This is an overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of the Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for March 23, 2025, from I Peter 2:11-17, 21-25, with the title, “Our Witness.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

During World War II, Nazi-controlled police raided Corrie Ten Boom’s home watchmaking business, and a friend named Henry was being taken away. Corrie wrote:  “Henry kissed his wife. Then he took my hand and shook it solemnly. Tears filled our eyes. For the first time, Henry spoke. ‘I shall use this place — wherever they’re taking us,’ he said. ‘It will be my witness stand for Jesus.’”  (Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place, pp. 110-111)

Henry was determined that wherever he was being taken, he would use that place as “a witness stand for Jesus.” 

In light of that, you might ask:

??? What are some places that WE can use as “witness stands for Christ” today???

(Of course the answers are numerous: our job; our school, our neighborhood; in stores where we shop; at games and recreation; and of course in our own home and family.)

You might also ask: ??? Can anyone share an opportunity you had to be a witness for Christ in one of these places recently???

(Some may share; some may not. But you might also remind your group that they were likely a witness either for or against the Lord, whether they were conscious of it or not, by their lifestyle!)

And then transition to say, in this week’s lesson in I Peter 2, God calls us to be witnesses for Him wherever we are, by the way we live in the world.

CONTEXT:

We’re in the midst of our study of the book of I Peter, and we’ve seen how Peter writes to his audience in several provinces in Asia (and to us today), reminding us in Chapter 1 of the inheritance that God has waiting for us in heaven, and how we should live as a result of that. In last week’s lesson in Chapter 2 he reminds us our “identity” in Christ, which should supersede any other “identity” we might have in this world. As Chapter 2 continues, Peter now encourages us to live in a way that witnesses of Christ to those around us (and as we shall see, this theme will continue into the weeks ahead as well). 

OUTLINE:

I. The Witness of our Conduct (:11-12)

II. The Witness of our Submission (:13-17)

III. The Witness of our Christlikeness (:21-25)

TEXT: 

I.  The Witness of our Conduct (:11-12)

:11 “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Peter mentions a couple of things that challenge us regarding the witness of our conduct:

A. Restraining our appetites (:11)

“Abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” This is quite a dramatic verse: what’s so wrong with indulging fleshly lusts? From the beginning of Christianity there have been those who have said that Christianity is spiritual and the body is physical, so it doesn’t matter what we do with our body; we can still do whatever and be “spiritual Christians.” (Paul writes a lot about this in I Corinthians 6 if you’d like to read up on that some more.) And here Peter specifically says that fleshly lusts “wage war against the soul.” Fleshly lusts are not “benign;” they are not unharmful. They “wage war” against our soul.

ILLUSTRATION:

A Barna study (quoted in Christian Post.com, 10/22/24) indicated that 62% of Christians who use pornography are “comfortable” with it — in other words, they think it’s ok, not harmful. The study indicated that “only 14% expressed a desire to kick the habit entirely”!That attitude is very common in our culture today; many think indulging those desires in that way is “ok.”

But as many can testify, pornography is not “benign.” It can be devastating to marriages, families, and personal lives:

— A mensgroup.ca article says: “56% of American divorces involve one party having an “obsessive interest” in pornographic websites.” (“15 Mind-blowing Statistics About Pornography” 5/07/22)

— And a leader from “Fight Club” (Christian ministry helping men fight pornography) shared at a seminar in our church that if a man looks at pornography every week, there is only a 5% chance that he will actively serve somewhere in the church. Of men who who watch daily, the chances are virtually zero. Why? Peter gives us the answer here: it “wages war against the soul”! It’s definitely one of Satan’s biggest weapons in our society against men who should be leaders and serving in God’s Kingdom work. 

So do not “indulge” fleshly lusts — not only pornography but fleshly lusts of all kinds. They are not “harmless” despite what the world and devil would try to tell you. Fight against them both for your own spiritual growth, and for your witness to the world, as he talks about later in this section. 

B. Remembering our witness (:12)

Verse 12 is very instructive to us about the situation they were in:

— First of all, it tells us that people were slandering these Christians about their behavior. Peter refers to: “the thing in which they slander you as evildoers.” So people were spreading false information about them.

??? You might ask your group:  ??? Has anyone here ever had false information spread about you??? (they may or may not want to share just what it was, but it has probably happened to all of us. It is NOT a pleasant experience!) This is what was happening to the Christians Peter was writing to.

So what does he say we should DO about it? Notice what he DOESN’T say about it: He DOESN’T say: spread gossip back against them; he doesn’t say to take revenge in some other way. He doesn’t even specifically say we should address the gossip.

What does he say?

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

He says the way to combat slander is: “keep your behavior excellent.” The word “behavior” means “manner of life, behavior, conduct.” How do you fight gossip/slander? Let people see your good deeds/the way you live, that these things could not possibly be true. Let your life silence the rumors!

ILLUSTRATION:

From the life of Benjamin Franklin: “Warned repeatedly that he was surrounded by spies both French and British (during his diplomatic mission to France in the Revolutionary War), the imperturbable Franklin declared he had no worry, since he had nothing to hide. ‘I have long observed one rule [he wrote to a friend] … to be concerned in no affairs that I should blush to have made in public, and to do nothing but what spies may see …. If I was sure, therefore, that my valet de place was a spy, as probably he is, I think I should not discharge him for that, if in other respects I liked him.’” (David McCullough, John Adams, pp. 200-201) 

Franklin’s remedy to spies around him? Just have nothing to hide! That’s a good rule for us as God’s people. Live such a life that you have nothing to hide; that no one would believe the rumors that are being spread about you. Remember your witness and Let your life silence the rumors! 

II.  The Witness of our Submission (:13-17)

13 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

Now Peter says: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution …”. The Greek word for “submit” here is “hupo-tasso;” “hupo” meaning “under,” and “tasso” meaning to “arrange.” So it means to “arrange yourself under” these people — it is the picture of an army lining up under the general. We are to submit to their leadership and authority. Peter says here that Christians are to “line up under” “every human institution” — in other words, legitimate authorities that God has placed over us.

This is just what Romans 13:1-2 tells us:

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”

(That passage goes on to say more about why we should submit to authority; you may decide you need to delve into that passage some more as the Lord leads you …)

But throughout scripture, God instructs us to submit to legitimate human authorities and institutions. 

The Apostle Paul is a great example of this in Acts 23:1-5 when he was on trial before the Jews: 

“Paul, looking intently at the [a]Council, said, “Brethren, I have [b]lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” 2 The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But the bystanders said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

You see there that Paul was very insistent that he did NOT want to speak evil of a legitimate ruler of the people. The basic Christian spirit is NOT one of rebellion against authority, but of submission to, and respect for, legitimate authority.

ILLUSTRATION:

In Nancy Gibbs & Michael Guffy’s book, The Presidents Club, they write about John F. Kennedy:

“When he mentioned Ike (President Dwight D. Eisenhower) at a speech at Dartmouth and the audience hissed, Kennedy issued a rebuke: ‘You mustn’t hiss the President of the United States.’” (p. 110)

Kennedy was campaigning for President himself — but he would not disrespect the President — or condone others doing so. That is the kind of respect that we as Christians should show to authority. 

Peter mentions submission to “king” and “governors” here specifically. But he also says we should submit to “every human institution.” 

??? What are some other authorities we should submit to, in our lives today???

(Local city/town authorities; police/law enforcement; teachers/principals/school authorities; neighborhood/HOA rules;  coaches on sports teams; husbands in marriages (Peter is going to come back to this in Chapter 3) — in fact these verses actually introduce a whole section encouraging Christians to submit to all kinds of authorities: it goes on to mention servants to masters in :18, and wives to husbands in Chapter 3:1. So the theme is that we are to submit to a wide range of authorities, in every sphere of our lives.

And WHY should we do this? Notice that the MOTIVATION for the submission here, is the WITNESS that it is to other people who are watching:  “FOR THE LORD’S SAKE” in :13 is a key phrase here. We are doing this to be good witnesses for Him. We don’t want to tarnish His name by being disrespectful and rebellious to those we are working with or serving under.

Verse 15 adds to that: “For such is the will of God that by doing right (submitting to legitimate authority) you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” In other words, show your critics, by the way you submit to authority, that their criticisms of you as being rebels or disobedient, or subversive to authority, are totally wrong. Let your submission be a witness. 

(Does this mean that all authorities are always right, or that we should never question them? NO. They are not always right, and there is a respectful way to appeal to them when they are wrong, as we see Daniel do in Daniel 1. He was determined NOT to compromise himself with the king’s food — but he made his appeal in a very respectful, tactful way, offering a reasonable substitute. When it boils down to it, our highest allegiance is to GOD: “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

But we should always be respectful, as Daniel and others show us — and always conscious of our witness to others in the way that we respond to authorities. Be courteous and respectful, and keep your witness in the way you treat, speak about, and respond to legitimate authorities. Peter says the way we respond to authority is an important witness to others. 

III.  The Witness of our Christ-likeness (:21-25)

:21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

Now, lest we somehow feel “deprived” or “oppressed” because God wants us to submit to authorities, Peter adds another admonition: He says in :21 God has called you to do this — and he adds: “Christ also suffered for you.” So surely it is not too much to ask you to “suffer” a little bit on His account. 

But in the process of explaining this, Peter gives us some of the most significant verses in the whole New Testament:

— The second part of :21 says Christ was “leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps …”. This is one of the best verses in the Bible about following Christ’s example.

You might ask your class if they have heard of Charles Sheldon, or the book, In His Steps. (You might post an image of it on a slide or poster in your class as you talk about the book.)  

Sheldon published In His Steps in 1896 and it has since sold 50 million copies — making it one of the best-selling books in history! It tells the story of a fictional pastor in Raymond, Kansas who challenges his congregation to do nothing for one whole year without asking first, “What would Jesus do?” And of course it revolutionizes the whole town.

If your class has not heard of Sheldon’s book, they most certainly have heard of the question, “What would Jesus do?”, which has been made popular worldwide, with the acronym, “WWJD.”  

Again, you might show a brief slide of a poster or bracelet or something with WWJD on it — or an item itself if you have one. (You can order WWJD bracelets on Amazon for about a dollar each, if you want to get one for your group Sunday.)

Of course Sheldon’s book and “WWJD” are not ends in themselves, but rather attempts to apply the principle that Peter gives us in :21, that Jesus gave us an example that we should follow in His steps. It IS God’s stated goal in scripture that He wants us to become like Christ: Romans 8:28-29 tells us that God causes everything to work together to conform us to the image of His Son — that is His purpose, that we are to become like Jesus.

So to help your group think through this and apply it, you might ask them to brainstorm:

??? What are some examples Jesus has left us that we should “follow in His steps” as we become like Him???

(Answers can include things like: we should know and study and memorize God’s word like He did, and use it to fight off Satan’s attacks, like He did in Matthew 4;  we should follow His example of compassion for people, as He “saw, felt compassion, and did” something repeatedly for people in the Gospels;  we should follow His example of seeking God in prayer before we make major decisions. There are many such as these you all can share.)

— I would want to be sure to add that we should also be willing to follow His example of suffering for doing what is right, as we see specifically taught in this passage, as it goes on to say:

22 “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously”

Here we see several things about Jesus’ example of how He responded to suffering:

— First, it tells us that He did NOTHING to deserve the difficulties He endured: He “committed NO SIN, nor was ANY deceit found in His mouth.” As Hebrews 4:15 says, He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” If we think we are suffering innocently, we are not totally sinless like Jesus! 

— And yet it says in :23, “While being reviled, He did not revile in return while suffering, He uttered no threats.” Although He suffered totally innocently, Jesus did not respond in kind. 

— Instead it says, “He kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” He didn’t do anything to strike back; instead He just kept entrusting Himself to God. He really lived out as an example for us what Psalm 37 teaches, don’t fret because of evildoers, instead “Trust in the Lord and do good.” Don’t take things into your own hands; keep trusting God. (In fact, this is an “imperfect” verb tense in Greek, which indicates a continual action, which the NASB translates “kept entrusting.” Jesus is the perfect example for us when we have difficult times like this: we just have to “keep entrusting” ourselves to God. You entrust yourself to Him once; but then you get tempted to take things into your own hands, so you have to “KEEP entrusting yourself to Him.” It’s a continual process. It’s a battle we have to keep at! 

Ask your group: ??? Do you have something in your life right now, that you have to “keep entrusting” that thing to God???
(Members may/may not share what it is, but almost certainly every one of us understands about this. We ALL have areas of our lives that we have to keep entrusting to God. Point out that Jesus is our perfect example in this.)

— And then finally, :24 shows that not only was Jesus our Perfect Example, He also did something that was way BEYOND merely being an example; He did for us something that none of us could do: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.” This verse reiterates the vital doctrine of the “Substitutionary Atonement”: that Jesus bore OUR sins, in His body on the cross. 

This is one of my very favorite verses, and I quote it often. This is the Gospel in a nutshell: that He bore our sins in His body on the cross. He paid for us, what we could not pay for ourselves.

ILLUSTRATION

You can share my story here if you’d like, or share a personal one, or one like it:

A couple of Christmases ago I pulled up to the grocery store in our town, and there was a man playing Christmas carols on his flute just outside the front of the store. It sounded so nice, so festive, so Christmas-y, I thought, I wish I had some money to put in the kettle — but I didn’t have any cash on me at all — I had nothing. So I ran in, got what I needed, and on the way out, 2-3 of us stopped to listen. After a minute I said, “I wish I had some cash to put in the kettle, but I don’t have any; I’m sorry.” There was a young African American lady there, and she pulled out her wallet to give him something. I said, “Give some for me, would you?”  She said, “I sure will. In fact,” she said, “I have 6 dollars; 3 of this is from me, and 3 is for you!” I smiled and told her thank you very much!

That little encounter really put me in the “Christmas spirit.” And later I thought that the reason was, what that lady did for me, is exactly what Christmas is all about: SHE PAID FOR ME WHAT I COULD NOT PAY FOR MYSELF.  That is the message of Christmas right there: that Jesus came to earth, to pay for us sinful people, the price for our sins, that we could not pay for ourselves. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.”

Don’t miss this great opportunity to share the Gospel of what Jesus did for us in His Substitutionary Atonement. And if you think there might be someone in your class who has never accepted Christ, invite them to ask Him to save them today!  

But encourage your class as you close the lesson: Jesus sacrificed and gave His life for us. We can’t imitate Him by paying for anyone’s sins — what He did was unique; once for all. But we CAN imitate His example and suffer patiently whatever He has for us in His will for our lives. Don’t strike back at your enemies. Don’t take things into your own hands. Like Psalm 37:3 says, you “Trust in the Lord and do good,” no matter what anyone else does. If you will, your Christlikeness will be a witness to all who see!

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