* The gospel brought newfound freedom to many people.

* So Peter had to talk about how to handle that freedom.

* He spoke about the necessity for continued submission in three core areas:

* 1) Submission to government (1 Peter 2:13-17) - believers didn’t need to attempt to overthrow Roman rule.

* They needed to submit to the “institution” of government, not necessarily every law (if it went against the law of God).

* 2) Submission to employers (1 Peter 2:18-25) - slavery was the employer/employee relationship back then, and slaves needed to submit to their masters. Why?

* So their masters would be won over by their respectful conduct.

* God’s way of abolishing slavery was to do it in the heart first.

* 3) Submission in marriage (1 Peter 3:1-2) - women were finally honored as first-class citizens in Christianity.

* But some women would want to divorce their unbelieving husbands because of this freedom.

* So Peter cautioned them against it, and told how women could win over their husbands - by submitting to his need for respect (vs 2).

* Vs 7 - Women were so elevated now that the husband’s relationship to God was tied to how well he treated his bride.

* Men didn’t see their wives as equal to them, but now, with the gospel, they had to.

* Submission is about WINNING. The gospel would win people over through submission in these core areas.