Read 1 Peter 3:8-17
There is a concept in following Christ Jesus that we are to bless others even when they do evil to us. There is a way to act when you have been wronged or attacked by an enemy. It is human nature to want vengeance when you’ve been wronged, but that is not the way of a christian. We are to act differently.
v8 – We are to be of one mind in the body of Christ:
- having compassion one of another,
- love as brethren,
- be pitiful, (Webster’s 1828: Full of pity; tender; compassionate; having a heart to feel sorrow and
sympathy for the distressed.) - be courteous
v9 – We are not to do these things:
- rendering evil for evil,
- or railing for railing
v9 – Contrariwise, we are to:
- render blessing
This is our calling: “knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”
A Warning
We are warned not to both bless and curse:
(James 3:8-10) “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. {9} Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. {10} Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”
We must be consistent in how we treat, talk, or react to other people.
There are many examples in the Old Testament where Israel could either receive a blessing or a curse. This depended on what they did.
(Deuteronomy 11:26-28) “¶ Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; {27} A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: {28} And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.”
Responding to Evil
In our passage today we are told the blessing we inherit depends on how we respond to evil done against us.
v10 – Here Peter quotes Psalms 34:13:
“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” (Webster’s 1828 – “Guile, Craft; cunning; artifice; duplicity; deceit; usually in a bad sense.)
v11 – Peter then quotes Psalms 37:27:
“Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.”
v12 – He quotes again from the Psalms:
(Psalms 34:15) “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”
v13 – We are reassured that we will not come to harm if we follow “that which is good.”
(Proverbs 25:21-22) “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: {22} For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.”
(Proverbs 10:6) “Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.”
Be Happy in Suffering
v14 – There is a place to be happy in suffering. Peter quotes Isaiah 54:14 to reassure us that God will protect us.
“In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.”
v15 – How we react to evil will be a witness to those that watch us. It won’t align with what they might expect of us. We can only do this if we are prepared and this preparation is in our relationship and obedience to the Lord God.
(1 Peter 3:15) “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
(Sanctify, To purify; to prepare for divine service, and for partaking of holy things.)
A Good Conscience
v16 – We have a “good conscience” because we are obedient to God. That is what makes the accusations false. When you act and speak the truth, that will make the evildoers ashamed when the truth is revealed.
v17 – The will of God is that we suffer for well doing rather than suffering for doing evil.
How we act and respond to evil will determine our blessing from God.
God bless, Mike
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