Chapter 2 Verses 11-17
TITLE: The civic responsibility of a heavenly people
TEXT: 1 Peter 2:11-20
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; [12] Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
[13] Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; [14] Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. [15] For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: [16] As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. [17] Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. [18] Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. [19] For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. [20] For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
THEME: Godly living in an ungodly world
PROP.: WE must know how to live in this world
INTER.: How are we to live in an ungodly world?
INTRODUCTION: GODLY BEHAVIOR BEFORE THE UNGODLY (vs 11-12)
There is a letter written anonymously to a man named Diognetus somewhere between A.D. 130 and 200. Diognetus was a tutor of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, but there is really not much more known about him or why he received this letter.
I want to read just a portion of it to you; if you want to see more of it you can ‘Google’ the name, Diognetus, and you will be given a choice of several websites you can go to that have this letter and the sketchy information about Diognetus himself.
Here is a portion of what he wrote:
“Christians are not differentiated from other people by country, language, or customs; you see, they do not live in cities of their own, or speak some strange dialect…They live in both Greek and foreign cities, wherever chance has put them. They follow local customs in clothing, food, and other aspects of life. But at the same time, they demonstrate to us the unusual form of their own citizenship.
They live in their own native lands, but as aliens… Every foreign country is to them as their native country, and every native land as a foreign country. They marry and have children just like everyone else, but they do not kill unwanted babies. They offer a shared table, but not a shared bed. They are passing their days on earth, but are citizens of heaven. They obey the appointed laws and go beyond the laws in their own lives.
They love everyone, but are persecuted by all. They are put to death and gain life. They are poor and yet make many rich. They are dishonored and yet gain glory through dishonor. Their names are blackened and yet they are cleared. They are mocked and bless in return. They are treated outrageously and behave respectfully to others.
When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as if being given new life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens and are persecuted by Greeks; yet those who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility.”
What struck me as I read over these words of this anonymous writer of long ago was that where the writers of the New Testament tell us how we should live and behave as believers, this writer was describing what he or she apparently witnessed.
It might be an interesting exercise to give a large group of unbelievers and tell them to describe us as they see us. In the first and second centuries of the church there was a clear distinction between the church and the world, now, as Paul Harvey once said, ‘the world is getting more churchy and the church is getting more worldly’ and what the world, that is, those of the world generally witness is the worldly church, which has very little to do with true Christianity and real Christians.
Peter is continuing in his letter with practical admonitions. Having established the spiritual truths about them that should give them great encouragement that far exceeds the trouble and trials they find themselves in, he goes on saying fundamentally, ‘since you are this by the power of God who loved you before the foundation of the world, now, be this’.
I The Reality
If you look at verse 11 of chapter 2 you’ll see him repeat his address to them from the beginning of the letter. “I urge you as aliens and strangers…”
A A Social Reality
We have talked about the reality of the situation that these believers were facing. They were suffering socially. Look down at verse 19: [19] For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. [20] For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
Lookat the description that Peter uses:
1 Endure Grief
2 Suffering wrongfully
3 Buffeted
These people were suffering at the state level. Their own local governments were failing to protect them, and were even initiating some of their persecution.
They were suffering at the national level. Now these were people under the oppression of Rome, specifically, the deranged Caesar, Nero.
Very shortly after this letter was sent to the churches, in A.D. 64, a fire ravaged the city of Rome. The city was divided into fourteen regions and only four of those regions escaped the fire.
Nero already had a bad reputation with the people. He was lewd, engaged in all sorts of perverted sexual practices such as incest with his mother and both homo and heterosexual rape.
He also murdered his mother, his sister, and many others whom he did not trust.
So following the devastation of the fire there were many who wanted to blame Nero for it and he needed a scapegoat. Christians were widely misunderstood as a religious order that they thought were just a new Jewish sect. Many thought Christians were cannibals because of the Lord’s Supper and the reference to drinking the Lord’s blood and eating His flesh, and it was also rumored that they performed human sacrifice.
So Nero blamed the Christians for the fire and began a persecution against them that lasted for years and was picked up and practiced even by his successors, Domitian, Valerian and Dioclesian.
Nero dipped Christians in wax and impaled them on poles around his palace. He would light them on fire and yell, “Now you truly are the light of the world.” He had them killed in the Circus Maximus in front of the large crowds of spectators. He would have them wrapped in animal skins and thrown to lions or wild dogs to be torn apart as entertainment between chariot races. At times he would crucify them and when the crowds started getting bored he’d set them on fire.
Their suffering was a social reality. They really were being persecuted. This was a very real trauma. But there is another injunction here. There was a spiritual reckoning as well.
2 Spiritual reckoning
Peter was challenging these people in their position as pilgrims and sojourners. He wanted them to come to grips with the fact that they were truly citizens of heaven, and that they were merely strangers here.
Look back for just a moment at the passage that we were looking at last week as Peter describes these people, and all believers by way of implication, from the heavenly perspective. Look at verses 9-10 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: [10] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. “
a Selected kind. Cultural implications - chosen generation (genos – species or kind.)
b Stately order religious implications -
c Set apart Ethnic or national implications
d Secured possession social implications - The word “peculiar” is actually a combination of several words, but it speaks to a possession, or something purchased and secured.
e SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS – show forth His praises.
What this verse is saying is that as the people of God we now have a reality that transcends all others. We have a relationship that supersedes all others. We are a called, connected, consecrated, confirmed people by the God of heaven!!
That is our spiritual reality, so how are we to live in this world in light of that reality? Peter challenges them to live here as “pilgrims and sojourners.” He says that we are to do some “spiritual reckoning.” .
II The Response
A Action
1 Purety
a In Motivations
Namely - (v 1) “abstain from fleshly lusts,” and
b In Manner
(v 2) “ have honest conversation,” which means to live a life of integrity
Because Peter, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, calls you aliens and strangers here and says, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles” You know the old saying, “When in Rome do as the Romans do”? Well that is patently and diametrically opposed to Christian world view!
What happens in Vegas, fellow believers, better be something you can bring home with you without shame!
2 Participation “Among the gentiles,” “so that they may see.”
Can I point out to you please, that Peter didn’t say “Keep your behavior excellent and stay away from the people of the world” – which is what is meant here by the term ‘Gentiles’ – he said, ‘among the Gentiles’… among the people of the world.
They can’t see our excellent behavior if the only place we exercise it is in church and then live just like them the rest of the week.
We are not of this world but we are not slinking around in some heavenly camouflage either. We are to keep our behavior excellent, Godly, Christlike, among the unbelievers so that they will not have a valid complaint against us, and more importantly, so that some of them will be saved and glorify God in their own lives.
In short, and referring back to something I said earlier, the only evidence of true Christianity the world will ever see will be in your behavior and mine.
The specific context here is the realm of government. Folks, this is as direct a statement to political involvement as the scriptures makes. There is a call to participation here.
Folks, we are at a crisis in American politics. We are teetering on the precipice of genuine religio- socio persecution. ENDA has passed the house. Persecution from our government for practicing Biblical mandates is closer than it has ever been to us.
We are facing a presidential campaign where I here believers in unprecedented numbers saying things like, “there are no good candidates so I am just not going to vote.” Folks, there is a difference between electing a president calling a Pastor. Politically, God is not calling us to analyze a man’s theology, that is not what he is a called to do – In fact, this passage identifies what public servants are supposed to do.
They are to punish evil doers and reward the righteous. The primary purpose is that they will uphold moral, social justice. They are not establish religion. We have been blanketed into the idea that if they do not match our particular religious ideology, then I cannot in good conscience vote for them. That is not the case. None of the political establishment in AD 65 would have matched the Churches that Peter was writing to. Yet, he called upon them to be a visible, participatory presence.
Folks, 1 year ago I chose this country to be my own. I chose it because it granted to me the freedom to choose who would rule over me, the freedom to speak my convictions, the freedom to practice my faith according to my conscience, the freedom to participate in the process. If I, if we withdraw from the process then we of necessity abdicate those freedom, and give the power of coercion and oppression to others.
3 Payment “Submit to every ordinance of man.”
The ordinances here are speaking directly to the painful specifics of paying taxes or tribute. Notice that they were to pay both the King and the governor. This is both Federal and State taxes because there was a different purpose to governmental offices, and both had the right to be supported.
4 Patriotism
It’s interesting that Peter says ‘Act as free men”
It made me pause to let it sink in. I had to think it through because in verse 18 he addresses servants, telling them to be submissive to their masters.
Does that sound free to you?
Actually this whole section is about submission, isn’t it? So in saying ‘act’ does he mean as in playacting? Pretend to be freemen?
No! He’s writing to free men and women. He’s writing to the freest people who ever lived, no matter their earthly circumstances.
They are free from sin’s condemnation, free from the penalty of the Law, free from bondage to Satan, free from control by the spirit of this world, free from death’s power!
When someone knows that they are really free and in bondage to no one how do they act? Well, they act the way they feel. Unthreatened, unafraid, confident in their steps, contented with what they have and who they are.
So certain things are manifest in their lives. We find them listed in Galatians 5:22-23
“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”
Rebellion and vigilantism didn’t make the list.
Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. That’s Christians. Fear God. Isn’t that funny? He tells Christians to fear God. Was that really necessary? Don’t Christians fear God?
I’m afraid that far too often we do not. We begin to take our relationship with Him a little to glibly. He is an awesome God who is just as well as merciful and we should never forget that it is only by His infinite compassion and grace that we were chosen by Him for life. Nothing sets us apart from those who are spiritually dead other than that. Apart from His intervention we are exactly like those who have no hope; we are not raised above them morally, we do not have any worth greater than they. We need to remember always that before He redeemed us we were like the rest, and tremble. Fear God.
Honor the king. Who is the king for us? Our President. Please remember that two years from now. We don’t know who it’s going to be then, but 1st
Peter 2:17 will still be in the Bible…
How do freemen act? Like bondslaves of God, unthreatened by the world and worldly circumstances unafraid of what may come whether in life or in death, confident of their stand on the Rock of ages which cannot be shaken, contented to know that there is laid up for them in Heaven treasure where thief cannot steal and moth and rust cannot corrupt, and walking in submission to both God and worldly authority, by their behavior shutting the mouths of ignorant accusers and earning the praise of the righteous.
Why? Because even though they slander you in their ignorance as they witness your Godly behavior some of them will glorify God in the day of visitation. What does that mean? It means some of them will be won over by what they see in you and when Jesus returns to judge the world they will be Christians too.
B Attitude
Peter says to Christians, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution…” and look at verse 15, “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
That word rendered ‘silence’ means to restrain, muzzle, make speechless. In other words the Christian’s behavior should be such that those who are willfully ignorant, rejecting the truth with hostility, will not be able to say anything truthful against us.
We have to know and remember, believers in Christ, that God builds up and God tears down. He is the one who raises up nations and places men in authority. Even the evil ones He uses for His purposes, but He calls us to be “…subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle showing every consideration for all men.” Titus 3:1-2
Because this sort of Godly behavior, trusting God to deal with unrighteousness in His time, silences enemies and demonstrates Christlikeness before men so that some may be saved.
III The Reaction
A God is glorified – verse 12
B Foolishness is silenced – verse 15
C You are approved of God – verse 20
CONCLUSION: Nero’s efforts to exterminate Christianity backfired. Many people turned and became Christians as a result of his persecutions. Nero brought Christianity more into public notice and people began to learn more about what they believed. There were many who were killed by him because of their claim to have seen the resurrected Jesus.
You may remember that Paul told the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:6) that after His resurrection Jesus had been seen by more than 500 brethren at one time prior to His ascension.
So when people began hearing that these Christians, including Apostles, were going willingly to their death refusing to recant their testimony, they concluded that people would not go to these terrible deaths for a lie and they themselves believed. (Historical information about Nero and his persecutions taken from the Boise State University website)
Christians, the spirit of rebellion that marks our society must be purged from God’s church.
He is in control and when we rebel against the authorities He has put in place, whether it be church leadership or the authorities of any human institution, we rebel against Him.