1 Peter 3:13-17
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[Intro]
Today we are going to be continuing in 1 Peter and looking at chapter 3 verses 13-17. There’s probably a couple different titles you might see given to this section of scripture, such as “Keeping a Clear Conscience” or “Suffering for Doing Good.” That’s the general message of this passage.
[Prayer]
[Body]
So let’s dive in:
Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
This has a similar tone to what we discussed a few weeks ago where it was focused on our response to evildoers against us. In verses 8-12 we talked about how we are to bless those who do wrong against us. Here Peter is a little more specific on our suffering. It’s persecution for being a follower of God and obeying his commands. Persecution shows up in many different situations. And it can feel like an attack on you specifically or an attack on the entire Church body. All the times for someone to do evil against you, how could they do it when you’re actually doing something good? And Peter acknowledges that in verse 13, “Who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?” But even so, we and everyone else that is a believer knows there will be persecution against those who are for Christ.
John 15:18-21, Jesus is talking to his disciples here.
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.
There will always be opposition to followers of God. We are in the battle but we already know who wins the war. Whether we commit and stay strong in the Lord or not will not sway the outcome of the war, but it will sway the direction of our lives as we live in the battle of the war. We have to be strong.
And when we stay strong for Christ when we’re treated wrongly for doing good, we’ll be rewarded.
1 Peter 3:14 again
But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.
Eyes on the prize. Eyes on the one who has already won the war.
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Peace is in Christ, regardless of how we are treated by the world. Don’t be afraid of the world’s threats.
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
In the good, the bad, and the ugly situations of life we praise God. When the disciples were persecuted for their faith, they praised God. Beaten or thrown in prison, didn’t matter, praise God for being able to join in the suffering.
Verses 13-15 here sound very similar to the start of Jesus’s sermon on the mount.
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
You commit your life to God, he’ll do great works through you, you will be persecuted at some point, and when you do you be happy about it for a great reward awaits you in heaven. Our hope is in God, and we must stay close to Him and he will sustain us through the persecution. And then you’ll probably raise some eyebrows, because who wouldn’t be confused about someone praising God through persecution. I think that’s why Peter writes at the end of verse 15: “And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”
And continuing on into verse 16
But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
I don’t know about you, but for me sometimes there are nervous thoughts that come to mind when I hear that verse. Because I suddenly start thinking, how would I start to explain it? What verses would I use? What if they ask a question that I don’t know the answer to? That’s completely the wrong way to think about it. God is not dependent on your intellect to proclaim the Good News. If He was, all of scripture would have been filled with very different people. All you have to do is tell that person about the cross, about the Gospel. That is where salvation is found, our hope is in the salvation that is found through our faith in Jesus Christ. There doesn’t have to be anything complicated. We could study the Bible our entire lives and never fully grasp and understand everything in it. We’re not called to have to pour out all the most complicated parts of scripture to convert someone to Christianity. God made the part of receiving salvation simple and free. And he does all the work when it comes to changing a heart.
Any thoughts about your testimony not being good enough, your knowledge not being good enough, is a lie from Satan. All of our testimonies are unique, but from all the testimonies from every person that has ever been saved, they all have one thing in common, and it’s the most important part of them all, that Christ came into their life. And if someone asks you about your faith, that’s called a divine intervention. It’s a meeting that God setup. God chose you to proclaim the Good News to that person.
And Satan has been trying to convince mankind that they’re not good enough since the beginning. Think of Moses and the powerful role he played in history for God. When he was approached by God in the burning bush and told to go to Egypt and free the Israelites, he didn’t want to go. He said “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Moses was talking to God, was shown miracles by God, turning his staff to a snake and back to a staff, gave him leprosy and healed him instantly, but Moses’ answer was “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” He was afraid because he couldn’t speak well. Eventually God said fine I’ll send your brother Aaron with you as well.
Don’t be afraid to share the Good News when God has put you in the place to do so. Trust that the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say.
And when you do that you’ll be following through with verse 16 as well where it says to do it in a “gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear.”
Keeping your conscience clear here means don’t sin. You may think how can you sin if I’m sharing the Good News, well if you let your pride or emotions get in the way where you think you’ve earned it, or that the other person deserves hell more than you do your heart will be in the wrong place. Or perhaps that is the very person that has been persecuting you in some way, you can really start to respond in a way that holds a lot of resentment and anger against that person. We must respond in a way that glorifies God. Stay humble.
Now the last part of verse 16: “Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” There is debate among scholars on whether these unbelievers are ashamed in the present time or in the end times when Christ comes back to judge the world. There’s definitely arguments for both. When you live in a Godly way consistently, it’ll definitely make people start to question the way they’ve treated you if they’ve done wrong to you. And on the flip side, scholars have noted that multiple times throughout Peter he focuses on eschatology. Which just means he’s talking about the end times. Partially because the Greek word for “ashamed” here is used many times in the Bible when referring to the end times and also because of the parallel we find a chapter back in 1 Peter 2:12
Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
You can see many of the same points made here, live in a way that honors God, receive persecution from non-believers, continue to live righteously and people will acknowledge it. Whether Peter is referring to the end times or the present time in 3:16, both interpretations are true, but we pray that unbelievers will recognize God right now in the present time.
Continuing on to the last verse 1 Peter 3:17
Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
This is another verse that undergoes much debate. And again both interpretations hold truth. One refers to the end times one refers to the present time. I believe it aligns more with the present time. Now this is an obvious statement, suffering for doing wrong deserves no reward. Peter mentions the necessity of our good conduct in 1 Peter 2:20-21 as well.
Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
Persecution is an easy thing to call out as a Christian when things aren’t going our way. Make sure your actions are grounded in truth and not your emotions. Otherwise Satan could have you believing a lie and cause you to be trapped in a downward spiral, believing you’re doing good when in fact you’re not. Another point made here that aligns with the book of Job is that God allows suffering to happen. The other trick that Satan could have you believe, is that you’re not doing what’s right and you’re being persecuted because of disobedience. Persecution can be used to twist our minds from both ends of the spectrum. That’s where the importance of daily communion with God comes in. Stay close and remain in His word. Jesus said “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.”