1 Peter 1-2

In 1 Peter 1, he recounts the blessings of Christ’s salvific work. It was expected by the prophets and accomplished by Christ, who shed his precious blood for our salvation so that we might believe in God and be saved. Peter paints a picture of Christians as foreigners and exiles living in a land that is not there own, waiting for the arrival of their sovereign Lord Jesus. He then commands us to live as God’s slaves (2:16) and to honour the leaders, including the emperor. He then commands slaves to submit themselves to their master, whether a good or bad master. This seems horrible. Why should a slave submit to a master who beats him or her without cause? Peter compares it to Christ who was abused by the authorities without cause. In recent years the Iraq people have really suffered. Under Sadam Hussein Iraqi Christians suffered but that suffering was nothing compared to how they have suffered now that freedom has come to Iraq. Ultimately, freedom or slavery is less important than how we relate to Jesus. We need to balance “freedom from” with “freedom to.”