PETER’S EPISTLES: PREPARING FOR ETERNITY

XIV. Responding Well To Religious Persecution

(1 Peter 3:13-17)

I. Introduction

A. Before the Apostle Peter began to minister for the Lord in the Church, his outlook was impacted by Christ’s prophecy in John 21:18-19 that he would be crucified for Christ. Eternity was thus often on Peter’s mind.

B. We view Peter’s epistles that highlight preparing for eternity, and in 1 Peter 3:13-17, Peter taught us how to respond well to religious persecution. We view this passage for our insight, application and edification:

II. Responding Well To Religious Persecution, 1 Peter 3:13-17.

A. Peter was writing to Hebrew Christians who faced religious persecution (cf. 1 Peter 1:1; “Intro. to the First Letter of Peter: Readership,” Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1757), and 1 Peter was written in A. D. 63 “just before the outbreak of Nero’s persecution in 64” and Peter’s martyrdom “about 67,” so 1 Peter 3:13-17 is an important passage on how to handle religious persecution as Christian believers.

B. In the previous context, Peter had told his readers to seek peace and pursue it with others (1 Peter 3:11b), so in 1 Peter 3:13 ESV he asked who would harm them if they were zealous to do that which was good.

C. However, due to the sin of the lost world around believers in Christ, and due to the righteousness lived by believers that critiques the sin of onlooking unbelievers, the world can often persecute believers (cf. John 15:18-19, 22 ESV). For this reason, Peter added, “But (rather) [alla, a strong adversative; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 797) even if you ‘should suffer’ (paschoite, optative mood of possibility) for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed,” 1 Peter 3:14a ESV.

D. Accordingly, Peter instructed his readers on how to respond well to religious persecution in 1 Peter 3:14b-17:

1. First, Peter directed his readers to respond to religious persecution by not fearing their persecutors nor being troubled, 1 Peter 3:14b. This response partly cites Isaiah 8:12-13 where God had directed Israel’s Old Testament prophet Isaiah not to be like his countrymen who feared and dreaded an invasion by the Israel-Aramean alliance or by Assyria, but that he should revere the Lord Who would be a sanctuary for him if he trusted in God (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 798, ftn.) Thus, Christians should likewise trust in the Lord when facing persecutors instead of fearing them or what their persecutors might do to them.

2. Second, believers should regard Christ as holy in their hearts, another allusion to Isaiah 8:13 where Isaiah was to regard God as holy and to be revered more that he was to fear Judah’s potential invaders, 1 Peter 3:15a. Peter’s emphasis in these first two points of response to persecution is that a believer should have a high regard for the Lord, that he should trust in God and sense his accountability to the Lord for how he handled the religious persecution he faced!

3. Third, we believers should always be prepared to make a defense of our Christian faith to anyone who asks us for a “reason” (logos, Ibid.; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 479) for the Christian hope that is within us, 1 Peter 3:15b ESV. We explain this directive from Peter (as follows):

a. The “defense” we must give is an apologia, “a speech of defense,” a word used of a verbal defense in a court of law. (Arndt & Gingrich, op. cit., p. 95) A believer must know how to defend his Christian faith by Scripture, by external evidence (as in Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense) and by his personal testimony.

b. This preparation is “always” (aei, Arndt & Gingrich, op. cit., p. 19) to exist, and a believer is to answer “anyone” (panti, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., loc. cit.; The Analyt. Grk. Lex. (Zon.), 1972, p. 300) who asks him.

4. Fourth, when we give the reason for our faith, we must do so with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience in how we answer our persecutors, 1 Peter 3:16a. That way, if we are slandered by the unsaved persecutor, he who reviles our good behavior in Christ may be put to shame, 1 Peter 3:16b. Thus, even the way we respond to persecutors should be above reproach so that our persecutors cannot effectively use the way we respond as evidence that we are guilty of sin! If it is God’s will that we face persecution, it is better to suffer for doing good in how we face persecution than for doing evil in facing it! (1 Peter 3:17)

Lesson: We should live as good and peaceably with all men as is possible, but if God allows us to face unjust religious persecution, we should revere the Lord, be ready to answer anyone who asks us a reason for the hope that is in us in a gentle, respectful way so that even our response to our persecutors is itself above reproach.

Application: (1) May we prepare to be able to defend the Christian hope that is within us, getting our facts and evidence in order to be able to answer others. (2) Then, when facing persecution, may we do so in a gracious way.