WORD From The Woods
1 Peter 3:8-22
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 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. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 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.” Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness 'sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 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, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 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, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 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. 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, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him”
In this passage Peter talks about suffering, this could be physical suffering or spiritual suffering caused by various trials. Peter is looking specifically at suffering for the sake of Christ, not the suffering brought about by our own foolish choices. If you choose to follow Christ and serve Him as His disciple, you will experience this kind of suffering because the world is hostile to God, more so now than we’ve ever seen in our lifetimes. But as Peter says here it's far better to suffer for the sake of Christ than for doing evil! Suffering temporary persecution in this life for sharing the truth of the gospel, is nothing compared to the hope we have in Christ. We should count it as joy because of the eternal value of the message we have to share. Suffering for unrepentant evil deeds is something that lasts for all eternity if a person never repents and receives the life giving salvation offered through Jesus Christ. This is why Peter tells us to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us! When we face trials with other people, it's so easy to get caught up in the fight and forget the eternal weight of the situation. Peter calls us not to repay evil for evil, but to have sympathy, humility, tenderness and brotherly love for those we have conflict with. We're called to a higher standard, not because we're better than anyone but because we are representing Christ. And the hope that we have in Christ is something that everyone around us desperately needs, even if they don't know it. Noah probably faced more persecution than anyone who ever lived while building the ark. He and the other 8 members of his family were the only people on earth that followed God. He remained faithful and followed God's year after year, even when it didn't make any sense at all, God saved him and his family from the waters of the flood. The waters of that flood pointed to the temporary nature of this life and how God offers a new life in Christ for eternity. The flood washed away the evil in the world and gave Noah a new start in life. This was a baptism of the evil world. Baptism in and of itself won't save a person, but it points the the reality of Christ. It points to the reality that, in Christ we have a new life now and for eternity! When we face suffering and conflict in this life, we must remember that we don't fight against flesh and blood, but that there is a spiritual battle going on. satan is constantly trying to stir up strife and keep us from sharing the hope that is within us. Don't fall for his feeble attempts! The power that we have in Christ by the Holy Spirt is far greater than any arrows satan may through our way. Stay strong and share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ with the world around you!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
1 Peter 3:8-22
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 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. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 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.” Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness 'sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 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, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 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, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 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. 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, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him”
In this passage Peter talks about suffering, this could be physical suffering or spiritual suffering caused by various trials. Peter is looking specifically at suffering for the sake of Christ, not the suffering brought about by our own foolish choices. If you choose to follow Christ and serve Him as His disciple, you will experience this kind of suffering because the world is hostile to God, more so now than we’ve ever seen in our lifetimes. But as Peter says here it's far better to suffer for the sake of Christ than for doing evil! Suffering temporary persecution in this life for sharing the truth of the gospel, is nothing compared to the hope we have in Christ. We should count it as joy because of the eternal value of the message we have to share. Suffering for unrepentant evil deeds is something that lasts for all eternity if a person never repents and receives the life giving salvation offered through Jesus Christ. This is why Peter tells us to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us! When we face trials with other people, it's so easy to get caught up in the fight and forget the eternal weight of the situation. Peter calls us not to repay evil for evil, but to have sympathy, humility, tenderness and brotherly love for those we have conflict with. We're called to a higher standard, not because we're better than anyone but because we are representing Christ. And the hope that we have in Christ is something that everyone around us desperately needs, even if they don't know it. Noah probably faced more persecution than anyone who ever lived while building the ark. He and the other 8 members of his family were the only people on earth that followed God. He remained faithful and followed God's year after year, even when it didn't make any sense at all, God saved him and his family from the waters of the flood. The waters of that flood pointed to the temporary nature of this life and how God offers a new life in Christ for eternity. The flood washed away the evil in the world and gave Noah a new start in life. This was a baptism of the evil world. Baptism in and of itself won't save a person, but it points the the reality of Christ. It points to the reality that, in Christ we have a new life now and for eternity! When we face suffering and conflict in this life, we must remember that we don't fight against flesh and blood, but that there is a spiritual battle going on. satan is constantly trying to stir up strife and keep us from sharing the hope that is within us. Don't fall for his feeble attempts! The power that we have in Christ by the Holy Spirt is far greater than any arrows satan may through our way. Stay strong and share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ with the world around you!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-