Commentary on First Peter (52)

Commentators regard verse 11 as the beginning of the second major portion of Peter's letter. There is no need to dispute this, but we are considering verses 11 and 12 along with verses 4-10 because it is important to note the connection between the two major sections, that the second is based on the first. Peter calls the Christians "aliens and strangers in the world." Why are they aliens and strangers? It is because they have been called out from the world. He tells the Christians to "abstain from sinful desires"? Why must they abstain? It is because they are priests of God, so that they must engage in that which is holy and avoid that which is profane.

One of the major issues that Peter writes to address is how Christians should respond to the slanderous accusations coming from the unbelievers (v. 12). Some of these accusations relate to the seemingly subversive nature of the faith, and it is concluded that Christians are unruly individuals that would overturn the established institutions of government and family.

Christians, of course, must be prepared to offer a verbal explanation of their beliefs and actions whenever the situation arises (1 Peter 3:15). But the other aspect of our response is to constantly "live such good lives among the pagans" (v. 12) that it will become obvious that their accusations are false, so that "they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (v. 12). The idea here is that our good conduct will contradict their slander and help remove the obstacles to faith in the unbelievers, so that some of them will be converted and believe the gospel.

Nevertheless, our good conduct is not a mere outward display, as Peter says that we must first abstain from sinful desires, "which war against your soul." True religion always deals with the inner man first, and the outward conduct is a natural reflection of the inward condition. Here Peter points to a crucial aspect of our sanctification. Sinful desires, or lusts, war against our soul. They seek to capture it, to corrupt it, and to destroy it. Every Christian must confront this inward reality. Prior to our conversion, we were enslaved by them, but now we have the power to "abstain" (v. 11). The sense here is to continually avoid and keep away from something.

As Christians, we are as holy priests living among a profane populace. It should be our constant concern to remain in purity and to avoid contamination. We do this not only for the sake of self-preservation, but knowing that we represent God, Christ, and the gospel before the world. So our greatest concern is to counteract the people's slander against the Christian faith by magnifying the work of God in our lives. Rather than to disgrace him with shameful living, we must always seek to make him look "big," and to make him look good before the pagan world. It is for this that God has called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.