“…abstain from fleshly lusts…”
Wait a minute – didn’t we go over this before? Back in 1:14? Yes, we did. But Peter now offers a different reason for it. In chapter one, his emphasis is to be more like God: we are to be holy since he is holy. Now he stresses the importance of excellence in our behavior among unbelievers.
For whatever reason, our actions and motives may be misunderstood by those who do not share our faith. We may even find ourselves accused as evildoers. This is why we must be careful in what we do and say, so that our record displays a pattern of good deeds, despite the slander raised against us. In this way, our accusers must instead recognize the truth, and in doing so, might even find themselves glorifying God.
1 Peter 2:11-12
Copyright 2018 David J. Cooley