Basic Principles of Christian Life

The people of God must submit themselves to those in spiritual leadership in the church. The author of Hebrews gives the reason for the believers’ submission to the spiritual authority, “for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Heb 13:17). Elders of the church are responsible to God for delivering divine assigned duties to the flock. Believers are responsible to God for submitting to their spiritual leadership. That will help them do their work with joy and not with grief because if they have to do it with grief, this is unprofitable for the flock (v17). Unfortunately, many churches have grieving shepherds who wouldn’t be able to give joyfully to their ministry because they have unruly, unsubmissive ‘sheep’.

In today’s society, it takes a lot of courage to be humble. Attitude of humility is considered as a weakness and not as a virtue. Now, Peter is urging Christians to clothe themselves with humility, first towards one another because God hates pride and arrogance. The phrase “be clothed” takes the meaning of a slave putting on an apron before serving – the willingness to perform the lowest services for Jesus’ sake. Pride is one of the most detestable of sins; that was the sin that caused Lucifer to be thrown out of heaven. So, knowing that God opposes the proud, Peter commands Christians to humble themselves under God’s sovereign authority, power, and wisdom. In times of severe trials, do not be disheartened, do not contest God’s wisdom, and do not unfairly judge God as unkind. He will lift you in His time.

True humility recognizes our own inability to do anything apart from God. Peter says to cast all your anxiety on God because he cares for us. He is a ‘big God’ who can take all our discontentment, discouragement, despair, questioning, wondering, pain, and suffering. “Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you, He will never allow the righteous to be shaken” (Psalm 55:22). If He takes care of the lilies of the field, if He feeds the birds of the air, won’t you trust Him to care for you?

Peter repeats the same appeal he made at the beginning of the epistle: ‘Be sober-minded’ (1 Peter 1:13). Sobriety here refers to clarity of thought and self-control, avoiding the distractions and temptations of the world. Being sober and being alert are closely connected. To be alert means “to keep careful watch for possible danger or difficulties.” The phrase ‘Be sober-minded and alert’ emphasizes the importance of mental clarity and active attention to possible dangers in the Christian life. We have a spiritual enemy, likened to a rampaging lion continually seeking opportunities to destroy us. Although Satan cannot steal our salvation, he can shake our faith and make us ineffective Christians.

We are in spiritual warfare, and we must know our enemy’s tactics to counter his deadly blows effectively. The strategy of Satan is always the same. The principle attack of Satan against God is aimed at disputing and assaulting His character and His word. The same tactic Satan successfully employed in the garden against Adam and Eve is still being successfully employed in this age. That’s why we must be sober and vigilant.

Satan, through his influence, uses the three-fold attack on believers to find victims: Lust of the flesh (desires of the body), the lust of the eyes (desires of what we see), and pride of life (boastful pride). How do we deal with it? Peter doesn’t ask Christians to attend a spiritual boot camp or to take some fast-track course on ‘How to..’, or to bind Satan using some mystical way. Nor did he ask Christians to flee away from Satan. Rather he gives a very simple and direct answer: ‘Resist him by standing firm in the faith.’ That’s it! Then, Satan will run away from you (James 4:7). Satan is a deceiver and a liar, and you resist him with the revealed truth -trusting God and living in accord with His truth. In other words, there is only one way to resist the devil and that is to know the truth, believe the truth, stand on the truth, and obey the truth.

While our trials may vary in nature, every Christian will experience some degree of suffering when identified with Christ. It could manifest as insults, disappointments, tragic losses, poverty, imprisonment, or even death. God in His grace, has called us to eternal glory. Our future hope of glory involves some suffering in the present. There is an end to every suffering. God uses our brief earthly sufferings to make us strong and steadfast. The final encouragement of Peter is that the God who has saved us from eternal damnation will restore us, secure us, strengthen us, and establish us in Christ with eternal glory.

Peter ended his letter with a note of worship, “To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever (NKJV).” This introduced us to an important attitude necessary for Christian maturity – that is the attitude of worship. Our hearts must always be filled with praise giving glory to God for His awesome power, authority, and sovereignty. God has the ultimate control and dominion over all circumstances. He is the dominant One. Nothing is beyond His control, not our suffering and not Satan and his demons. He is sovereign over all His creation. He has the supreme authority in executing and administering His eternal purposes according to His good pleasure. God in His sovereignty can work through any situation to bring about His will which is altogether righteous. That drives us to worship Him.

In his closing statements, Peter encourages believers to persevere in their faith, holding onto the true grace of God even amidst persecution. It signifies a commitment to not be shaken from our faith in God and to actively live according to its principles. When we encounter countless obstacles and oppositions, that seemingly provide reasonable grounds for compromise or backing off from the faith. Peter knew that, and many Christians have done that too. So, he writes exhorting believers not to give in, but to stand firm in the true grace of God, defend it, and proclaim it.

In his final exhortation, Peter makes a point of expressing love to each other. He instructs the believers to greet one another with a kiss of Love. It emphasizes the importance of sincere love and unity within the Christian community. Jesus commands his disciples to love one another as he has loved them, stating that their love for one another will be a defining characteristic that sets them apart as followers of Christ. As believers face various trials, genuine love and mutual support will fortify their faith and encourage perseverance in their shared journey.