"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."  1 Peter 2:9-17

CONSIDERATIONS:

1. The glorious c___________ of the believer in light of the supremacy of Jesus Christ (v. 9-10).

2. The exile m____________ (v. 12).

3. The gospel/eternal m_______________ (vv. 9b,12,15). 

4. We are to submit to governing authorities as f______ people, who are s____________ of God (v. 16).

5. The rousing/motivating gospel based r_______ paradigm (verse 17).

"All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of goodwill in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth."  Baptist Faith and Message, Article 15: The Christian and the Social Order

“This third thing is not a sentiment but a belief: a firm, even prosaic belief that our own nation, in sober fact, has long been, and still is markedly superior to all others. I once ventured to say to an old clergyman who was voicing this sort of patriotism, 'But, sir, aren’t we told that every people thinks its own men the bravest and its own women the fairest in the world?' He replied with total gravity—he could not have been graver if he had been saying the Creed at the altar—'Yes, but in England it’s true.' To be sure, this conviction had not made my friend (God rest his soul) a villain; only an extremely lovable old ass. It can however produce asses that kick and bite.”  C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, p. 225-227

REFLECTION/APPLICATION:

“Paint me…warts and all”  Oliver Cromwell

  • Can believers affirm “American exceptionalism”?

“Conservatives should love their country– but their country is the country of the Declaration, of universal natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, with which they are endowed by their Creator, not merely of purple mountains of majesty or amber waves of grain, and certainly not a particular bloodline or racial identity.”  Allen C. Guelzo, Nuanced Patriotism

  • Living as an exile requires a conscious commitment to thinking well in the midst of the cultural/national pull.

Note: Athanasius Contramundum, Athanasius Against the World

Answer Key:
Calling
Mindset
Motivation
Free
Servants
Relational