| “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.” |
| —1 Peter 2:15 |
Why do people act in a kind way toward one another? If you replied, “Because people are inherently good,” you are wrong. The Bible tells us that every one of us is stained by sin—first from the inherited sin of Adam and then by our own wrong doing. So, why do certain people sometimes, or most times, act with kindness toward one another?
One answer is that though we have fallen into sin, we are also still made in the image of God—what theologians call the “Imago Dei.” Because God is loving and good, we bear His stamp and have the capacity to be loving and good, too.
When we receive the gift of salvation from our sins, through the birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have all the more reason to follow in His footsteps and reach out in love and goodness to those around us. The Apostle Peter explained why this behavior is so important in 1 Peter 2:15-16:
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
We “silence” those who oppose Christ by showing His goodness and love in the way we treat others. Look at the young men in the photo at the beginning of this blog post. See how they have chosen to reach out to a homeless man. They are giving him a lunch. Why? Because these young men are part of a youth organization that follows the teachings of Jesus. They realize that because God loves them so much, they need to love others in His name. That’s a good lesson for us, as we begin another day.
Christ’s goodness shows through us by the way we treat others. And that, dear ones, is something to celebrate and to emulate.
Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, March 2, 2017
