“For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”
in doing the will of the Gentiles—
Peter encourages us to live for God’s will in verse two. Now he states our past purpose in life. Verse two concluded with the idea that Christians now live to the “will of God.” “Doing the will of the Gentiles” stands in contrast to doing the will of God. God rearranges our furniture.
The word “doing” implies in Greek that we worked out fully the will of the Gentiles but came to a point where we closed that course of our lives.
The word “will” in “the will of the Gentiles” means that which we desire with the implication of accompanying some reasoned plan to accomplish the desire. “Gentile” is a synonym for a non-Christian. Non-Christians always rationalize their sinful way of life.
1 Th 4:5, “Not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God.”
Christians have a new passion. We no longer live like we used to live. If we do, we are phonies. We would need another dip. When God comes into our lives, he rewires us. Our drives and desires, our likes and dislikes, all change. Salvation revolutionizes character. The Savior changes us from the inside out.
Our former friends and lifestyle are now a thing of the past. We do not live for sin and Satan. We no longer immerse ourselves in that life. We are aliens to that kind of living. Our new values do not allow us to yield to the customs of our culture.
PRINCIPLE:
We can reach a point of maturity when we can stand independent of the crowd.
APPLICATION:
Most people are not independent of the crowd. If a group of people puts pressure on them, they cave into their will. They are herd bound. Once they get into the fast crowd, the peer pressure of the crowd itself will glue them to their destructive lifestyle.
