Doing Good in Our Community
Mark Lauterbauch, in his fourth in a series of posts on the gospel and 1 Peter, relates some helpful thoughts about how the beleiver is to love his community. Below are his conclusions.
Peter tells them also to LIVE SUCH A GOOD LIFE or live an HONORABLE LIFE among the Gentiles. In other words, Christians are to be present in the world but living differently from the world. And the differences are more than what we don’t do — the difference includes what we do. We are to do good works.
Good works are about how I live — and good works serve other people. They are works of caring for needs, generous giving, and pursuing justice in the world.
I have been thinking about this some — this means that my life is to make the community in which I live a better place — that is what good works do. My neighborhood should be safer and more caring because of our presence. My work should be different because I am there. There are people with needs that should be met by me because I am doing good.
How does this tie into the Gospel story? Peter has already established that they are part of God’s redeeming plan and story. And God’s story includes this truth for our day — we live in a day in which God is showing kindness to the world. He is making the sun to shine on the evil and the good. He is delaying judgment because he is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3). So Christians display the kindness of God by living lives abounding in good works. And Christians are generous in doing good because God has been extravagantly generous with us in his grace.
Jonathan Edwards said that true love meant a large heart — the inclusion of the good of others as though it were my good. Peter is saying the Gospel enlarges our hearts. And our good works commend the Gospel to people who can see but may not want to listen.
Do we love the people around us? Do we consistently wish for and seek the best for our community? Do the people in our neighborhood know of our love?