Key Topics – Page 74 – Three Minute Bible

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 26, 2020July 27, 2020

1 Peter 2:13 (b) — For His Sake

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake…

Peter is asking us to do something none of us want to do. Now he tells us why we should want to: Because of Jesus.

How does that work?

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 24, 2020July 24, 2020

1 Peter 2:12 — Smeared

Picture of brown and white and cream colors all confused.

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

This is another challenging text. Peter is starting a section of his letter that describes how to live among unbelievers. As I think about what he is teaching us, it feels like we are sitting in on a master’s class for Christian living.

In today’s passage, we are talking about neighbors or coworkers who accuse us of doing wrong. (Peter assumes we are innocent!) Has this ever happened to you? It has for me. It can be a terrifying experience. In an instant, everything you thought was solid ground can be swept away.

July 23, 2020July 24, 2020

1 Peter 2:11 (b) — Impressions

Picture of shoe with wad of gum stuck on bottom.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires…

…which wage war against your soul.

Today we look at the second half of verse eleven. These six words are profoundly meaningful. As we put on the wedding garment, the righteousness of Christ, we wonder, “Do we have to wear these clothes all the time?” The answer is yes, and these six words explain why.

In this passage, Peter does not warn us against doing sinful things. He has already done that in verse two when he writes, “…be obedient to Jesus Christ ”

July 22, 2020July 22, 2020

1 Peter 2:11 (a) — Jesus’ Shoes

Picture of a man's hand holding the tiny feet of a newborn baby.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires…

In yesterday’s post, “Party Clothes,” we talked about what it means to be the “people of God.” To illustrate, we turned to Matthew 22:1-14 where Jesus tells the parable of the Wedding Banquet.

We concluded the post with this:

“The people who accept Jesus’ offer of forgiveness are given this wedding garment. In spiritual terms, we are talking about party clothes for the most amazing event in the history of the universe.”

Now Peter continues his thought with what it means to put on and wear the righteousness of Christ. He begins with, “abstain from sinful desires.”

July 21, 2020July 21, 2020

1 Peter 2:10 — Party Clothes

Picture of a banquet room set up for a wedding feast.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

I once attended a church whose pastor was a master storyteller. I have never in my life had the pleasure of being entertained by someone so gifted in making a story come to life. Often, the story illustrated a Bible passage. One Sunday, he told a story about the parable of the wedding banquet from Matthew 22: 1-14.

The story was told in his unusual, vivid style. I remember it to this day. The mental images he conjured in my mind are indelible. Sadly, his telling of the story seemed to muddle the point of the Biblical account.

July 20, 2020July 20, 2020

1 Peter 2:9 — Family

Picture of scrabble blocks that spell "family."

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

One of the most amazing aspects of Christianity are the Christians themselves. We are not born of an ancient lineage as are the Jews. We do not have tribal connections or a common heritage. We do not even have a common language. Yet God has made us into one family. More than that, we have become a royal priesthood and a holy nation.

Wherever you find God’s people they declare God’s praises. They are different. You can tell. They no longer walk in darkness. Instead, they walk in the light.

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.