1 Peter 2 Discussion

Some Bible passages feel like a warm blanket. First Peter 2 feels more like a straightening bar on a crooked wall. We open the chapter and keep running into commands that press on modern nerves: put away malice and slander, crave spiritual milk, live like an exile, submit to authorities, and endure suffering without payback. If you’ve ever wanted faith that works outside of perfect circumstances, this chapter refuses to let Christianity shrink into comfort or vibes.

We trace Peter’s flow from spiritual growth into a bigger identity story. Jesus is the cornerstone, and we become living stones built into something solid, public, and holy. Peter uses Old Testament language for God’s people and shows how, through Christ, the church becomes a chosen people drawn from every nation. That exile mindset matters: heaven is home, and we learn how to seek the good of the place we live while refusing the patterns that try to rename our loyalties.

Then we face the toughest section: submission to human institutions and the call to endure unjust suffering. We talk about government’s purpose, why our impulse is to resist authority, and how to honor leaders while still telling the truth about sin and the need for repentance. The anchor is not blind trust in people; it is Jesus, the shepherd and overseer of our souls, who suffered for us and gives us a path for suffering well.

If you want practical biblical guidance for life under bosses, leaders, and systems that can be unfair, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, leave a review, and tell us: where do you feel the biggest tension between honoring authority and staying faithful to Jesus?

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Transcript

Welcome And Bible Study Method

Pastor Plek 0:10

And welcome back to a chapter today. Who keeps the devil away? I'm Pastor Pleck. That's Pastor Holland. We're talking First Peter chapter two. We are going to outline it, observe it, interpret, and then apply it so that you and Jesus can be fully equipped to walk out your faith wherever

Mapping 1 Peter 2

Pastor Plek 0:25

you live, work, and play today, along your way, wherever you say the name. All right. So 1 Peter 2, 1 through 3 is spiritual growth and what it is to be a living stone, to rid yourselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander, and believers taste that the Lord is good. Verses 4 through 10, Christ is the cornerstone. Believers are living stones. And since we're that, we are to live out his calling as a holy people. Then verses 11, 12, what it means to live as exiles among the Gentiles. I'm kind of going back to some uh language from the Old Testament, specifically Jeremiah. Uh, and he's gonna call out, say, like you are to be different, even though you are not in your homeland, heaven is your home, and you are ambassadors here. All right, then verse 13 through 17, submission to human authorities, and this could be tough. Uh, submit to every human authority for the Lord's sake, whether the emperor or governors or the local magistrate. And then verses 18 through 25, suffering as an example of Christ. So, in that, when you have to obey your leaders, um, there might be some suffering that goes along with that as you submit uh to them. So remember, Christ suffered for us and then leaves us a great example of what it means to follow in his footsteps. And ultimately, one day we will return the shepherd and overseer of our souls. All right, what

Christianity Includes Suffering

Pastor Plek 1:55

do you see here? Holland.

Pastor Holland 1:58

Well, you see a really challenging verse uh saying that Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps, where you just go, wow, all right, here's what being a Christian is. Christianity is suffering. That's your example to follow. Great.

Pastor Plek 2:14

Oh, yeah. Where's the comfort gospel where it says, you know, avoid all pain and suffering as possible, and then you will truly be like enlightened. All right, yeah, that's that's hard. But um, what about this? All these like um he's using the words that were used of Israel, chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, a people for his own possession. What do you think? I just love that imagery of like these are my people.

Pastor Holland 2:50

Yeah. Yeah. It's um the people of God uh have always been those who believe in him. And uh even in the old testament, you had some Gentiles,

Living Stones And Holy Identity

Pastor Holland 3:05

uh, even though it was primarily the Israelites, um, that got, you know, God had a special covenant relationship. But you had people like Ruth, you know, that would be brought in. Ruth was a Moabite, Rahab, Rahab. What about Naaman? Yeah, Naaman. Um you have these Gentile um people who are mentioned and who show faith and who are included in the people of God. But then with um the resurrection of Christ and then the Pentecost, the spirit coming down, then you really see this explosion of the gospel out to all the nations of the world. And got the still the same language being used, though, of people from all these different nations, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocea, Asia, um, Bithynia, all mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1, um, who are all considered the the holy nation, um, the people of God.

Pastor Plek 3:54

I just love that. And then uh I like you as I like this as you're sojourners to exiles, kind of the sojourner is the one the wilderness experience reference. Exiles is the Babylonian exile reference. Uh since you're not in where you will ultimately be, don't live like the local culture, yeah, be unique and different. So in Babylon, although you want the you were supposed to, as a Jew, pray for the welfare of the city, uh, you weren't supposed to adopt Babylonian customs, traditions, and lifestyle. In even in the wilderness, you were there for 40 years wandering around in circles. Uh you weren't adopt any pagan practices that you might be picked up along the way. You were supposed to trust God, not work on the seventh day, do real, genuine

Exiles Living Distinctly

Pastor Plek 4:45

um really love and genuinely experience life.

Pastor Holland 4:49

So anyway. Yeah, amen. In God's and then you also have the verse 10 once you were not a people, but now you're God's people, reference to Hosea. Wow, yeah, I love that. Isn't that cool? Yeah, just this reality of, I think, like what he teach what Paul teaches in Ephesians that you were once um, you know, enemies of God, alienated from um, you know, his promises and um the inheritance and all that, but now you are God's people.

Pastor Plek 5:15

Um, there's yeah, sorry. There's two times here in being subject or submissive to authority, whether uh be subject to the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor or whether it be to uh any other institution, which is sort of wild to me. Like when I think of institutions in our modern-day culture, nobody trusts anything in that. So it's like, why would you submit yourself to an institution?

Pastor Holland 5:47

Yeah, and the there's like a footnote on this in the ESV when it says every human institution, it says, or every institution ordained

Submitting To Authorities For The Lord

Pastor Holland 5:55

for people. So um what does that mean? Yeah, at least the ones that are you know really highlighted in the New Testament are um governors, yeah. Well, for the family, the church, and the state. Okay. And the state is seems to be what he's focusing on here.

Pastor Plek 6:14

Um, so you were saying every human institution is state power, church power, government power, or family power.

Pastor Holland 6:22

That's how you the institutions that God ordained for life. This wouldn't be your HOA. Yeah, right. I I think principles could still apply, but the ones this is talking about is primarily, yeah, civil magistrate and the state, and he mentions the emperor and governors, but then he also mentions um servants and masters, and then in chapter three, wives and husbands. So he's hitting on um not only the civil stuff, but also the household institution.

Pastor Plek 6:49

This is he's about to cover a broad topic. So already here in chapter two, which in chapter three will expand to wives and husbands. Uh and so right here, he starts off with the government and then slaves and masters or workers and owners or whatever. Yeah, business owners. So, or yeah, I guess what would you call that? Business owner? Well, basically owner, it's like it's a weird thing because like the family was where also business was done. Yeah. And so it's hard to what do you what did you I don't know?

Pastor Holland 7:17

Slaves and masters?

Pastor Plek 7:18

Slaves and masters, I guess.

Pastor Holland 7:20

Yeah. I mean, yeah, that's what he called them. Um, yeah, the master would be typically a you know, household head as well as a business owner, and this the slave would be a part of the household business.

Pastor Plek 7:31

The oikas, if you will.

Pastor Holland 7:33

I mean, what he says to slaves

Unjust Suffering And Workplace Submission

Pastor Holland 7:35

here is crazy. Um where is it? Uh verse 18. Yeah. Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust. Um, it's a gracious thing when one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. Like, that's like, man, what a what a a hard word for someone who's in that position. But he's saying, Yeah, this is, you know, Jesus follow the example of Jesus who suffered unjustly.

Pastor Plek 8:01

Um then he gets into for what credit is it if when you are you sin are beaten for it, you endure. In other words, if you endure the beating, and you deserved it, well, that's kind of you kind of got what you deserve. Yeah, exactly. No credit. But when you do good and suffer for it, you endure. This is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called. Yeah. Yay.

Pastor Holland 8:29

Um, yeah. And yeah, just I mean, that's a it's a high calling. And it's just a reminder of like being a again, being a Christian is um going to entail suffering. Um not not always in this, you know, some servants had great masters. Um and uh others had to suffer um by unjust masters.

Pastor Plek 8:53

And but usually, whenever like in Colossians and in Ephesians, it usually does bond servants and masters. But here it's just a call to servants. Yeah, right. Um, which is it's just like, well, what about them? I think there's in me, it would be like, well, what about hey, now give come on, uh Peter, unload on those the evil owners over there. Why are you not just kind of giving it to them? Because they're the ones handing out the evil business, and he's like, they're gonna get theirs. Um is what I'm what I'm seeing there. Like that God is gonna bless you in your suffering, especially if it's unjust, and you can trust God in unjust suffering that you may not see um redemption in this life, but you're ultimately gonna see it with Jesus.

Pastor Holland 9:41

Yeah, and that's a huge theme. Like every single chapter in First Peter is gonna talk about suffering. Um, and uh there's there is encouragement along the way though, even though Peter's not directly saying, Hey, masters, here's there is the promise and the assurance over and over again that those who do commit injustice and sin and don't repent, God will judge them in the end. Right. And so uh yeah, there is that hope given out of like ultimately what your situation you're in right now, you're suffering unjustly. But if you endure and you have faith in Jesus, you'll receive eternal life, right? And the one punishing you will be punished eternally in hell. So there is that. There's that. Yeah. All right, let's get into some uh nature of man. What do you see here? Um the fact that it has to, we have to be commanded to be subject is a reminder of our human impulse to not want to be subject.

Pastor Plek 10:38

You rebel and we we tend to chaos as opposed to order.

Pastor Holland 10:41

Yeah.

Pastor Plek 10:42

Um how about uh there is you have to be taught to be like newborn infants to long for the pure spiritual milk that by by it you may grow up into salvation, if indeed you have taste that the Lord is good, which I think that's an interesting command. There's a I guess a tendency in us that like newborn infants like pushing away the milk or the food, I don't want it. And you have to be like, no, you're jamming the parent has to jam it in there. Uh but that is what's good for you. And so there's a part of it, like, hey, you're gonna you need a long for this. Yeah, this is gonna bless you.

Pastor Holland 11:17

Right. Uh, you also have just the fact that he says be subject to these human institutions says that um we need uh to be governed. Yeah, that is the best thing for order and life and healthy societies and families. Like, we need governance and um don't, you know, like don't despise govern government in principle. There may be a particular government that is not functioning as it should, which it's cool that it lays it out here. It said, here's what the purpose of government is, verse 14 punish those who do evil, praise those who do good. There it is. That is the basic definition of civil government.

Pastor Plek 11:55

You know, I don't, and I guess, yeah, they do do that. I was just thinking, how often do they praise those who do good, go do good? And they do. Um, you know, when people like they get medals and you know, medal of freedom or presidential medals. So there is that stuff. Yeah, it's really cool. Yeah. Um, okay, what about um the fact that there's these three imperatives honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor. Yeah. Do you think this is like four things right here that honor everyone? I don't want to do that.

Human Impulse Toward Rebellion

Pastor Plek 12:25

Love the brotherhood, meaning Christians, right? Yep. Uh, like sometimes we have the I don't do church, like I don't love the church. I love Jesus, not the church. I love Jesus, not the church. Don't do that. There's a tendency in in humans to be that way. Yeah. Fear God, you know, like I fear no one. Um, and honor the emperor, like, oof, we have a no kings protest. Like that, I feel like there is a there's like a lot of us that just push back against anyone as an authority like that.

Pastor Holland 12:51

Yeah, right. And um, you're pushing back against what God has established. And now, again, you can you can honor the emperor while at the same time being honest about the emperor's um sin or need for repentance. I think of like John the Baptist um confronting King Herod, right? Uh, he didn't lead a uprising or rebellion against King Herod, but he did say um you shouldn't have your brother's wife, right?

Pastor Plek 13:17

What's wild is that King Herod loved to talk to John. Yeah. So yeah this and this is the this is the art form. You have to be skilled enough to call someone out publicly, and then at the same time diplomatic, apparently enough to to then have a conversation and then speak into that person's life that they're drawn to you. Like I don't and I don't know what that is.

Pastor Holland 13:42

Yeah, and even so, like I think of um we've mentioned several times before, Justin Martyr's first apology. He writes to the emperor. Um, and the fact that he's writing to the emperor is saying, like, hey, I honor this office that you have. Yeah, I honor your role, um, the dignity associated with you. You have great power, and I want to honor you, and I also want to say, hey, you are worshiping false gods. Right. You you need to repent and turn to Jesus. And I want to try to convince you to do that in these 24 chapters.

Pastor Plek 14:12

Nice, you know. Or what about the fact that um humans need to understand that government is an institution of God? Yeah, right. Uh, and those in government need to understand that they're an institution of God. Yeah. Okay. Um, all right. What about let's get into some character of God stuff. How simple one, Jesus bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live with righteousness. I like that very gospel prolific right there. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, rose the dead, and then allows us, gives us the power to live in righteousness.

Pastor Holland 14:46

Yeah. Um, it also calls Jesus the shepherd and overseer of your souls, which is kind of cool. The the word for shepherd there, it's the word same word translated pastor. Um, and so Jesus is the pastor and the overseer, another word that's synonymous with elder in the New Testament. And so it's saying Jesus is like the chief past the the lead, lead pastor and elder. And I like that um of your soul. And and so knowing that he cares for you, this is where like the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Yeah, he protects you, he provides for you, he presides over your life.

Pastor Plek 15:23

Um, okay. This I don't know if this gets into character of God, but I love how he brings up God's word over and over and over again. Like uh you've got the allusion to Psalm 34, a taste and see that the Lord is good. Uh, you've got an allusion to Psalm 118, he it he's the stone, the capstone or cornerstone that the builders rejected. Uh, you've got Isaiah 28, 16. Behold, I'm laying a Zion stone in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious. Whoever believes in him will not put to shame. Uh, then repeat it again from Psalm 118, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Uh, and then uh a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense is uh Isaiah 8, imagery. Yeah. Uh, and then you've got uh an Exodus 19, 5, and 6. That's where it's the you're a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, uh, a people of his own possession, and then another Deuteronomy 10 echo, and then what you called out Hosea, uh, once you were not my people, but now you're God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Just really cool how he he's just using, I mean, it's like the thing is just thick with scripture uh as

Jesus Our Shepherd And Our Response

Pastor Plek 16:35

you're reading it all the way through.

Pastor Holland 16:36

Yeah. And yeah, I think what it says about God's character is like his word is true and it can be counted on. And it's the, you know, um, it's the foundation of every argument we make, every theological claim that we make, it's all got to be based on God's word.

Pastor Plek 16:50

Yeah, and I even see by his wounds you've been healed, and that's Isaiah 53. Yep. So I I just God is is putting into his word his word. I mean, that seems like ridiculous, but all throughout the Old Testament, you have the we've said this before, the Old Testament is a New Testament concealed, New Testament is the Old Testament revealed, and you just really get to see it poured out here.

Pastor Holland 17:10

Yeah, amen.

Pastor Plek 17:11

All right, let's get into some application.

Pastor Holland 17:14

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution.

Pastor Plek 17:17

Right. So that would be a command obey. So we're looking at Ascend to confess, a promise to claim, an example, follow, command, obey, or knowledge to believe. So be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be the emperor supreme or to governors sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. Yeah. Um, how about just command obey, honor everyone? Command obey, love the brotherhood, love your church, uh, command obey, fear God, command obey, uh, honor the emperor. Uh, all of those are really important.

Pastor Holland 17:49

Um what about the yeah, command for to be subject to your masters with all respect? And today, and like the way modern application of this is, you know, your boss.

Pastor Plek 18:02

Yes.

Pastor Holland 18:03

Um, your manager, you whoever's in charge of you and the work that you're doing each day. Um, whatever, you know, productive work that you're doing. If you report to someone, right, and even if that person is a jerk, like you have this call to be subject to them and to honor them.

Pastor Plek 18:18

Okay. Um, how about uh just the suffer? I think you said this, but suffering. Yeah. Like this is just you have an example to follow.

Pastor Holland 18:27

Example? I mean, the Verse 21. Leave you an example.

Pastor Plek 18:32

It's the worst day ever. And then all of a sudden, God is um moving in and going, Hey, you're gonna suffer well.

Pastor Holland 18:42

Yeah. And many times that can be, you know, what uh is God uses to like draw other people to faith. Someone sees the way that you suffer well and honor the people, you know, that you're subject to, and you don't return reviling for reviling, and they go, Man, how do you do that? Yeah. And you can say, I'm just following the example of my savior, Jesus Christ.

Pastor Plek 19:06

Love that. I feel like this is it. Uh, just suffer well. It might be a really huge command obey here. Suffer well, be subject to the governing authorities, even when you don't like them, even when you didn't vote for them. Uh trust that God is in complete control. Amen. Hey, thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you next time on a chapter a day.