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.

1 Peter 3:8-22

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.

When I write about a specific saying from the Bible, I almost always start by quoting the verse that I am writing about. It is also true most of the time that instead of quoting just the one verse or phrase that concerns me, I end up quoting a much larger passage of relevant Scripture. I worry that this approach may not grab and hold the attention of every reader. Bear with me. I believe that context is very important. Without the background at least of the immediately surrounding verses, it is impossible to understand the correct meaning of the more focused thing under consideration. When you pick a verse out of thin air and write about it in isolation from its context, there is a greater possibility that what you write will be misleading or even quite the opposite of what the Lord intended to say in the passage.

In this passage, Peter tells us that we are called to live lives zealous for righteousness and that oppose evil. When we live lives that bless, we obtain blessing from God. Peter describes in pretty good detail the attitudes of mind and heart we ought to have. He even lists a number of ways we should behave that reflect those attitudes and constitute living a life that blesses. When we turn away from evil and do good, God is with us. He hears our prayers. On the other hand, God turns away from, He abandons, those who do evil.

But Peter is practical. In this fallen world, where those who seek righteousness live alongside those who do evil, there is conflict. Those who do evil hate God. Whether subconsciously or overtly, they are at enmity with Him. In this life, their hatred for God manifests as antagonism toward those who seek righteousness – those who love God in Christ. It is analogous to the hatred of all sinners for God demonstrated by their antagonism toward Jesus which motivated the crucifixion of our Lord. What are we who love God and His righteousness to do when those who do evil seek to harm us in the name of their hatred for God our Father and His beloved Son?

When evil-doers try to do us harm, we are to remain certain that God is faithful and His blessing of us is unwavering. We are not to fear them or be troubled by them. We are to continue living lives that bless. We are not to repay evil with evil. We are not to repay reviling with reviling. We are to honor Christ in our hearts as holy in this way: When anyone asks us why we have hope in Christ, whether it is a simple inquiry, a challenge or an attack, we are to be prepared to defend the reason for our hope (our faith), with gentleness and respect. Our response must produce in us a good conscience. Christian conduct should always be such that by comparison, it puts our enemies to shame. “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”

That is the truth of God’s inspired Word given to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the Apostle Peter. And it is the context of what I want to write about.

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.

If anyone asks me what reason I have for my hope in Christ, am I prepared to make a defense of what I believe, why I believe it and to describe the hope I possess? Do I honor the holiness of Christ in my heart? I’m not yet absolutely clear how I will proceed, but these are things I would like to explore.

First a personal disclaimer that may or may not be helpful insight to others. We who love the Lord and who have a desire for righteousness live in a peculiar state. Despite the change brought about in our hearts by the Holy Spirit through faith in the person and work of Christ according to the love of God our Father, our sanctification is not yet complete. For now, we continue to live with indwelling sin. There are those who know me well who could reflect on my worst moments, those times when I succumbed to indwelling sin, and somewhat justifiably conclude that I am a hypocrite. That I sometimes don’t live according to the standards of Biblical Christian life. Perhaps even that I have some nerve to even call myself a Christian at times. I have to confess there are times when that is true.

I can assure you that I regret every unkind word I have ever spoken. I am ashamed of every time I have raised my voice or responded in anger to a loved one. I’m deeply sorry when my behavior seems more hateful than loving. The sins I have committed in relation to fellow human beings pales in comparison to the sins I have committed in relation to God. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I pray also for forgiveness from those against whom I have sinned. The journey to holiness is gradual and never complete in this life.

As I write, may I write humbly, knowing with all truth who I really am. May I not give in to arrogance or an unjustified blameless view of myself. Still, may my failures not prevent me from knowing God, His truth and being able, without hypocrisy, to write faithfully about it.

SDG