God wants us to be model citizens, even in a culture that is hostile.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for 1 Peter 2:11-20
Peter calls on Christians to be model citizens and to respect human authority, but to do so with the attitude of a “temporary resident,” not a “lifer.” Our behavior should not change if we have a positive or negative relationship with our community or our employer; we are always to be our best selves, knowing that God is watching.
I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you (2:11)
Editor's Note: This post started life as a printed handout for Bible study leaders. It has been edited for online use.
Getting Started: Things to Think About
Work and Christianity.
This topic has been all over my life recently, and Leonard recently preached on the subject over Labor Day weekend. Talk in your group about work. Do people like their jobs? Why do they work? A lot of people do so for no other reason than to make the money they need to do what they want to do. And that’s a shame—God created us to work (just read Genesis 1 & 2). And according to Peter, work is one of the ways we prove that we care about our society and the people around us. When we use our skills to the utmost competence that we have in our jobs, we serve both our co-workers and our customers/clients. And any kind of job in which we (1) bring order to things, (2) are creative, (3) make or build things, or (4) provide some kind of care is directly related to the commission God gave Adam at the beginning. Why don’t we enjoy work, then? Well, sin. As Leonard said, it’s the weeds, not the work, that is the problem. Sin means that we have physical pain in our labors, that our relationships with people are less-than-perfect, and that sometimes our plans and ideas are wrongly motivated.
According to 1 Peter, how we function in society determines people’s attitudes toward us; our biggest function is our work (paid or volunteer). When we conduct ourselves honorably in work, when we work with competence, and when we work for the good of our community, we help our gospel message. As the beginning of your time together, ask your people to think about the challenges they have in work or the things they don’t like about their work. Then ask them to think about the good they can do in their work. You’ll be able to talk about those subjects throughout the morning. (Don’t worry, inside we will cover lines that we should not cross as well as excuses we should not use!)
Abraham and Sarah, The Ultimate Sojourners.
Ask if anyone in your group has ever felt like a stranger in a strange land. How did it make them feel? Then ask them what they remember about Abraham and Sarah (we studied them in Sunday School last fall). This is what God said to Abram in Gen. 12:1: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” They were the ultimate stranger in a strange land. They tried to settle down. They had mixed relationships with their neighbors. But ultimately, they never really got to live in the Promised Land. Their descendants would, but they could only imagine it. Heb. 12:10 says that God made them wait for their true home—seeing it from a distance, as it were.
You can talk about how hard it must have been for Abraham and Sarah, following God but not ever really having a home. When Abraham buried Sarah (Gen 23:4), he had to ask for (and pay handsomely for) a burial plot. And yet, they made an impact everywhere they went. They helped a lot of people. They made known the name of their God. That’s the kind of relationship God wants us to have with the world we live in: it’s not our permanent home, but it’s where we live and need to make a difference. That will be our theme as we discuss this passage this week!
This Week's Big Idea: Citizens of America and/or Heaven?
It’s a weird, wild world we live in. Current events have made this particular issue a little fresher for us. Certain political movements (particularly Black Lives Matter—if you don’t know their platform, look it up) have led to things like National Anthem protests (see Colin Kaepernick) and protests of those protests (see KISS at a recent concert).
What we’re noticing is a large number of conservative Christians taking a strong stand in favor of America and in favor of being patriotic. I am very proud to be an American, but this is probably a good time to talk through important issues. What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism? Between submitting and obeying? Between being a citizen of heaven and of America? I’ll address all of those below—just in case they come up in discussion and you need some extra definition.
My guess is that everyone in your group is an American citizen, which means that we will not understand the biggest meaning to Peter’s audience: the great lengths that people would go through to become a citizen. The “easiest” way to become a Roman citizen (outside of birth) was through bribery. You could purchase citizenship or be given it by a general. Citizenship granted extensive rights and privileges, so people could absolutely become preoccupied with becoming a citizen. Peter did not want that to be their overarching priority.
But then we have the struggle of “being in the world but not of the world” (see John 15:19). This is how Paul describes it in Phil. 3:17-20:
Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That seems to me to be more about how we live rather than where we live. I grew up with a bunch of first-generation Americans whose parents grew up in Asia. Their parents struggled with how American my friends became in our high school, giving up certain traditions and values that were very important in that family’s history. Many of them even gave up their language to speak only English. I hope you can imagine how hard that would be for a parent. I think that’s what Peter is talking about by calling us aliens in this world. Whose values and customs are we going to keep? Peter says they need to be those of Jesus.
Bonus Big Idea: Living in a Country that Doesn’t Want You
So Peter has established that our salvation is so great and precious that we should never worry about the threats and pressures of the outside world. A simple illustration for me is my dogs. No matter what happens to me, what people say about me, what mistakes I made, when I come home it’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my dogs. Every time. It helps give me perspective on my daily life.
Multiply that by a trillion and we’re starting to get at Peter’s point. God has saved us and made us priests to serve Him for eternity. We can put up with a few years of toil in exchange for that promise! Think about Jacob—he worked 14 years to get to marry Rachel, but it felt like a few days. This world isn’t our home; we’re serving here as ambassadors. When we do go home, we won’t have any lasting scars of the things we experienced in this world. That’s why we can face every day with strength and solidarity.
Related: Civil Disobedience
Civil Disobedience, something that has an important place in our country’s history, is actually an illustration of this principle. It is not a rejection of the system, per se, but an attempt to change the system. Wikipedia lists three kinds (Ronald Dworkin?):
"Integrity-based" civil disobedience occurs when a citizen disobeys a law she or he feels is immoral, as in the case of abolitionists disobeying the fugitive slave laws by refusing to turn over escaped slaves to authorities.
"Justice-based" civil disobedience occurs when a citizen disobeys laws in order to lay claim to some right denied to her, as when blacks protested during the Civil Rights Movement.
"Policy-based" civil disobedience occurs when a person breaks the law in order to change a policy she believes is dangerously wrong.
If you read the Declaration of Independence closely, you will see that a lot of the wording is designed to convince the colonial Christians that they could revolt against England without violating Peter’s command to submit to authorities. I personally struggle with that one. Revolution seems a step beyond civil disobedience. But I am grateful of the outcome, so I am glad I did not have to make that choice.
One thing that Peter makes clear is that we are always to do good. There are government policies that would prevent us from doing good or even actively cause us to do bad (from God’s perspective). At that point, we should not struggle with what we should do. As Peter himself said, “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29)
Part 1: In Culture (1 Peter 2:11-12)
Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.
Talk about being a “temporary resident.” If you didn’t use the Abraham illustration before, you can use it here. If you’ve lived your whole life in Thomson, you might not know what this means. If you haven’t, you do. The word for “stranger” comes from a word meaning “to live beside.” I think that’s a great image—you don’t live with, you live beside. Today, we would think of that as our neighbor. But I have lived several places where my immediate neighbors were pretty distant. Some of that was on us; when you think you’re “just passing through” it’s harder to try to build deep relationships. That’s a similar feeling for the word for “temporary resident” which was used for foreigners on business or pilgrimage.
Have your group talk about the challenges of knowing you’re just passing through. Folks in the military, or college, or maybe a first job, or a short-term assignment, know that this can be a real struggle. What are the hardest things about it? Probably ever feeling settled, certainly making friends, in a smaller community like Thomson being accepted. Peter’s not worried about that. He’s looking at the positive side of it. When you’re a temporary resident, you’re not interested in “going native.” Think about it. You might dabble in local culture, but you’re not worried about really getting into it. Why? Because you won’t be there for long! Why bother? For Peter, this is a good thing! What’s the way of life of the local culture? It’s empty. It’s perishable. It’s imperfect.
Remember that Peter’s audience faced a lot of pressure to participate in local customs like pagan worship and the like. And although there was a very strong civic morality in Rome (see the sidebars), their personal ethic was not Jesus-approved. All of that would conspire to tempt their (our) sinful nature. But because we’re just a temporary resident, we don’t have to immerse ourselves in local culture. We can abstain.
But that doesn’t mean to be standoffish or distant (a prude or a prick, so to speak). Instead, Peter tells them to conduct themselves honorably. That word refers to one’s entire manner of living. No compartmentalization! To be “honorable” meant “of good quality.” As you will see in the sidebar to the left, the quality worried about in the Roman Empire had to do with one’s relationship with society. Peter is telling them to do their part in their city, to work for the good of their city. That’s the opposite of withdrawal. Peter wants them to engage their culture, but to do so without compromising God’s Word.
What would be the result? Their accusers would have to eat their words. When outsiders look at their lives, they discover that what’s offensive is not them but their message. Peter spells this out shortly: if you suffer for doing something wrong, you deserve it; if you suffer for doing the right thing, God will commend you. Paul takes a different approach in 1 Cor 1, that the message of the cross is foolish and offensive, but we should never offend. Having a good reputation in society will lead to people coming to faith in Jesus. Everyone hates a hypocrite, but everyone is drawn to a genuinely genuine person. The “day of visitation” could either refer to the day that person is saved, or to the day Jesus returns.
That does become the big question for your group in this passage. What is your relationship with the culture? How immersed are you? What practices have you been drawn into? How do people on the outside view your manner of living?
Part 2: Toward Officials and Leaders (1 Peter 2:13-17)
Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the Emperor as the supreme authority or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. As God’s slaves, live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor.
These words are as clear as they could possibly be. And no, a lot of Christians don’t like them. But Peter doesn’t give any outs or excuses. I have given a number of asides on “submit” and “disobedience” but realize that the word for authority used here literally means “every human institution.” That includes laws, organizations, and individuals. Peter’s audience chose to live in the Roman Empire, therefore they would have to follow Roman law. And to make his point even more watertight, Peter tells them that they do not submit out of respect to anything about Rome but rather out of respect to God. Why? Because that recognizes God’s true and ultimate authority over all human institutions. [And note that this also helps Peter’s audience recognize the boundaries for obedience. When one of Rome’s dictates comes into direct opposition with one of God’s, God’s higher authority “wins.” Remember that you can “submit” without “obeying.”]
In one aside, I explain that “doing good” in this context meant some sort of extraordinary service to the public (the city, army, or empire as a whole). It doesn’t mean helping an old lady cross the street. It means building a public building. Helping your city. Remember that Peter is the one who said that he must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29), so clearly the two are not mutually exclusive. God wants us to be model citizens. In your discussion, talk about the ways you can do that. Some Christian groups refuse to let their members serve in public office, arguing that eventually that person will be required to do something contrary to the will of God. I understand their fear, but I don’t think Peter is worrying about that. If anything, an exemplary Christian serving as an exemplary official would bring glory to God and respect to the Christian community. BUT (and this is a big but) we cannot use the freedom we have in Christ, this separation from the world, as a cloak for evil. To make a contemporary application, we cannot refuse to pay taxes and say we are dissociating from a corrupt government. This “live as temporary residents” cannot be an excuse for us to behave illegally in our country of residence.
The four commands Peter gives makes that clear. He starts and ends with “honor everyone,” specifically the emperor. That means to show respect (I had an elderly acquaintance who refused to stand when Bill Clinton entered the room; I don’t think Peter would approve). And he’s talking specifically about an emperor who hated Christians and would put them to death. But in the middle, Peter pointed out God and the brotherhood (the church). The emperor was not God. Society at large was not the church. Peter wanted to help us keep our priorities straight. Talk about ways we can be model citizens in Thomson. Not good citizen, but model citizens. But what is the line?
Aside: Governor’s Rewards
So I really haven’t answered the question. Is it okay for a Christian to be pro-America? Let’s try this angle—Peter mentions that governors are sent to commend good citizens, then he immediately tells us to do good. That word for “commend” is often used of “public recognition.” And in Ancient Rome, “good” had a specific meaning. If you were to look up Roman Virtues (or the Mos Maiorum) you would find that the Romans prioritized things like self-discipline, trustworthiness, and respect for Roman society. In fact, those behaviors were expected. So in order to be commended for doing good, one had to go far above and beyond the norm. This would include funding a public building, giving equipment to the army, or even selling certain goods at below-market value. Recognition of that act would be carved into pillars or monuments in public spaces. So when Peter talks about being commended, he is not talking about for a good deed but for a public service. Peter immediately follows that with a command to do good. That would mean that public service has to be included in Peter’s command.
Here’s where I think the line is drawn. We have records of Romans going to court to have their good act recognized. Peter would have none of that (see v. 20)! If you do good for recognition, then you have missed the point. Strangers and aliens don’t get caught up in the recognition because that is not their home. In other words, YES Christians should be upstanding, involved Americans, but we should not care what people think about us but rather what people think about God. It is all about our priorities and our focus.
Part 3: Through Work (1 Peter 2:18-20)
Household slaves, submit with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel. For it brings favor if, mindful of God’s will, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God.
Many early Christians were slaves (which gives teeth to Peter’s earlier play on slave/free). In fact, likely more than half of the Roman population were slaves. When David talked about this passage a few weeks ago, he tried not to draw a close line between Roman slaves and modern American workers. Regardless of how we are “employed” though, the principle applies to all Christians. Peter tells us to work our best, whether we like our employer or not (whether they deserve it or not). These words mean what you think they mean. God does not make mistakes. As in the case of Joseph, God can bring good out of any situation. And who knows if you will not be the means by which your wicked employer comes to salvation? To make this even more clear, Peter explains that suffering for doing something wrong should not bring any complaints. (You can talk about this ad nauseum!) But if you suffer for doing something right, you can know that God sees it.
Everything about living in a hostile culture comes to perspective. Are we more worried about fitting in or being faithful to God? Are we more worried about making a good impression on our boss/civic leader or being faithful to God? God is the true and ultimate authority, and He rules over our eternal home. When we serve as model citizens (without compromising our beliefs) even in a corrupt society, we demonstrate our trust in God and our love for the people around us.
End your time with a discussion about the workplace. What impression do your coworkers and clients get of Jesus by watching you at work? Everything we said about responsibility as a citizen also applies to employment (as a “human institution”). Then, pray for our community, our workplaces, and our positive influence in them!
Closing Thought: Submit vs. Obey
A big question lots of Christians have is a proper understanding of submission. When they hear Peter say that we are to submit to every human authority, they think it means we are to obey them, even when what they tell us to do is wrong. That’s not what submit means. Submission is the voluntary placement of oneself under the authority of another. Can you see how the word “voluntary” changes everything? Subjection is involuntary; the Bible does not speak of that. God Almighty, who certain will put everyone in subjection to our Lord Jesus Christ when He returns, nevertheless gives us the choice to submit ourselves willingly to Christ first (and everyone who does not will greatly regret that choice).
The marriage relationship is the perfect illustration. Husbands and wives are equal in every way, but God created the wife to be the helper of the husband. She is to submit herself out of respect to God’s designated order. But her primary relationship is with Jesus. If her husband ever does anything that would take her away from Jesus, she has the right (and depending on the circumstances the responsibility) to disobey him. Why? Because she also submits to Jesus, and Jesus comes first.
Obedience, on the other hand, is a yes/no thing. One cannot disobey and obey at the same time. But one can disobey and submit at the same time. Submission is simply a recognition of authority, and authority has levels (as well as limits). See the next sidebar . . .
Patriotism vs. Nationalism
This is one topic I have seen multiple times in our current debates on America and American pride. Sadly, I don’t know if the debaters have any real idea what these words mean, but I do think I understand their point. If we define “patriotism” as our responsibility to recognize the authority of the country we choose to live in and to serve and support that country, then I think we can safely say that Christians can and should be patriotic. Nationalism is something different. “Nationalism” was a result of Europeans getting rid of God in the mid 1800s and then realizing that the peoples’ devotion had to be directed somewhere, so they redirected it toward the country they lived in. BUT they also realized that some countries were made up of multiple people groups (ethnicities). For them, the devotion would be directed toward the nation they would try to create out of their people group. (There were a lot of revolutions in Europe in the 1800s that we can see as an expression of the nationalism I’m talking about here.) Nationalism is really a religion—utter devotion to your nation/country, and complete obedience to the leaders of that nation. It expresses itself in rallies, marches, public festivals, and speaking out against anyone who would speak out against your nation.
Nationalism, then, is incompatible with Christianity. We are residents of America. We should seek the good of this country, work for the betterment of its people, and recognize its authority. But we are citizens of heaven. We should only care about God’s values, God’s commendations, and God’s plan. God’s plan may be the economic destruction of America. God’s plan may be for one of us to move to another country. God’s plan may be for one of us to become President. We don’t know! That’s why I conclude that we can be a patriotic resident of America, but realize that we are a citizen first of heaven.
Christ and Culture
I’ve mentioned this recently, and it bears repeating. In the Bible, we get different impressions about a Christian’s role in society. They are often summarized as (1) being in strict opposition to culture, (2) being in agreement with culture, (3) focusing on Christ and not worrying about the culture, (4) living in tension between Christ and culture, and (5) actively seeking to reform the culture.
There is actually a place for each depending on the condition of the culture. In Peter’s day, there was active opposition, so he warned his audience to be very wary of the world. In our day, we probably should be worried about being too comfortable in our culture. Jesus was very clear that this world is not our home. But God created it with the potential to be enjoyed and engaged.