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1 Peter 2:15<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men\u2014<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Truth to Learn<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n God will use our good works to bring glory to Himself.<\/p>\n Behind the Words<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The word translated \u201cwill<\/span>\u201d is thel\u0113ma<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201ca desire or disposition toward something,\u201d but it also implies action taken based on that desire. This is derived from the verb thel\u014d<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cto wish, to will, implying volition and purpose with a determination or execution of that which is desired.\u201d Hence, it is sometimes referred to as \u201cdetermined will.\u201d This is different from the Greek word boulomai<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cto desire something, not necessarily implying the execution of that desire,\u201d which is sometimes referred to as \u201cdesirous will.\u201d<\/p>\n The expression \u201cdoing good<\/span>\u201d comes from the Greek agathopoie\u014d<\/span><\/em>, which, as we learned from a similar word in the previous verse, means \u201cto do good things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPut to silence<\/span>\u201d comes from the Greek word phimo\u014d<\/span><\/em>, which means \u201cto muzzle\u201d or \u201cto silence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIgnorance<\/span>\u201d is translated from the Greek word agn\u014dsia<\/span><\/em>. This is compound word made up of a<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cnot\u201d or \u201cwithout\u201d and a form of gn\u014dsis<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cknowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n The word \u201cfoolish<\/span>\u201d is translated from aphropon<\/span><\/em>, made up of a<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cnot\u201d or \u201cwithout\u201d and a form of phren<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cunderstanding.\u201d Hence, it literally means \u201cmindless\u201d or \u201cstupid.\u201d<\/p>\n Meaning Explained<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFor this is the will of God\u2026<\/span>\u201d What is Peter referring to? The punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do well? That\u2019s what he said in the previous verse. The grammatical rule of immediate antecedence would seem to dictate that\u2019s what he meant. However, it is not what was said before, but what is said after that defines what Peter means. He says that \u201cputting to silence the ignorance of foolish men\u201d is the will of God (what God has determined). And he does that through our good works. Now, let me remind you what he said in verse twelve:<\/p>\n having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by<\/span> your<\/span><\/em> good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. <\/span>(1 Peter 2:12<\/span><\/strong>)<\/p>\n Do you see it? Do you see who Peter is talking about? As you will recall, in verse twelve we learned that the \u201cGentiles\u201d are non-Christians. They are unsaved. They are unbelievers. They are the foolish ones who are \u201cwithout understanding.\u201d And since they don\u2019t understand the truth of the gospel message, they speak out of ignorance. They speak out against Christians, calling us evil doers when they are the real doers of evil.<\/p>\n Not only will God silence (muzzle) their evil speaking about us, as Peter tells us in this verse, but they will glorify God on that fateful day when they stand before Him as their judge, as Peter told us in verse twelve.<\/p>\n Application<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n When all your efforts to do good make you feel like a salmon swimming upstream, remember that we are doing it for His glory! And though we may not see the fruit of our labors on this earth, someday we will see our Savior, and He is worthy!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/p>\n <\/span>If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:![\"signature\"](\"..\/..\/signature.gif\")
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