1 Peter 3:13-22 Prepared to Answer
Doing good means always being prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you why…why you have hope which fosters ‘good’ and to do so with gentleness, respect and a clear conscience. That includes your enemies and your persecutors.
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word. We now have a cancel culture where people are much quicker to write someone off for something they said even long ago with no second chance. In fact:
- We are much more polarized than in the past.
- So much has been politicized too. Your views on ethnicity, immigration, borders, guns, marijuana, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, even law enforcement in terms of the police and prosecutors move people to make assumptions about you and put you into stereo-typed groups so that they can label you for or against them. Tribes are becoming our new identities.
- As a result, people are quicker to condemn, criticize and cancel you. We are often guilty by perceived association, whether it’s true or not.
- But the biggest one we’re going to be dealing with in the months ahead is where you are I terms of faith. Like it or not, if you are a Christian who is committed to the Bible in that you believe it and live it and share it, you will be stereo-typed and labeled horrible things. Things that aren’t even true about you. And gradually, as it becomes more socially acceptable, you will be openly persecuted.
1 Peter 3:15 “…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”
- Grammatical Usage: “honor” or in the Greek, “hagiazó” meaning, “sanctify; set apart; consecrate”; “prepared” or “hetoimos” meaning, “ready”; “defense” or “apologia” meaning, “thought-out response”; “hope” or “elpis” meaning, “expectation, trust, confidence.”
- Literal Interpretation: “But set apart and consecrate the Messiah alone as Lord in your hearts, ready at all times with a well thought out response consistent with one’s “set-apart” conduct to everyone who asks you the rationale for the expectation, trust, confidence you possess. And do so with gentleness and respect.”
- Overcoming injustice in the coming days
- A Compassionate Conduct – 1 Peter 3:8-12: three practical exhortations:
- 10: Keep from speaking evil. This includes what you say to someone AND what you type/write to someone via text, email or social media.
- 11a: Turn from evil and do good. “Turn the other cheek” -Jesus (Mt. 5:39)
- 11b: Seek and pursue peace with God and man. Respond to insult with blessing.
- A Clear Conscience – 1 Peter 3:13-22
- Persecution occurred, however, in spite of the believers’ desires to live peacefully and their eagerness to do good. Peter encouraged his readers with the fact that the right response to undeserved suffering results in blessing. He presented the conviction in 13–17 and provided examples in vv. 18–22.
- 13-14: Who is going to hurt you? Blessed here means “highly favored” as opposed to delighted.
- 14: Fear God over men. Isaiah 8:12: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread”
- 15: Overcoming fear requires us exalting Christ as Lord
- Preparing for the Best (1 Peter 3:8-17)
Peter is preparing believers for the fiery trials of persecution that were coming. But preparing for the best, not the worst. Hope-filled words!
- 15: There’s the posture of prepared. Give your reason in a way that honors Christ.
- 16: There’s the work of prepared. How you live matters!
- 17: There’s the willingness of the prepared. It may be God’s will for you to suffer for doing good.
- Illustrations on the above convictions (1 Peter 3:18-22)
Jesus is our supreme example. He suffered greatly for doing nothing but good. In vv. 18–22 Peter illustrated the convictions given in vv. 13–17. Once again Christ provided the perfect example:
- 14: He suffered for doing what was right.
- His sinless life provoked the unjust hostilities of evil men.
- However, He did not fear men but trusted Himself to God.
- Christ clearly stated His purpose and committed Himself to a course of action. He died in mankind’s place, keeping His conscience clear (cf. 1 Peter 2:23: “reviled, but did not revile; suffered, but did not threaten).
- As a result, He received tremendous blessing and reward in His own resurrection and exultation.
- 18: Maybe the greatest summary of the gospel in one verse in the Bible.
- God’s grace in suffering
- Vv. 8-12: Cultivate Christian love
- Vv. 13-15: Practice the Lordship of Christ
- Vv. 16-17: Maintain a good conscience
- Conclusion: Is Jesus set apart and consecrated in our life? Only He will see you through.
