-old boy, the woods and the creek took on mythic dimensions. Lit only by the soft green light of the sun filtering through the trees, shadows added another dimension of mystery. Sticks, rocks, and mud all transformed from the mundane into magical building materials. Within the space of an eye blink (time did not exist in this place), the trickle of water had transformed into a lake behind a large dam. There were roads, causeways, canals, and rivers. It was a peaceful and idyllic miniature world — until disaster struck!

August 18, 2020August 18, 2020

1 Peter 3:5-6(a) — The Brush

Picture: Photo of a man's face with a large brush stroke of color across it.

For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.

Today’s passage is interesting. If I read through it quickly, I think, “That’s nice…” But, if I stop and think about what Peter is saying, I have to cringe a little.

Peter begins by talking about “the holy women of the past.” That is a broad brush to paint a picture with! It includes all holy women in the Bible. Who would you put on that list? Who wouldn’t make the cut?

August 17, 2020August 18, 2020

1 Peter 3:3-4 — Godly Values

Picture: Photo of the entry sign at Graceland.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

When I think of “outward adornment” my mind wanders back to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. The year I was born Elvis Presley was already twenty years old. He had just signed his first recording contract with RCA Records. As a kid, there was always an Elvis song on the radio. Maybe I was a bit jealous but I decided at an early age that I didn’t think much of him or his music.

August 16, 2020August 17, 2020

1 Peter 3:1(b)-2 — Without Words

… so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

Why would anyone want to submit to God? Mmmm…. because God is the creator of the universe and everything in it? Because when our body dies our spirit remains? Because God is the one who determines whether our spirit is with Him for eternity or tossed into the burning lake of fire? I guess that would be a good reason to submit to God.

And what does God want from us? He wants our love above all else and that we should love others as ourselves. (Matthew 22: 35-40) Oh, and he wants us to “go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28: 16-20)

August 15, 2020August 15, 2020

1 Peter 3:1 — The Same Old Deception

Picture: A statue of a child listening to a sea shell.

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands …

One of the things that is difficult to get our heads around in this life is that we are not alone. There is a saying that goes, “What you see is what you get,” but that is not true for the world we live in. There is so much more to life than what we can see.

In our recent post, “The Back Side of the Page,” we took a look at what is behind the facade of what we call reality. Behind the stage props we call “life,” there is a larger and more real existence. It is where we find God, the angels, Satan, and his demons. It is also where we find our spiritual existence. What is hard to see are the connections between the physical and the spiritual, but they are very real.

August 14, 2020August 15, 2020

1 Peter 2:25 — We are the Sheep

Picture: A goofy looking sheep gazes at the camera with a, "Who, me?" look.

For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

I have to confess that I do not have any direct personal experience with sheep (outside of seeing one in a petting zoo once or twice). I do know a couple of people who have had experience working with sheep and neither one much cared for it. Sheep are dirty, stubborn, stinky, and troublesome. It is interesting that Jesus would choose to use sheep as a metaphor for people as often as he did.

What I do have experience with is going astray. I have LOTS of experience there. I don’t know how much trouble a lost sheep can get into, but people seem to have an unlimited range of options when it comes to going astray. I am pretty sure that everyone reading this has their own experience in this department, so there isn’t any need for more description here.

August 13, 2020August 13, 2020

1 Peter 2:24 (c) — The Back Side of the Page

Picture: Earth as seen from space with an unearthly glow.

…“by his wounds you have been healed.”

As we work our way through Peter’s letter, I find myself marveling at how much information Peter was able to pack into a few words. I also admire how well it correlates with the rest of the Bible. In a way, it is as if Peter has handed us a key to understanding the rest of Scripture.

In “Innocence Found” (1 Peter 2:24 (a)), we explored a thought experiment that ended with a close-up view of Jesus on the cross. To say that we have been healed by Jesus’ wounds is, at the very least, thought-provoking. How does that work? We know what kind of wounds Jesus suffered for our sake, but what kind of wound were we healed from?

August 12, 2020August 12, 2020

1 Peter 2:24 (b) — Signpost

Picture: Rustic sign pointing to the "Next Step."

… so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness …

Today’s passage speaks to a theme that has been on my heart quite strongly for the past year or so. What does it mean to “die to sins and live for righteousness?” If we want to follow Peter’s guidance, what do we do? Moreover, if we want our church body to follow Peter’s teaching here, what do we do?

If we are to die to our sin, we have to be aware that we are sinning. If we are to live for righteousness, we need to have some concept of what that means. Is it possible for us to do either without being in God’s Word every day?