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"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2.11-12).

There are desires, and then there are desires! Paul, having been separated from the brethren at Thessalonica against his will, told them that he "… endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire." (Luke 22.15). Desire, even fervent or great desire, is not inherently wrong. The deciding factor is the object and objective of our desires. Peter knew this when he cautioned his fellow-saints to "abstain from fleshly lusts." The operative word here is fleshly. Knowing that desire is a part of our makeup as human beings, Peter simply directs his readers to channel their desires in the proper direction.

Note that the forbidden desires/lusts of which Peter writes "war against the soul." The term war in this text is a military term that refers to a soldier executing his orders in warfare. Literally then, Peter argues that these harmful lusts wage a military battle against the soul; they are contrary to the soul. James noted the same fact when he wrote, "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?" (James 4.19).

One reason for Peter's admonition had to do with the effect that godly lives have on others, particularly the ungodly elements of this world. While the testimony against the disciples indicated that they were in some way evil and that their efforts were harmful, Peter said that their godly lives could overturn the weight of the false evidence against them. "Evil for evil" cannot work this work; only "good for evil" can result in such a turnaround of circumstances. The result of such an approach by the disciples (i.e. their returning good for evil through their abstinence from fleshly lusts) could be that even their detractors would see their own error and magnify the Lord God! This very principle was exemplified in the life of Paul while he was a Roman prisoner! His influence was such that those who occupied positions to hurt him most came to call upon the name of the Lord (see 4.22).

The word beg is a strong word that evokes certain emotions in our culture. However, the use of the word in 1 Peter 2.11 seems completely warranted. Sometimes we ask, some times we plead, and sometimes we just out-and-out beg. That was the case with Peter here. If his readers failed to heed his advice, the case for the entire book of 1Peter was lost! Only by staying focused on the things of eternal import could the saints be victorious over the world about them.

Such are our lives as sojourners and pilgrims! Focus on the unseen or lose focus on reality!

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

The First Sin