How Strange Are You?

Peter wrote his first letter to Christians scattered through several provinces in Asia Minor. He calls them “elect exiles of the Dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1).

Peter later calls them “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11). A sojourner lives somewhere without treating that place as permanent. Christians live in this world, yet their hope is fixed on an inheritance kept in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). They’re waiting for the grace that will be revealed when Jesus Christ returns (1 Peter 1:13).

That identity should affect the way we live. Peter tells Christians to stop allowing former desires to direct them (1 Peter 1:14). He calls them to be holy because God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). The sinful desires they once followed wage war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11).

That kind of life can bring resistance. Peter says the surrounding culture may be surprised when Christians refuse to join in its sinful practices, and people may speak against them (1 Peter 4:3-4). He also says trials will come. Christians may be grieved by them for a little while (1 Peter 1:6), and they shouldn’t be surprised when a fiery trial comes (1 Peter 4:12).

Peter gives no promise that the world will admire Christian faithfulness. He tells believers to bless those who mistreat them (1 Peter 3:9). He tells them to keep their conduct honorable among the Gentiles (1 Peter 2:12) and to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good (1 Peter 4:19).

Christians sometimes say that if we live differently, people will notice and ask why we’re so different. Then we’ll tell them about Jesus. That claim assumes strangers will spend time evaluating us. It is a proud assumption. Most people are occupied with their own concerns, and they may never ask about our conduct.

Peter gives us a more careful instruction. He says to keep our conduct honorable among the Gentiles so that, when they accuse us of doing wrong, they may see our good deeds and glorify God (1 Peter 2:12). He tells us to be ready to explain our hope to anyone who asks (1 Peter 3:15). Some people may never ask.
We have been redeemed from an empty way of life (1 Peter 1:18-19). Our conduct remains under Christ’s authority whether the world notices or not.

Consider ordinary life. Christians don’t need a special uniform, but Peter directs us away from a life organized around outward display (1 Peter 3:3-4). Our clothing should reflect Christian self-control.

Our entertainment deserves examination too. Many Christians listen to the same music and watch the same programs as everyone else.

Our speech can sound the same as everyone else’s, and we may never ask what these habits of entertainment and speech encourage. Peter says the person who wants to love life must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceit (1 Peter 3:10-11). Believers must live for the will of God, not human passions (1 Peter 4:2).

If someone watched the way you live, would that person see evidence that your hope is in Christ? A Christian’s life won’t be perfect. Peter knows Christians struggle, but he expects a change in direction.

The church must face the same question. Peter says Christians are living stones being built into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). He calls them a people belonging to God (1 Peter 2:9). The church should be recognizably Christian because it belongs to Christ.

When someone enters a church, that person should encounter a congregation shaped by the worship of God. Peter says those who speak must speak as people entrusted with God’s words, and those who serve must serve with the strength God supplies, so that God receives glory through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:11). The church should care about unbelievers, yet its worship shouldn’t be designed to look like the culture around it.

Many churches have borrowed the surrounding culture’s music. Christian versions of rock, rap, reggae, and hip-hop are familiar examples. A musical style by itself doesn’t settle whether worship is faithful. The serious question is whether the church is shaped by Christian truth or by the entertainment industry.

When lights and smoke make church feel like a nightclub or music venue, the congregation has adopted the world’s idea of what gathers a crowd. The usual explanation is that these practices will attract people and make them comfortable. Peter’s pattern is different: elders shepherd God’s flock willingly and by example (1 Peter 5:1-3), while believers humble themselves before God (1 Peter 5:5-6). The church gathers under Christ’s care, not under the direction of an emcee.

The church should comfort suffering Christians, yet it must confront sin. A church built to keep everyone comfortable will avoid the holiness Peter commands (1 Peter 1:15-16).

If Peter walked into some churches today, he might write another letter to pastors. Why are congregations that are called to be God’s own people so eager to resemble the people around them? He would tell pastors to shepherd the flock by example (1 Peter 5:2-3).

How strange are you? Peter doesn’t ask whether people find you eccentric. He asks whether you can live as a sojourner with honorable conduct among the people around you. Your neighbors may never ask why. They may mock you, or they may notice and misunderstand.

None of that changes Peter’s command. Live as a sojourner. Keep your conduct honorable. Be ready to answer when someone asks about your hope. Entrust yourself to the faithful Creator and keep doing good (1 Peter 4:19).