+- Radix Fidem (https://radixfidem.org)
+-- Forum: About Radix Fidem (https://radixfidem.org/forum-5.html)
+--- Forum: Sermons, Teachings, Blog Posts (https://radixfidem.org/forum-13.html)
+--- Thread: NT Doctrine -- 1 Peter 3 (/thread-1601.html)
NT Doctrine -- 1 Peter 3 - Ed Hurst - 12-28-2024
What happens when God's Elect walk in their privileges?
Peter says that when women don't follow the worldly ways of feminism, but walk according to biblical submission to their covering, they have a real impact on everyone. The world could see these Christian women living by eternal truth and would be forced to admire their faithfulness. Then he goes on to add that believers should not flaunt any material wealth but their spiritual wealth. Adorn yourself with moral truth.
By symbolism, this makes women heirs of Sarah's blessings that she obtained with her husband and lord, Abraham, as representatives of Heaven. By the same token, men should not be suckered by the masculine arrogance of Judaism, which later seeped into the Gnostic heresy. In Gnosticism, you must be male to go to to Heaven. Men, pamper your wife; she is your greatest treasure on this earth. Abusing her is abusing yourself and hinders your prayers. It defiles you so you cannot stand before the Lord. The Law of Christ is to love His people as He loves them.
This sort of orientation on life extends to the rest of your faith family. Demonstrate what the sacrificial love of Christ looks like in how you deal with them. Peter quotes from Psalm 34 about how this allows us to lay claim to the blessings of the Covenant. If this makes God smile, who can object to such sacrificial love? If it causes outsiders to persecute you, then you have moved into the highest privilege of all, carrying the Cross of Christ. People are going to ask you about this; be ready to answer in some way they are likely to understand. We can afford to be humble and generous in our response to the people of this world. Let your kindness show that those who slander you as troublesome are lying. Let God use you as He pleases to testify of His reputation.
Peter offers a sort of catechism statement about how Christ did not hesitate to face suffering and death despite His innocence, so that He could pay the penalty for our sinful natures. Meanwhile, His Spirit was still alive and went down into the Abyss to announce to the rebellious spirits how He was rolling back their agenda by empowering His people to walk in holiness. They had their chance to repent during the long years it took for Noah to build the Ark. While they had succeeded in spoiling the majority of the human race, that was not going to happen with the Elect.
The Flood that destroyed humanity also served to rescue Noah from the pervasive evil of his world. That was the symbolism of baptism -- what killed the flesh would empower the Spirit. The ritual of baptism was a pledge of loyalty to Christ as Lord. His resurrection paves the way for His followers to join Him later in Eternity, and there was nothing the rebel alliance among the elohim, nor their lackeys the Nephilim, could do about it.