Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
“Whoever among you would love life and see good days must keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. In that state he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because those who have suffered in their bodies are done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
—1 Peter 3:8-4:6 (TNIV)
Today, we finish our series of reflections this week on the nature of Christian love. Here again we see Christian love further defined by Peter. It is not to repay tit for tat. It is not to take vengeance. It is not to speak evilly of others, especially our enemies. It is to seek peace. Peter tells us that we are to be willing to suffer for doing good and following Christ. Why? Because we are to imitate Christ in all his doings, suffering included. Apparently suffering for righteousness sake is a good thing in the economy of God’s mercy and grace, even if we do not fully understand why. How are you doing on these fronts?
And then Peter throws this tantalizing morsel at us. He tells us that those who have suffered in their bodies are done with sin. My initial response to this is, “Thanks but no thanks. If that is what it takes to be done with sin in my body, I think I’ll be content to remain in mine.” But if what Peter says is true (and because it is the inspired word of God, we know that it is), then this causes us to rethink what it means to suffer. Apparently God can and does use our physical suffering to rid us of our sins! Being the cowardly man that I am, I confess I do not relish this idea. But I do think this can provide more than a modicum of hope to those who have put their trust in Christ and who are suffering physically because Peter is telling us that this is God at work sanctifying us. Certainly he did that in Christ and as we know, Christ calls us to imitate him in every way.
What are your thoughts on this?