1 Peter 2:11-17
Read 1 Peter 2:11-17
Helpful Background Information:
From Daniel 1, we see that Daniel and his friends were brought into a hostile land. Babylon was a land ruled by leaders who did not know the Lord; it was a culture filled with wickedness and consistent pressure to abandon faithfulness to God. Daniel and his friends were strangers and exiles in the land of Babylon, yet they consistently obeyed the Lord in their exile.
Similarly, in 1 Peter 2:11-17, the Apostle gives moral instruction to believers in modern-day Turkey on how to live in a godly manner among unbelievers and a wicked culture.
In verse 11, Peter describes Christians as παροίκους (paroikous) and παρεπιδήμους (parepidemous). These two words could be translated as “strangers and exiles,” “foreigners and aliens,” or a combination of the two; Peter uses this description to show that this world is not our home. Rather, a Christian looks forward to his or her true heavenly home where he or she will be with the Lord. However, this beautiful truth does not mean we have an apathetic or detached attitude toward our culture or circumstances. Rather, we engage the world for Christ.
Peter’s wise counsel on how to do so can be divided into three parts:
First, Christians living in an unbelieving society must avoid sinful desires and maintain godly patterns of life so that unbelievers may be saved and God may be glorified.
Secondly, Christians are to obey all rightful human authority, including political leaders. Interestingly enough, the Roman emperor at the time Peter wrote was Nero, under whose persecution Peter himself would later be put to death. God expects Christians to be subject even to human authorities who are neither believers nor morally upright.
Lastly, Christians should engage their sin-filled communities by doing Christ-like things and blessing those around them.
Reflection Questions:
How did Daniel and his friends display this kind of God-honoring while living in exile?
In what ways do you feel like a "stranger" or an "exile" in the world today?
What does it look like for you to live honorably in front of those who don’t share your faith? Has anyone ever noticed something different about how you live? What was their response?
How can you show respect and honor your current political leaders while not always agreeing with their worldview and actions? How does Daniel’s example of this encourage you?