Suffering for Good
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Introduction
Introduction
I would like to spend some time reviewing v.10-12
In v.10-12 Peter cites
The wording is clearly dependent upon the LXX with the main difference being that Peter altered the text from the second person singular to the third person singular.
It is also important to remember that focuses on suffering and the Lord’s deliverance of those who are afflicted.
Peter had already alluded to the Psalm in 2:3 and now he returns to it again.
Peter doesn’t just arbitrarily select this psalm because this psalm deals with the issued being faced by Peter’s readers.
reminders it’s readers that the Lord rescues his own when they suffer and that He will judge the wicked.
In psalm 34 there is an exhortation for the Lord’s people to display their trust in him by renouncing evil and pursuing what is good.
It is easy to see that themes that are central for Peter are central for the Psalm as well
the suffering of God’s people
their ultimate deliverence
the judgement of the wicked
a godly life is evidence of hoping in God
If we are going to rightly understand the text before us in 1 Peter we must understand the first word in v.10, the word “for”
Schreiner summarizes the logic of the text in this way
“you were called to bless so that you will inherit the blessing of eternal life. (v.9)
For anyone who wishes to experience the life of the age to come must shun evil speech and do good to all in order to receive that blessing (v.10-11). For the Lord’s favor is on the righteous, but he will judge the wicked (v.12)”
Clearly for Peter the words life and good days is a reference mainly to the eschaton, to the end time salvation that is to come.
Peter is referring to the inheritance that he spoke of in chapter 1
Peter is not promising good days in this world, instead he says that persecution and troubles are to be expected
ESV
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
ESV
Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
ESV
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
But brothers and sisters, those of us who have the hope of an inheritance to come, how are we to speak?
We are to keep our tongues from evil
What is evil speech?
gossip, slander, lies, deceit
Brothers and sisters
ESV
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
ESV
Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
ESV
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
ESV
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
v.11
Here we see the Christian life is not one of passivity. He does not just call us to turn away from evil, but to also do good.
Brothers and sisters God’s grace in our life can never be used as an excuse for us not to do good, it should prod us along to doing good.
God’s grace does not excuse us from action, instead it calls us to action.
Brothers and sisters we must make a conscious effort to turn from evil and to pursue good.
We must devote ourselves to the good
Part of what this good looks like is seeking and pursuing peace.
Brothers and sisters peace is something that must be pursued it does not naturally happen in a group of sinners, it must be worked at
What are other moral qualities that are good?
Turn from this
Turn to that
v.12
Again Peter explains why good behavior is an imperative.
Again, righteous living is evidence of the Lord’s gracious work within the heart
It is evidence that the law has been written on the heart
ESV
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
That the Spirit has been put within them.
ESV
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Righteous living gives evidence that the Lord’s favor is on you, that He is watching over you and working all things together for your eternal good and that He hears your prayers.
Listen to me brother and sister in Christ, even in the midst of suffering when you think the Lord has forgotten you, His eyes are on you and He hears your prayers.
You say, well pastor when I read things like this I wander if I am the Lord’s because I look at my life and I know that I am not as righteous as I want to be, I know that i say things at times that wish i could take back
Let me say to you, do you hate your sin? Do you wish that you could rip it out of your chest and throw it as far as the east from the west? Do you long to be perfectly righteous and to live in a way that honors your King? Do you look at your life and say I am not what want to be but can you also say that I am not what I use to be?
If so brother and sister in Christ rest in Christ. Peter is not talking about perfectionism here.
He is talking about a transformed community, yes
but not a perfect community, notice 4:8
Peter really ends this section promising that the Lord’s favor is on the righteous, but that He will punish the evildoers.
Peter
In v.13 he draws an inference from v.12:
No one can ultimately harm those who are zealous in doing good.
You see the promise of a heavenly inheritance guarantees that the distresses of this life do not constitute the last word.
In v.14 we see this restated, believers may be distressed by persecution now, but in actuality they are blessed by God Himself and will enjoy the eternal inheritance that is theirs in Christ Jesus our Lord therefore we are not to fear, we are not to be troubled because we know that we have an inheritance in Christ.
Instead of living in fear we ought to be ready to share the hope that we have in Christ knowing that if someone persecutes us for this hope there is coming a day when they will be put to shame and that we will be rewarded,
for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
Let’s walk through this section a verse at a time.
I. Ultimate harm will not come your way. v.13
In the previous verse he talked about the final judgment , the righteous being rewarded and the wicked being judged.
A rhetorical question is used to move us along in Peter’s thought.
Who would inflict harm upon believers if they do good?
I read two different points of view when it comes to this passage because I disagreed with one brother that I normally agree with and feel like he is right on.
I believe there are two layers here as we think through v.13.
We can often avoid trouble and live in peace by controlling the tongue, telling the truth, and doing good to others. If a man lives with zeal and devotion for all that is beautiful, just, and good how many enemies can he have?
We do see this optimism in the Scriptures that doing what is right will be rewarded.
When a man’s ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
Yet at the same time this is not always the case.
Who is the perfect example that this is not always the case?
Jesus
Ultimately we know that there is another layer to this truth:
For God’s people though there may be harm in this life, there will be none in the life to come.
The point is that ultimately, on judgement day, no one will harm believers for God will reward them for their faithfulness.
I don’t think he is saying that it is guaranteed that believers will escape rejection, persecution, and harm in this age if they do good.
Suffering often stalks the believer until this present evil age comes to an end, what Peter is saying is that if they continue to walk in God’s paths the pain inflicted on them now is only temporary and that they will be vindicated by God on the last day.
The thought seems to be the same to me as Paul’s in
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8.3
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
II. How to respond to temporal trouble v.14-16
It is clear here in v.14 that one may do good, one may speak truth and honor those who deserve honor, and do all the right things and still suffer.
But notice what the text says, that you will be blessed.
This is the Greek word makarioi
This is the word used by Jesus in speaking the Beatitudes
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Same word used in the LXX
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1.
Know that no matter what may come, no matter how much you may suffer for doing what is right no one or nothing can take away God’s blessing from you.
That you are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Suffering, heartache, difficulty, persecution cannot take that away from you.
In light of this truth we are exhortated in 3 ways in the following verses.
Have no fear
Don’t be troubled
Honor Christ the Lord as holy always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you
Peter is preparing the church for persecution here. He says if you live well then life may go well but also in this fallen age that we live persecution is quite possible.
If there is persecution, if there is difficulty then understand that though it may not appear true, the truth is that you are blessed in Christ and
Do not fear persecutors.
Peter is saying, understand this, that even if there is persecution God is still in control.
God rules and He reigns, God is still in control
Brothers and sisters this command to have no fear is a good reminder to us to rest in the control of our God
We are not to fear man but fear God
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matth
2. Second do not be troubled
We are not to be unsettled, or disturbed
This is the same word Jesus used in
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
John 14
Again we are to have confidence not only in the Lord’s sovereignty but also in His care for His people.
The Lord cares for us if we are in Christ and at times when we are going through persecution or maybe even when are being hit again and again by the troubles of life and we wander what is going on and why we are suffering the way that we are the Lord calls us to remember that even in the midst of difficulty we are blessed in Christ and we will be blessed with an eternal inheritance.
Here in this verse and in the next Peter alludes to .
Apparently this Isaiah text is significant to Peter in that he already alluded to 8:14 in .
is important. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was threatened by the Northing Kingdoms of Israel and Aram. These two conutries were threatening to remove Ahaz as king of Judah and to install a certain Tabeel as king in his stead. This felled Ahaz and Judah with terror (7:2) but Isaiah promised that the Lord would preserve Judah, that Israel and Aram would bevanquished by Syria, and that the Lord would provide a sign to demonstrate the faithfulness of his word. Judah and Ahaz were to respond by trusting the word of the Lord.
Those who trust Him will find Him to be a sanctuary, but those who fail to trust will stumble, fall, and be broken.
Peter appropriately appied the prophecy to his situation.
Just as Judah had enemies in the day of Ahaz so also his readers had enemies in their day.
Just has Judah was tempted to give in to fear and not trust God’s promises so also Peter’s readers were tempted to give in to fear and not trust God’s promises.
Notice what Isaiah says
8:13
Yahweh of hosts
Peter: honor Christ the Lord as holy (this speaks to the Deity of Christ)
3. Honor Christ the Lord as holy
What does it mean to honor Christ the Lord as holy?
Isaiah helps us, let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread.
In other words,
Do not fear others, fear the Lord
Do not be troubled by others or by difficulties but be troubled by disobedience to the Lord.
Disobeying, dishonoring the Lord should trouble us more than anything else.
When we live in this way it will not make sense to the world and therefore Peter tells us that we need to be ready to make a defense for the hope that we have in Christ.
III. That which is eternally better v.17
Peter concludes
III. That which is eternally better v.17
It is better to live a godly life and suffer for it then to live a worldly life and not suffer.
How is it that Peter can say this?
It is better to lose all that this world has to offer and to gain eternal life in Christ.
If I could summarize these verses it would be this:
Living a godly life may have benefits in this age (being at peace with others) but even if it doesn’t, even if you suffer greatly for living a godly life, fear the Lord, live in a way that honors Him knowing that ultimately the Lord will honor the righteous and that He will condemn the evil.