Eleventh Avenue Church
Eleventh Avenue Church
The following is reprinted with permission
of The Timely Messenger
AN INFORMAL SURVEY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
A Dispensational Approach
I PETER
By: R B. Shiflet
I. THE REALITY OF SALVATION 1:2-21
II. THE REQUIREMENT OF BROTHERLY LOVE 1:22-25
III. THE READINESS FOR WORSHIP 2:1-3
IV. THE "ROYAL PRIESTHOOD" AND THE BODY OF CHRIST 2:4-10
V. THE REMINDER TO LIVE HOLY LIVES 2:11-12
VI. THE RESPONSIBILITY TO AUTHORITIES 2:13-17
VII. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WIVES AND HUSBANDS 3:1-7
VIII. THE REPRESENTATIAVE TRAITS OF CHRISTIAN LIVING 3:8-12
IX. RECOGNIZING THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST 3:13-15
A. The Christian's Approach to Suffering 3:13-14
"And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;" (I Pet. 3:13-14)
Rarely is one called upon to suffer for doing what is right, and yet the fact that it was happening caused the Holy Spirit to inspire Peter to write these words. People who trusted Christ and were living for Him were being martyred for their testimony. Peter knew about Stephen and about James. He had experienced a prison sentence for doing the right thing;, and he would have been one of those martyrs had the Lord not sent an angel to release him from prison. According to tradition, he later became a martyr and was crucified head downward.
But people are suffering for righteousness today. We are told that more Christians were martyred in the 20th century that has just closed than at any time since the first century. Peter speaks here about our attitude when we are called upon to suffer for righteousness sake. We are to count ourselves happy. This is the same word translated "Blessed" in the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount. The word implies having an honor bestowed on us. This involves two negative attitudes. We are not to be afraid of their terrors. The word "terror" is from the same word as "afraid." It is a Greek word that gives us our English word "phobia." A literal translation would be "Do not be phobic at their
phobias."
Peter also urges his readers not to be "troubled." This word means agitated. It implies being swung to and fro. It was used by our Lord as He spoke his final words to His own: "Let not your heart be troubled. We are to commit our ways to the Lord so that we can accept and practice the words of John 14:1: "Let not your heart be troubled." Our Lord experienced this attitude of being troubled when Satan tried to hinder him from finishing the word at Calvary. He cried out, "Now is my soul troubled" (John 12:27).
B. The Christian's Acts of Submission to God 3:15a
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an
answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" (I Pet. 3:15)
1. Give God a Special Place In Your Heart
The word "sanctify" means to "set apart" as certain vessels in the temple
were set apart for service to the Lord. The heart of every believer should
be a sanctuary in which God is worshiped.
2. Know Your Bible
We are to be ready at all times to "give an answer.' We cannot "give an
answer" unless we know what we believe and why we believe it. That is
the reason that expository preaching and Bible teaching are so necessary.
By far the grater number of Christians today are unable to do this. They
may be able to parrot a few trite statements as to their doctrine, but they
are totally helpless to prove their position from the Word. The word
"answer" in this verse is from the Greek word that gives us our word
"apology." Today, we think of an apology as a weak excuse or a backing
down from a statement made. It originally meant almost the opposite. It
means a strong and vigorous defense.
3. Be Ready to Give an Answer When Asked
This should discourage the person who tries to force his doctrine upon
everyone he meets. We are to be ready to give an answer to everyone who
asks a reason for the hope that is within us. We are not to force the
issue, but when the opportunity arises, we must be ready to answer.
C. The Christian's Attitude in Sharing the Word 3:15b
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in
you with meekness and fear:" (I Pet. 3:15)
Had this attitude been practiced, more people today would probably be rejoicing
in the message of grace and the distinctive ministry of Paul that we love. All too often, friends of this message have become its worst enemies by presenting the truth in an arrogant manner and trying to force people into seeing it before they were ready. Meekness is not weakness; we must sand for the truth as we
understand it, but we must speak the truth in love and in the referential fear of God, showing respect for the right of others to disagree. Common courtesy goes much father in preparing a person to receive the truth than does a "holier than thou," "know it all approach.
To Be Continued