1 Peter 3:11: Let Him Turn Away From Evil And Do Good; Let Him Seek Peace And Pursue It.

1 Peter 3:11

[11] Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. (ESV)

Peter continues giving instruction to us on how we are to respond to the unbelieving culture in which we live. We must always remember that the way that we live is a demonstration of our love for Christ. Our goal is that as people see our lives they will be drawn to Jesus Christ. The Christian's worldview will always be at odds with the culture we are surrounded by.

We must turn away from evil and do good. It seems like no matter where we go there is evil there, enticing us to follow. Whether we are tempted to speak an unkind word in retaliation, or to engage in some kind of immoral behavior, or even to dwell on thoughts in our hearts that are full of hatred, there is always an opportunity to pursue evil. We are to turn away from it. 

In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul describes this inner struggle that he has with sin. He says in verse 21, "So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand." We all find this to be true. With God's help, we learn how to turn away from evil and do good. It is not our natural inclination to turn away from evil. In Romans 8, Paul describes the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where we find help.

We are also told in 1 Peter 3:11 to seek peace and pursue it. Similar to how we struggle to turn away from evil, we tend to struggle to be peacemakers. For peace to be secured, it must be pursued. So, how does one pursue peace? We need to pursue Christ. We need to draw near to him. Peace is one of the fruit of the Spirit, described in Galatians 5. A natural outflow of being with Christ is peace. Pursue Christ.

These efforts of pursuing peace and turning away from evil are not only counter to our culture, they are counter to our nature. Pursue Christ. Look to the Holy Spirit for help. Take a few moments and read Romans 7 and 8 today.