“having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12).
As we’ve seen in other passages throughout this chapter, 1 Peter 2:12 is closely aligned with a similar Biblical teaching from Paul the Apostle. Consider the “same, yet different” aspect of our text from 1 Peter in comparison with the following verse from 2 Corinthians: “We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry” (2 Corinthians 6:3 NLT).
These passages convey the importance of living a God-honoring lifestyle. They also draw our attention to the positive response that often accompanies that commitment. Nevertheless, we should take a moment to make an important observation: even if we strive to conduct ourselves honorably and love others in a way that will not cause them to stumble, that does not necessarily mean that we will earn their respect.
To underscore that point, we can look no further than the only sinless human being who ever lived. There were many who treated that person disrespectfully and later inflicted the ultimate indignity upon Him in the form of the cross. His example serves to remind us that what is deemed as honorable in the sight of God may be contemptible in the eyes of others.
1 Peter 2:12 touches upon this unfortunate reality with the following admonition: “Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong” (CEV). In the New Testament era, such accusations took the form of sedition (Luke 23:2), unlawful activity (Acts 16:20-21), and incitement to riot (Acts 19:21-41). Today, similar allegations may come from those who accuse God’s people of holding “dangerous,” “phobic,” or “intolerant” ideas or beliefs.
As one commentator observes, the best way to answer such charges is to live them down. (1) Therefore, these portions of Scripture remind us that others are evaluating our choices and forming opinions based on what they see. We can return to another of Paul the Apostle’s New Testament letters to highlight this idea: “…I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1 NIV).
If we conduct ourselves in a manner that is worthy of the calling we have received, then friends, family members, co-workers, classmates, and others will have an opportunity to observe our good works and glorify God.
(1) Johnson, B. W., The People’s New Testament [1 Peter 2:11,12]. Public Domain https://ccel.org/ccel/johnson_bw/pnt/pnt.pnt2102.html