They may because of your good deeds... glorify God...

1 Peter 2:11-25 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. ¹² Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. ¹⁵ For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. ¹⁶ Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. ¹⁷ Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

¹⁸ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. ¹⁹ For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

²¹ For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, ²² who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. ²⁵ For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

In today’s text we can see again the change that has happened in Peter. Peter was the one who said he would defend the Jesus, even to his own death and he did in fact draw his sword against those who arrested Jesus. Now Peter encourages us to follow the example he himself witnessed; “since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, ²² who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” Peter had seen Jesus do miraculous things. He knew that Jesus was the long awaited Christ, the Lord and the King of kings, but he had come to understand that the heavenly kingdom was where believers, followers of Christ must dwell.

Because he saw the example of Jesus, who in obedience to God the Father, submitted to human authority, he too was now willing and encourages us to submit to human authority. Submission to human authority does not mean that we submit to evil and to unrighteousness. We are to be lights in the darkness of the world.  Paul, like Peter, subjected himself to the ruling authorities, both men to the point of their death. In Romans 12:17-21, Paul says:  Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. ¹⁹ Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  

In today’s text it says: “ Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”         Jesus says:  “You are the light of the world… ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) As we live in these times of increasing darkness, sin, violence and unrighteousness, we must keep in mind: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Keeping in mind what Peter says about submission to authority and what Paul writes in Romans 13:1.      Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.  We too should follow Christ’s example and submit to governing authorities. We do not however submit to evil and we recognize and utilize the authority we have, through Christ, in the spiritual realm. Jesus says:   “upon this rock (the revelation and knowledge that Jesus is the Christ) I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”   We have power and authority which supersedes earthly authority, that is the authority we should use in our fight against evil. It is obvious that little or nothing is gained when we engage evil in this physical realm. Does anyone really changes their mind through the things we say in arguments and debates?

We should instead present our case to God in heaven. We must though remember to present it at the throne of grace, not the judgment seat.  When Paul says:  “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” These are not coals of fire and destruction, rather they are coals like we read about in Isaiah 6:5-7, Isaiah says:

“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”  

By not returning evil for evil, we allow burning coals of conviction, which results in cleansing. We join God in His desire, fulfilling His will; not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (1 Peter 3:9)  

We submit to earthly authorities regarding earthly things. We do not submit to earthly authorities regarding spiritual things. We do not submit to darkness. Rather, we follow Jesus instruction and; “ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Also we are to submit to authority, not to thugs who have no authority. Still even there our authority, our strength and our victory is in the heavenly and spiritual realm. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) In Isaiah 54:17 God says:      “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.  

We can choose to fight the fights that are in this earthly realm or we can choose to walk in the victory we already have in the spiritual realm. We do not submit and concede to the darkness that is overtaking the world. Rather we join God, we resist the devil, we walk in the authority we have to bind and loose on earth and in heaven. We recognize that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and we live to bring the realities of heaven to earth according to the will of God.

May these words from 1 John 1:5-7 be our prayer.    God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.    Amen.