First Epistle of Peter
CHRIST OUR SUBSTITUTE AND EXAMPLE
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:21 (KJV)
This verse is a continuation of what we have had in connection with the servant slaves. Here we are told that suffering is just what they can expect, and Christ, who was also a servant, is given as an example of patient suffering.
"For even hereunto were ye called"
Namely, to suffering – first they were called to salvation and then to suffering. And so every Christian is called to suffering, although perhaps not to the extent that these servant slaves were. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29). If we live a godly life, and witness for Christ, we are sure to suffer some.
Perhaps the apostle was forewarning them of the terrible persecution that he knew lay ahead. It was at this time that the wicked emperor Nero was charged by many with the deed. They say he did this in order to build a bigger and better Rome which he planned to name after himself. However, things did not go as he planned, and he lost much favor with the people. He then, in order to save himself, accused the Christians of firing Rome. The people, for the most part, hated the Christians, and were glad to believe this lie, and a terrible persecution broke out.
Nero invented all manner of cruel devices to kill the Christians. About the worst of these was rolling them in wax and using them as candles to light up his gardens at night. This persecution spread into all corners of the empire, and without doubt, many to whom Peter was writing, fell victim to this terrible tyrant.
"because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example"
Here we have Christ; first as a substitute in suffering for us, and then as an example. It does no one any good to try to have Christ for an example unless he has first accepted Him as substitute. Yet many try this and teach it. There are two great divisions in Christendom; the fundamentalists and the modernists. The fundamentalists make much of Christ as substitute, but may neglect Him as example. Modernists make much of Him as example, but belittle His substitutionary work.
A modernistic preacher was having noon hour meetings over radio the week before Easter. He exalted Christ as example, but never as substitute. At the close of each hour, he answered questions sent in. One read something like this. "I am in the hospital. With me are many poor, old, sick and dying people. Some are anxious to know the way to get in. Can you tell them how?" How could he tell these poor unfortunates, so near the end of their days, that the way in is through following Christ as example? But he did. He read them this Scripture, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross; and follow me" (Matt. 16:24). This is a lovely verse for Christians, but not for the unsaved as a way to get into the body of Christ. The unsaved need to hear this: that Christ loves them and died for them all and if they would simply trust and obey Jesus Christ, He would gladly and lovingly take them in.
Modernism is a hopeless thing. It tells a person to walk, but provides no legs. The pure gospel received by a worldly sinner provides the legs and power to walk. To such, Christ must be held up as an example showing how one should walk.
"Christ suffered for us"
The extent of His sufferings we will never know. He suffered much even before He went to the cross. Having a sensitive soul, coming in contact with sin and its effects, must have brought Him grief. He suffered much from the ridicule and unbelief of men. Then at His trial and crucifixion, He suffered physical abuse at their hands. Through it all, He never complained. Through it all, He showed absolute obedience. He showed great humility and patience, and demonstrated to the world the beauty of suffering great wrong without any evidence of desire for vengeance.
"for us"
These little touches in the Word of God are wonderful. He suffered "for us". We have a similar expression at the end of chapter 1:20. It is interesting to note other places where we have that expression "for us". In Galatians 3:13, we read, "being made a curse for us". In 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us". In Romans 5:8 we read, "Christ died for us". All these things, and more, He did "for us". Each of us can say with the apostle Paul, "The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
"leaving us an example"
Here He is our example in suffering, as well as our substitute. As He suffered, so we should too. Here the suffering of Christ is linked together with the suffering of the saint. We ought to account it a great privilege to suffer for His sake. He suffered for us; why not we for Him.
The word "example" here means to copy after. Years back they taught how to write by putting a perfectly written sentence on the top of the page, which the student was to try to copy. So with Christ, we have a perfect example of patient suffering, which we are to follow after.
"that ye should follow His steps"
Not "in His steps" as sometimes quoted, but "follow his steps". His steps were too great for us to follow in, but we can go the same way He went. Like a little boy following his father through the snow. The father takes far too long steps for the boy to step in them, but he can follow the same way his father goes. Likewise, we are to follow His steps, not only in suffering, but also in His love, devotion, purity, self-denial, and endurance. Of course, we will never attain to His height, but we must follow after.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:22 (KJV)
Here we have Christ further as our example, especially in connection with suffering, although He should be so in every way. We have Him pictured as sinless in deed, and also in word. We have a statement very similar in Isaiah 53:9. "Because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." Here also, we have no sin in deed, and none in word. The apostle may have had this verse in Isaiah in mind.
"Who did no sin"
This could be said of no other man that ever lived. Adam sinned, and since then, all have sinned. We can trace through the histories of mankind and find sin all the way through, but here in Christ is an exception. He could say, "Which of you convicts me of sin" (John 8:46, NKJV). It was necessary that He be sinless. If He had any sin of His own, He could only die for His own sins, and not for ours. Seeing He never sinned, death had no claim on Him. "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). Yet death did claim Him, and in it He paid the wages for our sins.
It is interesting to note that Christ never confessed any sin. Most of the great men in Scripture confessed their sinfulness. Abraham said, "I am but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). Moses said, "Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips" (2 Sam. 12:13). And so Daniel and Isaiah. In the New Testament, Peter says, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord" (Luke 5:8). And Paul, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1 Tim. 1:15). The best of men have confessed that they were sinners, and we really expect this of all really good men.
As we read over Christ's life carefully, we note that He never reproached Himself for anything. He never confesses anything and never seems to regret anything He ever did. All these things put the stamp of truth to the fact that "He did no sin".
This is all the more remarkable when we think of all the suffering He had to bear. When we are being abused, how easy it is to grumble, to threaten, to retaliate.
In all this He is our example, our model. He is the perfect model that we are to copy. A child's copy of the perfect model on the top of his writing book page will perhaps be poorly done, but he tries making it just the same. We will not rise to the perfection of our example either, but we should try (1 John 1:8). "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."
Because we do not attain to the perfection of the model, is no reason to say, "What's the use?" We are to press on to become more like Him every day. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1).
"neither was guile found in His mouth"
In this, too, He is our example. It is easy to sin with our mouth. "Guile" is "craftiness", "deceit", "cunning", "duplicity". We dealt with this in connection with chapter 2, verse 1. James says in chapter 3:2 of his epistle, "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." It is very interesting to read the things our Lord Jesus said, and to note the simplicity, the purity, the sincerity of it all. How different from the tongues of men. They deceive, they accuse, they abuse, they nag, yea they pierce like a sword (Prov. 12:18). May we have a tongue like His – "And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth" (Luke 4:22). May it be said of our mouths as was said of His, "His mouth is most sweet" (Song of Solomon 5:16).
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:23 (KJV)
In this, He is still our model. It deals entirely with sins of the mouth. He was absolutely able to control His tongue. This is something no other man has ever been able to do.
We read in James 3:8, "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." We should regard our tongue as a wild beast that needs utmost effort to hold in subjection. The tongue has a double guard to keep it bound. When it would run wild, clench your teeth, and press your lips tightly together, and then if further protection is necessary, put your hand over it.
"Who when He was reviled, reviled not again"
The word "reviled" is a very strong word meaning "intense railing". The Lord was reviled often throughout His life, especially those last few hours of His trial and crucifixion. Man's hatred of Him was intense, and they used every excuse to violently revile Him. But He never reviled in return. Psalm 22 is a remarkable picture of Christ's sufferings on the cross. He says of those gathered around and reviling Him, "Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion" (vv. 12 and 13). The word "gaped" should be translated "opened". In other words, those gathered around Him that day acted like bulls and lions in their raving and roaring at Him. But He never retaliated.
Did anyone ever revile you, bellow at you like a bull, or roar at you like a lion? Some young college men and women were out for a walk. Along their path lay a home of which the occupants said was haunted. The girls were afraid to pass it, but the boys finally persuaded them to go on. As they passed, someone made some sarcastic remarks about the occupants and their haunted house. The occupants heard the remark through an open window and suddenly a man with a shotgun came tearing out like bellowing a bull. Most of what the man said is unprintable. He threatened to blow a hole in the college group large enough to drive a team of horses through. Everyone was too terrified to revile back. It no doubt taught them a lesson early in life about holding their tongue. But it is so hard to keep quiet when someone says mean things to us. However, our perfect model, "reviled not again".
"when He suffered, He threatened not"
It is very hard to suffer, but doubly hard to suffer at the hands of others, when we have done nothing to deserve it. This was the case with the Lord Jesus. He had done absolutely nothing to deserve the abuse He received from men. In fact, He had always done good to others. He had healed the sick, fed the poor, blessed the children, and raised the dead. He had always been a blessing to all He contacted. Then to be so violently accused and so cruelly treated must have been a great trial to bear. Yet He bore it without a whimper. "He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Is. 53:7).
He might have threatened and He could have carried out His threats. With a word, all those wicked men around the cross could have been hurled into hell. But instead, He says, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do".
We might threaten, but be powerless to carry them out. Perhaps some of those household slaves we have been considering, in their inability to carry out any other threats, would threaten their masters with divine retribution. Our Lord did not do this, nor should we.
"but committed Himself to Him that judgeth rightly"
Our Lord Jesus just left His case in the hands of His Father. He did not desire or ask for vengeance; neither should we. He practiced just what He preached. "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). It takes the sting out of any suffering if we take it as from the hand of the Lord. And if we suffer unjustly, we can safely leave the handling of the case in His hands. His judgment will be a righteous judgment. If our adversaries deserve punishment, He can mete it out to them. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Rom. 12:19). If we leave it in the hands of Him who will render righteous judgment, we will have peace in our souls.
