At the time 1 Peter was written, Christians were likely viewed as challenging social norms—and this may have been one of the main reasons why they were persecuted. To ensure the message of Jesus was not hindered, Peter may have offered his thoughts on various relationships. Peter seems to be advocating throughout 1 Pet 2:13–3:22 that although social norms should be challenged, the message of the gospel should not be hindered in the process—he encourages patient suffering, as Jesus suffered, even in the face of injustice and inequality.
