1 Peter 2:18 KJV  [18] “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.”      In Bible days, a servant was more of a slave than an employee. Some servants were hirelings, but many were considered the property of their masters. Their daily treatment was in the hands of their master. Some servants would have had masters who were good and gentle, meaning that they were fair in their treatment. Other servants were not so blessed but served under froward masters, meaning they were crooked.       The message …

1 Peter 2:17 KJV [17] “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”      Peter gives us four basic instructions to live by as believers. The first is to honor all men. How can we honor all men when some men live such dishonorable lives? We honor all men by being respectable and treating all men equally. We are to love all sinners as our Savior loves all sinners. We must care about their soul and respect their positions in this world. Honoring all men doesn’t have as much to do with where we are as it …

1 Peter 2:16 KJV [16] “as free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.”      Christian liberty does not mean we are free to do what we want. It means that we are free to do what God wants. It does not mean we are free to sin but rather free to say no to sin. Christian liberty means that we are free to live for Jesus. Christian liberty never made anyone in the Bible more godless or worldly, but Christian liberty sets a believer free to be more holy and less …

1 Peter 2:15 KJV [15] “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:”      The expression “put to silence” means to muzzle. When we decide to live godly lives in the face of an ungodly society, we can stop the mouths of fools. The agenda of our society leans toward denying God and dismissing anything and everything that reminds them of Him. They do not like to retain God in their knowledge. In America, the wicked both rule and rage in our government, schools, and business world.      As …

1 Peter 2:14 KJV [14] “or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.”      The rule of obedience to authority that Peter lays out is first to the king as supreme and then to the governor. The governors are those under the supreme authority who administer the laws and execute justice. Their civil duty was to punish those who do evil and praise those who do good, but they did not always carry it out that way during Peter’s day, and we have …

1 Peter 2:13 KJV [13] “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;”      We will never agree with all of the laws of the land, but we are to submit to them regardless of the ruler. Rome was ruled by evil people when Peter wrote this verse. It was not the will of God for the church to lead an insurrection but to shine the light of the gospel. Persecution of the church would cause the light of the gospel to shine even brighter.      Everything we do …

1 Peter 2:12 KJV [12] “having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”      When we study the life of Jesus, we are overwhelmed by His goodness. He went about everywhere doing good, and it did not matter where He was or how others treated Him. No one could ever say that Jesus mistreated them in any way. Even Pilate declared that he found no fault in Him.      Jesus was known for good works during …

1 Peter 2:11 KJV [11] “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”       I like how this verse begins with the phrase, “Dearly beloved.” It shows the heart of Peter as he wrote to the saints and how deeply he cared for the brethren. We need to have the same affection for our brothers today. When I read this text, I ask myself, Do I have the love for my fellow brethren that I should have? Are they dear to my heart? And do I see the saints in …

1 Peter 2:10 KJV [10] “which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”      Peter wants us to go back and remember our past. He wants us to remember when we were on the outside looking in. As believers, it is good to remember who we were before He found us. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were lost with no hope and without God. We were poor and needy individuals who belonged to Satan and were called children of …

1 Peter 2:9 KJV [9] “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”      The good news is that God is not through with the Jew! Israel is a nation despised by this world but chosen by God! This holy nation will one day rise from the pain and persecution they have endured to be the nation above all others. Jerusalem will be the capital of this world, and Christ will sit upon the …