1 Peter 3:16-17 - A New Way to Walk

“...keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.(17) It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

“Does your walk match your talk?” That is a question that gets thrown around quite a bit, and rightfully so – it is absolutely critical in the Christian faith. If you talk the talk (which you should), people are going to watch your walk (which they should). If the two don’t match up, they will not only ignore your talk, they will completely discount the content of your talk.

As Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” As Christians, our refusal to take seriously our responsibility to live like Christ is something we will be held accountable for. (On the other hand, God isn’t going to give Gandhi a pass because the Christians around him weren’t living Christ-like lives. Everyone is responsible for their own relationship with God.)

Pardon that short rabbit trail…the original point was, live your life in such a way that if someone disparages your behavior, no one will believe them. There is another old phrase: “actions speak louder than words”; it too is true. Your actions will be your defense or your condemnation – feel free to jot that down and take it to the bank.

Verse 17 is a little odd. In one sense, suffering is suffering – it doesn’t matter why it happened – the suffering is still the same. While that is true, I believe the verse is pointing in a slightly different direction. I’ll share a quick story to illustrate my point.

A few years ago, I saw a young lady share the details of a negative experience in her past. Even as she was speaking, two or three young ladies walked up and put their arms around her and held her hand as she finished speaking. I was privileged to know that each of those young ladies had a similar experience in their past. When they saw someone suffering in the same way they had suffered, each of them moved forward to comfort and console.

Christ suffered innocently. He did nothing to deserve the suffering he endured. If we, who are selfish and sinful, have compassion on those who suffer as we have suffered, how much more will our perfect Christ console and comfort those who suffer in His name? To me, that is the point of verse 17. It is better to suffer for living like Christ, because if you do, Christ Himself will comfort you.

What a wonderful promise for the persecuted Christians in Peter’s time…and just as wonderful for us!

“The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” – Isaiah 25:8