Throughout 1 Peter, a letter written to give hope to a people in exile, Peter calls Christians to live holy, godly lives. It’s a direct call in the very first chapter — “As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet. 1:15) — and a theme that continues throughout the letter. The holy lives that Christians are called to live reflect the holy life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who “committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). He is our example and even more, our substitute, for “he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds [we] have been healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).
As Christians, we live holy lives as part of our “spiritual worship” (Rom. 12:1), offered to our God, who has redeemed us. But in God’s economy, he takes our good conduct and uses it to accomplish even more. God uses the good conduct of Christians to testify to the truth of the gospel and to the power of the Word and the Spirit that has transformed us.
Peter has this in mind throughout his letter; it’s like he’s saying to Christians, “Somebody’s watching you!” And indeed, Christians in the first century were under observation. In Acts 17, Christians are described as those “who have turned the world upside down,” so of course, their lives were under the microscope, as others looked for any reason to malign or call them evildoers (1 Pet. 4:4; 2:12). What more effective witness could there be, then, than godly lives?
If we look back at the early centuries of the church, we find the writings of those historians call “apologists.” These writers were offering an apologetic (an argument that defends) for Christianity against those who were maligning the faith and persecuting Christians, even to death. The charges that were leveled against Christians seem ludicrous today — for example, Christians were called atheists because they didn’t worship the gods of Rome. They were accused of cannibalism, the sacrifice of infants, incest, and orgies, just to name a few of the charges. Even the name “Christian” was derisive — “little Christs,” they were called.
The apologists argued for Christian belief and practice within the church, but what’s especially interesting in reading their arguments is how often they argued on the basis of Christians’ good conduct. Their arguments prove Peter’s point again and again: the godly lives of Christians are a powerful apologetic witness!
For example, the anonymous author of the Epistle to Diognetus (circa 150-310 AD) describes Christians in ways that sound a lot like Peter’s exhortations:
“They are obedient to the laws that have been made, and by their own lives they supersede the laws. They love everyone and are persecuted by all. They are not understood and they are condemned. They are put to death and made alive. They are impoverished and make many rich. They lack all things and abound in everything. They are dishonored and they are exalted in their dishonors. They are slandered and they are acquitted. They are reviled and they bless, mistreated and they bestow honor. They do good and are punished as evil; when they are punished they rejoice as those who have been made alive. They are attacked by Jews as foreigners and persecuted by Greeks. And those who hate them cannot explain the cause of their enmity” (6:10-17).
Tertullian of Carthage (160-212 AD) also echoes Peter’s call when he writes in his Apology, “If we are enjoined, then, to love our enemies, as I have remarked above, whom have we to hate? If injured, we are forbidden to retaliate, lest we become as bad ourselves: who can suffer injury at our hands?” In other words, our suffering Savior has called us to suffer in his likeness, so you have nothing to fear from us!
In the early church, the Great Commission was carried out as ordinary men and women lived lives of simple faith in the message that was folly to the world but the power of God to those who believed (1 Cor. 1:18). To those who were watching, Christians’ transformed lives and good conduct testified to the life-changing power of the gospel message.
What Peter had to say to Christians in the first century is just as true today: “Somebody’s watching you.” We live in a world that’s skeptical of the claims of Christianity and all too aware of the hypocrisy of those within the church. And yet Peter doesn’t call us to retreat or huddle away from the view of those watching eyes. Instead, he says,
“Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Pet. 3:14-16).
As John of Chrysostom wrote in the fourth century, “A pure life will have abundant power to stop the mouth of the devil himself” (Homily 6 on 1 Corinthians).
As we seek to make a defense for our faith to the world around us, we must not underestimate or neglect the apologetic of our lives. Peter offers us several scenarios in which this witness is effective.
- For those living with unbelievers — your spouse, your parents, your siblings, or your children, for example — there is the hope that they may be won without a word by your conduct (1 Pet. 3:1-2). When their ears are closed to the gospel message, their eyes may be open to its transforming power.
- For those whose life post-salvation looks radically different from life “BC” (before Christ), your conduct may lead to you being maligned, but those who malign you will have to give account for their response (1 Pet. 4:3-5). Your life, along with your words, is a testimony.
- For every believer whose life aligns with the gospel message, we may be given opportunities to give the reason for the hope that is in us (1 Pet. 3:15). In those moments, let’s seize the opportunity to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9).
May our lives indeed be Christian lives — the lives of “little Christs.” May we live in such a way that a watching world sees the character of Jesus Christ in us. May our fellowship as brothers and sisters within the body of Providence Church show that we are Jesus’ disciples (John 13:35), and cause others to long to be part of this family. Above all, may our lives bring honor to the name of Christ and open doors for us to share boldly the living hope that we have in him alone!
