1 Peter 2:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

NIV: For 'you were like sheep going astray,' but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

NASB: For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

CSB: For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

NLT: Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

KJV: For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

NKJV: For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

In verse 24, one of the most profound statements in all of Scripture, Peter described what the fully innocent Son of God accomplished with His suffering and death on the cross. He bore our sins, paid our penalty, and died our death. Through faith in Christ, we have been healed by His wounds.

In this verse, Peter again references Isaiah 53 to make the point that we were not asking to be healed. Instead, we were moving away from God like wandering sheep. As Paul writes in Romans 5:10, we were still God's enemies when Christ died for us.

Now, though, those who trust in Christ have turned around. The innocent Shepherd endured unjust suffering, without retaliation, to make it possible for us to come back to Him. The one who died on the cross for us now oversees our very souls. Christians now acknowledge Him as our leader and final authority. We are secure as members of His flock.

1 Peter 2:13–25 reveals God’s will for those who are free in Christ: to willingly submit to every human authority for God’s sake. This includes emperors, governors, kings, and even slave masters. Peter does not endorse slavery, but he does instruct Christian slaves to endure unjust suffering, as Jesus did for our sake on the cross. He does not expect us to ''obey'' when the instructions are sinful. Rather, Christians are called to imitate Christ by suffering for doing good. Because Jesus was willing to do so, we lost sheep are now under the protection of our shepherd.

Peter gets specific about what it means to live as God’s set-apart people. Christ is the foundation stone of the spiritual house God is building. We must engage in battle with our selfishness and desire to sin. This includes submitting to human authorities, no matter how evil or harsh. It means enduring suffering, as Christ did for our sake when He died on the cross. Our role is not to fight a physical war for justice here; we will be going home soon.

First Peter 1 described the glorious reality of our present and future as God’s children, by His grace and through our faith in Jesus. He called us a holy people redeemed by God for new purposes. That means believers must live differently than those in the world around us. In this chapter, Peter narrows down exactly what it means to lead a holy life, including doing battle with our own desire to sin. This also means suffering under human authorities, even unjust ones.

Some 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus, Christians are facing greater persecution for their faith. How should they respond? How should we respond to suffering today? The apostle Peter writes this letter both to comfort believers and to encourage them to stay strong. He urges them to put all their hope in their perfect future with Christ, and to obey and trust Him in the present, even in their suffering. Christ suffered greatly; now the Christ-followers have the opportunity to follow Him even in this, showing His grace and power in their hopefulness, obedience, and faith.

Accessed 5/3/2024 8:50:31 PM