Untitled Sermon (5)

1 Pet 2:11-12

2:11 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.

2:11 Ἀγαπητοί, παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς· 12 τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἔχοντες καλήν, ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καταλαλοῦσιν ὑμῶν ὡς κακοποιῶν ἐκ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων ἐποπτεύοντες δοξάσωσιν τὸν θεὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς.

These two verses begin the 2nd half of the letter.

1st half - mostly theological with occasional applications to life

2nd half - mostly applicational with shorter theological emphasis

Peter is seeking to address the practice of living for Christ in a oppressive and antagonistic world.Abstain from Fleshly Passions 11

2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

2:11 Ἀγαπητοί, παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς·

“To live in this world as citizens worthy of all the wonders and relationships belonging to the next, we must refrain from acting upon the impulses and desires of the flesh.” - David Helm

Loving Plea

Beloved, I urge you (Ἀγαπητοί, παρακαλῶ)

“Beloved” was a term rarely used in non-Christian Greek to address someone with affection. But it is all over the NT.

Reflects both the affection with which we hold each other in Christ. AND the status as God’s BELOVED children that has be granted to us in Christ. “Born again to a living hope” 1:3 - you are the beloved. From the basis of affectionate Christian love, Peter urges (parakalao) - a very broad term for “appeal”, “exhort”, “implore”. Here the term is used in a context that is more pronounced - so maybe “I strongly urge you” or “I strongly appeal to you” PT: Peter is making the strongest appeal without making an overt demand - BUT not a demand…

Order/Demand = arena of command Urging/Appeal = arena of counsel True holiness is not procured by the application of a compelling external authority, but by awakening and strengthening the personal desire and will of those appealed to. - Hiebert

To Abstain for Inner Sin…

To abstain from the passions of the flesh (ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν)

Abstain - to avoid, keep away - continually (Press tense) :: to keep holding yourself off from…(constant need)

Do not even allow such desires to get a foothold in your life. Such a command implies that inward desires are not uncontrollable but can be consciously nurtured or restrained—a needed rebuke to our modern society which takes feelings as a morally neutral ‘given’ and disparages any who would say that some feelings and desires are wrong. - Grudem The implication is “that the fallen nature whose power over the believer was broken when he was saved is still there with its sin-ward pull,” but victory over the allurements of those lusts is available to the Christian (Gal. 5:16) - from Hiebert (quoting Wuest) Passions of the flesh

Epithumia refers to strong desire - occasionally positive for “passion” but mostly used for sinful strong desire “lust” Peter’s words should not be interpreted to mean that desires related to our physical nature are evil, as though the human body in itself was evil. Yet, “the Christian is tempted to satisfy the bodily desires in ways contrary to God’s will.” - Hiebert

Need to be mindful that while sexual lust is a powerful example of epithumia, the sinful passions mentioned here is more than sexual sins. Any desire that overshadows our love for Christ and hope for God’s holiness is lust. 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 1 Peter 2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Galatians 5:19–21 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 John 2:16 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 Peter 4:2–3 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. PT: Inward desires are not uncontrollable, but can be consciously nurtured or restrained. - Hiebert

To “abstain from the passions of the flesh” requires us to live with a renewed mind, a disciplined tongue, and a controlled body. For in Christ we are tethered to Heaven and are merely wanderers on earth. - Helm

Two Reasons:

Our New Identity

As sojourners and exiles (ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους)

Some translations - Aliens and Strangers NASB, Sojourners and Pilgrims (NKJV)

1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, Sojourners/Aliens - refers to those residing in a country that is not their own. They live there temporarily, but their citizenship (their home) is somewhere else. Exiles/Pilgrims/Strangers - refers to resident aliens who don’t belong. The stress on belonging - so the ESV “exiles”. Strangers that feel like they don’t quite belong. The combination occurs a couple of times in the OT:

Abraham of himself - Genesis 23:4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” David during exile - Psalm 39:12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. PT: Foreignness of Christians: this is not our place - this world and this time is temporary. It is NOT our home.

The knowledge that Christians have no true home here on earth has been of comfort especially to those who spend years and even lifetimes away from their earthly homes in the service of Christ. - Grudem To put it simply, your commitment to abstain from the impulses and desires of the flesh is based upon your true identity in Christ (2:4–10). You are a sojourner here. You are an exile. Your true identity is tethered to Heaven. - Helm Heaven should have an irresistible pull on our souls - we don’t really belong here anymore. PT: our time in this world, with all its temptations and desires - is temporary at best. It will all end soon - then eternity will come. In the mean time … these redeemed foreigners have a standing duty - to Abstain and to Keep

Our Soul’s Safety

Which wage war against your soul (αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς)

Wage war (strateuō) - not a word for singular combat or particular battle, but for the waging, strategizing, planning and implementing of war.

This term emphasizes an attitude of enmity // open hostility. Pres tense - these passions continually wage war against your soul. PT: Lust is a like a terrorist group planning and fighting and doing anything to wage war to the detriment of our souls… Against your soul - its like we carry around a battle within our own hearts on a regular/daily basis.

Note: The desires themselves wage war against the health of our souls…

Not a war against our bodies or physical well-being, but within - “to pervert our desire, enslave the will, and darken the understanding.” - Harrison in BibSac To entertain such desires may appear momentarily attractive and entirely harmless, since the desires do not usually break forth into wrongful actions, but they are in reality enemies which inflict harm on the Christian’s ‘soul’, making him spiritually weak and ineffective. - Grudem He says there is an intimate relationship between what we do in the body and what happens to our soul. Literally, the human passions are said to be serving as soldiers against your soul. - Helm Danger is the subtlety - under the surface, thought to be harmless (or at least less harmful), but corroding the heart of joyful devotion. PT: If the good passions for Christ and His church are fading from your life - looking inward that the worldly passions that wage war against the soul committed to Christ!

That’s where we lose of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal 5:22) - its the battle for our heart.

So abstain! (Negative)

Keep doing good (Positive)Keep Conduct Winsome 12

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.

12 τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἔχοντες καλήν, ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καταλαλοῦσιν ὑμῶν ὡς κακοποιῶν ἐκ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων ἐποπτεύοντες δοξάσωσιν τὸν θεὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς..

Not a new sentence, but a continuation of the previous verse - the positive counterpart for he negative plea… From the inner battle to the outward witness.

Keep Conduct Honorable

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable (participle not an imperative) (τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἔχοντες καλήν)

Keeping = “holding to” or “persevering in” Conduct = the varied activities of life - everything you do that could be observed by unbelieving eyes -

1 Peter 1:15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

Your conduct among the Gentiles (lit. Nations)

Gentiles means more than merely “non-Jewish” - it refers to all the unbelieving peoples of the world. = unbelieving world Keeping your conduct honorable (Pres Act Part)

Your actions/conduct/behavior maintained honorably Honorable (kalos) - that which is good, excellent, noble.

“good” (kalēn), beautiful, morally noble, and praiseworthy—conduct that commends itself to the moral judgment of those around them. - Hiebert

For the Sake of the Gospel

So that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation (ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καταλαλοῦσιν ὑμῶν ὡς κακοποιῶν ἐκ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων ἐποπτεύοντες δοξάσωσιν τὸν θεὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς..)

In order that (ἵνα) - this is the aim of our honorable conduct — When they speak against you as evil doers (ὡς κακοποιῶν)

To speak against: lit. “To speak down” - means to revile or slander. Critical and derogatory speech with intention of harm. Christians will be called “evil doers” - a term that is used of “criminals”

Peter prophesied that our good deeds will be considered “evil” and that we would be called individuals who are on the “wrong side of history” 2 Timothy 3:1–5 1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation

Glorify God on the day of visitation

Glorify God -

To honor, magnify, adore - the very opposite of “speak against” earlier. In the day of visitation - lit. “Day of inspection”

1) THE day of visitation would be at the great day of Judgment or at the time of Christ’s return. In THAT day, those that opposed Christians as criminals will instead glorify God (e.g. Saul of Taursus) Jesus: Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

PT: The one who slanders us as evildoers, will see our good works and eventually “glorify” God - praising Him until the day He visits with gospel salvation.

“The verb doxazō, ‘glorify’, occurs sixty-one times in the New Testament but it is never used to speak of unbelievers who are forced unwillingly to admit that God or his people have been in the right—indeed, Rev. 16:9 says they refuse to do this.” - Grudem

1 Peter 3:1–2 1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Examples of NT call for good works: Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Titus 2:7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, Titus 3:8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 1 Peter 2:20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 4:19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Mounce remarks, “Good deeds, even though they may be misrepresented and defamed for the moment, are still the best answer to the opposition of a hostile world.” - from Hiebert

When Christians are misunderstood and slandered, the proper answer is not withdrawal from the world, nor contemptuous disregard of the opinions of one’s opponents, but manifest purity of conduct. - Hiebert

We tend to be overly careful of emphasizing good works for fear of replacing justification by faith…

David Helm says that he has a file of 3000+ illustrations that covers a variety of topics. But when he searched for an illustrate that conveyed the rightful place of good works, he found nothing. “For some reason I filed nothing along the way except those stories, anecdotes, and quotes that denounce good works in favor of justification by faith.