Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Peter 2:15

"For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:" — 1 Peter 2:15 (ASV)

For so is the will of God. That is, it is in accordance with the Divine will that in this way you should put them to silence.

That with well doing. By a life of uprightness and benevolence. You may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. (See the notes on Titus 2:8).

The reference here is to men who brought charges against Christians, accusing them of being hostile to the government, insubordinate, or guilty of crimes. Such charges, it is well known, were often brought against them by their enemies in the early ages of Christianity.

Peter says they were brought by foolish men, perhaps using the word foolish in the sense of evil-disposed or wicked, as it is often used in the Bible. Yet, even if there was malice at the bottom, the charges were really based on ignorance.

These accusers were not thoroughly acquainted with the principles of the Christian religion. The way to meet those charges was to act in every way as good citizens should, and so as "to live them down." One of the best ways of meeting the accusations of our enemies is to lead a life of strict integrity. It is not easy for the wicked to reply to this argument.