Musings on 1 Peter (3:17)

17: We have been encouraged to live well before all men. To live in such a way that warrants the question, "Why do you have such hope?" is to live the life of the Spirit. Psalm 118 speaks of the stone that the builders rejected, the stone that became the chief cornerstone. This stone is the one which the whole building rests upon. This stone determines our own position in the building. This building - made with living stones, little peters, both broken and unyeilding, fallen and firm, wretched and redeemed, sinner and saint  - this building will rise and will stand in the face of a cruel and wicked world. Can we not expect eggs to be thrown, windows to be broken, graffiti on the walls? We live in a world that hates Christ. As Christians, as little Christs, will not the world hate us as well? Will they not see our testimony of hope and despise us, ridicule us, revile us for it? Why would they not? To their eyes it is foolishness. In the light of their wisdom it is nonsense. To live by dying, understandably, does not at first seem like a good idea. It is not a safe place for the one protecting his own skin. But what the world does not understand is that we all live by dying. Either others die to our needs and demands - in which case, a tyrant emerges - or we die at the needs of others. Something must give. We, by the Spirit's leading, have chosen a life of selfless giving. This flies in the face of self-preservation, and therefore the world labels it suicide. But it is at precisely this point that they fail to understand how God's world works, not having eyes of faith. All the world is a tomb; this they understand well enough. But it is an empty one. And that has changed everything. Creation, fallen and broken, longs to see the physical and temporal restoration of all things, a restoration that has begun in the hearts and lives of the people created to inhabit it. To the blind world, we are rejoicing in a mausoleum. We are setting up shop in the cemetery. "Why?" they say. "What do you hope to accomplish?" "Spring," we reply. Spring. To the eyes of winter, spring seems ridiculous. The bare branches, shivering in the snow, will laugh at ideas of warmth and foliage. And so they persecute. They scorn. They despise. Even if the faithless world leaves us alone, we still must deal with a fallen wintered world, where bodies break and the ice grows strong. It is the testing ground of our hope. Do we really believe in a spring? Do we really believe that the tomb is empty, that all will be resurrected? Do we think Christ-like in all things, for the joy set before us? Do we endure our cross? Or do we complain, and whimper, and actually consider our sufferings - these momentary light afflictions - as something worthy to be compared to the indescribable glory to come? To put flesh on Paul's words, it is like preparing for a ten-year, all- expense-paid vacation to your dream-location. A few seconds before you board the plane, you get a toothache. Not even a very bad one at that. In those brief moments, would we despair of ever seeing our waiting paradise? Would we say to ourselves, "It just isn't worth it. It just hurts too much. Maybe there won't be a vacation. Maybe there is no such thing as a dream-location at all,"? Of course not. The joy of a ten-year paid-vacation would be overwhelming. So overwhelming that a little toothache would probably go completely unnoticed. Now, I do not wish to make light of our present sufferings. They are many, and they are real. But neither do I want to make more of them than the apostle Paul does. And when it comes to toothaches, he had the worst. We are going to suffer, because Christ suffered, and we are not better than our Master. It is better to suffer for the right reasons than for the wrong ones. Suffer for hope rather than for stupidity. Suffer for trusting in truth rather than doubting what is real. When we suffer for righteousness' sake, we suffer the blows on the outside. By the mercy of God, we are given armor for this, and its name is Hope and Joy. But if we suffer for wallowing in our own filth, we suffer the blows on the inside, and no armor in the world can protect us from that. In the mire, we call our sin by another name. We spew our own filth onto those that rub us the wrong way, on those that expose the sin we are hiding. So trust not in yourself. Hope in God. Spring will come. These branches will bear fruit. The Sun has already risen, and the snow has already begun to melt.

Psalm 36

Sin is a talker. Sin saddles up next to the wicked and whispers sweet nothings into their ear. David says of the wicked, "Sin speaks deep in his heart." There is no God, it says. These words tickle the ears and comfort the hearts of unrepentant sinners. No God, no consequence for action. No God, perfect liberty to live in such a way that pleases and gratifies every desire. "My sin can never be found out," they say. "My sin cannot be hated." An interesting and telling fear. Innate in every human is the need to be loved and respected. The lack of these two gifts, often self-induced, leads to all manner of rebellion, under the name of 'compensation.' We convince ourselves that our own actions and personalities cannot be hated or despised. The problem could never reside in us. More sweet nothings spoken deep in our heart. Aptly named, for they are sweet to the ear, but have no substance. We lie to ourselves, convinced by our own sin, that no one will hate our iniquity. It is the rare individual who works evil out of pure apathy. The common sinner will truly believe his sin will be seen as noble and true. David speaks rightly, "he has ceased to act wisely." A nice way of saying he has descended into nonsense. He who becomes wise in his own eyes becomes a fool in the eyes of everyone else. The deceived sinner turns inward, seeing no one else, trusting no one else. He lies awake at night, trusting his own counsel. He has lost all discernment.

What a contrast with the mercy of our heavenly Father! David makes the difference plain to see. The wicked turn inward, almost collapsing into themselves. The steadfast love of the Lord however, "extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds." As high as the mountains reach, so too His righteousness; as deep and as unfathomable as the great ocean depths, so too are His judgements. The salvation of the Lord spans His creation, to both man and beast. This point exemplifies the nature of both sin and righteousness. All sin is inward focused. Love and righteousness are entirely outward in their trajectories. Sin lies in bed at night, plotting pettily. Righteousness sheds light on all, brings light to all, becomes light in all that dwell in truth. It seeks not only the wellbeing of others, but of all creation. It views this world as a garden to be tended, as a gift to be enjoyed, and as a city to be filled.

David encourages us with the truth that there is no where we can go where the faithfulness of God has not already gone. Whether it be the uttermost depths of the sea, or the furtherest reaches of the stars, He is there, and there He loves. This love is precious precisely at this point. It is a treasure more valuable the gold. For in His love we rest, we feast, we drink, we see. In the shadow of wings we take refuge. On the abundance of His house, we feast. From the river of delights, we drink. In His light, we see light. The children of mankind partake of the fountain of life, life that is breathed and spoken.

Father we ask that you would continue to show us your steadfast love and your righteousness. We only know you because you have known us. We are only upright in heart, because we dwell in Christ. Keep us Lord, from the arrogant one, and do not let the wicked drive us away from Your presence. Indeed, how could they for You are all places. All places are before Your face. And there the evil cannot stand. Wickedness and injustice have no strength in their knees. They collapse before you, unable to stand before you. They seek to use their borrowed strength to rise against you, but they cannot. In this truth we rest, knowing our cause will be heard, and our righteousness, which is Christ, will be upheld. Blessed by the Name of the Lord. And Amen.

Thanksgiving Day 2011

Thanksgiving Day. The parade is on the TV, Reformation-era Thanksgiving hymns are on the stereo, and two eager carcasses are bubbling away on the stove in a warm bath of onion-apple water and brandy. I lean over to my wife and tell her "thanks honey." She asks what for, and I reply, "I don't know. It's just Thanksgiving." She chuckles, and I get back to finishing the dishes. As I'm loading silverware into the dishwasher rack, I'm thinking about what I just said. What is gratitude without reason? Honestly, it isn't anything. It's just words. Thanksgiving must have a reason because it is a response, not the initial act. I am thankful for something and to someone for services rendered unto me. I am thankful to my wife for her love, and her patience, to name just two from the warehouse of reasons. If I am to be truly grateful, I must know what it is I am grateful for, what it was that someone did for me.

In this regard, Thanksgiving Day is not unlike every Sunday of the year. In fact, Thanksgiving Day is only possible because of the year's abundance of Sundays. Every Lord's Day we celebrate what our Fathers called The Eucharist, a greek word simply meaning "I Thank." This term was applied to the Table because it is at precisely there that we, as God's guests, say thank you to our Host. We have been invited into the household of God. Our feet have been washed. We have entered the door. We have sat at His feet with Martha's sister and listened to His word. We are now called to the table: "Dinner is ready!" comes the longed-for voice. At the table we find a feast of bread and wine spread before us. And we are bid, "Come and eat. This is given for you." The only response is to say "Thank you" and eat.

Those two carcasses bubbling away on the stove speak volumes of the true meaning of Thanks. Every "thank you" finds that it is a response to some form of sacrifice. Someone did something for you that took, at the very least, time that could have been used doing something else. Instead, they sacrificed that time for your benefit, and in response we say "thank you." Every true and loving sacrifice finds, at its root, the cross. Death for life. In the death of the God-Man there is life, for in His death, death died. Death is no longer our enemy, but our mode of life. As we love others more than ourselves, we are picking up our cross, we are dying daily. It no longer carries the stigma of fear and the unknown. Rather, death now has become the very way of life. It is the very basis for our thanksgiving.

And so I give thanks for the turkey. I give thanks for the carcass that, even in death, is giving us not only mere sustenance, but depth of flavor and rich joy. It is by means of death that we live and enjoy our table today. It is by means of the Death, and the subsequent conquering of Death, that we live and enjoy life at all. So let us live. Let us enjoy. By doing so we say, "Thank you."

Musings on 1 Peter (3:15-16)

15-16: Have no fear, Peter encourages us. Do not fear the one at whose hand you suffer, for you endure in the hands of one far stronger. In the inner man honor Christ. With not only your outward actions, but with the inward thoughts of the heart, honor Christ. In honoring Him we acknowledge that He is God, and that we are not; we confess our complete dependence on Him, owning our own inability to live uprightly in our own strength; and we trust the story that He is telling through the different chapters of our life, knowing, as we do, the last page of the book. We honor Him as holy. We acknowledge Him to be set apart, a name above all names, the name which every tongue will confess, and in front of whom every knee will bow. He is the Lord, and there is no other. We confess our own unholiness, our falling short of the standard. But we trust that His righteousness, and the beauty of His holiness covers us, and transforms us into sons and daughters worthy of the Name, made holy and set apart for service under His banner. It is through acknowledging, confessing, and trusting that we are able to give a defense of the hope that resides in us.

We are to be ready at all times to defend the faith to those who question our hope. This presupposes a transparent cup, where the outside allows outsiders to see what the cup contains. If our external lives do not give anyone the notion to ask about our hope, we are failing to honor Christ the Lord as holy. If to the watching world we look no different than every hopeless son of Adam among their ranks, then we need to take a hard look at the inside of our cup, and ask if there really is hope within. What hope do we have that our lives have purpose, that our suffering has meaning, that every day is drawing us closer to a three times Holy God who has declared Himself our Father? Do we live in such a way that such hope is plain to see? We are children of the Living God who made all things. He is in the process of making all things new. He has taken us out of the kingdom of darkness and placed us in the kingdom of everlasting light. If there is no hope in Him, there is no hope anywhere. But indeed there is hope, for we belong to Him. Therefore be at ease to live in such a way that banks on that hope. This hope is not a wishing well, it is a foundation of solid stone. It will hold the house of life through wind and storm. And this is the defense that we give when onlookers see our house standing firm against the rain. Why do we hope, they ask? What reasons do we have for hoping against all hope that our lives will not crumble into nothingness and eternal void? Our defense is this: First, we are already nothing. In our own shirts we are of no importance. We can crumble no further than our father Adam already did. Secondly, there is no void, for the God of Heaven and Earth has filled every conceivable and inconceivable space with the beauty of His holiness. The risen Christ has turned the world upside down and emptied its pockets. Light has filled the dark corners. The mountains have been brought low, and the valleys are lifted up. The world is a different place. It has a new center of gravity. He sits enthroned in Heaven, and He has called us friend. Who can help but hope? This is our defense. This is the reason for the hope that is within us. We are in the middle act of a three act comedy. Everything is jumbled and confused. The villain is still at large. Not all wrongs have yet been made right. But they will. The sun rises and we know that day is here. The Son has risen, the Day is upon us. Therefore Christian, hope. As the with the passing of night, so too with our sufferings. After winter, spring.

But be gentle in your reasoning. Trust the sovereignty of God in the manner of your defense. Show respect to all, so that through the purity and grace of your response, the Lord might put to shame those who slander your good name, and revile your upright behavior. It is not our job or our place to convince the unbelieving world that we are in the right. We can no more convince an unbelieving heart than turn coal into diamonds using nothing but our words. Our words carry little power, only reflected power. The One who holds all things by the power of His word, His words have creative power. His words become galaxies of stars, thick with matter. Only such a Voice can speak life where once was death, flesh where once was stone. Our role is to defend with a cheerful and gentle heart. If we do so trusting God for the outcome, the burden of saving people will be lifted from our shoulders and we will be free to simply share what God has done for us. If we are reviled for trusting in such a God then we put to shame those who revile, for their taunting carries no water. They reduce themselves to a playground bully, insecure in their own skin, forced to find fault in others, lest they are overwhelmed by the emptiness within. But this is exactly why we defend our hope in the face of such harassment. God brings low those who lift themselves up. In bringing them low He exposes their need for grace, their need for the hope that is within us. Then we see that He has placed us in just the right spot to not only defend the hope, but also offer it to the lowly. In such a way, the Father brings all His children home.

Musings on 1 Peter (3:10-14)

10-12: On the heels of Peter's exhortation to love one another and to strive to be a blessing to others, he quotes Psalm 34 as a proof text to show why this kind of outward living works. In song like poetry, David declares that whoever desires to love life and see good days, he should not speak evil, nor deceive others. In other words, do not let your tongue stray into self glorifying speech. Speaking evil of others or deceiving others can only have one purpose, and that is to tear others down, and lift yourself up. To slander and lie is at the root of self worship, not because it desires to hurt others, primarily, though it does. It is the root of self worship because it is necessary to prop oneself up in the eyes of others, to raise oneself to the level of the divine. And the slanders and lies always begin at home. We slander ourselves, and deceive ourselves first, when we attempt such a thing. To be a created child of God is a noble and high honor, to be received with gratitude and grace. When we lift ourselves up we are actually casting ourselves down into the mire, thereby slandering our own noble nature, and deceiving ourselves that we are something better now that we have been self-liberated from the authority of others. It is a lie, a terrible lie that has ruined many a family and many a man. Therefore Peter says, love. Do not speak evil. But this love is not the hippie bumper sticker love, that says love for love's sake. That is rubbish. When Peter calls us to love, he calls us to gospel living, which is a call to death. For only out of gospel death can true life emerge. We die to self, we die to our own passions and desires. We live unto Christ through others, and thereby find joy.

"Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it." Again, don't be evil. To be evil is to be ugly. Evil is an adjective. Evil describes what your heart attitude is, regardless of what the action looks like from the outside. Evil is the apt word to describe everything done apart from faith in the risen Jesus Christ. So turn from it. You have been purchased by the blood of the Son of the Almighty God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. You have been cleansed. You are no longer forced by nature to act in an ugly way. Seek beauty. Seek peace with all, as far as it depends on you. Pursue Peace, real Peace. Again, we do not speak of bumper sticker definitions. Peace without justice, peace without recompense is no peace at all. If Jesus Christ had not taken upon Himself the full and complete judgement that was rightfully mine, there could be no peace. There is no reconciliation apart from confession and forgiveness. If it is true vertically speaking, it is true of the horizontal. If it is true of our relationship with the Creator God, it is true of our relationship with fellow creatures. Therefore seek Peace, the peace that is real, the peace that calls sin sin and seeks to eradicate it like a tumor. A doctor who sees an abnormal growth does not seek peace with his patient by ignoring the cancerous tissue. Peace means surgery, and now, before it grows. Therefore pursue peace, even though the pursuit is not peaceful. The pursuit will often mean strife, and struggle. Surgery hurts. Incisions bleed. But again, this is gospel. The way out of the tomb is through the grave. Do good. Seek peace.

Why? Why do all this? You speak of hurt and bleeding and dying and discomfort. Why should I pursue peace when it comes at such a cost? Why should I do good, when it might bring pain? Because the Lord watches the righteous. The Lord God sees your heart and understands the workings of your will. He who sustains us and holds us and continues to speak us into existence (whether we honor Him or not, interestingly), is the master of turning pain into joy, sorrow into laughter, mourning into a song of life. He is the one who conquered death and sat on its head. The Lord of life watches our way, and provides light and rest to those who walk according to His instructions. His ears are open to those who trust in Him. He listens to those who are in distress. He takes your feeblest efforts to do good, and pursue peace, and transforms them into works of mercy and of grace. He sees the heart, and honors the will. Those who seek to do ill, the Lord has turned against. It is neither prudent nor wise to disparage the hand that holds your life together, to dishonor the Spirit who allows your lungs the very breath they use to curse. Turn from doing evil, and hold fast to what is good. For the the Lord lifts up those who seek the good of others, those who see in others the face of God.

13-14: Who is there to bring harm if we are zealous to do good? This is Peter's version of Paul's "If God is for us, who can stand against us?" Neither question states that there will be no one standing against us, or that no one will bring harm and suffering into our lives. We live in a fallen world. Pain, suffering, sin, harmful opposition, they are not maybes but inevitables. We live in a world made by God, inhabited by people who hate their Maker. Strife and conflict resulting in difficulties are not a question of if, but of when. At the very least we have conflict happening within our own persons. Not only are our bodies decaying, paying tribute to our fallen world, but our natural desires as sons and daughters of Adam give us who are redeemed by the blood of Christ enough trouble for a lifetime. Beyond our own persons we live in communities where God is not honored as God, nor is He given thanks. People living with mutually exclusive world views will run into hardships. Pain and suffering will be a constant theme, to one degree or another. So no, the question does not mean to imply that there actually might not be anyone out there who might hurt us. Rather that God is God in all, and through all.

Peter's under layering hope here is that God, our Father, is the Author of all things. This necessarily includes any pain and suffering that might result from a life of faith. If God, our Father, calls us to do good, to be zealous to do good, and if this same Father and Author is writing into our story the pain and suffering that accompanies doing good in a sinful world, then we have nothing to fear. In the back of Peter's mind is the time he heard Jesus say, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." What can man do to us in other words? If we strive to do good in all things, and resistance rises, what really do we have to fear? Death? Pah. We belong to Him who conquered death, and made him our servant, an usher standing in the narthex of the cathedral of eternal joys. And really, thats man's only weapon. They can inflict pain, they can torture, they can do really awful things, things that should not be taken lightly. There are horrendous atrocities that occur against the Bride of Christ in this very day and age. In the final analysis, however, all they can do is scrape the surface. They cannot dislodge that which rests in the hands of God Almighty.

Therefore, do not fear. Do not let your hearts be troubled. For you are blessed in suffering for righteousness sake. For it is not your righteousness that you are suffering for. Rather it is the righteousness of the Son of Man, to whom we owe our lives, our freedom, the very air we breathe. His righteousness has delivered us, body and soul from Hell. It is His righteousness that is the bedrock of our hope. For His sake we endure all manner of things. Why? The reason is simple. It is the story that the Author of Life is telling. We are living, breathing characters in a grand drama that is unfolding in time. The great Playwright has chosen us, crafted us, and is positioning us in His story. We are simply called to live in obedience to His story, to love His story, to embrace His story. This great drama is the lifting up of the Son of Man. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. Jesus is Lord. He has been given a kingdom, dominion, power and authority in Heaven and on Earth. He is the King. And He is drawing all men to Himself. This is the story we are in. By His grace we participate in this, by living and breathing the story. Every character, if they are to be interesting, and intriguing to the reader, must endure trials. It is the means to growth and maturity. We are dynamic characters, placed in the middle of pain and suffering, not that we might get lost in it, but that we might learn to endure, learn to rejoice, learn to be content in all things. For we are being prepared for an eternal weight of glory. This preparation takes place in the sight of all men, so that they might hunger for it. So that in witnessing our response to the story they might long to know the Author. This is the basis of evangelism. It is expressed in whatever gifts we have been given, and whatever station we have been given to. As a body working together in unison through our different giftings, we disciple the nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey all that we have been commanded.

Therefore do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in Christ. He sits enthroned in Heaven, governing all things. Every moment of every day is a moment of interaction with the Almighty, a moment in which we see Him work, a moment in which we confess our dependance on Jesus.

Musings on 1 Peter (3:8-9)

8-9: Peter next takes a step back and addresses all of us as one body. "Live like Christians," he says. "Live as you were called to live. Do not act as though you were an unbeliever, as those who speak evil, or revile." We are called to bless, Peter says, and to bless others in and through every aspect of our lives. It is in blessing others that we ourselves are blessed. How do we do this? Peter draws our attention to five different ways. First, be unified in mind. This is difficult for us. We all come from different stations, different backgrounds, with different personalities, etc. In this way Peter calls us to unity as a summation of what he has been talking about this entire chapter. Masters and servants, citizens and governors, husbands and wives, be all of you of the same mind. In other words, no matter what role you play in the grand drama of God's story, have gospel minds. Both masters and servants, have gospel minds. Husbands and wives together, have gospel minds. Together share the same hope and glory of who God is, and what He has called you to do, no matter the reality that He has called you to different roles. Bless one another in the way He has gifted and positioned you to do.

Next we are called to sympathize with one another. Literally we are to step into one another's shoes. As the whole body suffers when one part suffers, so we must manifest this in our body life. If we do not feel the pain or suffering of other 'body parts' it is a valid question to ask if we are truly members of that body. Do we hold one another up in prayer and encouragement? Do we seek the good of others before our own? Do we come along side and weep with those who weep? Or do we insist on speaking the truth without love, declaring what we 'know' to be right without any regard to the frame of the brother or sister? One song puts it this way, "Don't read me pointless poems friend/Don't diagnose, don't condescend/Though you may be right to disagree/I need someone to weep with me." What character are we playing? Are we the one to diagnose and condescend, even though we are right? I forget who, but someone talks about a deeper right. The deeper right lays aside all judgments and sermons and simply enters into the grief and suffering of a brother. God's truth is bigger than us. We do not need to defend every last jot and tittle in the face of family suffering. There will be time for that another day.

Love the brethren. In other words, love one another as if you were family, because you are. In an age of broken homes, and destroyed families, it is not as easy to convey the meaning of this type of love. But regardless, we must love the brethren. What does this mean? I think one of the primary aspects of this type of love is simply joy. Do you enjoy your family? Do you enjoy the presence of the brethren? Or is your love more academic? Do you affirm your love for them in your head, and through a simple handshake on Sunday mornings? Or do you actually enjoy their company? Do you seek them out? Do you, so far as depends on you, seek to bless them out of pure joy? Love that does not include this is not love; it is tolerance. Enjoy the brethren is the heart behind Peter's exhortation here. Love them, and love being with them. So far as it depends upon you.

Be tender-hearted. There are not many words more rich with readymade implications than this. It is the word that describes a mother's first experience with her newborn child. Feelings of love, adoration, care, concern, and nurture. An immediate disposition of self sacrifice, of selfless giving for the sake of the other. A common theme runs through all Christian virtues, not least of all this one. That theme is anti-pride, death to self for the life of another. We saw it above in the relationships and roles we are to inhabit and perform. We see the epitome of anti-pride hanging on the cross. It was not with a hard heart the Jesus bore our sins. How can we do otherwise, when the sins against us are petty in comparison with the sins Jesus bore?

Finally be of a humble mind. Some manuscripts have friendly mind, but I think it amounts to the same thing. Does your mind, and therefore the extension of your mind, i.e. thoughts, words, and deeds, does your mind think of others first, or of your own self first. I like the idea of a friendly mind. A mind that is outward focused. A mind that is not overly concerned with self. That is the essence of humility after all. Humble people are not dour people. Humble people are friendly, joyful, and caring. They simply don't care about themselves, apart from the obvious necessities of food and hygiene. Even there though the humble is quick to invite you over for dinner, and pays attention to their appearance for the sake of the comfort of others. It boils down to this. Have this mind in you also. What did Christ do? What mind did He have? Should we not do the same?

Musings on 1 Peter (3:1-7)

1-2: I am a young husband. Because of this I am approaching these verses with not a small amount of fear and trepidation. It is at this point I would like to remind the reader of the title above: "Musings." I am ill-equipped to teach with any real authority on these verses. I am more like a boy on the beach, dirty with sand and sea water, dried kelp stuck in between my toes, contemplating what clean skin after a shower would feel like. None of us is perfect in these things, however, and we wont be until glory. All of life to a certain extent is spent in the same place as the boy on the beach. It is in this that I take hope and proceed in musing on these first few verses.

Peter calls all wives to submit to their husbands. It is the same submission that we have been discussing above, Christian to human institutions, servant to master. The point there, as is here, is that the one submitting is no less equal to the one they are submitting to in God's eyes. They have equal value and equal worth, because they are both image bearers and servants of the King. What we have been talking about is a hierarchical world, one in which by God's design some lead, and others follow. Again, it is this way because God Himself embodies this, and all of the created order is a reflection of who the Creator is. Therefore, wives submit to your husbands. Not because they are worthy to submit to, not because there is something special in them. Peter anticipates this when he goes on to say that it is likely that your submission will be the very thing that God uses to bring about repentance and salvation in the disobedient heart of the husband. Here we find a marvelous paradox. True submission, true following will anticipate true leadership. If a husband is lousy, and we usually are, a submissive wife will often be the key player in bringing about repentance, and true headship. This is so because true following and true submission are in reality first and foremost a description of the follower's position before God. If you are not submitting to God, you cannot submit to your husband. We submit to God first, and manifest this through our willing and cheerful obedience to what He has told us to do. Therefore wives submitting to their husbands is in itself the cheerful act of submitting to the Higher Authority. (I am purposefully leaving out of this discussion the extreme cases of domestic violence, and hardened husbands; situations where a submissive wife should prove her submission to the Higher Authority by leaving her husband, and finding shelter among friends. These situations are very real, and require a different teacher to effectively offer light on that dark path.)

Therefore, wives be subject to your own husbands. God is the author of our lives. God has given us each the spouse we need to be shaped and molded into the image of Christ. When a husband is not obedient to the Word, Peter tells wives that it will not be their words that save their husbands. It will not be their pleadings or their requests, but their conduct, their pure and respectful actions. This takes tremendous faith on the part of wives. It acknowledges that God is the author and perfecter of faith, not us. He is the author of the faith that will fill an unbelieving husband. As Author it will be in His time and in His way. Wives are simply called to be subject to them, showing respect through pure conduct. It is not the respectability of the husband they are honoring. It is the authority of their God they are submitting to, trusting in His goodness and in His wisdom. It is the same phrase we discussed above, entrusting oneself to Him who judges justly. It is not within our power to make husbands more respectable. That is a work of the Spirit. Wives who desire this must depend fully on the work of the Lord, and thereby show their submissive hearts.

3-6: Peter anticipates one way in which wives might be tempted to misunderstand this calling. It is easy to do for it is the way the world works. On the heels of telling wives to submit, he asks that they not consider their worth, nor their glory to be in the main external. "Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-..." The world would say that to win a man, a woman must be externally pretty, wear seductive clothing, and act in a way becoming of such external trappings. But this is not how Christians are to act, nor even to think: "but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."Again we see our priorities need adjusting. God must be honored first. This is not done with braided hair, and gold bracelets while the heart is far from Him. Jesus called the Pharisees who thought this way, white washed tombs. We might call women who think this way gilded headstones. There is a way that seems right unto man, but it leads to death. In honoring God first, we address the main problem, which is our sin. When our sin has been dealt with by the blood of the Cross, we see how God uses inward submission to transform the whole man.
Wives are called to be beautifully adorned, but it is the gentle and quiet spirit that God finds precious. It differs from external prettiness in three ways. First it is imperishable. A gentle and quiet spirit will last for eternity, where as what the world considers beautiful is like a delicate flower; it blooms and promptly begins to fade. Secondly, inward beauty actually accomplishes things. Inward beauty, Peter says, is what will win people, men in particular, to Christ. It is the example of godly submission that declares the gospel. What the world calls beauty cannot do that. In fact it does just the opposite when pursued for its own ends, becoming an idol. Thirdly, inward beauty will always make true external beauty possible, and inevitable. This is most obvious in elderly mothers in the Lord. By the world's standards, they are not pretty, or beautiful. Their skin is wrinkled with age; their hair has gone grey if not blue; and gravity effects their bodies more than the body of a younger person. By the world's standard, this is not beauty. But here again we see the foolishness of the world, and the wisdom of God. Elderly sister saints, having lived lifetimes defined by inward beauty, with gentle and quiet spirits, are the most beautiful people this world can know. To look on them is to be warmed from the inside out. The beauty inside has transformed the wrinkles and gravity stricken body into gems of untold worth. It is the power of the gospel at work. It is the glory of earthenware vessels.

Peter calls on history to exemplify his admonitions. Sarah, and the women of old, showed this type of submission, trusting in God. Again it is faith that defines this type of life. Faith that the sinner of a husband you have will be transformed into the likeness of Christ, just as you hope and trust the Spirit to work in you. Going on mere outward experiences, there is not much to gladden the heart. Husbands screw up, and will continue to do so until glory. But the wife who in faith, submits in her heart and with her hands to God first, and husband second, finds that she can live without being afraid of what her husband might do. She knows that she belongs to Him who is the Author and perfecter of all faith, including the faith defining her husband's life. It boils down to trust. Do we trust God to be faithful, even when we are faithless? Do we trust Him to continue to work in our lives? Do we trust Him pick us up whenever we fall? We should, because He will.

7: Husbands do not get off as easily. Even though Peter gives them only one verse, it is quite a verse. First Peter begins by drawing an analogy to what he has been saying concerning faith, submission and obedience.'Likewise' he says, or 'in the same way'. Husbands must live this life just like their wives, submitting in cheerful obedience to the will and commands of God. This takes great faith, for there is a way that seems right to men. But God calls us back to Himself, to start there, and in the fear of the Lord, proceed. Peter calls husbands to live with their wives with knowledge, or with understanding. It is the greek word that, roughly translated means 'to click'. The lightbulb going on is a picture of this word. This is how husbands are called to live with their wives; i.e. in such a way that everything about them, not least of all their thoughts and emotions, clicks. We are to know who our wives are, understand what and why they are thinking what they are thinking. This is a tall order for husbands, because their thoughts are higher than our thoughts, their ways above our ways. But Peter calls us to grow up. The culture of this world delights in prolonged immaturity. It is one of Satan's primary weapons. 'If we can convince the men that they need not think, or mature, or grow in wisdom,' Satan tells his minions, 'then we can interfere with His plan for them.' Men have been told that women are inscrutable ever since we were little. "Just deal with it" is the attitude taken, which results in eye rolling disrespect on our part, and frustrated sorrow in our wives. But if God, through Peter, calls us to live with our wives with knowledge, and not just the hopeless pursuit of knowledge, then it must be achievable. We must actually be able to do it. If we are able, it will take patience, attention, listening, strength, and most of all, the will to do it. We must not be apathetic to who our wives are. It sounds harsh to say that aloud. To say it that way, makes us cringe and swear we have never been apathetic toward our wives. But we are. Constantly. Whenever we would rather watch the TV then spend time focused on their needs. Whenever we would rather put our nose in a book than take the time and energy to discover how she is doing. "Except a grain of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Husbands must die to self. Husbands must die to their own desires and needs. Husbands must die. Else they will abide alone, in the shell of their half-hearted marriage.

Peter continues. We must show our wives honor as a weaker vessel. As created beings, we have all been made to bear in a small and finite way, the attributes and image of God. Together, male and female He made them in His image. The feminine and and masculine together in correct arrangement showcase the fullest image we on earth can bear. Both sexes image both sides but with greater emphasis on one or the other. Generally speaking, men are created to be strong, enduring, leaders. Women are created be loving, compassionate helpers. Men and women have been given frames that aid and are suitable to our different callings. Men are given strong and hard bodies, whereas women are given bodies that grow and nurture others. The two bodies are as different in form as they are in function. Peter recognizes this and understands the female glory that is held in their weaker, less physically strong, frame. Husbands recognize this too, and should not take advantage. We must not strong arm our wives, even though we are physically able to do it. In respecting and honoring their weaker frame, we respect and honor the purpose and image they bear. In respecting them and lifting them up we honor and glorify the Maker, by honoring His great intentions and design. In dishonoring women in domineering and tyrannical ways, we dishonor God Himself, and seek to declare our rebellion from His wise and perfect ways. In obedience we consider our wives as Christ considered His bride. She (we) were helpless and weak, and Christ did not strong arm us into servitude. Rather He considered us, while dead in our sin, as worth saving by means of His own brutal death. This is how we show honor to the weaker vessel. We must die.

Peter concludes this thought with an odd phrase, "so that your prayers may not be hindered." To the thick of mind (husbands) these two thoughts don't belong in the same verse. Honor your wives, we can grasp, even if eventually. But to hear that 'hindered' prayers are a consequence of not doing so, we choke on our academic whisky. You mean to tell me that God takes this stuff seriously? Yes He does. Why? Of all the equally valid reasons that are out there, the one Peter uses is this: They are our co-heirs of the grace of life. They have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb as have we. They are sisters in the most real sense. And if we say we love God but hate our sister, we are liars, and the truth is not in us. If they are sisters, and share in the inheritance of life, then the same Spirit that dwells in us also dwells in them. If we refuse to honor the Spirit residing in our wives, why would the Spirit of God honor us? Christ gives us one another, and in doing so gives us Himself. We each are members of His body. How can a foot dishonor a hand, and expect to receive honor from the head? We are thick, as mentioned above, in that we do not connect these dots. Worse then thick, we are propping ourselves up as gods, even if unintentionally, in not showing honor to our wives, in not loving them as Christ loves His wife. Again, and always, the answer is to die. Husbands must die. We must die to our own ambitions, our own desires, our own thoughts of direction and purpose. Only then will the grace of Christ raise to new life our own complete persons. And when He does, He will do so in the context of our neighbors, in the context of our families, and in the context of our wives.