1 Peter 3:17
For it is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
For it is better
The phrase "for it is better" suggests a comparison and a choice between two paths. The Greek word used here is "κρεῖττον" (kreitton), which implies a more advantageous or beneficial option. In the context of Christian suffering, this phrase encourages believers to choose the path of righteousness, even when it leads to suffering. Historically, early Christians faced persecution, and this exhortation would have been a source of comfort and guidance, reminding them that their suffering had a purpose and was preferable to the consequences of sin.

if it is God’s will
This phrase acknowledges the sovereignty of God in the lives of believers. The Greek word "θέλημα" (thelēma) refers to God's will or desire. This highlights the Christian belief that nothing happens outside of God's divine plan. The early church understood suffering as part of God's will, a concept that provided them with strength and hope. It reassures believers that their trials are not random but are allowed by God for a greater purpose, aligning with the broader biblical narrative of trusting in God's plan.

to suffer for doing good
"Suffer for doing good" emphasizes the noble and righteous path of enduring hardship for the sake of righteousness. The Greek word "πάσχειν" (paschein) means to suffer or endure pain. This suffering is not in vain but is a testament to one's faith and commitment to Christ. Historically, Christians were often misunderstood and maligned, yet their steadfastness in doing good, despite persecution, served as a powerful witness to their faith. This phrase encourages believers to remain steadfast in their good works, trusting that their suffering is meaningful.

than for doing evil
The contrast "than for doing evil" serves as a moral and ethical guideline for Christians. The Greek word "κακοποιεῖν" (kakopoiein) means to do evil or harm. This part of the verse underscores the futility and negative consequences of suffering due to one's own wrongdoing. It serves as a warning and a call to live a life of integrity and righteousness. In the historical context, this would have been a reminder to the early church to maintain their moral standards, even under pressure, as suffering for wrongdoing brings no glory to God and no benefit to the believer.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Peter
The apostle Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples, is the author of this epistle. He writes to encourage and instruct believers facing persecution.

2. Early Christians
The recipients of Peter's letter, likely scattered throughout Asia Minor, who were experiencing trials and suffering for their faith.

3. Persecution
The context of the letter involves the persecution of Christians, a common experience in the early church, which Peter addresses with pastoral care.
Teaching Points
Understanding God's Will in Suffering
Recognize that suffering can be part of God's sovereign plan. It is not always a result of personal sin or failure but can be a means of spiritual growth and testimony.

The Value of Righteous Suffering
Suffering for doing good is commendable and aligns with Christ's example. It serves as a witness to the transformative power of the Gospel.

Endurance and Faithfulness
Believers are called to remain steadfast in their faith, trusting that God is with them in their trials and will ultimately vindicate them.

Contrast with Suffering for Evil
Suffering due to wrongdoing brings shame and consequences, whereas suffering for righteousness brings honor and aligns with God's purposes.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's sovereignty help you endure suffering for doing good?

2. In what ways can suffering for righteousness' sake serve as a testimony to others around you?

3. Reflect on a time when you faced trials for doing good. How did it impact your faith and relationship with God?

4. How can the examples of Jesus and other biblical figures who suffered for righteousness encourage you in your current circumstances?

5. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your suffering is for doing good rather than for wrongdoing?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 5:10-12
Jesus speaks about the blessedness of those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, reinforcing the idea that suffering for doing good is honorable.

James 1:2-4
James encourages believers to consider it pure joy when facing trials, as these trials produce perseverance and maturity in faith.

Romans 8:28
Paul assures believers that God works all things together for good for those who love Him, aligning with the idea of suffering according to God's will.
Injunctions to AllR. Finlayson 1 Peter 3:8-22
The Conduct Becoming the Christian Towards His PersecutorsC. New 1 Peter 3:9-17
Suffering for RighteousnessU.R. Thomas 1 Peter 3:13-18
A Good ConscienceHomilist1 Peter 3:14-17
A Good ConscienceW. Tyson.1 Peter 3:14-17
A Good ConscienceF. B. Meyer, B. A.1 Peter 3:14-17
A Reasonable HopeLyman Abbott, D. D.1 Peter 3:14-17
Be not Afraid of Their TerrorDavid Ranken.1 Peter 3:14-17
Christians Required to be Prepared to Give a Reason of the Hope that is in ThemEssex Remembrancer1 Peter 3:14-17
Deliverance from TroubleDavid Ranken.1 Peter 3:14-17
God Reverenced in the HeartAbp. Leighton.1 Peter 3:14-17
God Sanctified in the HeartBp. Moberly.1 Peter 3:14-17
Logic Aided by Good TemperCanon F. C. Cook.1 Peter 3:14-17
One Fear Drives Out AnotherF. B. Meyer, B. A.1 Peter 3:14-17
Personal GoodnessHomilist1 Peter 3:14-17
Ready to Give an AnswerC. H. Parkhurst, D. D.1 Peter 3:14-17
Ready to Give an AnswerJ. Lillie, D. D.1 Peter 3:14-17
Reasons for Our HopeGeorge Sexton, LL. D.1 Peter 3:14-17
Sanctifying the Lord in the HeartW. Bright, D. D.1 Peter 3:14-17
Sufferers FortifiedJ.R. Thomson 1 Peter 3:14-17
Suffering for RighteousnessAbp. Leighton.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Blessedness of Those Who Suffer for RighteousnessDavid Ranken.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Causes of the World's Hatred of ChristiansF. B. Meyer, B. A.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Christian Ready to Account for His HopeS. Steer.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Christian's DutyDavid Ranken.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Christian's HopeR. Littler.1 Peter 3:14-17
The ConscienceJ. Stalker, D. D.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Conscience of a ChristianH. Hayman, D. D.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Man Inside1 Peter 3:14-17
The Nature and Reason of the Christian's HopeR. H. Bailey.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Sufferings of ChristiansThomas Ross, LL. D.1 Peter 3:14-17
The True Christian ApologistDean Vaughan.1 Peter 3:14-17
The True Christian DefenceAbp. Leighton.1 Peter 3:14-17
The Value of Personal Experience1 Peter 3:14-17
The Wrongful Suffering of Good MenU. R. Thomas.1 Peter 3:14-17
Unnecessary TerrorCanon F. C. Cook., Scientific Illustrations.1 Peter 3:14-17
What is a Good ConscienceAlex. Reid.1 Peter 3:14-17
People
Christians, Noah, Peter, Sara, Sarah
Places
Asia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Pontus
Topics
Better, Evil, Evildoers, Evil-doing, God's, Pain, Purpose, Rather, Suffer, Undergo, Well-doers, Well-doing, Wrong
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Peter 3:17

     1130   God, sovereignty
     1175   God, will of
     1620   beatitudes, the
     5565   suffering, of believers
     8442   good works

1 Peter 3:14-17

     8797   persecution, attitudes

1 Peter 3:15-17

     5951   slander

Library
Good Days
Eversley, 1867. Westminster, Sept. 27, 1872. 1 Peter iii. 8-12. "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

Fifth Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to the Fruits of Faith.
Text: 1 Peter 3, 8-15. 8 Finally, be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded: 9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: 11 And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Hallowing Christ
'Be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.'--1 Peter iii. 14, 15. These words are a quotation from the prophet Isaiah, with some very significant variations. As originally spoken, they come from a period of the prophet's life when he was surrounded by conspirators against him, eager to destroy, and when he had been giving utterance to threatening prophecies as to the coming up of the King of Assyria, and the voice of God encouraged him and his
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

April the Ninteenth Union in Harmony
"Be ye all of one mind." --1 PETER iii. 8-17. But this is not unison: it is harmony. When an orchestra produces some great musical masterpiece, the instruments are all of one mind, but each makes its own individual contribution. There is variety with concordance: each one serves every other, and the result is glorious harmony. "By love serve one another." It is love that converts membership into fraternity: it is love that binds sons and daughters into a family. Look at a field of wild-flowers.
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel
In order accurately to understand the position of woman in Israel, it is only necessary carefully to peruse the New Testament. The picture of social life there presented gives a full view of the place which she held in private and in public life. Here we do not find that separation, so common among Orientals at all times, but a woman mingles freely with others both at home and abroad. So far from suffering under social inferiority, she takes influential and often leading part in all movements, specially
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Faith of Abraham.
"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Power of the Holy Ghost
We shall look at the power of the Holy Ghost in three ways this morning. First, the outward and visible displays of it; second, the inward and spiritual manifestations of it; and third, the future and expected works thereof. The power of the Spirit will thus, I trust, be made clearly present to your souls. I. First, then, we are to view the power of the Spirit in the OUTWARD AND VISIBLE DISPLAYS OF IT. The power of the Sprit has not been dormant; it has exerted itself. Much has been done by the Spirit
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

Consecration: what is It?
The second step that must needs be taken by those of us who have been living without the Fullness, before it can be obtained, is Consecration, a word that is very common and popular; much more common and popular, it is feared, than the thing itself. In order to be filled with the Holy Ghost one must first be "cleansed," and then one must be "consecrated". Consecration follows cleansing, and not vice versa. Intelligent apprehension of what consecration is, and of what it involves, is necessary to
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life

The Holy Spirit in the Glorified Christ.
"Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."--Rom. i. 4. From the foregoing studies it appears that the Holy Spirit performed a work in the human nature of Christ as He descended the several steps of His humiliation to the death of the cross. The question now arises, whether He had also a work in the several steps of Christ's exaltation to the excellent glory, i.e., in His resurrection, ascension, royal dignity, and second coming.
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Of Baptism.
1. Baptism defined. Its primary object. This consists of three things. 1. To attest the forgiveness of sins. 2. Passages of Scripture proving the forgiveness of sins. 3. Forgiveness not only of past but also of future sins. This no encouragement to license in sin. 4 Refutation of those who share forgiveness between Baptism and Repentance. 5 Second thing in Baptism--viz. to teach that we are ingrafted into Christ for mortification and newness of life. 6. Third thing in Baptism--viz. to teach us that
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Authenticity and Credibility of the Pentateuch.
1. The historic truth of the Pentateuch is everywhere assumed by the writers of the New Testament in the most absolute and unqualified manner. They do not simply allude to it and make quotations from it, as one might do in the case of Homer's poems, but they build upon the facts which it records arguments of the weightiest character, and pertaining to the essential doctrines and duties of religion. This is alike true of the Mosaic laws and of the narratives that precede them or are interwoven
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

And not Without Just Cause a Doubt is Raised...
14. And not without just cause a doubt is raised, whether he said this of all married women, or of such as so many are, as that nearly all may be thought so to be. For neither doth that, which he saith of unmarried women, "She, that is unmarried, thinkest of the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit:" [1973] pertain unto all unmarried women: whereas there are certain widows who are dead, who live in delights. However, so far as regards a certain distinction and, as it were, character
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Concerning Peaceableness
Blessed are the peacemakers. Matthew 5:9 This is the seventh step of the golden ladder which leads to blessedness. The name of peace is sweet, and the work of peace is a blessed work. Blessed are the peacemakers'. Observe the connection. The Scripture links these two together, pureness of heart and peaceableness of spirit. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable' (James 3:17). Follow peace and holiness' (Hebrews 12:14). And here Christ joins them together pure in heart, and peacemakers',
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Its Nature
Justification, strictly speaking, consists in God's imputing to His elect the righteousness of Christ, that alone being the meritorious cause or formal ground on which He pronounces them righteous: the righteousness of Christ is that to which God has respect when He pardons and accepts the sinner. By the nature of justification we have reference to the constituent elements of the same, which are enjoyed by the believer. These are, the non-imputation of guilt or the remission of sins, and second,
Arthur W. Pink—The Doctrine of Justification

Exhortations to Christians as they are Children of God
1 There is a bill of indictment against those who declare to the world they are not the children of God: all profane persons. These have damnation written upon their forehead. Scoffers at religion. It were blasphemy to call these the children of God. Will a true child jeer at his Father's picture? Drunkards, who drown reason and stupefy conscience. These declare their sin as Sodom. They are children indeed, but cursed children' (2 Peter 2:14). 2 Exhortation, which consists of two branches. (i) Let
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Sanctification
'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.' I Thess 4:4. The word sanctification signifies to consecrate and set apart to a holy use: thus they are sanctified persons who are separated from the world, and set apart for God's service. Sanctification has a privative and a positive part. I. A privative part, which lies in the purging out of sin. Sin is compared to leaven, which sours; and to leprosy, which defiles. Sanctification purges out the old leaven.' I Cor 5:5. Though it takes not
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to the riches of His mercy has at least preserved this one sacrament in His Church uninjured and uncontaminated by the devices of men, and has made it free to all nations and to men of every class. He has not suffered it to be overwhelmed with the foul and impious monstrosities of avarice and superstition; doubtless having this purpose, that He would have little children, incapable of avarice and superstition, to be initiated into
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Differences in Judgment About Water Baptism, no Bar to Communion: Or, to Communicate with Saints, as Saints, Proved Lawful.
IN ANSWER TO A BOOK WRITTEN BY THE BAPTISTS, AND PUBLISHED BY MR. T. PAUL AND MR. W. KIFFIN, ENTITLED, 'SOME SERIOUS REFLECTIONS ON THAT PART OF MR BUNYAN'S CONFESSION OF FAITH, TOUCHING CHURCH COMMUNION WITH UNBAPTIZED BELIEVERS.' WHEREIN THEIR OBJECTIONS AND ARGUMENTS ARE ANSWERED, AND THE DOCTRINE OF COMMUNION STILL ASSERTED AND VINDICATED. HERE IS ALSO MR. HENRY JESSE'S JUDGMENT IN THE CASE, FULLY DECLARING THE DOCTRINE I HAVE ASSERTED. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'Should not the multitude of words be answered?
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Greatness of the Soul,
AND UNSPEAKABLENESS 0F THE LOSS THEREOF; WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT. FIRST PREACHED AT PINNER'S HALL and now ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. By JOHN BUNYAN, London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682 Faithfully reprinted from the Author's First Edition. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Our curiosity is naturally excited to discover what a poor, unlettered mechanic, whose book-learning had been limited to the contents of one volume, could by possibility know
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

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