Man’s Perspective – Page 30 – Three Minute Bible

August 4, 2020August 5, 2020

1 Peter 2:19 — Pain Gauge

Picture: Detail of old woodcut depicting hell.

For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.

Peter is going to talk about “unjust suffering” for a while. As he explores this theme, he segues into the topic of wives submitting to their husbands. I’m not saying that there is a connection here, but I suspect that the wives who are reading this might have some special insights on this passage. Anyway, for now, he is content to focus on the general topic of unjust suffering.

August 2, 2020August 2, 2020

1 Peter 2:17 (d) — Honor

Picture: A veteran and our flag at attention during a Memorial Day ceremony.

… honor the emperor.

At first, when I looked at today’s text I thought, “Great! I get a day off!” After all, in our country, we have no emperor. Nothing to see here, right?

Wrong. There is a lot to see.

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020

1 Peter 2:17 (b) — Family Love

Picture: A dozen or more goslings are all the same but all different.

… love the family of believers …

Peter’s theme is submission. He wants us to “submit … for the Lord’s sake.” We are to put ourselves under others in importance. By doing this we lift others up. They become more important in our eyes.

This feels counter-intuitive to our egos. The part of us that stands apart from God does not want to submit. We glory in our independence and our power. We enjoy taking control of our lives and living large. At least as long as things go well.

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020

1 Peter 2:17 (a) — Respect

Picture of a man tipping his hat in respect.

Show proper respect to everyone…

As we turn to verse 17 in our letter from Peter, he begins with a deep well. On the surface, his words seem simple enough. As we gaze into them, we discover that we cannot see the bottom.

“Everyone” is a lot of people! Does he really mean every person?

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020

1 Peter 2:16 — Ultimate Freedom

Picture: Silhouette of man standing on beach at sunset.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

If I put on my “ignorant” and “foolish people” glasses^⁠1, it is easy to see this verse as a contradiction. After all, Peter says, “Live as free people…” and then in the same sentence he says, “live as God’s slaves.” Which is it, Peter? Free or slave?

How are we to understand this apparent dichotomy?

July 27, 2020July 28, 2020

1 Peter 2:13-14 — Human Authority

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

We have spent two days talking about the first seven words of verse 13. In “The Meaning of Submit” and “For His Sake” we looked at what it means to submit, or “put under,” and why this is important to Christians. Now we look at the rest of this verse and the next.

We live in a time where everything is seemingly being turned upside down. The year of this writing is 2020. If you are reading this at some future date, you will know how 2020 turned out. For the rest of us, reading this in the middle of this unusual year, we are still wondering what will happen.

July 25, 2020July 27, 2020

1 Peter 2:13 (a) — The Meaning of Submit

Picture of man's silhouette kneeling before the cross.

Submit…

The word “triggered” has taken on new meaning in the English lexicon. It has always been around, of course, and used in the practical sense of activating something with a trigger. During the war, if a booby trap was set off you would say it had been “triggered.” These days the word is often used to describe a strong adverse emotional reaction to something. For example, “The student in the front row was triggered when the instructor mentioned that they had voted for the president.”

Words that set off an emotional reaction are “trigger words.” One of the oldest trigger words in the English language is the word, “submit.”

July 19, 2020July 20, 2020

1 Peter 2:8 — Obedience

Picture of a small dog being trained to sit.

…and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble

and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

What does it mean for a Christian to “obey” the message? The message is the offer of salvation through belief in Jesus Christ. But what does it mean to obey?

Each of us comes to the Lord from a different place. By that, I mean that you and I are very different. We have grown up in different ways, and have different opinions and experiences. Even in my own family my three brothers all experienced growing up from a different point of view.

July 18, 2020July 18, 2020

1 Peter 2:7 (b) — Choices

Picture of white arrows on a green background with the words "Possibility" placed next to the arrows.

But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…”

Have you ever been one of those people who hate to make choices? I have. I would overthink every little decision. When I finally made a decision I would wonder if I should have chosen differently. Another version of this was the knocking of opportunity. Should I take this opportunity or wait for something better?

All this overthinking and worrying resulted in stress. It also meant I never felt certain about anything. Ironically, finding Jesus put an end to all that anxiety. Suddenly the question, “Is this God’s will?” trumped everything.

July 17, 2020July 18, 2020

1 Peter 2:7 (a) — New Eyes

Picture of reading glasses and clear letters through the lens.

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.

Yesterday we talked about Jesus being the “cornerstone of reality.” In today’s passage, Peter points us to the people who believe.

Something interesting is going on here. The “stone” Peter talks about looks different depending on belief. We will talk more about the unbeliever’s view tomorrow (Lord willing!). The believer’s view alters everything.