The idea of being a pilgrim and stranger means that we are not welcome in this world. As a follower of Christ, we follow in his suffering, which includes being hated by the world. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:19–20). 

With this theme in mind, Peter wrote his two epistles to the scattered strangers across the Roman world. Through persecution, God’s people had been scattered throughout Judea, Samaria, and beyond, bringing with them their witness of the gospel (Acts 8:1–4). It did not take long for the gospel to reach every corner of Asia Minor. By the time that Peter wrote, there were established churches in all the different provinces. Not only were the Jews hostile to Christianity in these places, but so too was the Greco-Roman world. Peter wrote to encourage new Christians in their walk as believers, spurring them on to holiness and godly living while warning them of false teachers and doctrines. 

Peter describes these false teachers as anarchists: they “despise government” and are “not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Pet. 2:10). This same mentality is prevalent in the world today. Many don’t hesitate to mock and ridicule our current president. Some conservatives readily claim all government is evil. On the other hand, some liberals condone acts of violence and lawlessness in the name of “social justice.” In this both groups are condemned by God’s word.  

 In contrast, Christians have a radically different position on authority and government. Following Christ’s example, we “honour the king” (1 Pet. 2:17) and submit ourselves to the laws of federal, state, and local authorities. If our temptation is to appeal to the Constitution as an excuse to not submit, Peter reminds us that our submission is not contingent on the integrity of any authority figure. Our obedience is due “not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully” (2:18–19; see also 3:13–17; 4:12–16). 

False teachers then and now soothe their consciences by claiming that Jesus is not coming back, and that the world will continue as it always has. However, just as God did not spare the angels that sinned, or the old world before the flood, or the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, neither will Christ spare these false teachers, “whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Pet. 2:3). Just as the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were salvation for Noah and Lot, Christ’s return in judgment is salvation for the church (v. 9). Therefore, even though the world is hostile to God’s people, we should not despair but look forward to Christ’s coming and the new heavens and earth (3:12–13). 

Peter asks an important question in 2 Peter 3:11: “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” This points us back to 1 Peter 1:16, which states, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” To be holy means to be separated from sin and dedicated to God in every aspect of our lives.  

But how can we be holy when we are constantly bombarded with the filth and evil of this world? The tempting answer is to try physical isolation of ourselves and our families by fleeing modern culture and technology like various Anabaptist communities (the Amish, for instance) have done. What we forget is that sin and evil are not just “out there,” but also in our own hearts. No matter how physically separate we are from the world, we cannot escape the world of iniquity that is part of our own sinful human nature (1 Pet. 2:10; 4:1–3; 2 Pet. 1:9).  

And yet the people of God can be holy. Peter outlines how this is possible in 1 Peter 1:19–23. We must be born again by the word of God, which makes us conscious of our redemption in the precious blood of Jesus. From this redemption flows a faith in the risen Christ, who sanctifies us by his Holy Spirit. The rest of 1 Peter and 2 Peter 1:5–10 show how this holiness is manifested in concrete ways by believers living unto Christ. 

Being holy in a hostile world is not easy, but it is worth it in the end, “for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:11).  

Rebekah is a wife and mother in the home. She attends Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, CA, with her family. 

Originally published June 2023, Vol 82 No 6 2023