Resource Detail

SUFFER FOR DOING GOOD

1 Peter 3:8-4:6

Key Verse 3:17

It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Read verses 8-12. How should we live with one another? (8-9a) Why? (9b) What must one do if he would love life and see good days? (10b, 11) Why must one turn from evil and seek peace? (12)

Read verses 13-17. Why should we not be fearful of doing good? (13) What happens if we suffer for what is right? (14a) Instead of fearing what they fear what should we do? (14b, 15a) How should we do this? (15b, 16a) Why? (16b,17)

Read verses 18-22. How did Christ set an example for us to suffer for doing good? (18) What happened to Jesus who was put to death? (18b-19) What happened to the people of Noah’s days? (20) What does the water in Noah’s days refer to? (21a) How does baptism save you? (21b, 22)

Read verses 1-6. Why do we arm ourselves like Christ? (1) What is the result of arming ourselves with the same attitude of Christ? (2)  How have we spent time in the past? (3) How do pagans react to someone who has the same attitude of Christ? (4) What will they have to do? (5) Why is the gospel preached? (6)

Suffer for doing good

1 Peter 3:8-4:6

Key Verse 3:17

“It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

One woman missionary told me a story about one man. He was so unwilling to have bible study because he was hostile to Christianity. So what she did was to make a sandwich for him for a whole year everyday. After one year he was so moved that he was ready to listen to her. This is just one example that shows ‘suffering for doing good’ is another powerful way of preaching the gospel when we pray for hostile people. Believers in Apostle Peter’s day were under persecution and people were hostile to Christ. Yet, Apostle Peter encouraged his people to suffer for doing good because he knows that is the best way to preach the gospel.

So today we want to learn how we can ‘suffer for doing good’ so that Christ may be revealed through our good behavior. 

Part I. Practical ways of suffering for doing good. (3:8-17)

In these verses Apostle Peter suggests many ways of suffering for doing good. I will focus on three main ways.

First, live in harmony with one another. (3:8)

Look at verses 8.

1 Peter 3:8 

    “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”

After teaching specific group of people such as ‘general citizens’, ‘slaves’, ‘wives’, and ‘husbands’ to submit themselves to authorities, now Apostle Peter addressed all of his people, saying, “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another.” 

When he said, “live in harmony with one another” he may refer to relationship issue among believers. Believers may have all kinds of different opinions, genders, social positions. Yet, they are encouraged to live in harmony with one another. 

 “To live in harmony with one another” means ‘being far from being divided among people’ although there was clear division between believers and unbelievers at that time. Basically his advice for his people is to live among the people of the world who persecute them in harmony and peace.

Now how can a man live in harmony with one another? His specific advice comes after semi colon. “be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” ‘Sympathetic’ means ‘sharing same pain’. It is closely related to ‘compassionate’. If we feel others’ pain as ours although they may be our enemies we can be sympathetic and compassionate. Then we can love them as brothers. We treat them not as our enemies but as our brothers although their interests are against that of us. If we feel other’s pain as ours we do not become proud either. We do not think we are better than they. When we are sympathetic and compassionate for others we can live in harmony with one another. Believers have to deal with not only the relationship with other Christians but also the relationship with hostile people of the world.

Second, do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult but with blessing. (3:9)

Look at verse 9a.

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing”    

Challenge comes when the people of the world treat Christians with evil and  insult them. When someone stepped on our nerve our true color shows up. When we are insulted and classified as evil our blood may boil. But Apostle Paul said, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing.” One Christian had an argument of a owner of a refrigerator owner. The owner realized that his customer was a Christian and he taunted him, saying, ‘Hallejuhah!’. But the Christain could not say, “God bless you, my brother!” When we are even a little bit mistreated we can be easily offended. 

I know one person who does not want to meet another man who said to him, “you are a wicked man”. Apostle Paul’s advice is not just be quiet controlling your anger when you are insulted or mistreated with evil but bless those who insult you and mistreat you. What a command it is!

Now what was the reason of his advice not to repay evil with evil or insult with insult but with blessing?

Let us read verses 9b.

1 Peter 3:9b 

   “ because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

Christian’s calling includes the calling of blessing others. To bless others means to speak well of them and pray for their goodness and prosperity. When we do we inherit a blessing from God, the very presence of God and his kingdom.

How when we obey Apostle Peter’s advice here, what do you get?

You get Christ because Christ blessed those who insulted him.

Matthew 27:39-41

 ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 

When they heaped such insults on him Jesus blessed them. He said on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34a) 

He blessed them with God’s forgiveness through his own sacrifice. In this way Jesus did not repay evil with evil or insult with insult but with blessing.  Now when others see that we do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult but with blessing they see Christ in us. And that is how we can win other people. 

Apostle Peter continually explained the reason why we should live in harmony with one another and do not repay evil with evil but with blessing.

1 Peter 3:10-12

 ¹⁰ For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. ¹¹ He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. ¹² 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." 

Here, apostle Peter is talking about ‘love life and see good days’. At that time persecuted Christians could not even think about ‘life’ or ‘good days’. They must have had hard time to love life or expect to see good days because their lives were so hard. But Apostle Peter says, “For whoever would love life and see good days”. It was as if he were talking about their dream. They could have thought that ‘well, apostle Peter is preaching about the kingdom of God where we can love life and see good days.’ Did he? No, he was talking about their lives on earth, their very life which was under severe persecution. He implied that they could and should love life and expect to see good says. What should they do? They must keep their tongue from evil and deeds from evil. They must seek peace and pursue it.  

Do you understand, “Here apostle Paul is asking his people to seek peace and pursue it’ even though they were under severe trial? Believers are peace makers. They should not be trouble makers or division makers. They are peace makers because Christ is the Prince of Peace and his people should be peace makers.

¹² 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." 

The Lord has power to uphold the ultimate justice. Temporarily some evil people who speak carelessly and hurt others and still they may be prosperous, but they cannot be successful to the end. Believers would be persecuted even though they sought peace and pursued. But those who do evil cannot go too far whereas those who keep their tongue and deeds from evil will be prosperous. 

Third, be eager to do good. (3:13)

Look at verse 13. “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?” 

Here Apostle Peter asked his people to be eager to do good. If they are eager to do good the worldly people are more unwilling to harm them. The command is positive command. There is always ways to do good. I was impressed when missionary Moses Han joined the choir in order to serve God although he was busy. It was impressive to me because I could not do it even though I wanted. When sh Andrew Cuevas began to clean the center at Sunday night it was very refreshing to me because of his eagerness to do good for the Lord. So when I heard James Park Jr’s decision to arrange chairs for CBF and clean the center as the expression of his love for others I was moved. Indeed there are so many ways for us to do good if we are eager to do good. But sometimes people may not recognize your eagerness to do good and even give you hard time instead.

Look at verses 14 and 15a.

[14] But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." [15] But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.”

Here apostle Peter says ‘eager to do good’ does not guarantee that believers would be exempted from unjust suffering. So even if they are under suffering after being eager to do good they should not despair but they should think that they are blessed. They should not fear men or men’s hatred but set apart Christ as Lord in their hearts. Christ alone should be honored and feared. Christ should be the only one who should receive their awesome respect. because he is the only one who can destroy both men’s body and soul. 

Believers should set apart Christ as Lord in their hearts and outwardly they should 

1 Peter 15b-16

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Immediately he said,  “But do this with gentleness and respect, [16] keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

Here, ‘gentleness and respect’ is so important. Even though you are right and others are wrong you should be gentle and you should respect others who are wrong. And ‘keeping a clear conscience’ is also important because it means you keep your moral integrity. You should not do anything against the voice of your conscience. That is the way to silence those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ. They would be ashamed when they see “your good behavior in Christ”. That is the key of his teaching, and that will bring people over Christ. 

1 Peter 3:17

“It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 

As you see doing good and doing evil brings sufferings. If you want to do good you will suffer from denying your evil desires such as laziness and you need to curve your pride and there is pain that comes from self denial. If you do evil you will also suffer from condemnation from your conscience and from others.

Now to suffer for doing good is the way to win people over to Christ. Unbelievers cannot see God who is invisible but they can see our good deeds in Christ. So by doing good we can win others to Christ.  

However, in our practical life, ‘suffer for doing good rather than doing evil:” may not be so clear. If you are silent for someone who is doing evil he may misunderstand you are approving what you are doing although you are silent as the part of your doing. So what would be the answer for such delicate cases? “Your conscience.” Apostle Peter, says “keeping a clear conscience.” Your conscience knows what you are doing. If your conscience approves what you are doing as good probably it is good. But if your conscience condemns you probably you are doing evil. Conscience is God’s divine instrument set up in our hearts. It either confirms or condemns. It can judge what we do.

Now the best example who did good even at the cost of suffering is Jesus Christ. So Apostle Paul presented Jesus as their example to follow. 

Part II. Jesus’ example of suffering for doing good (3:18-22)

Now look at verse 18a. Let us read together. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

This verse shows several things about Christ. First he died for sins. The word ‘died’ means ‘ultimate suffering’. You cannot suffer more than you die. When you die that is the maximum suffering you can have. Christ died for sins. So he suffered to the maximum. Now his suffering and death is related to ‘sin’. Now what is sin? Generally it means breaking of God’s absolute moral law. But then you will not find any interest. Sin is described in Romans chapter 7 in this way.

Romans 7:15

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” 

Romans 7:18-19

 “¹⁸ I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.” 

Now what is sin? Sin is what makes you do evil rather than good. Sin is terrible because it makes you do what you hate to do which is evil and it makes you not do what you want to do which is good.

And Christ died for sins. He suffered ultimately and his death is directly related to ‘sins’.

Now we see the expression ‘once for all’. Do you know what it means ‘once for all’? Yes, ‘no repetition is necessary.’

Last week I brought my apple computer to apple store because my cursor was jumping. I complained to the guy in apple store who is called, ‘Genius’. “You know I had to come four times because of the same problem. The first time I brought it here you guys said ‘nothing was wrong’. So I brought it back home and I found that nothing was fixed. So the second time I brought it you guys changed ‘touch pad’. It worked half a year, and then the same problem arose again. I brought it back and your guy told me that there could be problem from wires even though they changed pad. So at that time you guys changed ‘pad again and wires.” I finally believed it was done. But two months later I have the same trouble again and here I am.” And the guy told me “well, since you came for the same problem for three times we will fix it for you ‘once for all’. Wow! “once for all”. It means I will never need to come back because of the same problem as long as I use this macbook. I was so happy and used the same expression, “Yes, once for all.’ Christ died for sins once for all, and no more sacrifice for sins will ever be needed again as long as earth and heaven exists. “once for all’

Now ‘the righteous for the unrighteous’. Christ is without sin. So he is the righteous. But he died for the unrighteous. It is God’s will for the righteous people, believers, to suffer for the unrighteous people, unbelievers.

So when we suffer for others we should not be bitter or proud. We should never think we are doing favor for others. It is God’s will for the righteous to suffer for the unrighteous. 

Finally, “to bring you to God.” Now what was the result of Christ’s suffering for doing good? He was successful to bring them to God and he was successful to bring us to God. In fact, no one except Christ, can bring anyone to God.

Now there is more when Jesus died for sins ones for all.

Look at verses 18b-20a.

He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, [19] through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison [20] who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

When Jesus died on the cross he was put to death in the body. But his spirit was made alive and he went to a prison. Here, ‘the spirits in prison’ probably refers to the evil spirits locked up in a prison because of their disobedience during the time of Noah. So God had to punish them before the appointed time and locked them in the prison. Now when Jesus died on the cross these evil spirits shouted for joy, thinking that evil forces finally won victory over God and they would be liberated. But Jesus instead of Satan appeared to them and delivered his victory rather than their victory. When Jesus suffered for doing good he was victorious even over evil spirits and hell.

Furthermore Jesus won victories in saving people. His victory in saving men is described in a way God saved Noah’s family through the ark. 

Look at 20b-21

“In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, [21] and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

Noah’s family, 8 people, Noah and his wife, and his three sons and their wives were saved through water. The rain was over the ark, and the water was below the ark. So they were saved through water, and the water symbolizes baptism. ‘The baptism’ the Apostle Peter is talking about is not ‘physical and ritual water baptism because he says he is not talking about(removal of dirt from the body. But the baptism he talked about is the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It means promise of a clean conscience. It refers repentance – cleansing of man’s sin through Jesus. Now baptism means ‘immerse in Jesus’ or ‘union with Christ’.  

Now believers are saved in the same way as Noah was saved. When Jesus died on the cross under God’s judgment of sin believers were inside of Jesus and Jesus is like our spiritual ark. So believers went through God’s judgment poured down upon Jesus’ body but they came out through the resurrection of Jesus into the new world with the new life as if Noah’s family came into the new world with new life. 

1 Peter 3:22

 “who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”

Then Jesus has gone into heaven after resurrection and he is at the right hand of God, which is the most honored place with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him. He is over them and he is superior to any evil spirits and any evil forces in heavenly realms. When Jesus died for sins God made everyone and every power and authority under him. Christ became the supreme being. 

Again when Jesus suffered the most he gained the greatest victory. He was triumphant over sin, over evil spirits, over salvation, and over death, and all and any powers and authorities.

Now what apostle Peter wanted to say is that although believers cannot redeem other sinners’ sin but they can still follow Jesus’ example and their most painful time of suffering for doing good can be the best time of their greatest victories.

Part III. Right attitude about suffering for doing good (4:1-6)

Now look at Verses 1 and 2. 

1 Peter 4:1-2 

    Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. [2] As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 

Here, ‘since Christ suffered in his body’ means ‘Christ died’. He asked his people to arm themselves with the same attitude. What kind of attitude is he talking about? The attitude of welcoming sufferings of death for doing good, knowing that sufferings of can bring the great victory in their lives over sin which is ‘to be done with sin’, which means, ‘cease to sin’.

So when a believer is ready to suffer and die for doing good he will arm himself with the might weapon which is ‘no fear of death’. Death and suffering cannot threaten him at all. If one has such willing attitude to take suffering and death for doing good he can live the rest of his earthly life for the will of God rather than evil human desires.

There is one Korean engineer in Korea now. He is known as the most skillful engineer in Korea because he has the most number of masters’ license in engineering. But he did not have even high school diploma. So he had to start from cleaning boy at “Dae Woo Engineering” company. One day his senior asked him to clean all parts of the machines in the company with soups. It was the order just to give him hard time because no one would try to dissemble all of machines and clean them so much. But the man took the order and carried out. Mysteriously in the course of doing it he learned how all the parts worked and he had deep knowledge about all the machines. He can speak 5 foreign languages although he never had any formal language course at school or learn from anybody. How could he achieve all this? He said it is because of his family motto. His family motto is “Nothing is impossible if you make effort to the point of death”. His story was sent to us by missionary Ahn soon Lee, the wife of late Dr. Lee. I met her at a staff conference and talked about it. And she said she sent it because she wanted to teach “die every day” in the course of doing God’s work. What she wanted to teach was what Apostle Paul said, “I die everyday”. When apostle Paul armed himself with the same attitude of Christ, and was willing to die he could experience the great victory in his life, which is to experience Jesus’ resurrection power.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 

Philippians 3:10-11 

“¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Indeed whoever arms himself with the same attitude of Christ will overcome sin and live the rest of his life for the will of God.

One of the major reasons why we do not need to live for evil human desires is that we all know it and we all had spent enough time in the past doing it.

1 Peter 4:3-6

 “³ 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. ⁴ They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵ But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.” 

Pagans think it is strange for believers not to plunge into the same evil human desires. In fact Christians were classified as ‘atheists’ by pagans because they did not worship idols. But Jesus is ready to judge the living and the dead because he suffered in his body and he was victoriously resurrected and how is at God’s right hand as the Judge. No one, even dead people, cannot escape Jesus’ judgment.

So some believers were judged by men and became even martyrs but before God they are alive in regard to their spirit as if Jesus was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. 

In conclusion, we live in a world where many people are hostile to Christians. The best way to win them over is doing good even when we are insulted and mistreated. Most of all, Jesus set the best example because he won the greatest victories when he suffered the most for doing good. 

One word: Suffer for doing good.

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