By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

In this series so far we have learned that Peter wrote this letter to followers of Christ who were scattered in the area of Asia Minor, what is now modern-day Turkey. His main emphasis in this letter was to remind Christians of the hope they have in God because of the gracious salvation provided for them in Jesus Christ as well as how the gift of the Holy Spirit within them works to lead them in sanctification. We continue now to learn even more about this wonderful salvation that God blesses His children with and how we are to live as Christ and love one another.

 

1 Peter 2: 10

“Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

 

Here Peter gives us a contrast between our former life as non-believers and our new life in Christ. Before we came to faith in Christ we were, in a sense, “not a people.” We were simply another one of the huge mass of other individuals that are in the world. We didn’t know God personally because we didn’t know Jesus Christ as Savior. We didn’t have the Spirit living within us because we were still living in rebellion to God. Before we accepted Christ as Lord and Master we were also someone who had not received the mercy of God. God’s mercy for the forgiveness of sins is only available to those who commit their lives to Christ.

 

Once we accept Christ as our Savior for our sins and submit to Him as our Lord and Master we become part of the “people” of God. We now receive God’s mercy because we admit our sin and accept Christ’s payment for it. God’s mercy makes it possible for us to be a member of the “people” of God. When we submit to God and receive His free gift of salvation and mercy we are called to live a holy sanctified life. Our life is to be modeled after that of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Becoming part of God’s family carries with it a responsibility to live as Jesus would, to become sanctified and holy. Great gifts of grace and mercy bring great responsibilities of living holy as God is holy. Peter earlier in chapter 1 spoke of this responsibility we have as followers of Christ.

 

1 Peter 1:13-16

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

 

We must remember that Peter is writing to Christians who have some degree of suffering in their lives. Despite these hardships and trials, they are still called to live as followers of Christ, according to the Holy Word and the Spirit’s guidance. Therefore in the verses which follow we see instructions from Peter on how to live as a Christian. This serves as a godly example to those who do not believe and can draw them to Jesus Christ and a relationship with God. Such holy living also provides morality in an immoral world and gives salt and light to a tainted and dark world.

 

1 Peter 2:11

“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”

 

Peter addresses followers of Christ as “dear friends” or “dearly beloved” as some translations portray it. In the Greek this is a descriptive phrase that speaks of God’s dear love for His children. It is a special greeting only applied to those who know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

 

While Peter addresses them in a loving manner he also urges them strongly to refrain and abstain from any sinful desires that might pull at them from the world. He is exhorting them, almost begging them, to live as God’s children, holy and pure. Remember this is God speaking through the power of the Spirit to instruct and exhort those He has saved through His grace and the death of His Son. Much like any parent would strongly advise their children to live wisely, make good honest decisions and be on their guard so as not to trip and fall, God is using Peter to instruct others in how to live as Christ would.

 

Peter reminds them of their heavenly citizenship before giving such exhortation and instruction. This is the first reason Peter gives for living pure and is in a sense a negative (don’t do this) instruction and relates to the private manner in which we live our spiritual lives.  He knows that if they remember that their home is not here on earth, but in heaven, they will act holy and appropriate. He calls them “aliens and strangers” because followers of Christ should view their earthly life as temporary and simply a transitory residency. The Greek word for “aliens” is “paroikos” and means a person dwelling with others, but foreign to the land. Followers of Christ are people who are passing temporarily through this earthly life bound for a heavenly home, their true destination. The Greek word for “strangers” is “parepidemous” and is similar in meaning. It describes such a person as a pilgrim who is passing through a land and who is only temporarily residing with others. Such pilgrims never take on the habits and lifestyle of the local population because they are simply visiting for a limited period of time. This had application for the first century Christians and for us today as well.

 

If we truly understand our calling as followers of Christ, we seek to live life focused on the Word of God, living by the power of the Spirit and seeking to live godly lives. We do not take up the habits and lifestyles of those around us. While we live, work, and have fun with others on this earth, we remain at heart dedicated to a Christ-like lifestyle, because our true home is in heaven.

 

Peter also states here the obvious. He knows followers of Christ will battle sinful urges, fleshly desires and satanic attacks. This is a true spiritual war that takes place in the life of a believer. Therefore he asks them to “abstain from sinful desires.” Galatians 5:16-26 contrasts the person who walks by the Spirit with those that walk by the flesh. In order for us as believers to walk in the Spirit and manifest the fruit of the Spirit we must live according to the Word out of our love for Christ. The world, the flesh and the Devil seek to pull all of us who belong to God down a dark path. While we have been saved from our sins, past, present and future, we are in a process of denying our flesh and seeking to live by the Spirit. While our flesh does not have power over us, it does have a pull which can be very strong at times. The only way to resist this pull is to rely on the greater power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. We have a choice to live by the Spirit or live according to the flesh. The Greek word for “abstain” here is “apechomai” which means “hold yourself back from,” “to refrain from,” or “to avoid.” We always have a choice to not fall into sin and the Spirit gives us the power to make that choice and fulfill it. Several scripture passages describe the power we have in the Spirit to live holy and pure. Paul shares a prayer of his for the followers of Christ at Ephesus in Ephesians.

 

Ephesians 3:14-19

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

 

Paul also shares with his young disciple Timothy the courageous power we have as followers of Christ to live a life of love and discipline.

 

2 Timothy 1:7

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

 

Next, Peter talks about the second reason to live holy and pure lives. This is a positive encouragement and is the more public manner in how we live as Christ did. Peter speaks of the great witness that is shown by the way we live as Christ did and as the Holy Spirit empowers us to walk, talk and behave around others.

 

1 Peter 2:12

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

 

In as sense we are spiritual advertising for Jesus Christ. What people witness by how we live, work, play, as well as how we treat others in our behavior, testifies as to how Christ lives through us. Peter is encouraging Christians in Asia, and us today, to live lives that are so godly in actions and behavior that when those who do not believe in Jesus as Savior accuse us of doing wrong, they have no credibility or evidence for their accusations.

 

In the first century Christians were often accused of all sorts of things. They were accused of cannibalism because of the symbolism in the Lord’s Supper that speaks of the bread representing Christ’s body and the wine, His blood. They were accused of immorality because of a misunderstanding of the name for Christian’s “love feasts” which were actually what we might call today a “potluck” or “picnic.” Pagans thought these were sexual orgies when in actuality they were simply friendly fellowship gatherings. They were accused of damaging financial trade because they spoke out against the production of idols (graven images) and therefore people didn’t buy statues of false gods. They were also accused of damaging family relationships because when people accepted Christ as Savior and Lord their pagan families would disown them. The list goes on and on and today there will be times that we will be accused of doing wrong because we are honest, civil, respectful, loving and stand for right. But when people see how consistently we live, how loving we treat others, how dedicated we are in living for God, their accusations will be silenced. Sometimes though the issues people have with Christians is that they don’t live godly lives. Sometimes we say we stand for morality, yet make immoral decisions in our personal lives. Sometimes we say we promote truth, but fail to speak honestly in situations. This is why Peter’s letters are so appropriate for us today.

 

The public display of Christ and the Holy Spirit living in us is basically a natural type of evangelism. People are attracted to this purity if they are responsive to the ministry of the Holy Spirit as He seeks to draw them to Jesus. The Spirit is constantly seeking to bring more people into God’s Kingdom and we facilitate this process as we live as we should as followers of Christ. Let us live like Christ, as the Word of God dwells richly in our hearts and minds, as we are filled with the Spirit and as we manifest His fruit!

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”