ALL OF US ARE POTENTIAL TARGETS for a wide variety of forces that are arraigned against us. From the berserker on the city sidewalk to the car careening out of control on the freeway, from an asteroid looping in from an unknown orbit to faceless technologies of government running full speed through mountains of records, both the unexpected and the unpleasant await us. Some things we can’t do much about—stuff just happens, because it’s a broken world.
But there are things we can do to protect ourselves as much as is possible. The easiest, perhaps, are issues related to government; obey the laws and pay your taxes on time, and in all likelihood, you will have no problems with the government. That’s what Peter is indicating here. “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” (1 Pet. 2:13-15) We definitely want to be on the side of commendations.
For the berserker or the out-of-control car, these unexpected events may catch us unawares, unless we cultivate a habit of staying involved in the moment—Buddhists call this ‘mindfulness’—and constantly monitoring our circumstances. We need to develop and habitually practice peripheral vision and peripheral awareness; one is a physical discipline; both are mental disciplines. Defensive drivers, for instance, learn to scan their mirrors frequently and to maintain safe distances in all directions, thereby increasing reaction time. The same principles apply to the occasional odd characters on city streets; see them early, turn away, walk a different direction. Asteroids are, of course, in a unique category that we leave in the hands of God.
But this is not really what Peter is actually talking about. His guidance is inserted between bookends of a single theme about our full realm of conduct. We are followers of Jesus Christ in a hostile world that curses his name. Peter is counseling a way of life in which our comportment and demeanor help us to navigate a safe way through a world in which we don’t belong. Our moral, civil, and legal guiding principles are at odds in many ways with the world around us, because the Spirit within us is different than the spirit that surrounds us. People are quite liable to consider us anywhere from foolish to dangerous because of our belief in Christ.
Peter’s advice is good. The first thing he says is that we should protect ourselves by avoiding behaviors that endanger us with God. “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” (1 Pet. 2:11) His next piece of point is very practical. “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Pet. 2:12)
This is in agreement with the centuries-long cautious and self-protective teaching of the Rabbis: “Do not unto others as you would not have them do unto you.” But Peter’s counsel is in closer context with Jesus’ teaching, sometimes called The Golden Rule, which guides us towards proactive behavior. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Matt. 7:12) In this way we find favor with both men and God. In finding favor with men we protect ourselves from their potential harmful conduct towards us. In finding favor with God, we maintain a spiritual posture that keeps us blessable, and under his protection. He will be, as he told Abraham, “Your shield, your very great reward.” (Gen. 15:1)
Here are two favorite secular quotes about conducting ourselves by such guidelines. First, *“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.” You may want to read the full quote, easily available on the internet. The second quote has been attributed to at least four different historical figures. **“Be kind, for everyone is fighting a great spiritual battle.”
Peter concludes all of his advice succinctly. “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” (1 Pet. 2:16-17) These are all good guidelines, but they are, in fact, far more than that. If we inculcate these guidelines on a daily basis, as a habitual basis for our conduct practiced over time, then when the outlier event comes crashing like a proverbial asteroid into our life—the berserker, the car, the government—we have been preparing for it all along, and are not caught off-guard. “Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” It’s good advice.
Q. Are my physical and spiritual safeguards sufficient to my risk exposure?
* Max Ehrmann, “Desiderata” – 1927.
** Pliny the Younger, 2 nd C. A.D.
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