📖 1 Petro — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 5: Mwenendo wa Wageni na Kutii📖 1 Peter Intensive — Unit 5: Sojourner Conduct and Submission

Kifungu: 1 Petro 2:11-17Text: 1 Peter 2:11-17

Wageni, Ziepukeni Tamaa za MwiliSojourners, Abstain from Fleshly Lusts

Baada ya kulionyesha kanisa wao ni akina nani — mawe yaliyo hai, taifa takatifu, watu wa Mungu — sasa Petro anageukia jinsi wanavyopaswa kuishi katika ulimwengu unaowatazama. Naye anaanza kwa kuwakumbusha tena utambulisho wao: "Wapenzi, nawasihi, kama wageni na wasafiri" (1 Petro 2:11). Tumerudi kwenye ugeni wa Sehemu ya 1. Mwamini ni mgeni hapa, msafiri anayepita katika nchi ambayo si nyumbani kwake. Na kwa kuwa ndivyo ilivyo, Petro anasihi, "ziepukeni tamaa za mwili zipiganazo na roho." Tamaa za mwili si anasa zisizo na madhara; ziko vitani, zikiendesha kampeni dhidi ya uhai wenyewe wa roho. Msafiri anayeelekea nchi iliyo bora hajitwiki mambo ambayo yangemkwaza na kumnasa njiani. Basi alama ya kwanza ya msafiri ni vita vya ndani: kukataa kwa uthabiti tamaa zinazopigana dhidi ya Mungu ndani yake.Having shown the church who they are — living stones, a holy nation, the people of God — Peter now turns to how they must live in a watching world. And he begins by reminding them again of their identity: "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims" (1 Peter 2:11). We are back to the exile of Unit 1. The believer is a stranger here, a pilgrim passing through a land that is not his home. And because that is so, Peter pleads, "abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." The desires of the flesh are not harmless pleasures; they are at war, waging a campaign against the very life of the soul. A traveler bound for a better country does not load himself down with the things that would trip and trap him on the way. The first mark of the pilgrim, then, is an inner battle: a steady refusal of the appetites that fight against God within him.

Angalia kwamba Petro haanzi na tabia ya mwamini mbele ya ulimwengu unaomtazama, bali na vita vilivyo ndani yake. Ushuhuda mtakatifu katika jamii hauwezekani wakati tamaa zinatawala ndani. Anaziita "tamaa za mwili" kwa sababu zinatamani bila kikomo na kamwe hazitimizi furaha zinazoahidi, naye anasema "zinapigana na roho" kwa sababu si starehe zisizo na madhara bali ni adui anayefanya kampeni kwa ajili ya kuuangamiza uhai wetu wa kweli. Kwa hiyo msafiri hulinda moyo wake mwenyewe kwanza. Husafiri akiwa mwepesi, akikataa kulemewa na tamaa ambazo zingemkwaza na kumnasa katika njia ya kurudi nyumbani, kwa maana anajua kwamba vita vya kuishi maisha ya utauwa kati ya wanadamu hushinda au hushindwa katika pambano hili la siri dhidi ya tamaa za dhambi.Notice that Peter does not begin with the believer’s behavior toward the watching world, but with the war inside him. A holy witness in society is impossible while the appetites rule within. He calls them "fleshly lusts" because they crave without limit and never keep the pleasure they promise, and he says they "war against the soul" because they are not harmless indulgences but an enemy campaigning for the ruin of our truest life. The pilgrim, therefore, guards his own heart first. He travels light, refusing to be weighed down by desires that would trip and trap him on the road home, for he knows the battle for a godly life among men is won or lost in this secret struggle against sinful craving.

Mwenendo Mzuri Kati ya MataifaHonorable Conduct Among the Gentiles

Kutoka maisha ya ndani Petro anageukia ushuhuda wa nje. "Mwe na mwenendo mzuri kati ya Mataifa, ili, iwapo wanawasingizia kuwa watenda mabaya, wayatazame matendo yenu mazuri, wamtukuze Mungu siku ya kujiliwa" (1 Petro 2:12). Kanisa lililotawanyika liliishi chini ya mashaka; watu wa nje waliwasema vibaya kana kwamba walikuwa wahalifu. Jibu la Petro si maandamano bali maisha mazuri. Mwenendo wenu na uwe mwema waziwazi kiasi kwamba watu wale wale wanaowasingizia wanyamazishwe na kile wanachokiona, na mwishowe waletwe kumtukuza Mungu wao wenyewe. "Siku ya kujiliwa" ni siku ambayo Mungu anakaribia, iwe kwa neema ya wokovu au kwa hukumu; na tumaini la Petro ni kwamba matendo mema ya waamini yatasaidia kuwaleta washtaki wao kwenye siku hiyo wakiwa upande wa neema. Tabia ya kanisa ndiyo mahubiri yake yenye sauti kubwa zaidi. Maisha matakatifu huhubiri mahali ambapo maneno hayawezi kufika.From the inner life Peter turns to the outer witness. "Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12). The scattered church lived under suspicion; outsiders spoke against them as if they were criminals. Peter's answer is not protest but a beautiful life. Let your conduct be so plainly good that the very people who slander you are silenced by what they see, and at last are brought to glorify God themselves. The "day of visitation" is the day God draws near, whether in saving grace or in judgment; and Peter's hope is that the good works of believers will help bring their accusers to that day on the side of grace. The church's behavior is its loudest sermon. A holy life preaches where words cannot reach.

Tiini kwa Ajili ya BwanaSubmit for the Lord's Sake

Sasa Petro anautumia mwenendo huu mzuri kwa nafasi ya mwamini katika jamii, akianza na serikali. "Tiini kila kiamriwacho na watu, kwa ajili ya Bwana; ikiwa ni mfalme, kama mkuu; au ikiwa ni maliwali, kama wanaotumwa na yeye ili kuwalipiza kisasi watenda mabaya, na kuwasifu watenda mema" (1 Petro 2:13-14). Mkristo anapaswa kuwa raia mwema, akitii mamlaka zinazotawala — na angalia sababu: kwa ajili ya Bwana. Tunatii si kwa sababu watawala daima wana hekima au ni wema, bali kwa sababu utaratibu ni mpango wa Mungu na kutii kunamheshimu Bwana wetu.Now Peter applies this honorable conduct to the believer's place in society, beginning with government. "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good" (1 Peter 2:13-14). The Christian is to be a good citizen, submitting to the governing authorities — and notice the reason: for the Lord's sake. We obey not because rulers are always wise or good, but because order is God's design and submission honors our Lord.

Hapa somo linaweka kumbukumbu sawasawa: watu wa Mungu hawajawahi kuwa waasi wanaokataa serikali yoyote (anarchists). Bwana Yesu mwenyewe alisema, "Basi, mlipeni Kaisari yaliyo ya Kaisari, na Mungu yaliyo ya Mungu" (Mathayo 22:21). Mtume Paulo alifundisha kwamba mamlaka zinazotawala zimetumwa na Mungu na zinatumikia makusudi yake (Warumi 13:1-7). Na katika nyaraka za kichungaji waamini wanaambiwa wawaombee wafalme na wote wenye mamlaka. Kwa hiyo Mkristo haidharau serikali wala haiasi; hutii, hufuata sheria nzuri, hulipa kinachodaiwa, na huwaombea watawala wake — huku muda wote akikumbuka kwamba Mfalme wake wa mwisho anatawala juu ya kila kiti cha enzi cha dunia.Here the lesson sets the record straight: the people of God have never been anarchists. The Lord Jesus Himself said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21). The apostle Paul taught that the governing authorities are sent by God and serve His purposes (Romans 13:1-7). And in the pastoral epistles believers are told to pray for kings and all who are in authority. So the Christian does not despise government or rise up against it; he submits, obeys good laws, pays what is owed, and prays for his rulers — all the while remembering that his ultimate King reigns above every earthly throne.

Ni lazima kuongeza kwamba kutii huku ni kwa kweli, lakini si bila kikomo. Mitume wale wale waliowafundisha waamini kuzitii mamlaka pia walisimama mbele ya baraza lililowakataza kuhubiri, wakajibu, "Imetupasa kumtii Mungu kuliko wanadamu" (Matendo 5:29). Kutii serikali ndiyo kanuni, na mwamini huishika kwa furaha; lakini ni kutii kwa ajili ya Bwana, na kwa hiyo kamwe hakuwezi kupanuka hadi kufunika kutomtii Bwana mwenyewe. Mkristo hukiheshimu kiti cha enzi kwa sababu anamheshimu Mungu aliyekiweka, na heshima hiyo hiyo ndiyo inayoweka mpaka mmoja ambao zaidi yake amri ya kidunia haipaswi kufuatwa. Kabla ya mstari huo, mwamini hutii, hulipa, na huomba; kwenye mstari huo, humtii Mungu na kubeba gharama.It must be added that this submission is real, but it is not without limit. The same apostles who taught believers to obey the authorities also stood before a council that forbade them to preach, and answered, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Submission to government is the rule, and the believer keeps it gladly; yet it is submission for the Lord’s sake, and therefore it can never stretch to cover disobedience against the Lord Himself. The Christian honors the throne because he honors the God who set it up, and that very reverence marks the single boundary beyond which an earthly command must not be followed. Short of that line, the believer obeys, pays, and prays; at that line, he obeys God and bears the cost.

Kutenda Mema Huwanyamazisha Wakosoaji WapumbavuDoing Good Silences Foolish Critics

Petro anaeleza kusudi la haya yote waziwazi: "Kwa kuwa ndivyo apendavyo Mungu, kwamba kwa kutenda mema mnyamazishe ujinga wa watu wapumbavu" (1 Petro 2:15). Masingizio na ujinga hujibiwa vizuri zaidi si kwa mabishano bali kwa wema. Wakosoaji wanapolishtaki kanisa kuwa halitii sheria au ni hatari, rekodi thabiti ya waamini wanaotii, wanaotumikia, na wanaotenda mema huliacha shtaka hilo bila cha kusimamia. Maisha mema hufunga vinywa vya wapumbavu kwa hakika zaidi kuliko jibu la werevu lingeweza kamwe. Petro anasema, ni mapenzi ya Mungu hasa kwamba tujibu uadui kwa namna hii.Peter states the purpose of all this plainly: "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15). Slander and ignorance are best answered not by argument but by goodness. When critics accuse the church of being lawless or dangerous, the steady record of believers obeying, serving, and doing good leaves the accusation with nothing to stand on. A good life closes the mouths of fools more surely than a clever reply ever could. It is, Peter says, the very will of God that we answer hostility this way.

Kuna faraja kubwa katika jambo hili kwa mwamini. Hajaagizwa kushinda kila bishano au kunyamazisha kila ulimi wenye uadui kwa nguvu ya maneno; ameagizwa tu kutenda mema, na kumwachia Mungu matokeo. Sifa njema haiwezi kutetewa daima kwa maneno, lakini inaweza kuishiwa, na kile kisichoweza kuondolewa kwa mabishano mara nyingi kinaweza kufutika taratibu kwa maisha. Mkristo anayesingiziwa na kuendelea kutenda mema ataona kwamba, kwa wakati wake, wema wake wa wazi huunyang'anya silaha ujinga uliopangwa dhidi yake kwa hakika zaidi kuliko jibu lolote. Haya ndiyo mapenzi ya Mungu, nayo yanamweka mwamini huru kutoka kwa hitaji linalochosha la kumjibu kila mkosoaji.There is great relief in this for the believer. He is not charged to win every argument or to silence every hostile tongue by force of speech; he is charged only to do good, and to leave the result with God. A reputation cannot always be defended by words, but it can be lived out, and what cannot be argued away can often be quietly lived down. The slandered Christian who keeps doing good will find that, in time, his plain goodness disarms the ignorance arrayed against him more surely than any rebuttal could. This is the will of God, and it sets the believer free from the exhausting need to answer every critic.

Huru, Lakini Watumwa wa MunguFree, Yet Servants of God

Lakini Petro analinda dhidi ya kutoelewa. Je, uhuru wa Injili unamaanisha kwamba waamini sasa wanaweza kufanya wapendavyo? Hapana. "Kama walio huru, ila uhuru wenu usiwe kisingizio cha ubaya, bali kama watumwa wa Mungu" (1 Petro 2:16). Mkristo yu huru kwa utukufu — huru kutoka dhambini, huru kutoka hukumu ya sheria, huru kutoka hofu. Lakini uhuru huo kamwe si kifuniko cha kuficha uovu chini yake. Tu huru, na wakati huo huo sisi ni watumwa wa Mungu, watumwa wa Bwana aliyetununua. Uhuru wa kweli wa Kikristo si uhuru wa kutenda dhambi bali ni uhuru kutoka dhambini ili kumtumikia Mungu kwa furaha. Yule anayetumia neema kama kisingizio cha kutenda mabaya hajaelewa uhuru wake hata kidogo.But Peter guards against a misunderstanding. Does the gospel's freedom mean believers may now do as they please? No. "As free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God" (1 Peter 2:16). The Christian is gloriously free — free from sin, free from the law's condemnation, free from fear. Yet that freedom is never a covering under which to hide evil. We are free, and at the very same time we are bondservants of God, slaves of the Master who bought us. True Christian liberty is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin in order to serve God gladly. The one who uses grace as an excuse for wrongdoing has not understood his freedom at all.

Mara nyingi ulimwengu hudhani kwamba kumtumikia Mungu ni kupoteza uhuru wa mtu, na kumtupilia mbali Mungu ni kuupata. Petro anafundisha kinyume kabisa. Mtu anayemtupilia mbali Mungu ili aishi apendavyo hawi huru; anakuwa mtumwa wa tamaa zake mwenyewe, akiendeshwa na matamanio asiyoweza kuyatawala. Lakini mtu anayekuwa mtumwa wa Mungu anawekwa huru kutoka udhalimu wa dhambi na anapewa Bwana aliye mwema. Basi uhuru wa kweli si kukosa bwana bali ni kuwa na Bwana sahihi. Mwamini hawi huru zaidi kamwe kuliko anapokuwa mtumishi wa Mungu kikamilifu kabisa.The world commonly imagines that to serve God is to lose one’s freedom, and to throw off God is to gain it. Peter teaches the very reverse. The man who casts off God to live as he pleases does not become free; he becomes the slave of his own appetites, driven by cravings he cannot master. But the man who becomes the bondservant of God is set free from the tyranny of sin and given a Master who is good. True liberty, then, is not the absence of a master but the having of the right one. The believer is never more free than when he is most fully the servant of God.

Waheshimuni Wote, Wapendeni Ndugu, Mcheni Mungu, Mheshimuni MfalmeHonor All, Love the Brotherhood, Fear God, Honor the King

Petro anakusanya jambo zima katika amri nne fupi, ramani kamili ya mahusiano ya mwamini: "Waheshimuni watu wote. Wapendeni ndugu. Mcheni Mungu. Mheshimuni mfalme" (1 Petro 2:17). Waheshimuni watu wote — mtendee kila mwanadamu, aliyeumbwa kwa sura ya Mungu, kwa heshima. Wapendeni ndugu — kuwa na upendo maalum na wa moto kwa waamini wenzako. Mcheni Mungu — mpe yeye kicho cha heshima kuliko wote. Mheshimuni mfalme — iheshimu mamlaka inayotawala. Na mpangilio huu si wa bahati mbaya. Mcheni Mungu inakuja kabla ya mheshimuni mfalme. Mwamini huiheshimu serikali na kuitii kwa ajili ya Bwana, lakini kicho chake cha juu kabisa na uaminifu wake ni mali ya Mungu peke yake. Anamheshimu mfalme; anamcha Mungu. Hivyo ikiwa wakati wowote amri ya kidunia na amri ya Mungu zitagongana, msafiri anajua ni kiti kipi cha enzi kilicho juu. Mpaka wakati huo, anaishi kwa utulivu na kwa heshima, raia mwema wa dunia hasa kwa sababu kwanza yeye ni raia wa mbinguni.Peter gathers the whole matter into four short commands, a complete map of the believer's relationships: "Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king" (1 Peter 2:17). Honor all people — treat every human being, made in God's image, with dignity. Love the brotherhood — hold a special, warm love for fellow believers. Fear God — give Him reverent awe above all. Honor the king — respect the governing authority. And the order is not accidental. Fear God comes before honor the king. The believer honors the state and submits to it for the Lord's sake, but his highest reverence and allegiance belong to God alone. He honors the king; he fears God. So when an earthly command and God's command ever collide, the pilgrim knows which throne is supreme. Until then, he lives quietly and honorably, a good citizen of earth precisely because he is first a citizen of heaven.

Inafaa kuona jinsi amri hizi nne zilivyo kamili. Kuwaheshimu watu wote kunamlinda mwamini asimdharau mtu yeyote, kwa maana kila mtu ana sura ya Mungu. Kuwapenda ndugu kunalipa kanisa joto lake, upendo ulio ndani zaidi kuliko adabu tu. Kumcha Mungu kunayaimarisha maisha yote katika kicho kwa Yule ambaye ni lazima tumpe hesabu. Na kumheshimu mfalme kunamweka mwamini katika utaratibu na amani mahali ambapo Mungu amemweka. Ondoa yoyote kati yake na maisha ya Kikristo yanapoteza usawa; zikishikwa pamoja, zinaunda mwamini aliye mnyenyekevu mbele ya wote, mpole kwa kanisa, mwenye kicho mbele za Mungu, na mwenye heshima kwa serikali.It is worth seeing how complete these four commands are. To honor all people guards the believer from contempt toward anyone, for every person bears the image of God. To love the brotherhood gives the church its warmth, a love deeper than mere courtesy. To fear God anchors the whole of life in reverence for the One to whom we must give account. And to honor the king keeps the believer orderly and at peace in the place where God has set him. Take away any one of them and the Christian life tilts out of balance; held together, they form a believer who is humble before all, tender toward the church, reverent before God, and respectful toward the state.

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