A Better Way Forward
1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9-17, 3:8-17
Joshua 5:13: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”
Main Idea: Christ has commissioned us as his ambassadors, bearing witness to the Kingdom of God in a hyper-politicized world.
I. Remembering Our Identity
Peter reminds these scattered Gentile Christians of their identity as:
Elect Exiles
A Chosen Race
A Holy Nation
A Royal Priesthood
A people for God’s own possession
God’s people who have received mercy
Sojourners
Citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20)
Ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20)
In a world where politics has become a religion (or at least demands a religious-type commitment), Christians need a reminder of our true home and that our highest allegiance & citizenship is to King Jesus in heaven.
“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that what they do want, and want acutely, is something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise… if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world… I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country & to help others to do the same.” ~ C.S. Lewis
If we lived faithfully toward this end, we would not allow political parties to set the agenda for our civic engagement, but rather King Jesus & the ethics of the Kingdom of God. Christians won’t fit perfectly into any earthly political party and we will always feel a bit out of place amongst the tribes of this world.
“Consistent faithfulness to Scripture will never square with total alignment with any political party. A gospel agenda is not set by partisan think tanks in Washington, D.C. It’s set by Scripture. A gospel agenda may align with some aspects of one political party and some of another—and should spur us to engage in those areas—but it also decidedly rejects some aspects of both. God’s agenda is better, bigger, and more glorious than any one party, nation, culture, or time. The mission of Jesus will outlast every White House tenure. It will outlast America itself.” ~ Brett McCracken
II. Remembering Our Mission
Embracing our identity as sojourners, exiles, and ambassadors does not mean that we disengage from the affairs of this world, however.
Jeremiah 29:4-7: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Two dangers the Israelite exiles in Babylon needed to avoid:
1. Don’t hate the Babylonians
“For Christians, one inescapable conclusion of this extraordinary command is that we are obliged to work for the benefit and the flourishing of all people, whether or not they see the world as we do or agree with us in any way. Christians’ obligation is not to their “tribe” but to their God – a God who cares deeply for all people.” ~ Michael Wear
2. Don’t become the Babylonians
As we seek to be faithful where God has placed us, Chrsitians can’t engage in the same way that the world engages. We must stay focused on Jesus, seeking to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Pet. 2:9).
III. Remembering Our Distinctiveness
Peter reminds us that Christians are to live with a distinct, compelling witness to the Kingdom of God. This includes:
Distinct Behavior (2:11-12)
Distinct Honor (2:13-17)
Galatians 5:13–14: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus’ 12 disciples had political diversity; Simon was a zealot, actively working against Rome, while Matthew was a tax collector, supporting Rome. We have to allow for political diversity within the church, since we will always have more in common with a brother or sister in Christ than a fellow Democrat or Republican.
Distinct Humility (3:8-9)
Distinct Speech (3:10-12)
Colossians 4:5-6: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Distinct Hope (3:13-16)
