Lesson 75
Study of
First Peter Chapter 5
Review:
Summary
1. There is a crown of glory available to every P/T
but not every P/T will receive this reward.
2. Rev. 3:11 indicates that a crown can be
forfeited when it says "hold fast that no one takes your crown."
- The lose of reward is due to lack
of spiritual alertness; being asleep spiritually and therefore not living,
being faithful to the word.
3. The crown of glory spoken of here is for P/T's
who have fulfilled their ministry or course in the niche in which God placed
them.
4. The congregation is an indication of the status
of the P/T's "crown of glory."
1 Ths 2:19-20; Phil 4:1
5. There is also a
"crown of life" for those who pass the tests of life while advancing
as a believer. Jas 1:12;
6. There is also a
"crown of righteousness" for those who love His appearing and live
their life in the light of eternity maintaining their pursuit of doctrine until
death or the rapture. 2 Tim 4:8
5:5 Counsel to the
rest of the members of the churches revolving around authority orientation
First the exhortation to the younger men.
You younger men, likewise,
be subject to your elders;
- the command - aorist pass
imperative (u`pota,ssw) to willingly submit to
authority;
What
may have been in Peter's thinking here in a context dealing with P/T's and the
L/C is that out of the young men in the congregations he's writing to will be
some who will aspire to the office of P/T.
Next
Peter shifts from a specific category to a general application to all
And all
of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another,
- clothe yourselves The picture that this word
paints is that of a slave tying on the apron to serve; the wearing of that apron distinguished the
slave from the freedman.
What
Peter is trying to get across is that as advancing believers we should fasten
firmly on something that distinguishes us as believers from others.
with
humility toward one another (tapeinofrosu,nh) -su,nh ending
indicates a quality or characteristic here that the believer should be
exhibiting in relationships with others
Observations Humility:
1. To the Greeks this was a
derogatory term; for one to be humble was considered a vice not a virtue.
2. For the Greeks the greatest
virtues were related to the manifestation of power in self-assertion and
dominance.
3. The Greeks saw man as the
measure of all things, [we've come full circle]
therefore to them the importance of self-assertion and dominance; with the resulting consideration of humility and anything that lowered man's
stature or dominance was to them contemptible!
4. Humility is our own
evaluation of our selves in light of or by the standard of God not man! [it is to have the
proper estimate of oneself in relation to DVPT!]
5. True humility is a reflection
of ones thinking; it is not innate, it is not automatic; it is a MA that
can only result from the faith in you;
flows from BD'l content of your F/O/R.
6. True humility has observable
results in the life of the advancing believer who is walking worthy.
7. It was Jesus Himself, who
first elevated this term to the highest level as He used it to describe
Himself as "gentile and humble in heart." [Mt 11:29]
8. For Paul the greatest
example of humility, the supreme lesson in humility is found in the incarnation
of Jesus. [Phil 2:5-8]
9. True humility indicates an
absence of arrogance, pride, a self-esteem and self interest to the exclusion
of sensitivity to others; a sensitivity based on
N&S of truth, BD, not emotions.
[Phil 2:1-4; linked here to unselfishness, not being self centered]
10. Humility is a
characteristic that we are to put on as advancing believers. Col 3:12;
1 Pet 5:5 [virtue must be developed]
Peter's
point here is that we are to clothe ourselves (lit:
to fasten firmly on ourselves something that distinguishes the advancing
believer from others) with humility.
It is a
MA that results from thinking according to the N&S of God.
Paul
makes it very clear that humility is to characterize the worthy walk of the advancing
believer in Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3; Col 3:12
Peter has emphasized the
importance of recognizing Christ as the example in patient endurance under
undeserved suffering.
We should note that
Christ is also the example of humility.
Christ was totally obedient to the Plan of God, the will of God by His
own choice and this reflects the means of humbling that Paul is emphasizing
here for us.
Back to 1 Peter 5:5 Next quotes from the LXX of Prov 3:34
for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.
B.L.: proud describes self - glorification; self - deification
(individual is focused on, relying on self not God.)
but - introduces the contrasting
message of encouragement - the promise, gives grace to the humble
- This focuses on all that God is free to do for you on the basis of the
cross, therefore specifically focusing on the DOA's,
survival techniques,
for the R/F member.
the humble
(tapeino,j) an adjective used as a
noun describing the one who exhibits the mental attitude of humility as a
result of thinking consistently the standards of Word of God.
5:5 Likewise you younger men be submissive to the
elders (your P/T) and all of you fasten on firmly a humble mental attitude
toward one another (other believers); (quote of Prov 3:34) For God keeps on
being opposed to the arrogant but gives grace to the humble.