Living as Exiles

When Your Testimony Becomes Your Defense

The Christian life presents us with a peculiar paradox. We are called to live in the world while not being of it, to shine as lights in darkness while enduring the inevitable friction that comes from such positioning. This tension is not a design flaw in God's plan but rather the very context in which our faith becomes most visible and most powerful.

The Reality of Our Position

The language of Scripture describes believers as "sojourners and exiles" for good reason. We hold a precarious position in a world that often views our allegiance to Christ with suspicion at best and hostility at worst. Like travelers passing through foreign territory without the full protection of citizenship, we navigate a culture increasingly at odds with the gospel.

This metaphor captures something profound about our experience. As the kingdom of God expands and contracts in various cultural contexts, the spiritual warfare intensifies along the borders. We are witnessing this in real time as Western culture becomes increasingly post-Christian and secularized. The fighting is hot where kingdoms meet, and we find ourselves on that contested ground.

Yet this vulnerable position is not cause for despair. Rather, it is the very stage upon which the authenticity of our faith is demonstrated to a watching world.

When Suffering Meets Sanctification

Here is where the rubber meets the road: suffering is not an excuse to indulge the passions of our flesh. This truth cuts against our natural inclinations. When we have a difficult day, when we face hardship, when life feels overwhelming, we instinctively reach for something to numb the pain or provide temporary relief. Perhaps it is food, entertainment, social media, or something more destructive.

But Scripture calls us to something radically different. We are urged to "abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." This is not mere religious moralism. The very desires themselves, even before they manifest in action, are waging an internal campaign against our redeemed souls.

The battle intensifies after we come to Christ, not because we have done something wrong, but because our conscience becomes sensitized by the Holy Spirit. We become aware of things we never noticed before. The civil war Paul describes in Romans 7 becomes our lived experience. An army of lustful desires wages an internal search-and-destroy mission against the soul of every believer.

The Weapon of "No"

The weapon we are given may seem underwhelming at first: abstinence. Simply put, we develop the discipline to tell ourselves "no." Two letters. One syllable. Profound power.

This is not about earning righteousness through self-denial. We are justified by faith in Christ alone. But saying no to destructive desires and yes to holiness is how we cooperate with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is how we demonstrate the reality of our transformation.

Suffering becomes not an occasion for indulgence but a reason to pursue our own sanctification. When life gets hard, we do not lay down and give in to our baser desires. Instead, we hold ourselves back and say no, then turn and say yes to God.

The Beauty of Honorable Conduct

The call is not just negative but profoundly positive. We are to "keep our conduct among the Gentiles honorable." This word "honorable" describes something beautiful, lovely, noble. It speaks of moral excellence that stands in stark contrast to the ugliness of sin.

While the passions of the flesh would tear us down, righteous living builds us up. While sin is destructive and ugly, holy living is beautiful and helpful. This is not about achieving perfection but about faithfulness. The standard is not flawlessness but consistency with the character of Christ.

The Impact You Cannot See

You may feel like your life is having little impact. Week after week, you show up. You resist temptation. You try to live faithfully. And you wonder if it matters.

But here is the truth: the way we endure suffering, the way we live when our lives are consistent with the character of Christ, will impact the world around us whether we notice it or not. Our testimony operates on two levels simultaneously.

First, some will see our good conduct and not understand. They may call what we are doing evil, self-righteous, or worse. First-century Christians were called atheists for not worshiping Roman gods, cannibals for practicing communion, and immoral for their expressions of Christian love. Today, chastity is mocked, the exclusivity of the gospel is labeled hate speech, and biblical morality is dismissed as ignorant.

This should not surprise us. Jesus warned that if they called the master of the house the devil, they would certainly malign his household. But He also said, "Have no fear of them." Do not be afraid when the world hates you for living like Christ. They hated Him first.

Second, others will see the truth and come to saving faith. Jesus said, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Our lives are meant to be investigated, inspected by the world around us. This is not a burden but an invitation.

When unbelievers observe lives consistent with the character of Christ, they are not just seeing Christians—they are seeing Christ. Your honorable conduct may be the only testimony of saving faith they ever encounter. Through your continuous good works, God comes near to unbelieving people. Your life becomes the context in which the door to salvation opens.

The Gospel at Stake

All of this matters for the sake of the gospel in the world. Our testimony matters. The way we live matters. Abstaining from destructive desires matters. Our good conduct and good works done in the name of Jesus matter, and they will have their impact one way or another.

For the sake of the gospel, show some restraint. Put your effort where it belongs—into living a life consistent with the character of Jesus. This will impact the world around you. Some may hate you for it, but count that cost. Others will see your good works as God coming near, and they may want what you have.

You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Let your light shine in this world so that people may see your good works and glorify God on the day He comes near.

The question is not whether your life matters. It does. The question is whether you will live in such a way that your testimony becomes your most powerful defense of the gospel's legitimacy.