Why Serve the Lord? Because It is a Witness

I Peter 2:12, 15 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation…For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”
When I was in high school, one of my favorite shows on TV was Ripley’s Believe It or Not. The show was basically a reflection of what you would find in a Ripley’s Museum (although I have never been in one), in that, for one whole hour, the host introduced outrageous things that one could barely believe was true. For example, once it showed a person painting masterpieces on a grain of rice. Another time it showed a person who ate cockaroaches all the time, which doesn’t sound too surprising until you consider that he ate them live. Other weird things that they showed included a guy who could pull a truck with his eyelid and a person who could have a snake crawl through his mouth and nostrils at the same time. At the end of every show the host would then say something along the lines of “Believe It or Not,” to ask the viewers to consider if they thought what they saw was real or not. After seeing it on the show, I tended to believe what I saw, but in many cases, we don’t actually believe what we see. Due to the bombardment of ads we receive everyday from billboards, TV, radio, and even social media, we have become quick to denounce and even mock claims made about a product. Unless, we have tested the product for ourselves, we just automatically assume that the product being sold is not up to par to how the ad described it. In a sad way, this way of thinking is very similar to how unbelievers think about Christians.
Today, many unbelievers tend to discount who Christians say they are, because they have met many hypocrites. They have found that too many Christians say that they have Christ’s love yet display no love for their neighbor. They have found that too many Christians that say that they are righteous, holy, and pure yet go out filling their hearts with things that involve sexual immorality though they might not actually be participating in it. Because of these hypocritical actions, we give unbelievers more and more opportunities to mock Christianity, to mock what Christ has done in our lives. Sadly, this incorrect living has been going on even since the beginning of the church, which is why Peter felt prompted to tell the believers in our passage today that one fo the reasons they should live holy and righteous lives is so that they can put those unbelieving evildoers and mockers to silence for their foolish talk through their Christian example.
In 1 Peter 2:12, Peter tells the believers that one reason why they should live holy and righteous lives is so that they may be witnesses to the Gentiles. The verse specifically states, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” The verse consists of two sections, one that describes how a Christian should keep his conduct honorable and one that describes the results of a Christian who keeps his conduct honorable. As Christians, our conduct must be kept honorable, which in the Greek actually means “beautiful.” So our conduct is not only supposed to be righteous, pure, and holy, but also beautiful and attractive towards unbelievers. Now, this may sound slightly contradictory, because it is difficult to please both sides, but in a way this is actually possible, for the Bible speaks of at leasts two people who grew in favor with both God and man, Jesus Christ and Samuel. So, how does this look like in real life? First, one must be right with God, meaning that a person’s life and conduct must match what is taught in God’s Word. Second, one must be right with man, meaning that although he lives according to God’s principles, he should never act in a way that is judgmental or condescending. For example, Jesus Christ lived without sin, yet He never looked down upon those who were considered sinners of that day whether they be prostitutes or tax collectors. He grew in favor with both God and man as He grew up. A life that is lived out in a manner that is completely sold out to God is usually a life that will draw unbelievers to it, for it is a life that is beautifullly sacrificed for the King. The second part of this verse speaks of the results of a Christian’s honorable conduct, which is that in the end of time, when Christ returns, those who are evildoers who spoke against you will glorify God. This result may not sound like much, since its obvious that all people in the end of days will come to declare Jesus Christ as Lord, but here it states that they will glorify God, which is even more than just the declaration of Christ as Lord but the praising of Christ as Lord. This means that these evildoers have most likely become believers in that they are not just doing it because they have to but now doing it because they want to. Although they may mock at the start, unbelievers will come to realize the truth of the Gospel in your life and respect what Christ has done in you and many may even become believers and disciples as well. This is the result of a Christian living a holy and righteous life – unbelievers come to see and know Christ through your good conduct.
Why should we continue to live for Christ as disciples of His?  Because our lives are a living example and advertisement of what Christ has done in you. Your life will become the witness that shifts mocking into praise, pride into humility, and ridicule into worship. We must live out holy and righteous lives because we are witnesses to unbelievers.