Tara-Leigh Cobble

And he tells young men to be self-controlled, but this doesn't give the older guys a free pass at doing whatever they want.

His counsel here is general in nature, because the greater purpose is to point them all toward what it looks like to honor God in the most basic institute, the family.

He wants them to live lives that are set apart in the eyes of outsiders, kind of like he did himself when he took the Nazarite vow in Corinth.

He tells them to adorn the doctrine of Christ, to present their faith as beautiful to the world.

Why?

Because God has poured out grace on them and grace changes everything.

Grace is a change agent.

God's grace brought them salvation, trained them to renounce sin and worldly passion, trained them to be upright and godly even in the midst of a wicked culture.

God's grace reminds them to wait for the hope of Christ's return because Christ is in the process of purifying them for himself.

In chapter 3, Paul takes his message outside the home in the immediate culture and into the larger realm of politics and leaders.

He says this is another area where the church needs to stand out.

We should demonstrate humble submission.

Our humility has its greatest opportunity to show up when we disagree with someone.

It doesn't have much of a landing pad if everyone is on the same page.

But when we disagree with someone, that's where it has the opportunity to show up in the gaps.

And in those circumstances, Paul says we should aim to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Whew.

Then he goes on to say how we can do that.

By remembering, like verse 3 says, that we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

Humility is remembering that we haven't always known it all like we currently do.