There are several things we need to keep in mind as we focus on this material this quarter. (1) This was written to first century Christians. (2) These Christians were primarily gentile Christians (note 2:1-3 and observe the "formerly" and the contrast between "you" and "we": both gentile Christians and Jewish Christians were dependent on God's rich mercy given through Jesus Christ; note 2:11-13; note 3:1, 6). (3) Pay careful attention to Paul's "before and after" contrast in chapter 2 as well as chapter 4. This is an approach Paul often used (see Colossians 3:1-11 and Romans 6) to challenge gentile Christians to be aware that there was a distinct difference in the way one who belonged to idols behaved and the way one who belonged to Christ behaved.
First, realize change is difficult and demanding for anyone at any time. Do not think that it was easy for first century Christians to commit to salvation in Jesus Christ. If the person was a Jewish Christian, he or she had to break away from some traditions that were thousands of years old and some that were generations old. Since Jesus did not fulfill most Jewish Messianic expectations, the majority of Jews had difficulty understanding "why you [Jewish Christians] are deserting Judaism." When this breakaway involved accepting uncircumcised gentiles as fully saved persons who did not have to become Jewish proselytes, the difficulty was even greater. In being a Christian, a Jewish convert easily could find himself or herself alienated from those with whom he or she previously shared a bond of closeness.
For a gentile who became a Christian, the challenges were as great if not greater. Consider the realities of idolatry. If you belonged to Jesus Christ, you no longer worshipped idols. Yet, idolatry was socially pervasive! It was ingrained in all segments of society--from household shrines, to the workplace, to politics. Thus you no longer honored the family gods, and the family might be "certain" you would bring the wrath of the gods on the family. You no longer honored the patron god or goddess of your work guild [union], and your fellow workers might be certain you would bring the wrath of the gods on the business enterprise. Thus you might lose your job so the owner would not run the risk of irritating the gods! Or, you might be seen as a political traitor to the community because you refused to honor the gods. It was rather simple for some gentile Christians to become outcasts in their own community. It did not always happen, but it happened.
Second, Paul taught these new converts that there were not two compatible behaviors in a convert's life--one occurring when you were among Christians and one occurring when you were among those who did not believe in Jesus Christ. Constantly there was the challenge of finding the proper balance between being true to your Christian values and beliefs and not needlessly irritating those who rejected the creator God and His son Jesus Christ. At times that was possible and at times irritation occurred regardless of how the Christian behaved. However, if the choice was between irritating a person who did not believe in Jesus Christ or being true to Christian values, there was no choice--a Christian must be true to his/her values that were Christ based.
Third, the challenge was often great because the values of a Christian clashed with the values of society. The Christian regarded honesty as a virtue. Society often could regard deceit as a virtue. The Christian regarded kindness, tenderness, and forgiveness as positive, life granting emotions. Society could regard anger, wrath, confusion, and slander as positive emotions that made life possible in a "dog eat dog" society. The Christian did not seek control through intimidation. Society often sought to gain control through not only intimidation but through violence. Then as now the Christian expressions of gentleness and consideration were often viewed as expressions of weakness.
Fourth, too many Christians assumed they had a "right" to salvation regardless of how they lived. Put in common terms of the religious of this age, too many Christians thought that theological perspectives saved you regardless of your behavior. Or, if "I" know the "right" views, it does not matter how "I" live my daily life. Thus one was "godly" if he or she believed the "right" things but deliberately lived in known, understood "ungodly" ways. There is a vast difference between godly knowledge and godly behavior. Godly values exist when godly knowledge expresses itself in godly behavior. That vast difference always has existed!
It is extremely difficult to recognize a behavior that typified your past adult life is an ungodly behavior simply because you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ. The call of Christ is not, "Live as you please as you follow me to God." The call of Christ is, "Let me teach you God's values as you follow me to Him." The Christian challenge is to live in the manner that causes others to see and honor God. If we are Christian, we represent Jesus Christ and God in our lives. Consider Matthew 5:16; 9:8; 15:30, 31; and 1 Peter 2:9,10. That basically means we make our choices and decisions on the basis of God's values and purposes. It takes a very honest person to surrender to God instead of surrendering to self. It is much too easy to substitute our desires for God's values and make ourselves believe that our desires are God's values.
For Thought and Discussion
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 1