1 Peter 3.

[Sorry – the audio is only partly complete for this sermon!]

You’ll remember that 1 Peter 1&2 are about the ‘why’ of Christian life. I live in certain ways because Jesus has transformed my existence. I used to be outside of the community of grace, outside of the promise, and now I’m not. And before I move on to 1 Peter 2:13 – 3:12, the first batch of applications of this, I’m going to linger over two truths for a while.

The first is to emphasise 2:10. Once I was outside, now I’m in. Once I was in need of mercy; now I’ve experienced mercy. I once was lost, but now am found. You’ve heard this before, and I might be forgiven for supposing that everyone here knows this really well. But I’m not going to. There is a caricature of the Christian that ridicules us for being those who simply ask ‘are you saved?’ The Christian faith is about more than just that. And I think we can often forget that the path of discipleship is a journey, not simply a decision. But make no mistake – there are two destinations, two options; a choice to be made. We are either in the family or not in the family. Either we have received mercy, or we have not. That’S not something that you or I can know about anothr person, as we do not know where their journey will lead them. You – you personally, you individually – must make that choice. You need to seek God’s mercy; you need to ask to come in. And if you have not; will not do that, then God will not compel you. Out of darkness, into light. Where are you? In darkness, or walking in the light?

Then secondly, I need to just take a moment to dwell on 2:12. This is a summary of the reasons. Why should I live in the ways that Peter is about to expand? Because to do so is a missionary action. The focus of our kingdom lifestyle is the people who watch. Peter’s lifestyle teaching is evangelistic.

This is really important. When we go on to look at what Peter says in the next few verses, we’ll need to remember what question he is answering. If you think the question is ‘what kind of relationship should men and women have?’ then you will understand the answer in one way. If you understand that the question is ‘how can men and women live together in a way that draws others towards Christ?’ then you’ll understand the answers slightly differently. v12 says just this: shape your lives to draw others to Christ.

This is so important. Christian codes of behaviour are not set down like the law at Sinai (actually, neither was the law at Sinai, but that’s for another day!) Peter explains that his instruction is missional!

So let’s get down to the three specific examples Peter uses. Wordly authority, masters and slaves, and marital conduct. Remember – these are examples of what it is to live as a Christian in a world that is unbelieving. So we can take it for granted that there will be aspects of the authority of the state, the master or the husband that will not reflect the values of the kingdom. When Peter calls on citizens to submit to the king or the governor, he says nothing about the quality of their authority. He does say that the intention God has in allowing them to be in the position they have is to punish wrong and reward right – but submission isn’t dependent on that. No, this is purposeful. We live as good citizens in order to be a testimony to the character of God.

That’s even more true of slaves – literally domestic servants – here. Peter isn’t saying ‘keep your station in life, because that’s how things are ordained to be.’ He’s saying ‘if you respect the one who is your master, you may get the chance to draw him towards Christ. You are doing what Jesus did – suffering unjustly.

And the same is true of the relationship between believing wives and unbelieving husbands – do what is necessary, Peter says, to win them over.

Does that apply to men too? I think it does. Let’s be clear – while many women had unbelieving husbands, it would not be possible to conceive of a situation in which a believing man admitted to an unbelieving wife. It was taken for granted that if you belived, then your wife did also. That’s not right, and it isn’t consistent, but it was the way the world worked. Not to share the faith of your husband was either a secret or an indulgence. So when Peter addresses Xn husbands here, and presses them to honour their wives, so as not to get in the way of praying together, he is saying, tactfully, treat them carefully and with dignity so that the faith you assume they share with you will be real.

Just as Paul did in Eph. 5:21, Peter makes it plain that no matter who we are, mutual submission is the name of the game, for only through serving one another, and even the unjust world around us, will we draw people towards the one who is the perfect example of this kind of life – the Lord Jesus.