1 Peter 2:12

Context

First Peter is a letter addressed to the "strangers scattered" throughout various regions of Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1–2). It has traditionally been attributed to the apostle Peter, though some scholars take a different view of its authorship. First Peter 2:11 addresses the readers as "strangers and pilgrims" and exhorts them to abstain from fleshly lusts. Verse 12 extends this exhortation to their relationships with those outside the community. The exhortations that follow (submission to authorities in 1 Peter 2:13–17, along with instructions to servants and masters and to wives and husbands in 1 Peter 3:1–7) are read as applications of this verse's principle to specific situations.

Here "Gentiles" refers not to non-Jews by descent but to the surrounding unbelieving society; many of the readers themselves appear to have been believers of Gentile background. Christians were facing misunderstanding from their neighbors and were being spoken against "as evildoers," and the letter urges them to respond not by contending but by good works.

Interpretation

The chief interpretive question concerns the meaning of "the day of visitation," a literal rendering of the Greek. The New Korean Revised Version renders the phrase as "the day he comes," while the New Korean Standard Version renders it as the day when God "visits."

• The final judgment reading: This view takes the day to be the last day of judgment. On that day even those who slandered Christians will acknowledge that their good works were right and will give glory to God.
• The conversion reading: This view takes the day to be the time when God graciously visits people. Unbelievers who observe the good works of Christians will turn and come to faith. This reading is frequently adopted from the perspective of evangelism and mission.

The two readings are not divided along denominational lines; both appear among commentators from a range of traditions. Some hold that the phrase encompasses both meanings.

Questions of Application

Scholars differ over the character of this verse and the exhortations to submission that follow it. Some see them as a strategy of accommodation aimed at reducing slander and gaining social acceptance. Others see them as a missional exhortation to bear witness to the gospel through one's life while preserving an identity distinct from the surrounding society. In contemporary application as well, discussion continues over whether good conduct means conforming to society's standards or living a distinct life grounded in the gospel.

In the Korean Church

The verse is commonly cited in discussions of the need for the church to earn the trust of society and in sermons emphasizing the ethical life of Christians. When the emphasis falls on witness through one's life rather than through words, it is often paired with the saying about "good works" in the Sermon on the Mount.

Related Passages

• Matthew 5:16
• 1 Peter 2:15
• 1 Peter 3:1–2
• Philippians 2:15
• Titus 3:1