1 Peter 2:11-12

9. Conduct As Sojourners 2:11, 12

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Expanded Translation

Loved ones, I implore you as foreigners and sojourners (whose fatherland is in heaven), to keep from yourselves and abstain from the passions and cravings of the flesh, which are at war against the soul;

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I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims

SOJOURNERSparoikos, is from para, meaning beside and oikos, meaning house. The word had reference to one who dwelt near another. In the Scriptures, it indicates a temporary resident, stranger, foreigner, one who lives in a place without the right of citizenship (Acts 7:6; Acts 7:29). It is used in Ephesians 2:19 with reference to those who are without citizenship in God's kingdom. Here the word is used of Christians, who live temporarily on earth as strangers or sojourners with their fatherland as heaven. Compare a similar thought in Philippians 3:20. Our citizenship papers are in heaven. We should be speaking the language of heaven and we should be observing the ways and customs that heaven has designed for its citizens. Compare sojourning (paroikia) of 1 Peter 1:17.

PILGRIMSCompare 1 Peter 1:1 where the same words are rendered sojourners. It means to be a sojourner and stranger among another people, residing in another country not one's own, a sojourner, stranger. Compare Hebrews 11:13. Souter says the word means a stranger in a land not his own, a citizen with limited rights.

What is the difference between the word here rendered sojourner and pilgrim? The words are obviously very similar in meaning. However, in the latter word there is the idea of going through, or progressing through, a foreign countryan element not present in the former word.
Being foreigners and strangers, we are exhorted to be careful lest we succumb to the ways of lust, characteristic of the country in which we are temporarily dwelling.

to abstain from fleshly lusts

ABSTAINapecho, from apo (off, from) and echo (hold). It is used in the middle voice in our text and means to abstain from, hold one's self off from.

FLESHLYsarkikos, means fleshly; pertaining to the body, corporeal, physical, carnal. According to Thayer it has reference to that which has its seat in the animal nature, or aroused by the animal nature. Some of these evil desires are enumerated in Galatians 5:19-21.

which war against the soul

WARstrateuo (comp. strato: an army): to perform military duty, serve as a soldier. to battle.

SOULpsuche, is here best regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life, as in 1 Peter 2:25. Ungodly lusts war against and tear down this soul and tend to make it unfit for its intended home with God.

1 Peter 2:12 Having your behavior seemly among the Gentiles, that, wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Expanded Translation

Maintaining a behavior that is upright and honorable among the heathen (pagans, un-Christian people), that, wherein they are speaking against you as practicers of evil, or, perhaps criminals), they may, from observing your good works, glorify God in the day of visitation.

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Having your behavior seemly among the Gentiles.
that wherever they speak against you as evil-doers

SEEMLYgood, possessing moral excellence, worthy, upright, virtuous, beautiful. Our lives must be spiritually beautiful in a world of spiritual ugliness.
SPEAK AGAINSTkatalaleo, also occurs in 1 Peter 3:16. The noun form is defined under 1 Peter 2:1.

EVIL-DOERSkakopoios, an evil-doer, malefactor, or criminal. The same word is used in 1 Peter 2:14, 1 Peter 3:17, and 1 Peter 4:15. The word is frequently employed to refer to those who were committing some act which was legally wrong according to the laws of the land; a civil lawbreaker (John 18:30).

which they behold, glorify God

BEHOLDepopteuo, (epiupon, plus a form of horaoto see): to look upon, be an eye-witness of, view attentively. The noun form, epoptes, eyewitness, is rendered eye witness in 2 Peter 1:16, where it appears in the plural.

With un-Christian people viewing our lives so attentively, we should be careful that they see the good works of which the text speaks. They are looking for anything off-color they can possibly find, Their original motive, no doubt, is often to find fault; but by our good (spiritually beautiful) lives, they are turned to glorify God.
GLORIFYdoxadzo, here means to extoll, magnify, adore or worship.

day of visitation

Episkope, means inspection, visitation. It is from epiupon, and skopeoto view attentively, see, observe. Thayer says of the word, in Biblical Greek after the Hebrew, pekudah, that act by which God looks into and searches out the ways, deeds, and character of men in order to adjudge them their lot accordingly, whether joyous or sad; inspection, investigation, visitation.

There is considerable question as to just what day is the day of visitation. Some refer it to the Judgment Day. That day shall be a time of Divine reward for some and a time of Divine judgment or condemnation for others. Each of us shall be visited on that final day through the judge God has appointed, Jesus Christ. He shall then search out our hearts and we shall receive that which he determines is proper for us: either eternal glory with Him, or eternal suffering with Satan and his cohorts. That day shall truly be a day of glorifying God to those who are saved.

A second possibility is the time that God visits the Gentiles (pagans), who were beholding the Christians-' behavior, with salvation. Compare Psalms 106:4, Remember me, oh Jehovah, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people; oh visit me with thy salvation.[6]

[6] Pekudah is used similarly in Exodus 3:16 of the literal deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.

The third possibility is that the expression refers to the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish State. If the date we have assigned to the epistle is correct, that day, A.D. 70, was not far off. Episkope is used with this reference in Luke 19:44, where we have the time of Thy visitationton kairon tes episkopes sou, which is certainly similar to this passage, en hemera episkopes.

The Gentiles, having become Christians because of the influence of these disciples, would glorify God because they were safe. No Christian was harmed during that great catastrophe. Speaking of the Christians, Newman says:

Shortly before the city had been invested by Titus (probably late in 69), they withdrew to Pella, in Perea, where under the leadership of Symeon, a cousin to the Lord, they remained until it was safe for them to return to Jerusalem.[7]

[7] A Manual of Church History, Vol. I, p. 118. His whole account of the destruction of the city (pp. 116-119) is excellent.

The possibility of this application to the day of visitation becomes very strong when we look at similar passages in the epistles (Hebrews 10:25, James 5:1-8) and the day of which they speak.

To the Jew, the day of visitation was proverbial, and is used of God's divine punishment in the Old Testament.[8]

[8] Isaiah 10:3, Jeremiah 10:15.

There are admitted difficulties in this last interpretation, but on the whole, it seems to have the most in its favor. See further comments under 1 Peter 4:7.