Relationships in the Church and Those Not in The Church

For those who have studied God’s Word and studied the doctrine of the church, there is an understanding about how important the church is to the believer. God instituted the church (Matt. 16:18), and the church will not be defeated. The church is not to be neglected by Christians (Heb. 10:24-25) and should be one of the highest priorities in the life of the believer.

In this letter, Peter writes to a group of scattered believers. They are scattered because of the persecution they face, but Peter writes to them encouraging them and reminding them about the God they serve. There are five adjectives here in this text describing God’s design for relationships between believers:

These adjectives would describe Christians in the church, or at least it should. When we look at all five words together, we see that obeying these exhortations would lead to smooth relationships within the church (and with outsiders in most cases).[1] Christians can do this as they come from different walks of life and backgrounds, because they all share in Christ.

Verse eight seems to direct the attention to believers while verse nine directs their attention to unbelievers. Believers are exhorted to treat those who harm them differently than their flesh would like to. They are not to repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling. This seems hard to comprehend because our flesh’s instinct is to fight back. Our example is in the person of Jesus who was perfect in every way did not respond to evil with evil. You even find this in the teachings from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:38-42).

Peter exhorts them to bless. By blessing, Peter means that believers ask God to show grace and favor to those who do harm to them. This again is following Jesus’ example as He prays for those who had crucified Him, for they did not know what they were doing. Peter’s call for them to do this is not so they can earn salvation, but it is evidence of those who are truly redeemed.

Peter cited Psalm 34:12-16 in the next couple verses. This Psalm spoke about God’s deliverance of His people when evil was all around them. God’s children still look to Him for deliverance and are reminded that the Lord is against those who do evil. Those who have truly been saved by the blood of Jesus will live transformed lives that will affect their relationships with both believers and unbelievers.

When the church is viewed like a modern-day business, it is viewed impersonal and transactional. The mindset is different than when you are with your family. You live with harmony, there is sympathy toward them, a tender heart, and humility. Your relationships with others in the church will improve when we live out these adjectives in our family of believers. Living these out shows the evidence of a transformed heart.

The believers in Peter’s day were scattered because of persecution. Their community was vital for sustaining their faith when they had threats on their life and violence. The Church was a priority in their life, on the contrary, the modern church in America views it more as a club that if you have time for you are involved. As this world continues to grow eviler, Christians stand as bearers of truth ready to proclaim the gospel that people may come to know Jesus.

[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 163.