BELOVED I URGE YOU: Agapetoi parakalo (1SPAI): (Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 5:20; 6:1; Ephesians 4:1; Philemon 1:9,10)

Kenneth Wuest's paraphrase of this verse is a virtual "mini-commentary"...

Divinely loved ones [loved by God], I beg of you, please, as aliens and those who have settled down alongside of pagan [unsaved] people should, be constantly holding yourselves back from the passionate cravings which are fleshly by nature [fleshly in that they come from the totally depraved nature], cravings of such a nature that, like an army carrying on a military campaign, they are waging war, hurling themselves down upon your soul

Fleshly lusts always hurt the soul. They do serious injury to the body, for they are contrary to the laws of health; but the main point for you to consider is that they “war against the soul.” No men or women can ever commit an act of uncleanness of the body without grievously injuring the soul. It leaves a weakness, a defilement, a wound, a scar upon the soul; so may God graciously keep us from it altogether! (1 Peter 2 Commentary)

D L Moody captured the essence of Peter's exhortation when he exclaimed...

"I have more trouble with D. L. Moody than with any man I know."

The man I see in the mirror each morning is my greatest impediment to holiness and godliness. Stop saying "The devil made me do it!"

Beloved (27) (agapetos from agape) means dear or very much loved (in context by God their Father!). It is a love called out of one’s heart by preciousness of the object loved. The "Beloved" are those to whom Christ has shown love.

As an aside, it is interesting to note how this "man's man", the crusty old fisherman, Peter, loves the tender word beloved, using it 8 times in both epistles (See all uses - 1 Peter, 2 Peter)

Here Peter uses beloved to remind his readers that God loves them, a truth which has a way of preparing his recipients for his exhortation. This is a good principle for all believers to follow. Before you exhort, begin (sincerely, from the heart) with "Beloved" which has a way of affirming that the one being addressed is beloved.

In the present context the idea of course is that the readers are beloved of God and because of this wonderful truth, they should feel a duty and a motivation (out of love with a desire to please the Father, to not disappoint Him or bring shame to His holy Name)

Being the beloved of God should elicit an obedient response from your heart, motivated by love for God. Peter is saying "I urge you, I beg you in a passionate way" using parakaleo in much the same way as Paul does in Romans 12:1 after presenting the grand truths of the "Christian's constitution" writing...

I urge (parakaleo) you therefore (because of the liberating, exhilarating truths in Romans 1-11 and the fact that they have received such incredible mercies), brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (See note Romans 12:1)

Paul is exhorting the Roman Christians to pursue a holy walk worthy of the gospel to which they had been called and which he so masterfully expounded in the preceding 11 chapters. So Peter gives an urgent passionate plea to people who are the beloved of God to reciprocate that love with obedience which begins with the believer making a volitional choice (even that "want to" or desire being enabled by the indwelling Spirit)

John Piper explains the thrust of Peter's exhortation declaring that believers...

must cultivate the mindset of exiles. What this does mainly is sober us up and wake us up so that we don't drift with the world and take for granted that the way the world thinks and acts is the best way. We don't assume that what is on TV is helpful to the soul; we don't assume that the priorities of advertisers is helpful to the soul; we don't assume that the strategies and values of business and industry are helpful to the soul. We don't assume that any of this glorifies God. We stop and we think and we consult the Wisdom of our own country, heaven, and we don't assume that the conventional wisdom of this age is God's wisdom. We get our bearings from God in his word. When you see yourself as an alien and an exile with your citizenship in heaven, and God as your only Sovereign, you stop drifting with the current of the day. You ponder what is good for the soul and what honors God in everything: food, cars, videos, bathing suits, birth control, driving speeds, bed times, financial savings, education for the children, unreached peoples, famine, refugee camps, sports, death, and everything else. Aliens get their cue from God and not the world." (The War Against the Soul and the Glory of God :: Desiring God)

Urge (3870) (parakaleo from para = beside + kaleo = to call) means literally to call to one's side and so refers to the act of calling someone to one’s side in order to give aid or help. Urging or exhorting implies an earnest and persuasive address aimed at encouraging the readers to face their trials and inner temptations. Always at the root of parakaleo is the idea of enabling a person to meet a difficult situation with confidence and gallantry.

Peter urges believers to be dedicated to relentless, even ruthless opposition (cf Jesus' strong words on adultery - see notes Mt 5:27; 28 , 29; 30) to the power of Sin in our lives. Peter knows the pain that becoming a slave to Sin can bring and he is exhorting believers by the Spirit to put to death the deeds of the body (see note Ro 8:13 cp notes on Col 3:5, Ro 6:12;  6:13;  6:14).

Present tense salvation (sanctification) is war until the day we see Jesus face to face and the enemy does not just want to take us prisoner but to destroy us & in so doing to bring dishonor to God. Make no mistake about this truth! But take courage because of 1 Peter 1:5 (see note) and 1Jn 5:18. God is in control but He is calling believers to be holy as He is holy and exhibit Spirit borne self control (Gal 5:23). 

First, Peter calls us for discipline that is inward and private...this is where it starts. If I am to live a godly life on the outside, it doesn't start on the outside, it on the inside. I will only work out what is on the inside as Paul teaches in Philippians...

work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (See notes as Php 2:12; 13)

It follows that living as an alien in the world with an evangelistic mission attempting to silence the critics (v12,15) on the one hand and to win the unbeliever on the other hand begins with integrity of life and integrity of life begins with an "inside job".

AS ALIENS: hos paroikous: (1 Peter 1:1,17; Genesis 23:4; 47:9; Leviticus 25:23; 1 Chronicles 29:15; Psalms 39:12; 119:19,54; Hebrews 11:13) (Torrey's Topic "Pilgrims & Strangers")

Aliens (3941) (paroikos from para = beside + oikos = dwelling, home) means literally  to dwell near and thus to have a home alongside of. It refers to a person living in a foreign land alongside of people who are not of his kind or to a period spent in a foreign land  without taking out or being granted rights of citizenship. In short, paroikos refers to dwelling at a place only for a short time. The idea is that of a sojourn which describes one's stay in a foreign place as a temporary resident. Today we say something like believers are "short timers", dwelling temporarily and not being tethered to this terra firma on which we currently reside.

We as believers don't belong in the godless society we are residing in. We're outsiders and our citizenship is in heaven, Paul explaining that...

our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (see notes Philippians 3:20;  3:21)

We are aliens this should be our theme song...

This world is not my home,
I'm just a passin' through,
My treasures are laid up
somewhere beyond the blue.

Our status in this world is as those who do not belong which is why John writes...

Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

Believers have the high and holy privilege of for as Paul writes God has...

He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (see note Colossians 1:13).

It is a privilege to be redeemed (see notes 1 Peter 1:18;  1:19). It is a privilege to be made a citizen of heaven (see notes Philippians 3:20;  3:21). And here in verse 11, Peter says the responsibility and practice that comes with our privileged position is that we should shun the things of this present evil age, for as John says the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (Satan).

Look at the Psalmist's prayer

I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Thy commandments from me. (Ps 119:19) (Spurgeon's note)

We are aliens in this world but not in that to come in which we are now fellow citizens. (See notes Ephesians 2:19)

Paroikos is used to describe the patriarchs especially Abraham who went out not knowing where he was to go (see notes Hebrews 11:9, 11:13) as well as the children of Israel (Acts 7:6).

Peter's point is that as saints we are no longer

citizens of this present evil age but are destined for another world where we will live eternally as heavenly citizens, children in the family of God!

Doctrine always precedes duty and this great truth should affect how we conduct ourselves in this evil "foreign" land. Heaven is our real home and we are merely temporary dwellers on earth. Furthermore, since we do not know at what time our Lord might return, we should live in anticipation of His coming by holding lightly the things that are passing away and "clinging tightly" by faith to the future hope (certainty) of heaven. 

Numerous Scriptures allude to the fact that saints are aliens and strangers - consider taking a few moments and pondering these passages (Genesis 12:1; Acts 7:3; Luke 14:26,27,33, Lev 25:23, Hebrews 11:9,10,13 Genesis 23:4; 47:9; Lev 25:23; 1Chr 29:15, Ps 39:12; 119:19, 54)

Here are all 4 uses of paroikos in the NT...

Acts 7:6 "But God spoke to this effect, that his offspring would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

Acts 7:29 "And at this remark Moses fled, and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

Ephesians 2:19 (note) So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,

1 Peter 2:11 (note) Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

Paroikos is use 32 times in the (Gen. 15:13; 23:4; Exod. 2:22; 12:45; 18:3; Lev. 22:10; 25:6, 23, 35, 40, 45, 47; Num. 35:15; Deut. 14:21; 23:7; 2 Sam. 1:13; 1 Chr. 5:10; 29:15; Ps. 39:12; 105:12; 119:19; Jer. 14:8; 49:18; Zeph. 2:5)

Aliens and strangers describe the Christian in his position in this world because he has died to this world, Paul testifying...

may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)

The truth of our death with Christ to the power of sin, the control of Satan and the lure of this present evil age prompted Paul's great exhortation to the saints at Colossae...

If (Since) then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (See notes Colossians 3:1; 3:2; 3:3).

AND STRANGERS: kai parepidemous:

Strangers (3927) (parepidemois from para = near by and here implies a transitory sense describing one who passes near but on to something beyond + epidemos = stranger, epidemos from epi = in or among + demos = a people) literally means a stranger alongside and so a stranger or sojourner. This person is not simply one who is passing through, but a foreigner who has settled down, however briefly, next to or among the native people. What a picture of the believer in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation!

Parepidemos then means to settle down alongside of the pagans. Christians have always had to live among the pagans, among those whose habitual practices are dominated by the fallen desires of their flesh. We are living beside them, but we are not to live like them.

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From Our Daily Bread - Pilgrims...As Christians, we need to think of ourselves as travelers who are just passing through this sinful world. We are not permanent residents, but pilgrims on a journey to a better land. Therefore, we need to “travel light,” not burdening ourselves with an undue attachment to the material things of life. The more we care for the luxuries and possessions of earth, the more difficult will be our journey to heaven. The story is told about some Christians who were traveling in the Middle East. They heard about a wise, devout, beloved, old believer, so they went out of their way to visit him. When they finally found him, they discovered that he was living in a simple hut. All he had inside was a rough cot, a chair, a table, and a battered stove for heating and cooking. The visitors were shocked to see how few possessions the man had, and one of them blurted out, “Well, where is your furniture?” The aged saint replied by gently asking, "Where is yours?” The visitor, sputtering a little, responded, “Why, at home, of course. I don’t carry it with me, I’m traveling.” “So am I,” the godly Christian replied. “So am I.” This man was practicing a basic principle of the Bible: Christians must center their affections on Christ, not on the temporal things of this earth. Material riches lose their value when compared to the riches of glory. To keep this world’s goods from becoming more important to us than obeying Christ, we need to ask ourselves, “Where is our furniture?” -D. C. Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

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TO ABSTAIN: apechesthai (PMN): (1 Peter 4:2; Lu 21:34; Acts 15:20,29; Ro 8:13; 13:13,14; 2Cor 7:1; Gal 5:16-21; 2Ti 2:22; 1Jn 2:15-17) 

I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you.  (CEV)

be constantly holding yourselves back from the passionate cravings which are fleshly by nature [fleshly in that they come from the totally depraved nature] (Wuest)

Abstain (568) (apechomai or apecho from apó = away from - the idea of putting some distance between, marker of dissociation, implying a rupture from a former association + écho = have) means to be away or be at a distance.

Peter calls for the believer to hold himself away from contact or influence of the strong desires that originate from our utterly depraved nature inherited from Adam and still latent even in those who have been born again.

The present tense is used here and calls for one to continually hold themselves (middle voice) away from "the reefs" of destructive lusts, no matter how hard the wind blows nor how high the waves rise...be like a ship holding off from the shore so as not to suffer shipwreck of your faith. We have an anchor of our soul (see note Hebrews 6:19) both sure and steadfast...this hope will like an anchor help motivate us to live separated lives waiting anxiously for the appearing of the Captain of our souls Who will guide us safely home to heaven's shore. This is shouting ground and reason enough to keep on holding one's self from the powerful desires latent in this old hibernating Adamic bear (see notes Romans 7:18, 7:21).

Paul explains to the saints at Thessalonica that...

this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain (apechomai/apecho - present tense = continually, as your habitual practice) from sexual immorality (see note 1Thessalonians 4:3)

Paul later uses apecho commanding the Thessalonian saints to...

Abstain (present imperative -  Continually hold themselves away from) from every form (even the appearance of)  of evil (that which is actively harmful (poneros). (see note 1Thessalonians 5:22)

Remember evil surrounds us at every turn but God never commands believers to do that which He does not enable us to do.

Peter says in essence don't play with the strong desires of the flesh. They are like a German shepherd that everyone thought was the family pet until they gruesomely mauled the family's young child. Don't play with the strong inordinate desires of the fallen flesh that still smolder like embers waiting to be fanned into roaring flames!

Even King Solomon when he let his guard down and compromised his values, experienced what he so wisely warned against...

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? (Pr 6:27)

Be disciplined in an inward and private way if you expect to have an outward and public impact on the world in which you must live. To do that, Peter gives a "simple" instruction - Abstain from fleshly lusts - that sums it up. And it means exactly what it says -- stay away from, keep your distance from fleshly lusts, the desires of your fallen nature

Webster's definition of abstain is to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice. This is not a bad definition except that ''self-denial'' is the world's way. Believers possess the indwelling Spirit of holiness, Who can bear holy fruit which includes the fruit of the Spirit, self-control (Galatians 5:22, cp see note Romans 8:13). Nevertheless, we still have the responsibility to make decisions and take actions that cultivate and fertilize the growth of the wonderful fruit one branch of which is self-control (see note 2 Peter 1:6).

There is a very instructive use of apecho in the first verse of Job in the Greek translation (Septuagint - LXX) where we read that...

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away (eschewed - KJV) (Hebrew = sur = turned aside, departed from; Lxx = apecho in the present tense = continually, as his habitual practice) from evil. (Job 1:1) (Comment: Job was not perfect nor sinless, but his usual practice when confronted by temptation to think or do evil was to turn away from it. And prior to Pentecost believers did not routinely have the indwelling Holy Spirit! So when we fail to turn away from fleshly lusts what's our excuse as NT believers who possess the Spirit?)

Read Job 1:1 again. What was Job turning from? Why did he turn? What motivated him? Ponder these thoughts and remember what God's assessment of Job was in Job 1:8...

And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.

Good men avoid sin from the love of virtue. Paul who was certainly a God fearing man wrote...

Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.  (2Cor 5:9)

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. (Gal 1:10)

Wicked men avoid sin from a fear of punishment. Why do you avoid sin?

Called from above, and heavenly men by birth
(Who once were but the citizens of earth),
As pilgrims here, we seek a heav’nly home,
Our portion in the ages yet to come.
We are but strangers here, we do not crave
A home on earth, which gave Thee but a grave:
Thy cross has severed ties which bound us here,
Thyself our treasure in a brighter sphere.
                                                —James G. Deck

Other NT passages convey a similar theme regarding the call to believer to live a life separated from the corruption of this present evil age...

Earlier Peter had charged these born again ones...

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth (See notes 1 Peter 1:14; 15; 16; 17 )

Peter later instructed them...

to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. (see note 1 Peter 4:2)

Jesus warned His disciples to...

Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. (Lu 21:33-34)

The Jerusalem council wrote that the believing Gentiles were to

abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood....if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell. (Acts 15:20,29)

Paul said not only are believers to abstain from evil we are to...

by the Spirit (be) putting to death the deeds of the body (see note Romans 8:13)

Paul reminded the saints at Rome "what time it was" writing that...

The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (see notes Romans 13:12, 13; 14)

Writing to the saints in Corinth surrounded by a veritable "cesspool of moral pollution", Paul encouraged them...

Therefore, having these promises (God's promises to dwell in us, walk among us, be our God, we His people, recipients of His welcome, experiencing Him as our Father and we as His children), beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2Cor 7:1)

In Paul's closing words to his young disciple Timothy he commanded him...

Now flee (present imperative -  Continually, as your habitual practice) from youthful lusts, and pursue (present imperative -  Continually, as your habitual practice) righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (see note 2 Timothy 2:22)

FROM FLESHLY LUSTS: ton sarkikon epithumion aitines:  (Torrey's Topic "Self denial")   (Romans 8:13; Gal 5:17)

Fleshly (4559) (Sarkikos from sarx = flesh)  refers to that which pertains to the flesh, in context the depraved nature inherited from Adam. It means having the nature of flesh, i.e., sensual, controlled by animal appetites (inherited from Adam), instead of by the Spirit of God.

Selwyn says in context sarkikos refers to

the impulses belonging to the selfish and lower side of human nature.

Lusts (1939) (epithumia from epi = at, toward {the preposition "epi-" in the compound is directive conveying the picture of "having one’s passion toward"} + thumos = passion. Root verb epithumeo = set heart upon)  is a neutral term denoting the presence of strong desires or impulses, longings or passionate craving (whether it is good or evil is determined by the context) directed toward an object. (Click article in ISBE)