This research paper by John McIlvaine, submitted to Dr. Michael J. Kruger for NT523 – 1 Peter at Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte, explores Peter’s theology of suffering and submission as a model for Christian witness. McIlvaine argues that 1 Peter 2:18–25 calls believers to endure unjust suffering with humility, not as passive resignation but as active participation in Christ’s redemptive pattern.
Through careful exegesis of the Greek text, McIlvaine highlights Peter’s address to household servants, who are exhorted to submit even to harsh masters. This exhortation, far from condoning injustice, reveals a deeper Christological logic: the believer’s endurance mirrors Christ’s suffering, displaying the transforming power of grace. Peter’s repeated use of terms like charis (grace) and hypogrammon (example) shows that suffering becomes meaningful when it aligns with the Savior’s own path of obedience.
McIlvaine connects this theology to Isaiah 53, noting Peter’s deliberate use of phrases such as “He committed no sin” and “by His wounds you have been healed.” These quotations establish Jesus as both exemplar and substitute—the Shepherd who bore humanity’s sins to bring them back to God. The passage thus unites imitation and atonement within a single vision of discipleship.
McIlvaine concludes that 1 Peter 2:18–25 defines Christian suffering as a vocation grounded in Christ’s cross. Submission, when offered in faith, becomes a powerful witness to God’s justice and mercy. In following the Shepherd’s example, believers not only testify to the gospel but also participate in its redemptive power through patient endurance.
Course and semester: NT523 1 Peter — Spring 2018
