MONDAY
This week we enter into Peter’s practical application to the theology we have been studying in the first few weeks of this campaign. I’ve intentionally spent more time on the theology and less on the practical application because we are so prone to moving ahead to the application that we miss the grounding. The grounding theology is what will make the practical application stick and ultimately make our faith resilient in our cultural moment.
So, we must keep in mind that the Christian life is the life of an elect exile. We shouldn’t feel at home in any society because we have been chosen by God, sanctified in the Spirit for obedience to Jesus in covenant relationship with God. We have an inheritance and living hope. We are being preserved in salvation by God until the end. We are to live in holiness and long for the things of God. Jesus is the cornerstone of the church and the one we build everything upon.
In light of all this, Peter is going to now tell the believers how they ought to live in a society that is unfavorable to the Christian faith. We are going to cover 2:11-3:7 this week but let’s begin with the general imperative of vv. 11-12.
1 Peter 2:11–12 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
He refers to them as “beloved” and “sojourners and exiles.” Remember, Peter has already made the case that the church, in spite of their suffering, is the people of God. He has already called them “elect exiles” who have been chosen by God (1:1). So, what he is about to tell them to do is a direct result of who they are.
In this new identity they are to “abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” What a vivid description of our struggle with sin. The passions of our flesh wage war against our souls. Souls here means all of our life, not just the aspect that lives on in the afterlife. Sin seeks to destroy our souls. We see this all the time in addiction, jealousy, rage, greed, acedia, etc. Glory to God, we have been ransomed from these futile ways of living that seek to destroy our souls! (1:18) Why would we live in them any longer.
Peter’s concern here is largely for these believers in exile to live a life that is respectable in their society. The fledgeling church in these communities would be intensely scrutinized to see if it fit within the Greco-Roman culture. If it didn’t they would be persecuted even more. So Peter is encouraging them to live within the confines of the social structure they find themselves in.
The “good deeds” implies not just a personal, moral holiness but even a step further into promotion of public deeds that bless the community. The sense is similar to Jeremiah 29:7 where Jeremiah speaks for God in saying, “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile.” So, the Christians are to participate in social projects that benefit the people of their community, even though they are being persecuted.
They are to do this so that the people who don’t know believe in Jesus will glorify God on the day of visitation. The day of visitation is likely referring to the return of Christ. Some commentators have suggested, however, that it could also refer to a time in the future when the unbelievers, who are currently accusing them of being evildoers, come to believe in Jesus. The former is more likely but I thought the later take was interesting.
Reflection
Consider the reputation you have in the community among those who don’t believe in Jesus. Do you do your work well and with integrity? Would your neighbors say you’re a good neighbor? Do you go beyond baseline moral behavior and seek to help and bless others in our community, making their lives better? It’s not just your personal reputation on the line. As a Christian, doing good in our city gives Jesus a good reputation among those who don’t now believe.