The Christian Lifestyle for Christ’s Servants

An Exegesis of 1 Peter 2:11-17

Résumé

This article seeks to address the subject of living a distinctively Christian lifestyle for Christ’s servants. It responds to the following question: What does the Bible teach about the Christian lifestyle and its cost? Inevitably, a distinctively Christian lifestyle comes with a cost, that is, of suffering for the sake of Christ. For instance, the first epistle of the apostle Peter addresses the subject of the suffering of Christians as one of the distinctive aspects of a Christian lifestyle (1Peter 1:7). The apostle Peter, however, demonstrates that suffering for the sake of Christ is inevitable for Christ’s servants and is part of their calling (2:21). The words “suffering”, and “testing” occur frequently in the epistle. For instance, the apostle indicates that the sufferings of Christ were predicted by the Old Testament prophets (1:11) and that they were both redemptive and exemplary (2:21-24; 3:18). Redemptive, in that the resurrection and glory that ensued for Him (1:3, 21) spell secure salvation for His people (1:5); exemplary, in that Christians must share both the shame and glory of Christ (4:13). Hence, suffering for Christians is within God’s will (3:17; 4:19). This article is an exegetical analysis of 1 Peter 2:11-17 to extricate the Christian lifestyle expected by Christ’s servants. The article proposes the applicability of the message in the contemporary church context and the society at large. It argues that Christ’s servants are expected to lead a distinctive lifestyle as witnesses of Christ.