5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.- 1 Peter 3:5-6
This passage has not left my mind since I first read it a couple days ago.
It comes out of the passage where Paul is telling women to submit to their husbands and the prelude to this passage in 1 Peter 2 talks about living Godly lives in a pagan world. It talks about submitting to others that will push you down, hurt you, do things that make you feel disrespected and rejected. It says, submit, because that's what Christ did for us. He submitted even unto death on a cross.
It talks about slaves obeying masters, servants obeying bosses, and then finally wives submitting to husbands, and husbands loving wives. When the pagans treat you poorly, submit, so that the love of Christ may be shown in you.
I don't know about anyone else, but when it comes to survival I tend towards the fight rather than flight mechanism. When I am feeling pushed down, overwhelmed, walked-on-like-a-door-mat, the last thing I want to do is submit. In fact I tend to harbor it all inside, and get passive aggressive until it explodes (that is vulnerability and honesty, guess there are some truths you need to accept about yourself and work to be better in). This is so natural, To rise up and seek vengance. However, to risk being cliche, I don't think it's what Jesus would do.
Jesus, as a lamb lead to slaughter submitted himself unto death. And that is our call as co-heirs with Christ, to take on the humility of a little lamb. To become the sacrifice. Notice, the last part of verse 6 says do not give way to fear. When we see what is happening, when we feel the words of death being lashed upon us, our initial reaction is to fight. Like a fearful lamb, it will turn. It will try to run. It will try to have it's own way. It will cling to ever last bit of life, and that is the way we are. However, we are called to more, and that is to lose our life. To willingly embrace our place as the sacrifice, that the whole world may know salvation through us.
That is how we are called to love "the world." However, what happens when it comes time to love one another? What happens when it is time to lay down our lives for our brother and sisters in Christ. When it's someone in the world, so often we pass it off as "I'm gonna take this so you see Jesus in me." But what if our own brother or sister is struggling and lashes out, insults, or rejects us? What then? Do we cast judgement or do we do the same, recognizing that until we are met up in glory there is still a little piece of the world in us. The world is not our home. Yes, we are made new, but still this is where we are at and we are all being transformed into His likeness. Anyone that has been in a time of transition and transformation knows it hurts. That's where growth happens, in the muck, in the darkness, in the valley. And as most we are so prone to fear. However, Paul says do not fear. Even when others around you aren't acting as they should. Even when you are tempted to avoid grace with others, have grace, because then they may see the Lord in you and be transformed. Do not fear, because this is how Christ loved the church. He embraced his death to give life and we are coheirs, finding life as we lose ours. We are being taken from glory to glory together as we have grace with one another and walk on this journey to the new life.
This passage has not left my mind since I first read it a couple days ago.
It comes out of the passage where Paul is telling women to submit to their husbands and the prelude to this passage in 1 Peter 2 talks about living Godly lives in a pagan world. It talks about submitting to others that will push you down, hurt you, do things that make you feel disrespected and rejected. It says, submit, because that's what Christ did for us. He submitted even unto death on a cross.
It talks about slaves obeying masters, servants obeying bosses, and then finally wives submitting to husbands, and husbands loving wives. When the pagans treat you poorly, submit, so that the love of Christ may be shown in you.
I don't know about anyone else, but when it comes to survival I tend towards the fight rather than flight mechanism. When I am feeling pushed down, overwhelmed, walked-on-like-a-door-mat, the last thing I want to do is submit. In fact I tend to harbor it all inside, and get passive aggressive until it explodes (that is vulnerability and honesty, guess there are some truths you need to accept about yourself and work to be better in). This is so natural, To rise up and seek vengance. However, to risk being cliche, I don't think it's what Jesus would do.
Jesus, as a lamb lead to slaughter submitted himself unto death. And that is our call as co-heirs with Christ, to take on the humility of a little lamb. To become the sacrifice. Notice, the last part of verse 6 says do not give way to fear. When we see what is happening, when we feel the words of death being lashed upon us, our initial reaction is to fight. Like a fearful lamb, it will turn. It will try to run. It will try to have it's own way. It will cling to ever last bit of life, and that is the way we are. However, we are called to more, and that is to lose our life. To willingly embrace our place as the sacrifice, that the whole world may know salvation through us.
That is how we are called to love "the world." However, what happens when it comes time to love one another? What happens when it is time to lay down our lives for our brother and sisters in Christ. When it's someone in the world, so often we pass it off as "I'm gonna take this so you see Jesus in me." But what if our own brother or sister is struggling and lashes out, insults, or rejects us? What then? Do we cast judgement or do we do the same, recognizing that until we are met up in glory there is still a little piece of the world in us. The world is not our home. Yes, we are made new, but still this is where we are at and we are all being transformed into His likeness. Anyone that has been in a time of transition and transformation knows it hurts. That's where growth happens, in the muck, in the darkness, in the valley. And as most we are so prone to fear. However, Paul says do not fear. Even when others around you aren't acting as they should. Even when you are tempted to avoid grace with others, have grace, because then they may see the Lord in you and be transformed. Do not fear, because this is how Christ loved the church. He embraced his death to give life and we are coheirs, finding life as we lose ours. We are being taken from glory to glory together as we have grace with one another and walk on this journey to the new life.
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