Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20111002.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
1 Peter: Effective Christian Living In A Spiritually Hostile World
Part XII: Church Responsibilities During Persecution, 1 Peter 5:1-11
B. The Responsibilities Of Subordinates And Church Leaders During Church Persecution
(1 Peter 5:5-7)
  1. Introduction
    1. As we have before noted, persecution can occur overtly in the form of physical persecution and it can also occur covertly, afflicting the inner man via Satanic attack in the emotional, mental and spiritual realms.
    2. Either way or both, it is imperative that we believers know what God expects of us in our duties in the church in times of such persecution, and 1 Peter 5:5-7 shows us such duties of subordinates and leaders:
  2. The Responsibilities Of Subordinates And Church Leaders During Church Persecution, 1 Pet. 5:5-7.
    1. Since the term "elders" referred not only to the office, but to older men who typically held the office of elder in the church, Peter began to address "young men" (neoteroi , U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1966, p. 856), those who were to be subordinate in the Church to the older men in office as elders.
    2. Accordingly, Peter addressed them as he had the church elders (homoios = "similarly", Ibid.) in 1 Peter 5:5a, directing that they be submissive (hypotagete), the same word used of wives being submissive to their husbands in 1 Peter 3:1 ( Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Engl. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 855-856; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T., p. 796, 802) as they similarly are to submit to the church elders, 1 Peter 5:5a,b.
    3. Then, the King James Version directs: "Yea, all of you be subject one to another," so some have used this statement to say Church leaders are to submit to the congregation just like the congregation is to submit to them in a type of sp iritual democracy. However, that view is incorrect (as follows):
      1. The Greek New Testament text translates the phrase in question as "All of you clothe yourselves [egkombosasthe] with humility [tapeinophrosunan] toward one another," Ibid. (NIV, ESV).
      2. Peter here asserted that both the elders and the subordinates should have an attitude of humility toward one another, NOT that the elders were to submit to the authority of the subordinates. Otherwise, there would be no way for elders or subordinates to know when the elders were to lead and the rest to follow.
      3. [The New International and English Standard Versions alike interpret this phrase as we have here.]
    4. Backing up his call for mutual humility in relating to one another as elders who lead and subordinates who follow, Peter cited Proverbs 3:34 to assert that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble," 1 Peter 5:5b NIV, ESV.
    5. Accordingly, whether they be leaders or subordinates in the local church, God wants those in either group to humble themselves (tapeinothate, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.) toward the other under the mighty hand of God that He might exalt them in due time, 1 Peter 5:6 NIV. This call carries hope for God's oversight in the event of wrongs done by people in either group: if the leaders err, the subordinates are to submit to and relate humbly to them, looking to God to exalt them in due time; however, if the subordinates are unsubmissive, the leaders are not to lord over them (see 1 Peter 5:3), but humbly to lead them, trusting God to reward their oversight efforts and to deal justly with the insubordinate.
    6. Overseeing leaders and subordinates in the local church are often tempted to struggle with anxiety for the welfare of themselves in dealing with proud, bullying people in the other respective group. Knowing this, Peter in 1 Peter 5:7 told the elders and subordinates alike to react to such a situation by casting their personal anxiety about their welfare in their roles on the Lord, for God cared about that which concerned each individual, subordinate or a leader. In other words, problems between overseers and subordinates in the local church are ultimately the concern of God Who oversees the whole body, so subordinates and overseers are to focus clearly and carefully on what God wants them to do, and remain humble about it.
Lesson: Church leaders are to oversee and subordinates are to submit to them, with people in both sets of roles humbly relating to the other parties involved in awareness of God's sovereignty over each party in the local church, and with the desire of seeing God reward such upright conduct in the end!

Application: May we all heed 1 Peter 5:5-7 in our respective roles as church subordinates or overseers to enjoy God's reward of exonerating us in the end rather than disciplining us for sin!