Jesus saves us and calls us to be holy— but Jesus does not expect us to do this by ourselves. We are called to be in a relationship with other followers of Jesus. This is not just a hoped for outcome, but is what is ultimately true of all who confess Jesus as Lord. Those who follow Jesus are “being built into a spiritual house”(2:5) so that they are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.”(2:9) Peter and the other NT authors never describe salvation in privatized terms. When we belong to Jesus, we belong to the church— a new people group. This group of foreigners and exiles (2:11) together exist as a counter culture who make their good deeds known to the culture around them (2:12). In doing good— by respecting, serving, honouring— the church can be a witness to the world around them.
Cultural Context:
Our default setting in our culture is that of individualism. There are some benefits to the individual self, there are also significant detriments when it comes to following Jesus. Community is at the very core of the Christian life. The early Church had a saying, “unus Christianus, nullus Christianus”: One Christian, no Christian. The very fabric of our faith is experienced in community. We gather to celebrate communion, marriage, baptism, and so on. And so in a world of “you do you” and “don’t tread on me” we must choose— of our own free will—- to belong to Jesus and each other. We desperately need deep, vulnerable, interdependent relationships that stand in sharp contrast to the superficiality and autonomy of our day. It is through such relationships that we are formed into a people who can offer an alternative way of being. Ultimately, we become like the relationships we cultivate and the culture to which we belong.