It’s hard to be an outsider. It goes against our social instincts. Our natural desire for community and connection compels us to try and fit into society. It’s important to recognise and validate this desire because it is part of the way God made us. But, when people are going the wrong way, we are left with the very difficult decision to let people go on without us. In this position it is very important that we never stand alone. If we do, our deeply implanted social instinct will inevitably pull us back into the popular sentiment. We were created to reflect the character of God, not the character of the times. We must therefore be willing to stand apart together and go a different direction. This is what it means to be ‘holy’. Peter calls the early Christian church to hold their line and not be drawn back into conformity with the world. People who stand for different priorities than those of the majority inevitably meet with hostility. And this was the case with the churches Peter was addressing. They were facing growing hostility. Peter’s advice to them is to focus on unity and cohesion amongst themselves. This way they would stand strong against external pressure. He does not tell them to ‘take on the world’ but simply to demonstrate a different way of life to the world. We should do this humbly and graciously, giving people no cause for thinking that we are standing in judgement over them. But we should also never be ashamed of the life we have chosen.
Ask God to show you where you have conformed and how you can become more distinct.
Read 1 Peter 1:13-2:3
