1 Peter 2:11-20

April 30, 2023

Today’s second reading is from St. Peter’s first letter, or epistle. See how he addresses the church: Beloved. Christians are Christians because God created us in love and sought us out with His love. Rom. 5 says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” A disciple of Jesus knows he is a sinner loved by God. Therefore, he sees those around him as fellow sinners loved by God. Animosity has no place among disciples of Jesus. “He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness” (1 Jn 2.11). So Peter addresses his fellow disciples as beloved:

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles.”

People who do not belong to this world do not live according to the values of this world. They do not serve the gods of this age:

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

That word passions can also be rendered as lust, craving, or desire. Your disordered desires are killing you. “[Desire] is the beginning of every sin” (Apoc. Mos. 19.3).

The surrounding culture urges you to submit to your passions, give in to your desires. That is death. God’s Word teaches us, “the passions of the flesh … wage war against your soul.”

You are a disciple of Jesus. Your life is different.

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable.” Conduct is more than good manners. It’s your way of life. The term can mean coming and going, meaning everything in your daily goings-about. We could put it like this: Walk in virtue, especially among those who are not Christians. Our translation has Gentiles, which is less than ideal. It might be better to say, “among the nations” or even “among the pagans.” Our way of life among those who are not disciples of Jesus is to reflect Jesus to them. It is to be honorable, which can also mean noble, even radiant. Jesus is risen from the dead, and His new life is to be a sign to the people you deal with:

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.

The world hates Christians. “They speak against you as evildoers.” It’s tempting to want to argue with them. People don’t get argued into the faith. Arguing just pulls us down into the passions we are called to avoid. God’s Word today tells us not to respond to evil with evil, but to respond only with good deeds. The day of visitation is coming; that refers to an official arrival of a king or dignitary, and in this case, it’s the arrival of King Jesus, who will appear to set the world right. Until then, these are our instructions:

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

You respond to evil talk with good deeds.

The default position of the disciple of Jesus is to be a good citizen and abide by the laws. Peter himself elsewhere gives us the one exception, and that is when the government commands us to sin. Then we must obey God rather than men.

16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

As Americans, we have been steeped in the language of freedom. So when the Bible tells us to live as people who are free, we cannot help but hear that through a political and social lens. We want to be free from government coercion, free to live where we want, go where we want, do what we want.

That is not the freedom meant here.

Freedom in the Greco-Roman world meant citizenship, you were not part of a conquered population or a slave. In the NT, that transitions to being a citizen of God’s kingdom. You are free from God’s coming judgment; your sins are forgiven, and you don’t live under compulsion or as a slave to fear. Live as people who are free means free from God’s condemnation. But then note the important qualification: Not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil. The terrible temptation for the Christian is to think that the forgiveness of sins means you are free to sin. But the disciple of Jesus rejects sin and flees from it. We dare not remain as we were. Having had our sins forgiven, we now desire the destruction of sin within us. St. Peter exhorts us to this kind of life:

17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

You haven’t done these things as you ought. Repent. Repent, and remember you are God’s beloved. He will strengthen you to resist the passions that wage war against your soul. He sets you free. And if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. ✠INJ✠