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,
I Peter 3:13-18 ESV)
Peter saw persecution, suffering for one's faith in Christ, as a very real possibility. We need to be ready for it. We are ready by being unafraid and unashamed to share His name. We prepare by making sure we experience suffering not for any wrong we have done, but only because we are His. We do so by respecting others and not acting like religious snobs. Since Christ suffered as the Righteous One for unrighteous sinners, we as His followers should pursue righteousness and not whine about suffering.
No comments:
Post a Comment