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. 1 Peter 2:12 (NIV)
Pagans glorifying God?!? That sounds like a contradiction! Pagans, by definition, hate God.
So how are people who are deeply resistant to the gospel ever going to come to glorify God? The Bible’s clear and simple answer is: Through the good lives of Christians.
We offer ourselves in worship and service and, as we do, God makes His presence known among us. Notice what happens when the community of God’s people are pursuing the path of holiness and offering themselves to God in worship and service: “They [the pagans]… see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (2:12).
If the objective seems ambitious—living in such a way that people who are deeply resistant to the good news of Jesus Christ will come to glorify God—what does Peter have in mind? What would that actually look like in practice?
How do you think your way of living, right now, is impacting people who are deeply resistant to Jesus? (Think specifically about some deeply resistant people you know.)