Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society

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Living godly lives is a Pagan society is a sub-title of I Peter 2:11-25 in the NIV version of the Bible. Even though sub-titles are not in the original Bible text, this sub-title is rather relevant to our lives today. The assumption is that Christian living is meant to be lived in the world. Verse 12 says:

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

The question posed here is how a Christian life is lived. Peter’s instruction deals with quality of living and the impact of one’s life on an opposing society. Francis Schaeffer addresses the issue in his book “How should we then live?” For him the only viable alternative is: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God's revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible's morals, values, and meaning.

Peter also points us back to Jesus command to love God and to our neighbor. To love our neighbor by living among them is such a manner that our actions points to the one we serve; and to love God as our actions bring our neighbor to recognize Him in our lives and to Glorify Him.
 
Jesus prayer for his disciples: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”(John 17:15). There is a strategic purpose for Christians to be and to live in the world because it is in the world that the light must shine. Therefore, let our light shine is a dark world.

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