Live as Servants of God – 1 Peter 2:11-25
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
13 For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, 14 or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
The Example of Christ’s Suffering
18 Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. 19 For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
What does the passage say?
V. 11-12 Peter tells the believers to remember that the world is not our final destination. The Message says, “Friends, this is not your home, don’t make yourselves cozy in it” v. 11 The Message. Therefore, he urges the believers to live in a radical lifestyle that will make a statement to the world.
V. 13-20 Through the Christians living in a radical lifestyle, which is giving up our wills and following God, we can make a change in the world. “It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules.” v. 15 -16 The Message.
V. 21- 25 By living in this way, Peter says, we are following the lifestyle of Jesus Christ. Christ bore our sins for the healing of our relationship with God, and now we, who are chosen to be holy priesthoods (bridge builders), are to live in the world as healing agents.
What does this mean to me/us
Twelve years ago, my family immigrated to America. Living in the States taught me to learn what it is like to live in the world, as an alien, which helped me to cultivate a different perspective.
The world not our home. We need to realize that our real home will be in God’s Kingdom. Our focus should be in God’s presence. And as we live this life, as people with a different perspective, we are called to live in a way that the world will notice.
The way of life we live might seem to be odd, up to a point they might alienate us. When the light shines in the world, the immediate reaction of the dark is to avoid it. However, we need to remember that we are used as a healer of this world, as we follow the footsteps of God.
May the prayer of today be… “God, how can I be a healing agent of this world today?”
What does this MEAN to you?
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