A man’s whole conduct, not simply his words and talk

The Letters of Peter, page 239
William Barclay

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
12 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.
— 1 Peter 2:11-12

The word translated conversation is anastrophe, which means a man’s whole conduct, not simply his words and talk. That is in fact, what conversation did mean in the seventeenth century; it means a man’s whole conduct and his whole way of life.

…So what Peter is saying is that the Christian must make his whole way of life so lovely and so fair and so good to look upon that the slanders of his heathen enemies may be undeniably demonstrated to be false.

Here, then, is the great timeless truth. The best argument for Christianity is a real Christian…

…By his life he either commends Christianity to others, or he makes others think less of Christianity. The strongest missionary force in the world is a Christian life.

On this day…

• Galatians 5:19-26 – 2025
• Proverb 4:20-27 – 2025
• Genesis 41 – 2024
• Jubilee (Christian) – 2024
• God shall be glorified among the Gentiles through you – 2011
• Christians are a people for God specially to posess – 2011
• The Christian is called out of insignificance into significance – 2011
• Refuges of Lies – 2008
• John 17:23 – 2007
• 1 Chronicles 9:33 – 2007