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1 Peter 2:12
“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”
The true Israel of God, consisting of ethnic Jews and ethnic gentiles who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, has been set apart as God’s holy people, holding their ultimate citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Believers must live by the dictates of that kingdom, not the worldly customs of this fallen world where Christians now dwell as sojourners and exiles. This involves abstaining from the sinful passions that wage war against our souls (1 Peter 2:4–11). Abstaining from sinful passions is largely an internal act by which we say no to evil desires as soon as they arise and redirect our hearts and minds to the things of God. Yet living as the true Israel of God as we walk the earth also includes external actions, as we see in today’s verse.
First Peter 2:12 tells us that we Christians must keep our “conduct among the Gentiles honorable.” Here, “Gentiles” is being used not as an ethnic designation but as a religious one. If the true Israel of God is defined not by ethnicity but by faith, then those whom Peter calls gentiles in verse 12, in contrast to Israel, are those who do not trust in the Lord Jesus Christ (see Gal. 3). Essentially, Peter calls us to a life of good works, to behavior that is right and true.
The Apostle exhorts us to this, knowing that those outside the church will speak against believers as evildoers (1 Peter 2:12). Early Christians were falsely accused of all manner of evils, including incest and cannibalism, and the way to refute these charges was to live such holy lives that the charges could not ultimately stick. In our day, believers are often accused of sins such as hypocrisy and not caring about babies after they are born. The best way to prove these accusations false is to do otherwise.
Besides pleasing God and refuting false charges of evil against Christians, our goal in keeping our conduct honorable is also that on the day of visitation, people will see our good deeds and glorify God. Peter must have had Jesus’ statement in Matthew 5:16 in mind when he wrote today’s verse. On the last day, the justice of God in condemning evildoers and vindicating His true people who have shown their faith by doing good will be evident to all, and this will redound to His glory. The nations will praise the Lord when He judges the world on the last day (Isa. 24:1–15). Even those who are under judgment will not be able to deny that justice has been done (see Rom. 3:9–19).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Our good deeds will lead people to glorify God on the day of judgment, but some will glorify Him before then by coming to faith through our witness. We must preach the gospel with words, but our words will receive a hearing only if we conduct ourselves honorably. John Calvin comments, “God employs the holy and honest life of his people, as a preparation, to bring back the wandering to the right way.”
For further study
- Proverbs 20:11
- Romans 12:17
- Philippians 4:8–9
- 1 Thess. 4:9–12
The bible in a year
- 2 Samuel 17–19
- Luke 22:1–23