◄ 1 Peter 3:9 ►
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Study Bible
Do not repay evil with evil

Believers facing persecution and personal hostility are forbidden to return wrongdoing in kind. Jesus taught His disciples to reject retaliatory vengeance and to entrust justice to God (Matthew 5:38–39; Romans 12:19). Christ Himself suffered unjustly without returning threats, leaving His cause to the righteous Judge (1 Peter 2:23).

Pro 24:29 I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man…
Rom 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider…
1Th 5:15 Make sure that no one repays evil for evil.…

or insult with insult,

In a world where public honor was fiercely defended, verbal abuse often demanded an immediate response. Christians are called to restrain the tongue and refuse the escalating cycle of contempt. A gentle answer can turn away wrath, while harsh words deepen conflict (Proverbs 15:1; James 3:9–10).

1Pe 2:23 When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate…
Mat 5:11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you…
Pro 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word…

but with blessing,

God’s people are to seek the good of those who oppose them, praying for enemies and responding with grace. Jesus modeled such mercy when He prayed for those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). Blessing hostile people displays the love Christ commanded and reveals the power of the gospel to overcome natural human resentment (Matthew 5:44).

Luk 6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
1Co 4:12-13 We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified…

because to this you were called

The calling of believers includes bearing Christ’s character before an unbelieving world. As God’s chosen people, Christians are set apart to proclaim His excellencies through holy conduct, including patience and mercy under suffering (1 Peter 2:9–12).

1Pe 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered…
Eph 4:1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk…
1Th 4:7 For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.

so that you may inherit a blessing.

Those who live as children of God will receive the blessing God has promised. The inheritance includes every spiritual blessing already given in Christ and the future fullness of salvation reserved for His people (Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3–4). God sees faithful obedience amid hostility and will bring His servants into their eternal inheritance.

Heb 12:17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit…
1Pe 1:4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable,…
Gal 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing…

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. Recipients of the Epistle
The letter is addressed to the "elect exiles" scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, regions in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).

3. Persecution of Early Christians
The context of the letter involves the early Christians facing hostility and persecution for their faith.
Teaching Points
Responding with Blessing
As Christians, we are called to a higher standard of conduct, responding to hostility with kindness and blessing. This reflects the character of Christ and serves as a powerful witness to others.

The Call to Inherit a Blessing
Our calling involves not only enduring suffering but also inheriting a blessing. This future promise should motivate us to live righteously and with hope.

The Power of Non-Retaliation
By choosing not to retaliate, we break the cycle of evil and open the door for God's transformative work in our lives and the lives of others.

Living Counter-Culturally
In a world that often values revenge and retribution, Christians are called to live counter-culturally, demonstrating the love and grace of God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Peter's instruction in 1 Peter 3:9 challenge the natural human response to insult and injury?

2. In what ways can you actively choose to bless those who have wronged you in your daily life?

3. How does the promise of inheriting a blessing influence your perspective on enduring hardships or persecution?

4. Reflect on a time when you responded to evil with good. What was the outcome, and how did it affect your faith?

5. How can the teachings in Matthew 5:44 and Romans 12:17-21 further inform your understanding of 1 Peter 3:9? How can these scriptures be applied in your current relationships or situations?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 5:44
Jesus teaches to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, which aligns with Peter's instruction to bless rather than retaliate.

Romans 12:17-21
Paul echoes a similar sentiment, urging believers not to repay evil for evil but to overcome evil with good.

Proverbs 20:22
This verse advises against seeking revenge, encouraging trust in the Lord for deliverance.
Sermons
Avoiding DivisionsAbp. Leighton.1 Peter 3:8-9
Brotherly LoveEssex Remembrancer1 Peter 3:8-9
Christian CourtesyJ. Summerfield, M. A.1 Peter 3:8-9
Christian CourtesyT. Binney.1 Peter 3:8-9
Christian CourtesyJ. Fawcett, M. A.1 Peter 3:8-9
Christian PolitenessHugh S. Carpenter, D. D.1 Peter 3:8-9
Christian UnityThos. Wagstaffe.1 Peter 3:8-9
Christian UnityJohn Rogers.1 Peter 3:8-9
Christlike CompassionT. De Witt Talmage.1 Peter 3:8-9
Do not RetaliateF. B. Meyer.1 Peter 3:8-9
Fire Does not Extinguish Fire1 Peter 3:8-9
Good for Evil1 Peter 3:8-9
Good MannersW. M. Statham.1 Peter 3:8-9
Goodness Spoilt by RudenessGood Words.1 Peter 3:8-9
Minor MoralsD. Dickson.1 Peter 3:8-9
Oneness of MindF. B. Meyer, B. A.1 Peter 3:8-9
PityJ. Mainwrigg, B. D.1 Peter 3:8-9
Politeness1 Peter 3:8-9
PolitenessJ. C. Lees, D. D.1 Peter 3:8-9
Politeness and its Place1 Peter 3:8-9
Railing for RailingJ. Trapp.1 Peter 3:8-9
Small Courtesies not Overlooked1 Peter 3:8-9
SympathyH. C. Atwool, M. D.1 Peter 3:8-9
The Reward of Courtesy1 Peter 3:8-9
The Social IdealF. B. Meyer, B. A.1 Peter 3:8-9
The True Gentleman Does not Indict PainJ. H. Newman, D. D.1 Peter 3:8-9
The Work and Wages of the Christian WorkerJohn Macpherson, M. A.1 Peter 3:8-9
True Courtesy, and How to Attain to ItC. H. Irwin, M. A.1 Peter 3:8-9
True PolitenessE. J. Hardy, M. A.1 Peter 3:8-9
Unity Between Christian PeopleU. R. Thomas.1 Peter 3:8-9
Unity Between Christian PeopleU.R. Thomas 1 Peter 3:8-12
Injunctions to AllR. Finlayson 1 Peter 3:8-22
The Conduct Becoming the Christian Towards His PersecutorsC. New 1 Peter 3:9-17
People
Christians, Noah, Peter, Sara, Sarah
Places
Asia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Pontus
Topics
Abuse, Bless, Blessing, Contrariwise, Contrary, Curse, Cursing, Evil, Giving, Hereunto, Heritage, Inherit, Instead, Insult, Obtain, Purpose, Railing, Rendering, Requiting, Return, Returning, Reviling, Thereunto
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Peter 3:9

     5214   attack
     5289   debt
     5495   revenge, and retaliation
     5893   insults
     5951   slander
     6620   calling
     6691   mercy, human
     8301   love, and enemies
     8730   enemies, of believers
     8737   evil, responses to
     8828   spite

1 Peter 3:8-9

     6655   forgiveness, application

1 Peter 3:8-13

     8442   good works

1 Peter 3:9-10

     5549   speech, positive

1 Peter 3:9-12

     5705   inheritance, spiritual

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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