BBCC Bible Study Notes October 13th, 2024

BE ONYOUR BEST BEHAVIOR – 1 Peter 2:11-20                                              

     I.        What does it mean to be a sojourner and an exile? (Review)

·     Sojourner =temporary resident

·     Exile =voluntarily or involuntarily absence from his/her home country

   II.        Good behavior is expected

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (1Peter 2:11 ESV)

·     We are temporary residents in a spiritually foreign culture

·     The ways of the culture cause us internal conflict

  III.        Good behavior honors God

“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.” (1 Peter 2:12 ESV)

·     Even when we are ridiculed for our behavior, God will be honored and glorified by those watching us

 IV.        Good behavior includes obeying and honoring the government and its leaders,representatives, and agents

“13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors assent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:13-17ESV)

·     Honoring our government officials is equal to fearing God and loving our Christian family

   V.        Good behavior includes honoring our employers

“18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” (1 Peter 2:18ESV)

 VI.        Good behavior could result in suffering and persecution

“19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is itif, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good andsuffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.” (1Peter 2:19-20 ESV)

·     We should expect to be disciplined for bad behavior

·     We should rejoice when we suffer for good behavior

Summary: Accepting that we are temporary residents in a spiritually foreign culture, leads to our understanding of our purpose as God’s chosen people. Practicing best behavior lets unbelievers seewe do not belong to their culture. God should be glorified by it, but it won’t be easy because we still have the ability to pursue the same passions we did before we became Christ followers. Best behavior includes obeying and honoringauthority. The government and employers are authorities we are to honor. Don’t be surprised if best behavior results in unjust suffering.

BBCC Verse of the Week:. “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.” (1 Peter 2:12 ESV)

1 Peter 2:11-20 Study/Discussion Guide

We have some great devotionals in the lobby -- pick one up and read devotionally each day.  This is a different tool to encourage your growth in scripture. 1) Some notes that go a little deeper than what I can talk about on a Sunday morning. 2) Some questions to go a little wider as you talk to people and think about how the Spirit may be making you more holy through his word. Use the first section as a springboard to learning more about theBible, use the second section to talk to others about what you’re learning.Talk in the car on the way home, chat with folks during the week.

v.11-12 These two verses introduce the second part of 1 Peter, 2:11–4:11, focusing on its main theme: conduct among the gentiles that will not give them any reason to persecute Christians, with the hope that they will eventually glorify God. It starts with an appeal, a common beginning for moral exhortation, as follows here. (Watson)

The appeal is to refrain from the desires of the flesh (2:11b). This appeal reiterates the topic of not being conformed to the desires (epithymiai)the recipients pursued when they were living in ignorance of the gospel (1:14);those desires are to be replaced by living according to God’s will (4:2).“Flesh” (sarx)in 1 Peter is always associated with being apart from God (1:24; 3:18; 4:1–2),and the adjectival form here (sarkikos) carries the same negative connotation. Itis whatever turns focus away from the mutual love of God and neighbor toward the self (cf. Rom. 7:14–20; 8:1–8; Gal. 5:16–21). (Paidia)

That they—may glorify God. He intimates that we ought thus to strive,not for our own sake, that men may think and speak well of us; but that we may glorify God, as Christ also teaches us. And Peter shews how this would be effected, even that the unbelieving, led by our good works, would become obedient to God, and thus by their own conversion give glory to him; for this he intimates by the words, in the day of visitation. (Calvin)

We submit ourselves for the world’s sake so that our good deeds may be a witness to them or a testimony against them. We submit ourselves for our fellow-Christians’ sake out of sacrificial love for them. We submit ourselves for God’s sake because we honour his image in our fellow-creatures, and because we respect his ordering of our lives, but especially because we gratefully seek to take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ. In the code of duties that follows, Peter describes Christian living in terms of submission: submission to one another as Christians, and especially to unbelievers. (Clowney)

In both Luke and 1 Peter, the deeds encouraged do not seem to be merely private acts of Christian piety but deeds that would also be generally acknowledged by society as good. As seen in 2:12,this further implies that Peter recognizes some common definition of “good”between that society and Christian ethics. As Winter (1988: 93) rightly argues,how could the authorities in Asia Minor observe the good works of their Christian citizens if the word refers only to good morals that are privately expressed? Certainly works of public benefaction cannot be excluded from Peter’s idea of “doing good” within the civic sphere for those Christians who have the resources and standing to do so. This thought fits quite well with theDiaspora motif in which the letter is framed, for it follows Jeremiah’s instructions: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile,and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare”(Jer. 29:7 NASB). (Jobes)

Discussion Questions:

1.   Read 1 Peter 2:11-25.What good results can we expect from keeping up good conduct among unbelievers(vv. 11-12)

2.    How can Christians show respect to governments and rulers even when we think they are wrong (vv. 13-17)?

3.    Peter says God's people should do good and behave well in order to silence their critics. In what other concrete ways can Christians "dogood" and "behave well" in order to silence their critics?

next week – Read 1 Peter 2:21-3:7

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