First Epistle of Peter
STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS ABSTAIN

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:11 (KJV)

With this verse, the apostle starts a block of practical exhortations for the people of God.

Such a wonderful way he addresses them. He calls them "dearly beloved." We can’t be sure that Peter visited those parts of Asia Minor in which his readers lived, but he loves them whether he ever met them or not. The people of God will not take exhortation from one unless they are fairly sure the exhorter really loves them, and is truly seeking their welfare.

Notice, he does not command them. He says, "I beseech you." Being an apostle, he might have demanded obedience in the name of the Lord, but he does not. His message is entirely in the form of a plea, and so should ours be too. Occasionally someone attempts to exhort the people of God who is not fit to do so, thus causing resentment and anger in their hearers. A good exhorter is rare. It is a gift to be coveted.

"as strangers and pilgrims"
The word "stranger" in the Greek has the sense of "sojourner" or "temporary resident;" the word "pilgrim" that of a "foreigner." This is true of us. This is not our home. We are in the world, but not of it. When we trusted and obeyed Christ, and were born again, we swore allegiance to another monarch, and became citizens of another land. Our aims, desires, ambitions, and hopes are all different than those of the worlding. We realize that we are going to be here for only a short time, and so our interests are set upon our home land.

This perhaps has not yet gripped some of us as it should. Some of us have our tent stakes down pretty deep, and we act as though we are going to be here a long time. Some, too, seem very happy in the world's affairs. They love the association and parties of men. They still desire to partake of their pleasures and festivities.

As foreigners, we should enjoy different things, heavenly things. The world will not understand and may not be very tolerant, but we cannot help that. They will say, "Oh, come on, be a sport. What fund do you have anyway? I can't see what you see in running to church all the time." Foreigners have pleasures that others do not understand. Let's remember, we will not be here long, and when we leave, we will have to leave everything on earth behind.

"abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul"
Hold yourself in check from carnal longings that fight against the soul. We have a list of the lusts of the flesh in Galatians 5:19 to 21. This list takes in all the grosser lusts. The first ones are in connection with sexual sins. This is a lust we need especially to guard ourselves against. Many
Old Testament saints fell into this trap, and we have all probably been made very sad on occasion by hearing of some in our time, who likewise, have fallen into this snare.

Read over the other lusts listed in these verses in Galatians 5 and beloved, if any of these are a temptation to us remember the Word says "abstain", "hold yourself in check." As Samson, with his head on the lap of Delilah lost his locks, which symbolized his Nazariteship, and so lost his power, so we too, will lose all spiritual power if we do not "abstain from fleshly lusts."

These fleshly lusts may not necessarily be what the world or even Christians call wicked. Most anything earthly can be a snare or hindrance to us. One can long for wealth and so be definitely injured spiritually. One's service for Christ may be definitely stymied by it. Some Christians work from early morning until late at night striving to mass up money. Consequently, they have no time to visit the sick, to study the Bible, to attend many meetings or even to pray. So the love of money can definitely war against the soul.

Some seem to long for a husband or wife so much that no matter who suggests marriage to them, whether saved or unsaved, away they go; and they often find their marriage wars against the soul.

We have an example of lusts warring against the soul in Exodus 17. Here we read of the children of Israel complaining and murmuring because of the difficulties of the pilgrim journey. We then read in verse 8 of Amalek (type of fleshly lusts) warring against Israel. It was only as Moses held his hands up in intercession to God, that Israel prevailed against Amalek. Only as we seek the help of the Lord will we be able to overcome fleshly lusts. We read in Deuteronomy 25:17 and 18, that Amalek did overcome some of the children of Israel. It was the hindmost, the feeble, the faint and the weary. It is as we lag behind and are not determined in the battle, that the flesh overcomes us.

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:12 (KJV)

How to act as strangers and pilgrims in the presence of unsaved Gentiles continues to be the subject of this verse. We might say that this is the subject for the rest of this chapter and most of the next; the principal thought being, that the way to win the unsaved is through a Godly conduct.

"Having your conversation honest"
Here again, as in many places in Peter, "conversation" would be better translated "behavior". Not just honest talk, but our whole life honest before the world. The word "honest" does not express the full meaning of the original Greek word. A good translation would be "beautiful" or "very good". One might be strictly honest and yet be repellant. Of course, one must be honest in every way. One dishonest Christian can hinder a work for God more than a dozen honest ones can help it. I once invited a lady to attend a gospel meeting in Texas. She would not come. She said one of the sisters in the meeting had sold her rotten eggs. Let us all be strictly honest, but let us be more than that. To attract people to the Lord, we need to be patient, kind, pure. In fact, we need to be like the Lord Jesus.

"among the Gentiles"
The word "Gentiles" here is not in opposition to the Jews. The word in the Greek just means "nations" or "peoples". It would here refer to the unsaved round about, whether Jew or Gentile. All unsaved people watch professed Christians very closely. They expect ever so much more from a Christian than from the unsaved. If a Christian does some little thing wrong, the world is sure to make a mountain out of it. An unsaved one can do exactly the same thing, and it will be practically forgotten in a few days. We need to be constantly on our guard not to bring reproach on the name of Christ.

"that wereas they speak against you as evil doers"
Some in the world hate Christians for exactly the same reason they hated Christ. Christ's spotless life made them feel their own guilt, and the pure life of the true Christian condemns the sinner. They hate, too, the separated life of the Christians. The child of God will not go in for the world's pleasures and revelry. It makes the sinner especially bitter when the Christian speaks against his sinful ways. The early Christians suffered most when they refused to conform to the heathen customs round about them, or if Jews, they refused to submit to the Jewish ritual and laws.

The unsaved sought excuse to speak evil of the early Christians. They were accused of working against the government. Nero accused them of the burning of Rome. We need not wonder at this. They sought excuse to speak evil of the Lord Jesus, and we need not be surprised if they speak so of us. The Lord Jesus said, "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you" (Luke 6:26). When the Christian is popular with the world, it is sure evidence that he is not living as Christ-like a life as he should. Even carnal Christians will speak ill of you, if your life is what it should be.

"they may by your good works which they shall behold"
Good works are things that cannot help but be observed, and cannot be questioned. I would again say that good works do not produce salvation, but they are the natural fruit of salvation. A Christian should never be content with just refraining from evil. With many, Christianity is a negative thing. It is just a case of stop this and stop that, etc. True Scriptural Christianity is a positive thing. It is prophesied of the Lord Jesus in Isaiah 7:15 that he will "know to refuse the evil, and choose the good." It should be so with us too, to both refrain from evil and to do good.

Besides what the Scriptures tell us of the early Christians, secular contemporary writers speak of their good works. Tertullian had some very interesting comments on this verse. Speaking of the gladiatorial spectacles so popular in that day, he said the Christians never attended, and if they did they would be immediately excommunicated from the assembly. It wasn’t because of crimes that Christians in the first century were put in prison, but it was for their faith in Jesus Christ. A slave was very lowly esteemed in the Roman Empire, but often in the churches, some of them were considered elders, while their masters might not be. And slavery seemed to melt away where Christianity prevailed. When a plague would hit a community, the natives would desert the sick and the dying, but the Christians would care for them, and try to nurse them back to health. In time of war, the wounded would be terribly neglected, and the dead left unburied. The Christians took up the task of caring for these wounded, and burying the dead.

"glorify God in the day of visitation"
These things the unsaved could not help but notice, and it caused many to praise the God of the Christians. How could they help but have a high estimate of a God who could so change the lives of men and women.

The day of visitation in this verse is thought to refer to the day when the Lord would bless with salvation. Some have thought that this Godly life of the saved had more to do with the rapid spread of early Christianity than anything else. Through it, many were convicted of their sin, and convinced of the truth, and ultimately led to Christ. They might speak evil of this way at first, and hate and resist, but eventually they would turn to Christ. This is no different today. If we live loose lives, no one will listen to our testimony, and we will lead none to Christ.

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