THE ENDURANCE OF HOLINESS- 1 Peter 2:18-25

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The passage before us is beautiful. In it, we see the contrast between a life of holiness and cultural acceptance. In this passage, we see a high call, a humanly impossible call. In this passage, we see the glories of Christ’s humility and condenscension. In this passage, we see the apostle Peter digging into his past experiences of watching the Savior suffering. Peter watched Christ suffer, and then Peter watched Christ glorified in both the resurrection and the ascension.

Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, provides us with the endurance in holiness. Holiness is a lifelong effort. It requires discipline. It requires endurance. It requires an example. We have all before us in this passage of Scripture. I want you, as we work through this section of Scripture, to dwell on Christ’s suffering for you. Alexander Maclaren, a Scottish Baptist pastor,

“Christ also suffered for you,”—Peter (1 Pet. 2:21, NKJV)

“Oh, my friends, I beseech you never think of the cross of Christ without taking those two words.”—Alexander Maclaren

I. Endurance in Holiness Defies Cultural Expectations- 2:18-20a

We have the same command to all from 2:13 repeated to servants, to slaves. These were typically individuals who served within a household. Their master’s bidding was their only mission in life. We see here (and other passages of Scripture, by the way) a remarkably anti-cultural command: submit to masters. The call to holiness defies culture and its common expectations. John MacArthur, commenting on this verse, writes, “One’s Christianity does not give the right to rebel against one’s superior in the social structure, no matter how unfair or harsh he may be.”

Does this not fly in the face of our modern culture? Now, let me say that I am for freedom and liberty for all. However, one thing we miss when we go with the culture over the Scripture is the holiness of God. When we live in accordance with God’s holy Word, we become holy. And holiness is and always will be counter cultural. The Scriptures call us to sexual fidelity, while our culture says do what you will.

The Scriptures say to pray for and love our enemies, while culture says bear down on them in full revenge. The Scriptures say to give, while our culture says to take. Scripture tells us to worship God alone, while our culture says to avoid such exclusivistic ideas.

Endurance in holiness defies cultural expectations. Too often Christians are like sand at the beach. When the waves come, the sand may not immediately disperse, but given enough time the sand eventually washes away. It has no endurance. But Christians, taking Christ for their example and through the Triune God striving for holiness, become like rocks. The wave will never wear that rock down. Now, you may remember Peter referred to us as free, and indeed we are free, perhaps not in the same way we would expect. We are free from sin and death, but now we are bondservants/slaves of God. Be submissive, Peter commands.

But submission is to take place to both good masters and harsh masters. This is precisely where we need endurance. This, Peter tells us, is commendable. The word commendable conveys the idea of grace, or favor. In other words, when we suffer under God’s sovereign hand we are favored by God. This teaching is consistent with Peter’s and our Lord’s found in Matthew 5:11.

We live life with God. Life, as we see in Scripture, is governed by a wise, gracious, and sovereign King. This guidance includes our stations in life, including our masters (or, to use more contemporary language, our employers). To endure suffering, with the understanding of God’s sovereign guidance, brings favor with God. Now, if we do wrong, we should not rejoice in our suffering (i.e., punishment). But, Peter tells us, if we suffer unjustly, we are commended before God.

Holiness, in which we desperately need endurance, defies cultural expectations. People will look at you as if you are insane if you endure harsh treatment. And without Christ, you would never be able to endure harsh treatment. But this is the road of the Christian, traveled first by Christ, and now by us. Because Endurance in holiness leads us from suffering to glory.

II. Endurance in Holiness Leads Us from Suffering to Glory- 2:20b-21a

We have described the overarching theme of this book in our series title From Suffering to Glory. We find that represented in this verse. Endurance in holiness leads us from suffering to glory. If you do good, Peter says, and suffer, that is commendable before God. God sees all, including the injustice you suffer. It is not as if God is somehow unaware of the injustices around the world, particularly those afflicting His children. No, He is completely and intimately aware, so much so that He identifies Himself in the persecution. Is this not what Jesus tells Saul? “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4)

God is aware, and He is watching His children to see how they will respond. If you suffer doing good, and respond in submission, this is commendable, favorable, before God. It leads us from suffering to glory (1:3-5). Now, Peter switches gears to focus on His Lord, and we will spend the remainder of our time doing the same. We will see Endurance in Holiness in Christ.

III. Endurance in Holiness in Christ- 2:21b-25

Our natural response to such a command in holiness is to ask, Why? Why should we submit to unrighteous masters? Why should we suffer for doing what is right? Peter gives us such sound and wonderful advice, and though applied specifically to suffering, it applies to every situation in life: LOOK TO CHRIST.

Christ also suffered for us. Think about the significance of this statement.

He that is without sin suffered for those who were slaves to sin. He, the perfect Lamb of God, was slain for us, haters of God.

Peter references Isaiah 53:9, which Allen read earlier, displaying the innocence of Christ. No human being, outside the Lord Jesus, can be said to have suffered innocently. That is, no human being has suffered without being a sinner. Yet, Christ did.

A. Christ displayed perfect submission—even though He was completely just- 23a

When we think about the difficulty of submitting to unjust masters, look to Christ, who displayed perfect submission even though He was completely just. He was the only human being to suffer unjustly. He was perfect, there was no sin in Him, nor deceit. Even when He was mistreated, lied about, questioned, and ultimately killed, He did not revile in return.

LOOK TO CHRIST, brothers and sisters, our example, when submitting to unjust masters.

B. Christ demonstrated perfect trust—even through His horrific suffering- 23b

This is an important lesson to which we must constantly return: God is in control. God is sovereign. As such, Christ gives us the example of how we can suffer injustice: LOOK TO GOD. Christ, the God Man, looked to God. He handed over His soul, as Peter tells us, to God, the righteous Judge.

He trusted God the Father. What a precious insight into the inner-workings of our Triune God! Now, remember Christ is our example. He paved the way for us, if you will. In His unjust, horrific sufferings, He trusted God. Are you facing an unjust situation? A boss that is subjecting you to ill treatment? Are you enduring an unfair situation? LOOK TO CHRIST, who while suffering unimaginable physical and spiritual pain trusted God the righteous Judge.

C. Christ died a substitutionary death—and purchased everlasting life for His people- 24

Remember those two words we started with? For you? That is the definition of the phrase substitutionary atonement. It was in our place that Christ paid the penalty for our sins. He bore our sins in his own body. That is unjust, if you will. The innocent, truly innocent, dying on behalf of the guilty, the eternally and infinitely guilty.

Through Christ’s death we have now died to sins. The unjust situation where the Righteous One died for the wicked ones brings about everlasting life for righteousness. It was commendable, to borrow Peter’s language for our suffering, to God (cf. Isaiah 53:10, 11). LOOK TO CHRIST!

D. Christ shepherds and oversees our souls—even while we suffer unjustly- 25

We come to the end of chapter two, and the final blessing of Christ’s suffering: He is our shepherd and overseer. Peter will use these two terms to describe the work of elders in chapter 5. But for now it applies to the Savior of the Church: Jesus Christ.

Like unwitting sheep are prone to wander away, we have wondered from the Shepherd. But now, though God’s grace, we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. I do not want us to miss this. In our road from suffering to glory, of which Christ has paved the way, we can become discouraged, disheartened, and earnestly desire to quit. But just as we have an example, we also have an encourager, a Shepherd, an Overseer.

As shepherd, Christ walks with His sheep. He knows them by the names. He gently guides and provides. And as Overseer, He watches, He knows what we are experiencing. He knows the pain, first hand, of His sheep. LOOK TO CHRIST! Look to Christ.