1 Peter 2

The day [God] visits us is that day when God draws near to us and calls us to repent. May men and women, because of our good deeds, be led to repent and glorify God on the day he visits them.

13-14 Every law and every authority among men is instituted by God. A ruler may be evil, but his authority has still been given to him by God. All authority comes from God; there is no other authority (John 19:10-11; Romans 13:1).

God has appointed rulers to punish evildoers and to reward welldoers. It is His will that we submit to these rulers and obey them. We must submit to them for the Lord’s sake—that is, we must submit to them in order to show our submission to God’s authority and to set an example of righteous living for others to follow. However, if the earthly authority or ruler commands us to do anything clearly opposed to God’s word, we must not obey that command; rather, we must obey God’s word (see Acts 4:18-20; 5:29; Romans 13:1-5; Titus 3:1 and comments).

15 When people oppose and slander us, let us not argue with them, let us not defend ourselves. We must never try to get even, or take revenge. Instead, we must show them love and continue to do good (verse 12). In the end their evil and foolish talk will be silenced (see Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14,17-21; Titus 2:7-8; 1 Peter 3:9,16).

In Peter’s time, Christians were considered to be outlaws and rebels, because they worshiped only Christ and refused to worship the Roman emperor. The Jews also opposed the Christians. Therefore, to avoid bringing upon themselves unnecessary accusations, it was important for Christians, as far as possible, to obey all civil laws and to submit to their rulers.

16 Christians are free men. They have been freed from sin, from selfish desires, and from Satan’s power. They have been freed from the Jewish law and its condemnation (see John 8:31-32,34-36; Romans 8:1-2; Galatians 5:1 and comments). However, Christians are not free from God! They are servants of God (see 1 Corinthians 7:22-23 and comment). Christians are free from sin, but they are not free to commit sin. Therefore, Christians must not use their freedom as a cover-up for evil. They must never say: “I am free from the law; therefore, I don’t have to obey God” (see Galatians 5:13 and comment).

We believers submit to other men, not because we are their servants but because we are God’s servants. We submit to others not out of compulsion but out of love, desiring thereby to serve both them and God (see 1 Corinthians 9:19). For this reason Jesus taught that if anyone forces us to go one mile, we should go with him two miles (Matthew 5:41). Only a person who is free—free of sin and pride—is ready and willing to do more than is required (see Matthew 5:39-41 and comment).

17 We must show respect to everyone—whether believer or non-believer, whether good or evil; because all men are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).

We must especially love our Christian brothers and sisters. Here Peter says that we must love the brotherhood of be-lievers—that is, the church. It is possible to misinterpret this verse. Some Christians claim to love the church, but they show little love to the members of the church! Such people seek to purify the church, but in so doing they mistreat their brothers and sisters. Let us never think that we can love the church and at the same time oppose other Christians. To love the church means to love each and every brother and sister in the church.

18 Just as we must all submit to our rulers (verse 13), so must slaves (or employees) submit to their masters (or employers). Even if a master is harsh, the slave must willingly submit to him (see Ephesians 6:5-8; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9-10 and comments).

19-20 In these verses, Peter gives us a difficult but very important teaching: It is commendable in God’s sight when we bear unjust suffering—that is, when we suffer for doing good (see Matthew 5:10-11,44,46-47; Luke 6:32-35). This teaching is the opposite of the world’s teaching! Even Christians have difficulty accepting this teaching. The moment we suffer some small injustice or hurt from our employer, we cry out; we at once begin to oppose our employer, to talk against him. When we do this, we lose the commendation of God.

21 Instead, when we suffer unjustly, let us endure it patiently and quietly, because to this we were called. Christ was called to suffer for us (Mark 8:31; 10:45; 14:24; Luke 24:25-27,46). And those who follow Christ are called to suffer also (Mark 8:34-35; John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12).

22 Here Peter quotes from Isaiah 53:9. Christ was completely innocent in word and deed. He committed no sin; nevertheless, men despised and mocked Him, and in the end, they put Him to death as a criminal.

23 When He was abused, Christ did not retaliate. He did not behave badly to any man; He did not seek revenge. He suffered quietly (Isaiah 53:7; Mark 14:61,65). He entrusted Himself to God (see 1 Peter 4:19). In this world, men may judge and condemn us, but it is God who is the final judge. And God always judges justly; we can entrust ourselves to Him.

24 Christ suffered for us (verse 21). He suffered not for His own sins but for ours. Because Christ, being sinless, did not have to bear His own punishment, He was able to bear our punishment. He himself bore our sins in his body; that is, He bore the punishment for our sins (Isaiah 53:12). That punishment was death (Romans 4:25). Christ was put to death on the tree—that is, the CROSS. Christ died so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. Christ not only erased our sins and delivered us from the power of Satan, but He also turned our lives completely toward God and gave us a new mind and a new power to live righteous lives (see Romans 6:2,6,11-13,18,22-23 and comment).

… his wounds you have been healed (Isaiah 53:5). Christ was wounded at the hands of Roman soldiers (Mark 15:15; John 19:1). Here we see a deep and important spiritual principle: By suffering we are healed. Not only that, by our suffering others also are healed. If we suffer for God’s sake and in accordance with His will, then tremendous healing power will be released through our suffering (see 1 Peter 4:14-16). When we suffer for Christ’s sake, people will see that our faith is genuine, and they will turn to God. When we suffer for Christ, strife and divisions between us will be healed. Through our suffering God can accomplish great things.

25 We are like sheep who have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). But our Shepherd has called us back to Him. We are one flock, because we have one shepherd, Jesus Christ (John 10:14-16).