BUT (marks a strong
antithesis)
EVEN IF
YOU SHOULD SUFFER FOR THE SAKE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: all ei
kai
paschoite (2PPA0) dia
dikaiosunen: (1
Peter 2:19,20;
4:13-16;
Jer 15:15;
Mt 5:10-12;
10:18-22,39;
16:25;
19:29;
Mk 8:35;
10:29;
Lu 6:22,23;
Acts 9:16;
2Cor 12:10;
Php 1:29;
Js 1:12)
I like the way Ray
Pritchard summarizes this section in five simple commands...
v14a Cheer up! (you are
blessed)
v14b Give up! (do not fear)
v15a Lift up! (set apart
Christ as Lord)
v15b Speak up! (Always ready
to give an answer)
v16 Shape up! (keeping a
clear conscience)
But even if - This
introduces a so called condition of fourth class with ei and
the
optative mood
(expresses a wish, sometimes a prayer). The optative expresses a
fourth-class condition implying there is no certainty that suffering
will happen, but it might. In other words Peter is saying that
suffering is not generally the expected outcome of zeal for good but
it might occur. If matters, in spite of the note of victory in v13
should come to actual suffering "for righteousness' sake" as in
Mt 5:10
(see
note), then "blessed"
would be their condition! Peter alludes to some aspects of what that
"blessing" might entail near the close of his letter writing
And after you have suffered for a
little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal
glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and
establish you. (See note
1 Peter 5:10)
Paul encouraged the Corinthians writing...
Therefore we do not lose heart, but
though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed
day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an
eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not
at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen;
for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are
not seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:16-18)
Jesus gave a similar encouragement to the church at Smyrna
declaring...
Do not fear what you are about to
suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison,
that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (See note
Revelation 2:10)
Even if you are affected by something or
someone from without or are vexed in your spirit...hang in there...the
promised condition is blessed. Is this what you would naturally
expect? No, for it speaks of supernatural support as we chose not to fear
and
not to be agitated which implies that we are trusting God's sovereign
(in control)
hand no matter what the external, temporal circumstances look like.
Make sure the qualifier -- for the sake of righteousness -- is operative
if you plan on invoking this promise of God in the midst of your
suffering.
As John MacArthur reminds
us...
Suffering must be viewed as an
opportunity to receive spiritual blessings, not as an excuse to
compromise the faith before a hostile world.
(MacArthur, J. 1 Peter. Chicago:
Moody Press or
Logos)
As
McGee observes...
Suffering for the right should
bring joy to the child of God. Some Christians actually make
themselves obnoxious in their witness to others, thinking they are
taking a stand for the Lord. But if we have simply taken a quiet stand
for the right and for God, we ought to rejoice if we suffer for that.
I must repeat this again: you are not going to escape suffering in
this world if you are a child of God. Someone has said, “Jesus often
spoke of Christianity as a banquet but never as a picnic.” How true
that is! He never said that we are going to have it easy down here. (McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
YOU ARE
BLESSED: makarioi:
Blessed (3107)
(makarios)
means that you
are fully satisfied no
matter the circumstances fully satisfied because of the indwelling ministry
of the Holy Spirit, your supernatural Comforter.
And since to consider oneself
blessed while suffering
persecution is not natural, Peter goes on to offer some practical
guidelines. First, negatively, don't yield to the natural reaction of fear
and
agitation. Secondly, from the positive aspect, keep Christ as the central focus of your
life and make appropriate responses to your adversaries. No matter
what a believer suffers, he still has his most cherished possession —
Jesus Christ (see notes
Matthew 6:33,
Romans 8:28;
8:29)
Puritan Thomas Watson said
Afflictions work for good, as they
make way for glory...Not that they merit glory, but they prepare for
it. As ploughing prepares the earth for a crop, so afflictions prepare
and make us [ready] for glory. The painter lays his gold upon dark
colours, so God first lays the dark colours of affliction, and then He
lays the golden colour of glory. The vessel is first seasoned before
wine is poured into it: the vessels of mercy are first seasoned with
affliction, and then the wine of glory is poured in. Thus we see
afflictions are not prejudicial, but beneficial, to the saints"
(All Things for Good [Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1986], p.
32).
AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION
AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED: ton de phobon auton me phobethete (2PAPS)
mede tarachthete (2PAPS): (Isa 8:12,13;
41:10-14;
51:12;
Jer 1:8;
Eze 3:9;
Mt 10:28,31;
Lu 12:4,5;
Jn 14:1,27;
Acts 18:9,10)
Fear (5399)
(phobeo) is to demonstrate or experience fear.
Intimidation (5401)
(phobos) is fear.
More literally and with
considerable force Peter writes (quoting Isaiah)...
"Fear of them do not fear."
The negative
instruction in the
aorist tense comes across much like a command, prohibiting yielding to any kind of fear. Christians are not to allow
a feeling of fright or terror to grip them.
Peter is quoting from
the Hebrew and the
Septuagint (LXX)
of
Isaiah 8:12-13 which reads
"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this
people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be
in dread of it. (Isaiah 8:12)
The historical context of the
Isaiah quotation is helpful. In Isaiah's day, the King of Judah (Ahaz)
was faced with an impending invasion by the powerful Assyrians. In
addition the kings of Israel (the Northern Kingdom of 10 tribes) and
Syria wanted King Ahaz to join them in an alliance. When King Ahaz
refused to join them, Israel and Syria threatened to invade Judah! And
sadly "behind the scenes" King Ahaz allied himself with Assyria! In
this background, God's prophet, Isaiah, warned King Ahaz against any
ungodly alliances and urged him to trust in Jehovah for deliverance.
Below is the English translation of the
Septuagint (LXX)
translation (Greek
translation of the Hebrew) of Isaiah 8:13. Notice that it begins with
"Sanctify the LORD..." which is picked up in the following
verse (see
1 Peter 3:15)
Sanctify
(Lxx =
aorist imperative) the Lord of hosts
(see study of
Jehovah Sabaoth, LORD of hosts or
of armies)
Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread (Isaiah
8:13)
But God
sends His prophet Isaiah to say, "Don't fear". Peter applies these
words in Isaiah 8:12,13 saying in essence 'Instead of fearing man, fear GOD.
Compare Jesus' words to His disciples regarding Whom we should fear...
And do not fear those who kill the
body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able
to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt 10:28).
As Christians, we are
like King Ahaz and are many times faced with crises, and are tempted
to give in to our fears and make the wrong decisions. But if we sanctify Christ
as Lord in our hearts ("Turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in His
wonderful face and the things of this earth will grow slowly dim in
the light of His glory and grace"
play the hymn as you ponder your future
glory with Him), we need not fear men or
circumstances. Our enemies might hurt us, but they cannot harm us.
Only we can harm ourselves if we fail to trust God. As already stated,
generally
speaking, people do not oppose us if we do good but even if they do,
it is better to suffer for righteousness’ sake than to compromise our
testimony. Peter discussed this theme in more detail in 1Pe 4:12-19
Troubled (5015)(tarasso)
means literally stirred up (like the pool in John 5:4,7) but is used
more often in a figurative sense in Scripture to describe the state of
one's mind as "stirred up" or agitated and so disturbed by various
emotion, including fear and trepidation.
Peter says don't let your
mind be smitten with fear and dread. Don't be stirred
up, troubled, anxious, distressed, agitated. Mt 2:3; (when King Herod
heard of the birth of THE KING!) Jn 12:27
How well the martyrs lived out this policy!
When Polycarp
was promised release if he would blaspheme Christ, he said,
Eighty six years I have served Christ and He has never done me wrong.
How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?
When the proconsul threatened to expose him to the wild beasts, he
replied
It is well for me to be speedily released from this life of misery.
Finally the ruler threatened to burn him alive. Polycarp said,
I fear not the fire that burns for a moment: You do not know that
which burns forever and ever."
Polycarp
understood Jesus' piercing warning...
If your hand causes you to stumble,
cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having
your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire (Mk
9:43)
><> ><> ><>
F B Meyer (Our Daily Homily) -
It was a time of very real and
fiery trial when Peter wrote these words. Persecution was already
beginning with the House of God. The first mutterings of the awful
storm which was to break in Nero’s terrible atrocities were making
themselves heard throughout the Roman world. The intention of this
Epistle, therefore, was to encourage these scattered saints, that they
might not be overwhelmed. Some who read these words may need similar
comfort.
Remember, beloved fellow-believers,
that Jesus has suffered; your Lord and Master has trodden these thorns
before you. See, they are flecked with his blood. Would you not desire
to be fellow-partaker with Him in his sorrow, that you may share his
glory? It is only in suffering that we can properly identify ourselves
with the great anguish of the world, or learn to comfort or pray for
others. And, probably, none know the innermost tenderness and
companionship of Jesus like those who daily fill up that which is
behind of his sufferings. Besides, their fear is much worse in
anticipation than in actual experience. Probably God entirely delivers
his martyrs from those physical tortures which to onlookers might seem
unbearable.This has been
the perpetual testimony of the Armenian refugees. Miss Codrington’s
story of her experiences in China, and Dr. Baedeker’s statement of
what he has learnt in his wide experience amid the refugees and
imprisoned saints in all parts of Europe support and confirm the same
conclusion. Sanctify Jesus Christ in your heart as Lord and King.
Maintain a good conscience; do not be turned aside for fear of man;
and when you come to suffer, yea will find the fire has lost its
sting. (Meyer, F B: Our Daily Homily)
><> ><> ><>
Prepared For Persecution? - While I was visiting the Russian
Far East, I had a conversation with my friend Lena that I will not
soon forget. She is an excellent student and works at a Christian
radio station in Magadan. Since becoming a believer in Christ in 1994,
she has enjoyed remarkable spiritual growth.
Like most Russians, Lena has much hope, but she is also realistic
about what could happen in her changing land. As we talked about the
future of her country, she looked me in the eye and said with
unsettling candor, "I am preparing myself for persecution."
I had two reactions when she said those words. The first was a chill I
felt as I matched what I know about Russian political history with
this young believer's realistic outlook. The second was to look
seriously into my own heart. I realized that I hadn't been preparing
to suffer for Christ. The thought had never even crossed my mind!
In 1 Peter 3, the apostle wanted to prepare Christians for the threat
of persecution that faced them daily. He instructed them to live a
life marked by love and free from evil (vv.8-12). If persecution still
came, Peter knew it would be better "to suffer for doing good than for
doing evil" (v.17).
Am I prepared to suffer for doing good? Are you? —David C. Egner (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
><> ><> ><>
Today in the Word
- The great Colonial-era pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards once
wrote, “The truly humble Christian is clothed with lowliness,
mildness, meekness, gentleness of spirit and behavior. These things
are just like garments to him. Christian humility has no such thing as
roughness, or contempt, or fierceness, or bitterness in its nature....
Yet in searching and awakening the conscience, [the Christian] should
be a son of thunder.... He should be like a lion to guilty
consciences, but like a lamb to men and women.”
The person
Edwards was describing fits the profile 1 Peter presents to us in
today’s reading. Christians must be humble and yet fearless, with a
powerful testimony for the Savior that makes them like lions in the
presence of their false accusers. Both humility and courage are
qualities especially important in situations where believers may have
to suffer because of their faith.
We said that Peter’s purpose for writing his first letter was to help
Christians live godly lives in a hostile world, and also to know how
to handle persecution in a Christ-like way. In verse 13, this theme of
suffering for Christ comes to the forefront.
In this verse Peter reiterated his counsel for Christians facing
persecution: be sure that if you suffer, it’s for doing right, not for
doing wrong. Continue to do what’s right and entrust your ultimate
vindication to God, because He will give special blessings to those
who stand firm in the faith.
Peter’s reference to Isaiah 8:12-13 is interesting because it helps to
explain his reference to fear. Isaiah was telling godly Israelites not
to fear the coming Assyrian invasion that would result in captivity
and exile for the northern kingdom. Because these righteous people
feared the Lord, He would take care of them even in frightening times.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY - A major part of the “answer” we should be ready
to give at any time involves being able to explain the gospel in clear
and simple terms
(Copyright
Moody Bible Institute. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
><> ><> ><>
The
Blessing
Of
Persecution
-
Persecution, even martyrdom, has been the cost of discipleship for
Christians down through the centuries. In many lands believers still
suffer imprisonment and death for their uncompromising devotion to their
Savior. Even in nations that have religious freedom, a person with a
bold witness for the Lord may become the target of ridicule.
When we experience hardship because of our Christian commitment, no
verse of Scripture is more comforting than the beatitude spoken by our
Savior, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 5:10).
At one time in his life, British preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon was so
intensely criticized that he became deeply depressed. So his wife
printed that beatitude along with the other seven on a large sheet of
paper and placed it above their bed. The first thing Spurgeon saw in the
morning and the last thing he read at night was our Savior's glorious
promise.
Are you discouraged because you are suffering for your Christian
testimony? The antidote is this one sustaining promise: "Blessed are
those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." --V C Grounds
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
The
consecrated cross I'll bear
Till death shall set me free,
And then go home, my crown to wear,
For there's a crown for me. --Shepherd
If you
live for God,
you can expect trouble from the world.
