Obedient Behavior as Sojourners

Introduction:

To live as a believer in the world is to accept responsibility and accountability toward God.

The value we place upon our redemption can be seen in our conduct.

Our understanding of God’s purpose in saving us also drives home the need for obedient living.

God doesn’t just change our eternity in Christ, He also changes the way we live in the present.

As believers, we live with a dual reality.

We are still present in the here and now.

We are strangers and foreigners (we have alternative citizenship, and we have a different conduct because the old ways are now set aside (1 Pet. 2:1)).

We last learned that believers are not to live as criminals in the world, and any suffering experienced should be under wrongful accusation instead of actual criminal behavior.

Furthermore, Peter envisions the best possible outcome of that situation to be that upon closer investigation, those observing believers might glorify God in the day of judgment (visitation).

Now, what does careful, responsible, obedient living look like?

In 1 Pet. 2:1-2, Peter prefaced his encouragement with “be putting off all evil, all trickery, hypocrisy, jealousies, and all slanders.

Here, we see some practical ways that we can know we are living properly as believers in the world in addition to those common moral behaviors.

Submission to Humans

Peter now gives an overarching command, and as 1 Pet. 2:18 will make obvious, it frames how he wants his audience to think and act: submit.

He begins with an exhortation to submit to every human creation.

We know what he means by this awkward wording because he will elaborate upon what he has in mind.

The main issue the reason: “because of the Lord.”

In 1 Pet. 2:15, may help clarify the dynamic Peter envisions.

Peter may have in mind that foolish people may, in their ignorance, claim that followers of Jesus Christ follow a different king other than the earthly figure sitting atop, in this case, the Roman Empire. That confusion, apparently, could lead to false accusations against believers.

The human “institutions”/creations are: king and governor.

The Reason for Submission

Peter gives a God-given purpose for submission.

This gets expressed by the “oti” clause.

God’s will: ones doing good are silencing the ignorance of foolish men through submitting to human creations.

1 Pet. 2:15 also gives us some indication of the slander. It is that his audience might want to establish their own state.

By foolish/thoughtless, Peter may have in mind the other half of humanity, those who do not share God’s view of the Messiah.

God’s people know we are living in God’s will when we live as law abiding citizens who recognize the authority of the state.

The inherent assumption is that by living in obedience to God, we also, naturally, live in obedience to the basic moral framework that government authorities wish to encourage in their people.

Introduction: Part 2:

We should think about living as moral people beyond just our personally defined behaviors such as jealousy or greed.

It also includes our social attitudes and public conduct.

We might pause for a moment to consider 1 Pet. 2:13, 18; 3:1 for a moment.

We could see them as ways of “fleshing out” the “human creations,” but whether or not that works is immaterial to the larger point.

Christianity is not a revolutionary movement in any sense of the term.

Governments

Social hierarchies

Family structures

The concern seems to be the misinterpretation of conversion as the basis for defiance.

That will not work.

Living in True Liberty

Peter establishes that freedom in Christ does not mean using it as a springboard for defiance.

Also, having freedom in Christ does not become a cover for criminality.

Freedom in Christ means living as slaves to God.

This follows closely with Ro. 6. Also note Gal. 5:13.

Freedom and slavery to God are neither incongruent nor contradictory to one another.

Peter concludes these initial thoughts with four consecutive imperatives:

Honor all: this may be the most remarkable of all because it orients our attitudes toward our fellow humans.

Love the brotherhood (1 Pet. 2:1-2).

Fear God.

Honor the emperor.