Read with Me
1 Peter 3:13-16 (HCSB)
And who will harm you if you are deeply committed to what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
Listen with Me
Peter urges his readers to allow themselves to be recast in the image and likeness of Jesus, doing good to all, being kind and compassionate in every interaction with those around them. His rationale is simple: those who do good, those who are kind and loving, are far less likely to suffer ill from others than those who are mean-hearted and violent.
But Peter also lived squarely in the real world. He himself had suffered a lot of pain at the hands of those in authority, even though he had done only good (Acts 3 and 4). But even with that reality, he still insisted that a life of doing good and being loving was by far the better path. And with that reality in mind, he encouraged his readers to stand firm in their faith even if the tides of persecution should rise and they ended up having to suffer for their faith, because they were and would remain in the hands of God.
It is in this context that Peter urges his readers to always be ready to give a reason, a defense, to anyone who asks them to give the reason for the hope that they have, the hope that they so clearly demonstrate when they are being mistreated and persecuted. It is in the darkness that the light shines the brightest, and at it is in suffering that a person’s trust in God is most apparent. Paul noted the same thing when he likened himself to a clay pot that is not crushed by suffering and adversity, pointing to something powerful within (2 Corinthians 4:7-11), something that would naturally incite the curiosity of those looking on, affording a marvelous opportunity for testimony, and even evangelism.
But Peter noted that this defense of the faith should always be made with gentleness and respect, so that defiance of authority does not unnecessarily add to one’s suffering. Instead, Jesus is to be the model for all God’s people, just as it was for Peter, for Paul, and for all the apostles.
Pray with Me
Father, I know that many use verse 15 as their primary model for evangelism, waiting until people somehow notice the hope that they have and ask them the reason for it, granting them permission to share. But somehow, they rarely if ever seem to be asked. This instruction makes so much more sense in the context in which Peter wrote it, the context of suffering and persecution. The instruction for our normal evangelistic efforts is not this verse, but the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, simply going forth and sharing the saving gospel with everyone who is lost, anyone who are willing to receive it. Peter never waited for an invitation to share, nor did Paul or any of the early Christians. They simply told everyone they could any time there was an opportunity. However, when they did suffer and people did question them, they didn’t hesitate to testify about the reason behind the hope that they were demonstrating in the midst of their suffering. Help me, Lord, to bear faithful witness to You and Your good news, not just when I’m suffering or mistreated, not only when I am asked, but continually to any one I can get to listen. Amen.