Peter’s Counsel to Scattered Sheep

I Peter 1:1; 2:11-25

GOLDEN TEXT: “Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”—I Peter 2:17

FOLLOWERS of Christ are “strangers” in this present evil world because their citizenship is in heaven. They have turned from sin and selfishness to serve the living God and are no longer motivated by the selfish spirit of the world. The Jews who accepted Christ during the days of the early church became strangers to their brethren according to the flesh, and were misunderstood by the Gentiles. Gentile converts who previously were not God’s people, also became separated from the world. These strangers, as Peter addresses them, were pretty much scattered at that time, even as a similar class still is today. There have never been many of these true followers of the Master. That’s why Jesus Himself addressed them as a “little flock,” and assured there of the Father’s love and of His desire that they should have the Kingdom.—Luke 12:32

But it is only to the world that the followers of Jesus are strangers. God’s viewpoint of them is quite different. To Him they are a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” They are chosen to be with Christ, the seed of promise. They are a royal priesthood, destined to “reign upon the earth.” (Rev. 5:10) They are a holy nation, fully devoted to God and qualified to administer the laws of the Kingdom when it is established. (Matt. 21:43) They are a peculiar people because they have been purchased by the precious blood of Christ, and thus, as indicated by the Greek text, are acquired by God and preserved as a special treasure to Him.

In “times past,” Peter explains, these were not a people, bit are now the people of God. This was especially true of the Gentiles in the early church. It is clear from this language that Peter considered himself a servant of the Gentile converts as well as the Jewish Christians, which refutes the claim made by some that Peter was exclusively a servant of Jewish Christians, and that his Epistles are not intended for Gentiles.

It is true that Paul was given a special commission to serve the Gentiles, but not to the exclusion of the Jews; and probably Peter reached more Jews than he did Gentiles, but both apostles ministered to both groups, and considered them all one in Christ Jesus. Peter, indeed, as the one to whom Jesus gave the keys of the Kingdom, was given the privilege of being the first to minister the Gospel to Gentiles. This was in connection with the conversion of Cornelius.

While all true Christians are strangers in the world, yet they are to be law-abiding and honest. The apostle admonishes that they are to do nothing that will give just cause for complaint on the part of unbelievers. There is no guarantee, however, that such a course will win the approval of the world. We know, in fact, that it will not. It did not with Jesus, and He fore-warned that the servant cannot expect to be above his Lord. Jesus made it plain that His followers would experience tribulation in the world, and that they would be hated of all men for His name’s sake.

But the Christian should not unnecessarily oppose unbelievers in order to get himself hated. Suffering resulting from such a course would not be for righteousness’ sake, but because of foolishness. There is no glory, the apostle says, in being buffeted for one’s faults, not even if the buffeting is taken patiently. But if one suffers for conscience’s sake, or because of doing good, that is real cause for rejoicing, “for even hereunto are ye called.” Why is the Christian called to suffer? In chapter 1:11 of this Epistle Peter points out that the prophets had foretold the “sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” Jesus did not complete that foretold suffering, for it was the divine plan for the church to share in it.

This first Epistle of Peter has much to say about the manner in which the church does share in this foretold suffering of the Christ, showing that every Christian is called, or invited, to share in this part of God’s plan, and thus to be prepared to share in the Kingdom glory to follow. It is only if we suffer with Christ that we may hope to reign with Him. Let us then be happy in the thought that we are strangers in the world, sharing the experiences of Jesus, and thus being prepared to administer Kingdom blessings of life and happiness to all mankind when the due time comes.

QUESTIONS:

Why does the Apostle Peter refer to Christians as strangers?

Should Christians make themselves a nuisance in the communities where they live?

Why are Christians called to suffer, and why should they rejoice when they suffer for righteousness’ sake?

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