The Call to Abstain From Fleshly Desires
1 Peter (2:11-12)
Review
The passage to be considered this morning falls, contextually, in what we are terming as the section addressing the sanctification of believers (1:13-2:12). In 1 Peter 1:13, after having explained the greatness of our salvation in 1 Peter 1:1-12 (i.e., what God has done in salvation), Peter says: “therefore.” That is, in light of this great salvation we are to live in a manner that is consistent with this great salvation. In previous sessions we have learned that we are called to live in hope (1:13), called to live in holiness (1:14-16), called to live in fear (1:17-21), called to love one another fervently (1:22-25), called to desire the pure milk of the Word (2:1-3), and called to offer up “spiritual sacrifices” (2:4-10). This week we will conclude our study on this section about sanctification with the call to “abstain from fleshly desires” (2:11-12).
Text
“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12).
We Americans have been living in a kind of fairy-tale world. For most of our nation’s history, Christian values have closely approximated the values held by our culture. Those days are quickly coming to an end, thanks in part to social engineers like our President. Christian views and values are no longer tolerated as the “high road of morality.” Rather, they are scoffed at as backward and bigoted. Christians are beginning to be viewed as those our “enlightened” society would be better off without.
Such a response would not have taken the apostle Peter by surprise. In fact, he would have expected it. In our text, Peter tells us we should expect some to react to godly living. While we are obligated to live exemplary lives as we dwell among ungodly people, we should not expect to be praised for it. In these two verses, Peter sums up the essence of true spirituality. Peter speaks in verse 11 of the spiritual life in terms of our personal piety. In verse 12, he captures the essence of our spirituality in terms of our public piety.
Textual Link
Before we look at Peter’s comments on personal and public piety, I want to comment on the important link between verses 4-10 and verse 11 in 1 Peter 2. Having just defined “who we are” (i.e., our identity) in verses 4-10 (a chosen race, a people to be pitied, a people for God’s possession, a holy nation, and a royal priesthood), Peter uses another term by which we are to be known – “aliens and strangers.”
The concept of “aliens and strangers” was a familiar one to Peter and other Biblical writers. It had been introduced early in the Old Testament where Abraham was a sojourner in the promised land, a land he never owned in his lifetime (Genesis 12:10; 17:8; 20:1; 21:23, 34; 23:4). It was also used with Isaac (Genesis 26:3) and his son Jacob (Genesis 28:4; 32:4). It was used when the nation of Israel sojourned in Egypt (Genesis 47:7; Deuteronomy 26:5). Even when God delivered the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage and brought them into the land of promise, they were still called “sojourners” on God’s land (Leviticus 25:23; 1 Chronicles 29:15). The writer to the Hebrews describes all the Old Testament saints as aliens or sojourners (Hebrews 11:13-16). Thus, it should come as no surprise that Peter refers to his readers as “aliens and strangers” (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). (2)
Why does Peter “like” this term? It is because our citizenship as the “people of God” (vs. 4-10) is not of this world. Our citizenship is now in heaven. As such, Peter exhorts us to conduct ourselves in this world (and in this life) as “aliens and strangers.” “Aliens” know that “home” is heaven, not this earth. All Christian “aliens” should have this view about their “home.”
One precaution is warranted when we talk about “aliens.” Years ago, Robert Rayburn was visited by a fellow, in his mid-twenties, who was dressed in a kind of white robe (or toga) and sandals. He was following the Lord's command (or so he said) and going from place to place serving Him. This is not what Peter meant. Peter had no interest in placing some kind of public distance between ourselves and the world – e.g., in our wearing unusual clothing -- nor does any other biblical writer. Christians may be aliens and strangers but there is no evidence that they looked any different or that they could be identified as strangers in the world by their appearance. Indeed, in every way, the Christians were and are to be "worldly" in the best sense of that word. Paul certainly was. He read the world's books, he knew their plays -- he refers to one in one of his addresses in Athens --, their poetry, their business, their politics. He was, after all, a Roman citizen, quite willing to appeal to his rights as a citizen of the empire. He was, in those respects, thoroughly at home in the world. Not only are we to be worldly, we are not to “withdraw” from the world, such as was fostered in some forms of monasticism later on. On the contrary, this passage indicates that Peter fully expects these aliens and strangers to be living their lives in full view of the unbelieving world. (3)
The Alien’s Personal Piety (2:11)
Now that we know that we are aliens in this world, Peter tells us in verse 11 to: “abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.” Fleshly desires are “earthly” desires which pertain to this life and to our flesh. “Lusts” are those appetites or desires we have by virtue of our fallen human nature. They are not sinful acts, but the desire to perform acts which are for self-gratification rather than for the glory of God. Carried out, these “lusts” do result in sin (see 1 Peter 4:3). Or simply stated, fleshly lusts are human desires which stem from our depravity and seek fulfillment outside the boundaries of righteousness. (4)
How should we then deal with fleshly lusts? Peter gives a very concise word of advice on how we should deal with fleshly lusts — we are to avoid them (see also Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:16; 5:24; Ephesians 4:17-23; Colossians 3:5). The word he uses for "abstain'' (apecho) literally means "to hold away." This may be best visualized by the common practice of running backs in football to stiff arm the oncoming tacklers in order to avoid being brought down. (5)
The Scriptures are replete with examples of such advice. "Do not go near the door of her house" the father in Proverbs tells his son concerning the sexual temptress. James says to "flee youthful lusts." And we see Joseph doing just that in Potiphar's house. Instead of standing and discussing the adultery that Potiphar's wife was proposing, he ran from the house leaving his cloak behind him. As Spurgeon once memorably put it: “the answer to many temptations is a good pair of legs and the nearest highway.” Simply put, the best way to resist temptation is to avoid it whenever possible. (6)
Least we focus on the negative, remember, there is also a positive approach to dealing with fleshly lusts. If we fix our hope on heaven, our desires will begin to shift from earthly, material things to things eternal. We will begin to “use” material things for God and His glory rather than giving ourselves to them as slaves. Or stated a different way, a heart full of desire for the coming of Christ and His kingdom has less place for fleshly lusts. (7)
One final comment about “abstaining from fleshly lusts.” We must recognize that these fleshly lusts “war against our soul.” Peter is referring to the spiritual warfare, that fight, that bitter struggle that goes on in every Christian's life between his sanctified heart and the sin remaining in his soul. Robert Rayburn remembers reading in William Manchester's biography of Douglas MacArthur how the great general's lieutenants often bitterly resented his announcing to the press that a battle was over on some island or another with only "mopping up" to do. That is what MacArthur called it -- "mopping up." There was nothing hard about that! Yet, that "mopping up" was sometimes the bitterest fighting of the war. The enemy, though truly beaten, hid in caves and nearly to a man fought to the death. It is the same with the Christian life. The victory is won. The outcome is certain. But there is a lot of “mopping up” or bitter fighting to be done by Christ's lieutenants before the fighting is over. (8)
The Alien’s Public Piety
Having spoken of our inner piety in verse 11 (our abstaining from fleshly lusts), Peter moves on to our public piety in verse 12. There is a reason for the sequence of Peter’s teaching in verses 11 and 12. He shows us that internal piety is a prerequisite to external (or public) piety. He learned from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (5:21-48) that the Law dealt with much more than just external matters. It dealt with the heart. Jesus taught that rather than just avoid external sins we must deal with the root sins from which they flow. Thus, we must not only abstain from murder but from anger and unresolved conflicts (5:21-26). We must not just avoid adultery but its roots of lust (5:27-32). In the same spirit, Peter writes: (9)
“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Notice at least two assumptions that underlie his command to “keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles.”
· First, Peter assumes we will not be physically separated from unbelievers but we will live among them. That is, we will not be isolated from unbelievers.
· Second, Peter expects Christians to believe and behave in a way significantly different from unbelievers, who are only of this world.
With those assumptions in mind, Peter’s exhortation in verse 12 provides us with several important principles pertaining to true spirituality as it relates to our public piety. Allow me to highlight several of these principles. (10)
1. Our piety is not only to be private but public.
How often have you heard it said: “My religious beliefs are very personal.” Translated, this means: “I don’t want to talk about religion.” Jesus never allowed us the option of having a strictly personal faith. Peter’s previous words make it evident that the Christian’s conduct is to serve as a public witness: “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR [God’s] OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY (1 Peter 2:9-10).
2. Our conduct in this world should be a praiseworthy piety.
Peter tells us our conduct is to be “excellent.” As William Barclay indicates: “Peter is saying is that the Christian must make his whole way of life so lovely and so good to look upon that the slanders of his heathen enemies may be demonstrated to be false."(11). The world tends to look at Christians in terms of what they don’t do rather than in terms of their contributions to the world. This is not to say that Christians can avoid the stigma of being “separatistic.” Being holy means leaving behind many of the practices we once engaged in as unbelievers (see 1 Peter 4:3-4). But since we will seldom find the world eager to praise us for what we avoid, we must also be diligent to do those things which are beneficial and therefore praiseworthy (see Titus 2:3-10).
3. Living a praiseworthy life does not mean we will be praised for it.
Piety will not always result in peace. Matthew writes: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW, and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD” (Matthew 10:34-36). Likewise here in our text, Peter indicates ungodly men may be expected to unjustly accuse and attack the Christian because of his goodness. Peter himself explains why some men will negatively react to righteousness later in this very same epistle. It is because our righteousness threatens their sinful way of life, not only exposing it as sin but also indirectly reminding them of the judgment to come (1 Peter 4:1-5). Or stated differently, when light exposes darkness, darkness strikes out against the light (see John 1:6-13; Ephesians 5:3-14).
We saw this with the first century church. The first century church was falsely accused of cannibalism (the Lord’s Supper), of immorality (the Agape or “love feast” known as the Lord’s Supper), and of treason (Jesus is Lord). What will the righteous of our day be falsely accused of? What forms of excellent behavior will the world find threatening and offensive? Consider these possibilities. The world will find the doctrine of life after death offensive, particularly the doctrine of hell. The church should expect to see reaction, false accusations, and even law suits for exercising church discipline. The world will certainly object to our views and practices concerning sexual morality. And if any Christians are left who are bold (and obedient) enough to spank (not abuse!) their children, they too may expect false accusations.
4. God will be praised for the very deeds for which we may now be persecuted.
The key to understanding Peter’s words here is to correctly define the “day of visitation” (see Isaiah 10:1-4; Luke 19:41-44). Some understand the “day of visitation” to be the day of our Lord’s appearing in judgment. Others understand the “day of visitation” to be the “day of salvation.”
If it refers to the day of our Lord’s appearing in judgment, the coming of our Lord has various implications for unbelievers. First, it will be the time when the wicked will be subdued by our Lord (Psalms 110:1; Philippians 2:9-11; Psalms 73:18-20; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). Second, as mentioned in this passage, Peter adds one additional facet to the day of our Lord’s appearing. When the wicked stand before the Lord as their Judge, they will not only acknowledge their sin and His sovereignty, they will praise God for the good things we have done -- the very things they once persecuted and falsely accused us of: “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” No longer will the wicked call good “evil” and evil “good.” Standing before God, all men (even unbelievers) must acknowledge the truth, and give God the praise which He alone deserves.
Now as I mentioned before, there is a question about Peter's meaning here. Some do not believe this to refer to the “day of judgment” but to the “day of salvation” (that is, to the day of the Lord's drawing near in salvation). If this is true, then the reference would be to the salvation of some of the pagans. Persuaded, at least in part, by the attractiveness of the Christians' lives, they are led to form a more favorable opinion of the Christian faith and, finally, by the grace and power of God, to become believers themselves. At a minimum, whether they came to faith in Christ or not, even a derisive acknowledgment of the Christians' love vindicates God and gives Him glory by bearing witness to the fact that the true life of human beings is the life that Christians live. There are reasons to choose both interpretations. The statement is general enough to permit either or both interpretations. Just remember that in either case, God will be glorified by those who once persecuted and falsely accused believers. (12)
Conclusion
In closing, I want to make three additional comments about true spirituality.
1. True Spirituality is Evidenced in Separation, Not in Isolation
When our Lord prayed for His disciples, He did not pray for their isolation from the world but for their insulation from the world:
“I have given them Thy word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil [one.] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:14-18).
We must have a certain measure of contact with the world for our godliness to be seen. There may be times when we cannot be physically present with the world, but all too often we, like the Pharisees of old, think of spirituality in terms of physical separation rather than in terms of moral purity. (13)
2. True Spirituality is Preoccupied with the Consequential, Not the Inconsequential
Our modern world is massively preoccupied with the inconsequential. We are so oblivious as a culture to what will one day seem so obvious that we will call ourselves blind for not seeing it —namely, the eternal well-being of the soul and its relation to God. It's the issue of how to wage war so that we will not lose our souls. (14)
- 3. True Spirituality is Focused on the Glory of God, Not the Glory of Man
In verse 11 the issue is how the soul might not be destroyed. In verse 12 the issue is how the glory of God might not be belittled. The goal of human behavior is the glory of God. "Keep your behavior excellent so that . . . the gentiles might glorify God." The positive significance of our lives is derived from whether our lives direct people's attention to the glory of God. If we live our lives in such a way that they don't point people to the glory of God, then our lives are without positive significance from a Christian standpoint. What we become is just an echo of a God-neglecting culture. We fit into the world so well that our lives don't point beyond the world. We are no longer aliens and strangers, but simply conforming citizens of the God-ignoring world. (15)
[1] Adapted from Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”
[2] Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”
[3] Robert Rayburn, “Strangers in the World” – First Peter
[4] Physical pleasures are not intrinsically evil, and thus the pleasures of marriage (Hebrews 13:4) or of a good meal are a gracious gift to be received as from the hand of God with gratitude (1 Timothy 4:1-5) -- Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”
[5] Dwight Edwards, “1 Peter: The Life That Lasts”
[6] Robert Rayburn, “The Spiritual Warfare” – First Peter
[7] Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”
[8] Robert Rayburn, “The Spiritual Warfare” – First Peter
[9] Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”
[10] Adapted from Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”
[11] William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (
[12] Adapted from Robert Rayburn, “Christian Motivation” – First Peter
[13] Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”
[14] Adapted from John Piper, “The War Against the Soul and the Glory of God”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[15] Adapted from John Piper, “The War Against the Soul and the Glory of God”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
No comments:
Post a Comment