God gives grace to the humble, and he opposes the proud (Proverbs 3:34, 1 Peter 5:5). The truth of that concept lives throughout the bible’s pages. You find it in the narratives of villains like Satan, Pharaoh, Nebuchudnezzar, and Haman, but you also find it in the narratives of heroes like David, Solomon, Samson, Paul, and Peter. Sinful pride is a natural element of the human condition. It exists in every person.
Peter models it a number of times in his own life. One of his more outstanding demonstrations occurs when he tells Jesus that he will never disown him, only to promptly deny him three times in the temple courts after his Lord’s arrest arranged by the religious authorities (Matthew 26:31-35, Matthew 26:69-74). It’s easy to forgive Peter, and chalk up his denial to legitimate fear. After all, to be associated with Jesus in that moment could realistically end up with death at the worst, or significant persecution at the best. How many of us might have done something similar in the temple courts? In fact, many of us would not have even been in the temple courts at all. Some of us would have been cowering in our homes wondering what might happen to our teacher, and whether or not we were next on the religious hit list! We all know that guilt by association is always the verdict of the ignorant, because we’ve all levied that verdict ourselves. But Peter’s sinfulness isn’t so much in his fear or lack of faith. Instead, his sin is rooted squarely in his pride. When he told Jesus that he would never forsake him, he was doing so out of bravado and an overestimation of his dedication. It really was a kind of guilt by association, rather than an honest and noble guilt of character. He had not properly examined himself, nor considered the consequences, nor planned for the eventuality for which he had implied that he was ready.
By the time he writes his first letter, Peter has been humbled, and he urges his readers to assume that humility (1 Peter 5:5). He urges this humility within the context of Christian community by telling the elders in the church to shepherd their flocks for the right reasons, and to do so from pure motives. And then he tells the young followers in that church to be subject to those elders. Most importantly, he tells all of them to be humble. A wise and humble elder will not be overbearing and will be willing to listen and learn from those to whom he provides oversight. A humble congregant will recognize the wisdom of those who have been on the journey longer, and will respect order and discipline. It is much harder to be rash and foolish with one another when one adopts a spirit of humility.
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