1 Peter 2:11

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you, etc.] The apostle, from characters of the saints, and which express their blessings and privileges, with great beauty, propriety, and pertinency, passes to exhortations to duties; he addresses the saints under this affectionate appellation, “dearly beloved”, to express his great love to them, and to show that what he was about to exhort them to sprung from sincere and hearty affection for them, and was with a view to their real good; nor does he in an authoritative way command, as he might have done, as an apostle, but, as a friend, he entreats and beseeches them: as strangers and pilgrims; not in a literal sense, though they were in a foreign country, in a…”

“As heretofore he exhorted them to walk worthily of their calling, in contradistinction to their own former walk, so now he exhorts them to glorify God before unbelievers. Dearly beloved--He gains their attention to his exhortation by assuring them of his love. strangers and pilgrims-- (Pe1 1:17). Sojourners, literally, settlers having a house in a city without being citizens in respect to the rights of citizenship; a picture of the Christian's position on earth; and pilgrims, staying for a time in a foreign land. FLACIUS thus analyzes the exhortation: (1) Purify your souls (a) as strangers on earth who must not allow yourselves to be kept back by earthly lusts, and (b) because these lusts…”

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you strangers and pilgrims - On the word rendered “strangers,” (παροίκους paroikous,) see the notes at Ephesians 2:19, where it is rendered “foreigners.” It means, properly, one dwelling near, neighboring; then a by-dweller, a sojourner, one without the rights of citizenship, as distinguished from a citizen; and it means here that Christians are not properly citizens of this world, but that their citizenship is in heaven, and that they are here mere sojourners. Compare the notes at Philippians 3:20, “For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven.” On the word rendered “pilgrims,” (παρεπιδήμους parepidēmous,) see the 1 Peter 1:1 note; Hebrews 11:13 note. A…”

“Here begins the exhortation drawn from the second motive. Sojourners: pilgrims - The first word properly means, those who are in a strange house; the second, those who are in a strange country. You sojourn in the body; you are pilgrims in this world. Abstain from desires of anything in this house, or in this country. 1 Peter 2:12”

“2:11-12 These verses are transitional. They can be viewed as the finale to the first section of the letter or as the opening statement of the second section of the letter. They enunciate the letter’s central theme: Christians living in hostile territory need to live out the principles of the Good News so that they can win other people to the Lord. 2:11 “temporary residents and foreigners”: Believers belong not to this world but to the Kingdom of Heaven (see 1:1, 17).”

“I beseech: Rom 12:1; Co2 5:20, Co2 6:1; Eph 4:1; Plm 1:9, Plm 1:10 as: Pe1 1:1, Pe1 1:17; Gen 23:4, Gen 47:9; Lev 25:23; Ch1 29:15; Psa 39:12, Psa 119:19, Psa 119:54; Heb 11:13 abstain: Pe1 4:2; Luk 21:34; Act 15:20, Act 15:29; Rom 8:13, Rom 13:13, Rom 13:14; Co2 7:1; Gal 5:16-21; Ti2 2:22; Jo1 2:15-17 war: Rom 7:23, Rom 8:13; Gal 5:17, Gal 5:24; Ti1 6:9, Ti1 6:10; Jam 4:1 1 Peter 2:12”