In the text today, Peter helps clarify what it means to live as sojourners and exiles in a hostile world. He talks about our relation to the other people in the world and our relationship to those in governmental authority. We discovered two principles along the way:

1. When believers live honorably before a hostile world, the world is drawn to Christ. (11-12)

2. When believers willingly show honor to a hostile government, objections to the gospel are silenced. (13-17)

The Big Idea of the text is as follows: God ordained us to live honorably and to show honor in a hostile world opposed to Him and His message.