The apostle Peter is writing to Christians who are living as exiles and strangers in the world and who are suffering persecution for the name of Jesus. He calls them to live holy lives, and to follow Jesus’s example in their suffering. And Peter supports his commands by explaining how Jesus’s death on the cross brings life and salvation to all believers. We will start by looking at that second point, and then go back to see what living like Jesus should look like.
HOW JESUS SAVED US
21 Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
“He committed no sin.” During Jesus’s earthly ministry Peter got to know him as well as anybody else. The inner circle of Peter, James and John spent more time with Jesus than the other apostles. So Peter is sharing his testimony of all he knew about Jesus. “He committed no sin.” The apostle John had the same testimony about Jesus in 1 John 3:5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
Peter has already hinted about the innocence of Jesus in 1 Peter chapter 1.
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Jesus was the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus was a lamb without blemish or defect. The New Living Translation reads, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
Jesus was sinless. The letter to the Hebrews says the same about Jesus. Hebrews 4 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
The Roman Governor Pontius Pilate declared that Jesus was innocent of the charges against him.
LUKE 23 4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”13 … I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 … he has done nothing to deserve death.
Even the thief on the cross next to Jesus recognised Jesus was innocent when he said to the other thief, Luke 23 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
He committed no sin. Jesus was innocent. Jesus was without sin. And this was an essential part of God’s masterplan of salvation. The death he died was not for his own sin – because he had no sin. Instead Jesus died for our sins, in our place. He died the death we deserve to die, taking the punishment we deserved upon himself.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NIV)
(New Living Translation) 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood: Hallelujah! what a Saviour!
Guilty, vile, and helpless, we; Spotless Lamb of God was He:
Full atonement—can it be? Hallelujah! what a Saviour!
1 Peter 2 22 ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’
This death of an innocent saviour was entirely in fulfilment of the prophecies in Isaiah chapter 53.
Isaiah 53 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
And Peter goes on to explain Jesus’s death in other quotes from Isaiah 53.
1 Peter 2:24 says ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross,
Jesus took our sins on himself.
24 ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.
Our sinless saviour died so that we might stop sinning.
All this was in fulfilment of Isaiah 53.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus fulfilled all Isaiah’s prophecies of the Suffering Servant.
Peter says 25 For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Jesus was the Good Shepherd. He had compassion on the people because they were lost and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He was the shepherd who set out to find the sheep that was lost.
Isaiah 53 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
See how Peter puts it,
24 ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
So Peter has explained how Jesus has saved us, by suffering for us and in our place. By taking all the sin of the world on his shoulders. This is how the Early Church and all the New Testament writers understand the cross.
But Peter is giving this explanation of the death of Jesus in order to support the instructions he had just given about how Christians should live. Peter says that the innocent sufferings of Christ give us an example of how to cope with innocent suffering in our own lives.
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
“To this you were called” looks back at verses 11 to 20. The example of Jesus’s sufferings and death shows Christians how we should live, in a number of situations.
LIVING LIKE JESUS LIVED – LIVING SUCH GOOD LIVES
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 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.
Jesus was holy and sinless. Christians should avoid sin and instead live good lives full of good deeds of love and kindness and service which will bring glory to God. Jesus said the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5 14 ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
LIVING LIKE JESUS LIVED – SUBMITTING TO HUMAN AUTHORITIES
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.
The Christians in the Early Church who were reading Peter’s Letter were experiencing brutal persecution from the Roman Empire under Emperor Nero. Their natural desires would be to rebel against the Emperor and the authorities. But here the apostle Peter is saying that the right way forward is not to rebel, but instead to live holy lives. And that will include 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.
And this is exactly how the first Christians lived, even in the face of brutal persecution. Submitting themselves to every human authority. The apostle Paul said something very similar when he wrote to the Roman Christians around the same time.
Romans 13:1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
There may be extreme situations when it could be acceptable and right for Christians to disobey the state. When the authorities made it illegal to meet, or to pray, or to worship, or to evangelise, as it was in Communist Russia or still is in China or North Korea or Afghanistan. So Christians still meet in secret. Christians in South Africa felt they were justified in rebelling against the immoral system of Apartheid. But those were extreme exceptions. I have written about this in a sermon “Should the church always obey the state? You can find that online on my blog. But for us the important message and the general principle is clear – Christians should obey the governing authorities. Because this is what God expects and requires believers to do.
LIVING LIKE JESUS LIVED – SUBMITTING TO OTHERS
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
There are still some forms of slavery in the modern world, and even in Britain. But most of us do not experience slavery. The logical application of this passage for us is in employment and the relationships between workers and bosses. Some bosses are good and fair – some bosses are bad and exploitative. Christians should respect and submit to their employers out of reverence for God, even if our bosses are bad and unfair. Even if our bosses are mistreating us because we are Christians, we should acknowledge their authority. Because that is the example Jesus has given us.
LIVING LIKE JESUS LIVED – SUBMITTING TO UNJUST SUFFERING
19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
People can usually accept punishment and suffering if it is deserved and fair and proportional. But Peter is saying that Christians should be prepared to endure unjust suffering. Because that is what Jesus took upon himself for us and for our salvation. Jesus shows us how to live. Jesus was completely innocent, totally without sin, yet he suffered on out behalf.
So we should live like Jesus did, living holy lives full of good deeds, submitting to the authorities, submitting to others, even submitting to unjust suffering. Why is this the case. It is all because
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
24 ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;