1 Peter 2:11-17 Honorable Conduct WC McCarter
Introduction
From the
beginning of the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, he was preaching, “Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Early on He went about all Galilee, teaching
in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds
of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. His fame was spreading,
and great multitudes followed Him. On one memorable occasion, Jesus saw the
multitudes and, so, He went up on a mountain, sat down, and began to teach
them. He began by telling them how to live the blessed life, and then He said,
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it
be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled
underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a
lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.”
In our
passage today, we come to a new section in Peter’s letter. We will be
discussing even more specifically the Christian lifestyle. You may find it
interesting that it is not so much your lifestyle that directly
brings glory to God, but it is more so your lifestyle which motivates others
to put their faith in Christ and that is what brings great glory to God.
All the great things of the new birth and the Christian’s identity which we
have talked about in the first parts of 1 Peter are what we want for those
around us. We want others to experience the blessed life which we are
experiencing.
Read Scripture- This is the Word of God
Abstain from Fleshly Lusts (11-12)
In these
seven verses, Peter uses four different titles for Christians. He urges them on
the basis of who they are to do the will of God. The first name he uses is
“Beloved.” It is based on God’s love for the church and Christians’ love for
one another that Peter begs them to abstain from lusts. As only a good friend
would, Peter begs Christians to keep away from those things that will bring
them great danger and possibly destroy them.
Not only are
the believers Beloved, they are also called sojourners and pilgrims. The word
“sojourners” means “foreigners.” It is the Greek word, “παροίκους” (from pará,
"close beside" and oíkos, "house") which means, “Someone
living close to others as a temporary dweller, in a specific locale as a
non-citizen.” The second word, “pilgrim” or “exile,” is closely related and
means literally, “An alien alongside” or, in other words, “a resident
foreigner.” These names, which we are called, indicate our lowly status in this
world.
So, before
Peter gives them the command, he basically says, Remember who you are. Then, he commands them to “abstain from fleshly
lusts.” We are to abstain from fleshly lusts because they war against the soul.
The Christian life does not divorce the physical world from the spiritual
world. Peter wants us to abstain from fleshly lusts precisely because they war
against the soul. Your conduct can be beneficial or detrimental to your
spiritual life. Too few Christians either don’t realize or completely ignore
this fact. There is a connection between how we live and our spiritual life.
The thinking that separates the two still persists today so that folks claim
one thing but live in a way that is opposite from their claim. The heart of the
issue is that God demands the whole person—body and soul.
Notice in
verse twelve that “honorable conduct” is the same as “good works,” and this is
what brings about the opportunity for conversion for some people. In the first
of two names given to unbelievers in this passage, they are referred to as “Gentiles,”
meaning that they are all those who are outside of the people of God, outside
of the church, outside of the Faith. In the first century, Christians were
called all sorts of things by the pagans around them. They were even referred
to as evil doers. The conversion that Peter is considering here is for an
outsider (Gentile) to go from speaking against Christians to actually
glorifying God. That is a radical change, isn’t it? One day a person is hurling
insults at the people of God, and the next day the person is glorifying God.
That is night and day. That is conversion, and Peter says that your conduct can
help to make that happen.
The very end
of verse twelve reminds us that there will be a Last Day. There will be a Day
when God brings this age to an end. He will visit this world in a way that
mankind has not yet seen. We want those around us, as corrupt and mean-spirited
as they may be now, to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and willingly
glorify God in the day of His visitation.
Submit to Every Ordinance of Man (13-14)
Christians,
you are commanded by the word of God to abstain from fleshly lusts (and for
good reason). This is honorable conduct, and these are the good works that we
are called to do. Now we have a “therefore” in verse 13. Christians, you are
also commanded to “submit to every ordinance of man.” This is a large part of
having honorable conduct among the Gentiles, obeying human establishments. Yet,
this is said to be for the Lord’s sake. So, it cannot mean that we are to
submit to the government even if it is contrary to the Lord’s clear commands.
We are to submit to (1) the king, as supreme, (2) governors, and (3) those sent
by authorities. There would be some very violent Caesars who would come along
very soon who would lash out against Christians. In fact, Peter, the one who
wrote this letter, would soon be put to death under the reign of Nero. Those
who are sent by authorities are ordained by God to (1) punish evildoers and (2)
praise gooddoers.
This is the Will of God (15-17)
Have you
tried to discern the will of God? We are God’s people, and we want to do His
will. We try to seek it out. We pray for it. There are plenty of times when we
do not have a “Thus saith the Lord.” This is not one of those occasions. Do you
want to know how you are to associate with the establishments around you? How
are you to relate to government? You are to submit to every ordinance of man.
The second
name given to unbelievers is “foolish men,” and Peter considers their
conversion once again. He thinks of how they could turn from speaking against
Christians in their ignorance to actually being silenced.
The last
name that Christians are given in this passage is “bondservants of God.” This
is a very good translation. The original word means “slaves,” but not in the
sense of what was North American slavery. That kind of slavery was forced and
abusive. Many people were captured in their homelands and brought against their
will to America where they were sold as slaves. Yet, slavery in the first
century Roman Empire was drastically different. Multitudes of people sold
themselves into slavery in order to pay off their debts. It was not usually
forced but voluntary. In fact, many slaves in the first century would finish
out the terms of their original agreement and then renew their “slavery
contract,” as it were, because they had grown so close to the master and were
grateful for the benefits they received by living in that house. What is Peter
saying? He is saying that Christians are “free,” but choose to use their
freedom to voluntary serve God. This is what it means to be a Christian. We
seek to do God’s will on every occasion.
Verse 17
gives us four summarizing commands for today’s sermon:
1. Honor All
People: Respect all people
2. Love the
Brotherhood: We are to love the church, fellow Christians
3. Fear God:
Healthy and motivating to do His will
4. Honor the
King: Specifically, we are to revere those in authority
If you want
to dodge bullets in this world, honor all people and honor the king.
Conclusion and Christian Application
Our goal is
to bring God glory and to live peaceably with all people. Peter’s commands are
to help us do those things. You can bring God glory and live peaceably (at
least have the opportunity) with the world if you silence the critics by
honoring all people and submitting to every human ordinance. We cannot give
reasons for others to criticize us. We must live out our lives with honorable
conduct so that we may see others converted.