It has taken me a few days to get back here, but today we will finally get to the end of 1 Peter. This chapter still deals with the topic of submission, one that is a hot button issues as we discussed in the last chapter. Some would call Paul’s view in the rest of this chapter as a chauvanistic 1st century attitude at a time when women had few if any rights. Today’s look in chapter 5 shows that this is not the case. It shows that men in a marital relationship have a much harder road of being submissive than women. As usual, God has a plan that was true then and is still true today in a much larger, more progressive world.
5Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble." 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:5-7
Women only have to be submissive to men according to Paul. That is an earthly authority. Men here are asked to be submissive not just before their elders, but to God Himself. If we want to be exalted in this life we must seek a humble existence, putting God’s needs before our own. This is easy to preach, but from my experience, it is extremely hard to do in practice. This does not mean we cannot have our own desires and ambitions. We simply must make sure they are in line with what God wants in our lives. It is when we have this balance that we truly begin to thrive.
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