And ‘by his stripes you were healed.’ For you were like sheep, going astray; but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.”—1 Pet. 2:21-25.

30. With respect to this Model, what is the main point to note, and why is this important?

³⁰ Since the Leader in Christianity thus suffered unjustly, his disciples could not expect to escape similar suffering unjustly. But the main point to note is that our Leader endured it uncomplainingly. To imitate him we must do likewise, whether as slaves or not. As in the case of Jesus Christ, such unjust suffering with no complaining, threatening or reviling works out for good, even for others. It is only the enduring of the unjust, undeserved kind of suffering that is a “thing agreeable with God.”

31, 32. (a) To whom does Peter then turn with counsel, and why? (b) What does Peter counsel these to do?

³¹ After encouraging and consoling the Christian slaves who were suffering unjustly “because of conscience toward God,” Peter then turns to others who had to subject themselves even under cases of unjust mistreatment. These were Christian wives married to unchristian husbands who did not obey God’s Word. Somewhat like slaves, wives are the property of owners, namely, their husbands, whom the Jews even today call Baalim or Owners. (Hos. 2:16; Ex. 21:22; Deut. 22:22, 24; Prov. 31:11, 23, 28) Rather than counseling Christian wives to get a separation or divorce from unbelieving, undedicated husbands, the apostle Peter points back to the case of the slaves and says:

³² “In like manner, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, in order that, if any are not obedient to the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives, because of having been eyewitnesses of your chaste conduct together with deep respect [more literally, with fear (phobos)]. And do not let your adornment be that of the external braiding of the hair and of the putting on of gold ornaments or the wearing of outer garments, but let it be the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of the quiet and mild spirit, which is of great value in the eyes of God. For so, too, formerly the holy women who were hoping in God used to adorn themselves, subjecting themselves to their own husbands, as Sarah used to obey Abraham, calling him ‘lord.’ And you have become her children; provided you keep on doing good and not fearing any cause for terror.”—1 Pet. 3:1-6.

33, 34. (a) What kind is this wifely subjection, and what good result is possible from it? (b) To whom does Peter point as examples for Christian wives, and like which one in particular should they adorn themselves?

³³ No more than in the case of Christian slaves, the Christian wives do not render a total subjection to their owners, without regard for God or Christian conscience. Wifely subjection too is merely relative and has to be balanced with fear of God and a conscientious regard for God’s Word. If she left her unbelieving husband and did not subject herself to him in a way to please God, how could the wife win her husband to Christianity without a word of mouth but by her faithful Christian conduct? She could not do so. For examples of wifely subjection Peter points, not to divorcees or to worldly women who demand “women’s rights” and equality with men, but to the “holy women” of former times who hoped in God.

³⁴ Peter told wives to act like Sarah’s children, instructed by Sarah on how to act as a wife. Sarah recognized Abraham as her husbandly lord. She obeyed him even when he asked her to protect his life at the risk of her own freedom and security. (Gen. 12:11-20; 20:1-14) By thus subjecting herself to her husband Sarah was rewarded with playing an important part toward the eternal salvation of herself and the rest of the human family. She became the mother of Isaac, and thus an ancestress of the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise a Christian wife can subject herself to her husband and do so with hope in God, in whose eyes she adorns herself with a “quiet and mild spirit” toward her husband. This may work for not only her own salvation but that of her husband and of others.

35, 36. (a) During the existence of this world, to what are we all obliged to subject ourselves, and to what extent? (b) How is this a safeguard and an advantage?

³⁵ Not all of us who are Christian witnesses of Jehovah are human slaves or wives and thus bound to render subjection in those spheres. But, as long as we are in this old world by God’s permission, we are under political governments. As long as God lets these continue existing, we are bound, “for the Lord’s sake” and according to “the will of God,” to subject ourselves to “every human creation.” Neither Peter nor Paul leaves us in any doubt about it that this subjecting of ourselves to these worldly political institutions is only relative, subject at all times to a Christian conscience instructed in God’s Word. When we render such relative subjection, we avoid rousing indignation on the part of the people subject to the kings, emperors and governors because of our failing to show due honor to their rulers.

³⁶ Not only will our relative subjection please such people, but it will especially please God. It will be a safeguard for us against joining in political conspiracies or rebellions against constituted authorities, even when we are persecuted for being Christian witnesses of Jehovah. It will disarm the enemies of God’s kingdom that we are preaching, for they will have no real fault to find or to prove against us except it be with regard to the law of our God.

37. So what will we all be found doing now everywhere, and where will our subjection to government be total earth-wide?

³⁷ Wherever we live, under whatever form of government of men we live, we shall always be found doing good and glorifying God. In his new world of righteousness after the universal war of God’s great day, we shall have the honor and joy of subjecting ourselves totally to the only government then in full control of the earth, that of God’s kingdom by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Christianity and Comfortable Religion

✔ Writing in the Victoria Colonist, January 28, 1961, clergyman Frank S. Morley lamented the softness of modern-day ministers compared to heroic first-century Christians. “Reading a religious journal the other day,” he wrote, “I came on some advertisements worded to lure ministers to church vacancies. One boasted ‘Furnished manse, oil-heated . . . paved roads, modern schools.’ Another: ‘Beautiful church, excellent manse—10 minutes drive to university.’ So they went, ‘fully furnished manse,’ ‘comfortable, brick, oil-heated manse,’ ‘a comfortable parsonage, oil-heated, new garage, close to high and public schools.’”

Morley called to mind that when Paul received a call to go to Macedonia, “lacking the cautious approach of his successors today, Paul got hold of Barnabas and ‘immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia.’” (Acts 16:10) They suffered mobbings, beatings, imprisonments, deprivations, hardship and yet rejoiced in their ministerial assignments. How different are modern clergymen from first-century Christians!