1 Peter 3:13- 17… 13) Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14) But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15) 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, 16) keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17) For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (NIV)
Looking ahead to the persecutions the Apostil Peter’s readers would face, he warned them not to be surprised or think it strange that such things should happen to them. Indeed, suffering for Christ’s sake causes rejoicing, because it identifies the believer more deeply with the Lord. Furthermore, those who suffer with Christ will also share in his glory. Peter offered this truth as the basis for future hope and as a ground for meeting present suffering with an attitude of rejoicing. And so, he begins by reminding his readers, meaning those of us here, of the blessings and the privilege of suffering because of the name of Christ. You see, we can be assured that God will stand with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and he will grant us the grace to endure.
While the Apostil Peter commended suffering for Christ’s sake, he, however; affirms that sin was not an acceptable reason for suffering. In other words, if we sin, and we must suffer because of it… It does not bring Christ any praise, it is a cause for dishonour, when we are suffering for being a Christian, we do not have to endure shame. On the contrary, Peter exhorts us to praise God that we bear the name Christian because it identifies us with Christ and as recipients of salvation.
“Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” Peter now begins by insisting on an enthusiastic love of goodness. A person may have more than one approach to what is meant by goodness. It may be a burden to endure or something which we vaguely desire, but the price of which we are not willing to pay in terms of effort. But the meaning we have here refers to those who have an enthusiastic desire to do good. Wrong fascinations get a back seat when we fall in love with decency and honesty.
The Apostil Peter goes on to speak about the Christian attitude to suffering. He says, “There is the suffering in which we are involved because of our humanity.” Because we are human, there comes physical sufferings, death, sorrow, distress of mind and weariness and pain of body. But there is also the suffering in which we may be involved because of our Christian faith. There may be unpopularity, persecution, sacrifice for principle and the deliberate choosing to remain true to our Christian calling, the necessary discipline and toil of the Christian life. Christian living creates a certain sacredness which courses thru our whole being.
It should be reasonable… that means it should be a reasonable and intelligent statement of our position. To do so, however; we must know what we believe; we must have thought it out; we must be able to state it sensibly and that those who listen might be able to understand our position. Our faith should be first-hand discovery and not a second-hand story. It is one of the tragedies of the modern times that there are many Church people, if they were asked what they believe, could not tell, and in whom they believe, would not be able to tell, and if asked why they believed it, would be equally helpless. The Christian must go through the mental and spiritual toil of thinking out their faith, so that we can tell what we believe and why.
Should we feel perplexed or dumbfounded when we go through intense trials, it is not strange or unusual, but it will happen. But we are to be full of joy when it does because these trials will make us partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterwards we will have the privilege being part of Christ’s display of His glory when He returns. So be happy, if you are cursed and insulted for being a Christian, for when that happens the Spirit of God will come upon us with great glory… To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done…
Would you say this prayer with me…? “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have peace in my heart. I really want that peace, joy, and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen
