Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.[1] (1 Peter 2:12)
Moral excellence means to be excellent in right behavior and good character. That was true of Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob. Joseph dreamt that his father, mother, and eleven brothers would one day bow down to him. This caused his brothers to resent him even more than before (Genesis 37:1–11). One day Joseph’s brothers got rid of him by selling him into slavery. He ended up in Egypt where he was purchased by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh (Genesis 37:26–28; 39:1).
The Lord was with Joseph in Egypt and caused him to prosper in everything he did (Genesis 39:2–6). Potiphar’s wife took notice of Joseph’s good looks and tried to seduce him. She was relentless. Joseph told her, “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” One day they were alone in the house, and so Mrs. Potiphar grabbed his garment and said “Lie with me!” Joseph, being faithful to God, fled outside, leaving his garment in her hand (Genesis 39:6–18).
How often have we allowed seduction, temptation, and selfish desire to control us when confronted by situations like Joseph experienced? Paul has admonished us to “Flee immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Immorality means “not conforming to accepted standards of morality; the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior” (New Oxford American Dictionary).
Peter instructs believers to actively pursue and grow in moral excellence. This is not a passive approach. It is an intentional, proactive defense against the seduction and temptation of the world, which seeks to entrench us in sin, and weaken our daily witness as ambassadors of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5; 1 Peter 1:14–16; 2 Corinthians 5:20).
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SUMMARY • Moral excellence means excellent in right behavior and good character
• We must intentionally grow in and live with moral excellence
• As Christians we represent to the world the character of Jesus Christ
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FOOTNOTES
God’s visitation in the Old Testament refers to His judgment or blessing. In the New Testament it speaks of redemption from sin; those who believe will be saved; those who do not believe will experience God’s wrath in the final judgment. Adapted from 1 Peter 2:12, John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1910 ↑
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RBG Devotional 31: Quality of Faith 1: Moral Excellence Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. 22-Oct-21, 08:14 |