Suffer For Righteousness' Sake

[Read 1 Peter 3:8-17]

Growing up on a farm, you learn how to get things done with the equipment that you have. That’s been a skill that has stuck with me throughout life.

I remember showing up to a dock job and realizing we didn’t have the proper tools. We didn’t know this dock has screw-in-posts, so we didn’t bring the big pipe wrench with. When one of my employees realized we didn’t have the right tools with, he said, “Well, I guess we’ll have to go home.” I looked at him like he was crazy. We just drove an hour up to get this job done and we weren’t going to leave without finishing it. So, we dug through our tools, found some old ratchet straps and a tire iron, wrapped the straps around the pipe, placed the tire iron through the straps, twisted the iron until the straps were tight, and screwed the posts into the ground. It worked. BUT—and this is the important part of this story—we made sure that we brought the pipe wrenches along the next time we did this job. 

When caught in a bind, you can get a job done by using something for a different purpose than it was created. However, you would be foolish to keep using the tool that way. Things always go smoothly when you have the right tools for the job and are using the tools according to their purpose—when tools are being used the way they were created to be used. That’s ALWAYS the best way. 

It’s the same thing with humans. We were created by God for a purpose. We talked about that last time I preached. We were created by God to glorify God. We were also created to function and live in particular ways. When we live according to the ways that God has created us to live, things go much more smoothly. When we don’t live according to the ways God has created us to live, things may work for a while, but they will not go smoothly. This is what the book of Proverbs is all about. It’s also what this passage is about. In verse 10 Peter quotes from Psalm 34, but this Psalm is actually more like a Proverb. 

It begins by saying, “Whoever would love life and see good days…” (1 Peter 3:10). That’s talking about The Good Life. Biblically speaking, The Good Life is the life that God has designed us to live. When we live according to God’s rules and standards (including living by faith) we are living The Good Life. When we decide to live according to our own rules and standards, we are not living the way we were created to live and are not living The Good Life. 

So, the Psalmist lays out The Good Life—the way God has created us to live. He says, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:10–12, NIV). So, the picture of The Good Life consists of someone who keeps their lips from evil, who doesn’t lie to deceive others, who turns from evil and does good (who follows God), who seeks peace and pursues it. That’s The Good Life because that’s the way God has created us to live. 

Now, take a moment to think about this in light of our current cultural climate. How are we doing at living The Good Life? How are we doing at keeping our tongues from evil—or our Social Media posts from evil? How are we doing at not deceiving one another? How are we doing at no lying to one another? How are we doing at seeking peace and pursuing it? Not so good, are we?

Then, understand that this is connected with what is said in verses 8 and 9. These verses are also connected with The Good Life created by God. So, how are we doing at having unity of mind? How are we doing at having sympathy? How are we doing at having brotherly love? How are we doing at having a tender heart? How are we doing at having a humble mind? How are we doing at NOT repaying evil for evil or insult with insults? Not well at all! It’s no wonder things are a mess. The Psalmist says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous [those who live the way He has created us to live] and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”” (1 Peter 3:12, NIV). 

I’m not just talking about everyone “out there,” but I’m talking about the church too. It has become really easy for us to turn the blame on everyone “out there” and never look at our own hearts. We can post crazy stuff all across social media, calling for reform and justice and mercy, but never look at our own heart. We can even begin to think that we are making a difference by posting memes on Facebook, while we’re not actually changing our own hearts and living in our own communities. We will not make a difference by posting memes on Facebook. We will make a difference by living out and speaking out about The Good Life God has created us to live IN OUR COMMUNITIES—not somewhere else, but right here in the place God has put you. So, don’t allow yourself to listen to this long list of conviction and only see other people’s faces. These things are deep in each one of our hearts and we need to repent of them and seek forgiveness. Repenting and seeking forgiveness means turning from a life we were not created to live to the life God has created us to live—the truly Good Life. 

I think at the root of these poor responses is fear. Why do we lie about something? We are afraid of what the truth may reveal. Why do we repay evil for evil or insult for insult? We are afraid that justice will not come, so we take it into our own hands. It also seems like much of the division and divisiveness, stems from a fear of what other people might think. We won’t allow ourselves to be compassionate because we fear looking weak. We won’t talk about certain truths because we’re afraid of being misunderstood. Fear causes us to live in ways that God has not created us to live. 

That’s why Peter gives us a principle to live by: “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.” (1 Peter 3:14–15, NIV). Another way to way to phrase this passage is: to rightly live in this world, we must fear God more than we fear man—or anything else. That’s what he is saying when he tells us to “revere Christ.” We must lift him above all our fears and seek him above all else. When our fear of other people—or other things—becomes greater than our fear of God, we are not living the way God has created us to live. Yet, when we fear God—in the proper way—above all things, we are not longer ruled by our fear of other people, or the future, or opinions, or… Then, we are freed to live the life God has called us to live. 

That life is described in this passage. It begins by talking about how we are live in relation to our fellow Christians. That’s why Peter uses the term “one another” and “brothers,” because he’s talking about Christians. 

Here’s how he says Christians have been created to live with one another: “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8–9, NIV). At the center of this list is “brotherly love.” Everything could be summed up in that word. As we interact with one another in this church, we are called to interact with one another with compassion, sympathy, and humility. We need to care deeply for one another and weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We are not to exalt ourselves over one another, but humble ourselves and take the form of a servant. We are called to be like-minded—a similar vision of the Christian life and calling. Again, this is the way God created us to live. 

God also created us to respond to criticism differently than the world responds. When someone insults us, our sinful instinct is to fire and insult back. When someone hits us, our sinful instinct is to hit them back. Yet, this is not how we were created to live. Peter says we are created to bless those who insult us. We are created to bless those who do evil to us. To “bless” someone means to do something good for them—something that actually benefits them. This is very different from the world around us. Yet, this is the way God has created us to live. 

That’s one of the ways we are motivated to live this way—we know we were created to live this way. Yet, Peter gives us a couple other reminders because he recognizes it’s hard for us to bless those who curse us—even if they are a Christian. 

He already mentioned that we will live this way when we fear God over man. We can bless those who curse us because we trust that God will make things right in the end—vengeance is his. We don’t have to take things into our own hands. We can trust God to make things right.

He also reminds us how God treated us. What did God do for us while we were cursing Him, insulting Him, and doing evil against Him? He blessed us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were spitting in His face, he blessed us by dying for the forgiveness of our sins and empowering us to live the life He has created us to live—a life lived by faith in Christ. When we recognize that God blessed us while we were cursing Him, it should free us to bless those who are cursing us. 

Peter also gives us guidance on how God has created us to live with those who are not followers of Christ. The first thing he reminds us is how we are supposed to live. He says, “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:13–15, NIV). He tells us that we are called to live The Good Life of Faith out in front of those who have rejected God. For the most part, they will recognize that this is the way we are created to live and will be drawn to it: “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?”

Yet, as many of us know, not everyone appreciates the Christian life. Some will respond in mocking and violence as we live the life God has created us to live. Peter reminds us that it is still good to live the Christian life—even when we suffer for it. Even suffering in the midst of following Christ is considered The Good Life. He says, “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.” (1 Peter 3:14, NIV). 

Peter also tells us that we should not be silent as we live out our faith in front of those who do not believe. He says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience…” (1 Peter 3:15–16, NIV). As we follow Christ—and live the life God has created us to live—we have to be ready to explain it to the world around us. Sometimes people will come to us genuinely wanting to know why our lives are different, drawn to the way we live. Those are the easy times to explain ourselves. 

But that’s not the context in which Peter is writing. He’s writing this to a group of believers who are fearful of the world around them because of persecution and suffering. He’s reminding them that they still need to respond to those around them. They still need to speak up and answer the mocking and the scorn. They need to give a defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As people people spit on them, mock them, disregard them, they need to courageously and boldly keep pointing them to Christ—their hope. We need to do the same. 

Yet, we’re called to give this answer like a Christian. It will do us no good to stop living the way God has created us to live—to begin returning evil for evil and insult for insult. So Peter says we must boldly and courageously give an answer, “But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Peter 3:15–16, NIV). Our responses need to be a mixture of courage, boldness, gentleness, and respect. Our response should invoke shame in those who are slandering us and accusing us and mocking us. 

It’s important to notice in all of this that The Good Life is not a life that is devoid of suffering. The world may say that The Good Life is devoid of suffering, but that’s not a biblical principle. That’s why Paul ends this passage saying, “For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:17, NIV). The Good Life is living the life God has created you to live even in the midst of suffering. Even if living this life brings suffering upon you, it’s still The Good Life God has created us to live. It’s a better life than a life rejecting the God who saved us. 

At it’s core, The Good Life is the life of faith and trust in Jesus Christ. You cannot live The Good Life apart from Him. You cannot find forgiveness apart from Christ. You cannot be empowered to live the life He’s called you to live apart from Christ. The Good Life requires faith and trust in Christ in the midst of suffering. The Good Life requires faith and trust in Christ to bring about justice and peace. The Good Life requires faith and trust in Christ to give you the words to tell others about the hope you have in Him, as they mock and persecute you. The Good Life requires faith and trust in Christ as we preach the Gospel, trusting Him to draw people to himself and build His Kingdom here on earth. The Good Life is the life of faith in Christ lived out for the world to see.