1 Peter Chapter 3       (ESV)

 

Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.¹⁰ For

“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
¹¹ let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ 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, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

 

Reflection

1. Peter reminds us that God’s eyes are on the righteous, so that in the normal course of affairs, good things do happen to good people. But there are situations when you do good, and suffer for it. When this happens to you, “you are blessed”. Peter than told us how to react in such situations. Don’t fear or be frightened; remember that Jesus is Lord and sovereign over all circumstances; be prepared to explain your hope to anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are; keep a clear conscience; remember that if God chooses to let you suffer, it’s much better to suffer for something you didn’t do than for committing some sin! (vv14-17)
2. Jesus Christ suffered innocently and yet all this happened according to God’s will. God wonderfully and graciously turned injustice into a means of grace and blessing for all mankind. So, when bad things happened to God’s people, we can be sure that He is personally involved and out of the evil God will bring out some very real good.
3. Our world is often unjust. Bring to mind some of your past or current sufferings. In the context of these sufferings, how can the suffering and consequences of Christ in this passage bring you hope? Thank God for the hope we have been given in Christ.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.