Commentary on First Peter (109)
Posted by Vincent Cheung on August 18, 20061 PETER 3:13-17
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
From 3:13 all the way to 4:19, Peter provides an extended exhortation to those Christians who would suffer various kinds and levels of persecution at the hands of unbelievers. We understand that he has unbelievers in mind because verse 15 mentions the need to answer for the gospel hope itself from those who "harm" (v. 13) the Christians. Now Peter is no longer focusing on specific relationships (2:13-3:8), but he paints the big picture and gives us broad principles, all the while keeping in mind the suffering of Christ as our example (3:18, 4:1, 13).
Verse 13 is a rhetorical question. The implied answer could be that no one would ever harm a person who is eager to do good, but this is prevented by the theme of this letter as well as the first part of verse 14, which says, "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed." The idea is that, overall, it is unlikely for a person to receive punishment for doing good. We are not referring to possibility, but likelihood. Indeed, most government officials and other people with power do not enforce a systematic persecution of upright individuals. But even righteous men can suffer if they displease those with the authority to cause harm. Peter says that they are blessed for enduring unjust suffering.
The second part of verse 14 says, "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." The NIV assumes that this is a quotation from Isaiah 8:12, but the translation does not seem to fit Peter's context, although it fits Isaiah's. The construction does not require such a translation here, and although Peter borrows the expressions from Isaiah, there is nothing to imply a rigid quotation. Thus the alternate reading of "Do not fear their threats," provided in NIV's margin, is preferable. The NASB reads, "And do not fear their intimidation." See also the NKJV, RSV, and ESV.
After this, Peter continues to say, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord" (v. 15). To "not fear" the unbelievers' threats is not a purely negative attitude, nor does it put us in neutral. Rather, the positive counterpart to "do not fear" is to sanctify Christ in our hearts, to reverence him inwardly, to look to him confidently, so that we will never be shaken. The more we know Christ, and the more he fills our hearts, the less we will have to fear from men.
The rest of verse 15 is frequently cited as a foundational verse for the practice of Christian apologetics, the defense of the faith: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." The word translated "answer" (NIV, KJV) or "defense" (NASB, NKJV) is apologia, from which we derived the English word "apologetics." This is to be given in response to the demand for a "reason" (logos), which suggests that the answer or defense would come in the form of a rational argument or discourse. Since the topic concerns "the hope that you have," we understand that Peter is referring to an answer or defense that is both rational and biblical, or Christian.
Commentators suggest that by now Peter has broadened the context to include all kinds of unbelievers. Although some of the previous passages deal with our response to public officials and other human authorities, our verse says to Christians, "Always be prepared" to answer "everyone who asks." But this is awfully careless. Everyone should know that "everyone" almost never means everyone! That is, seemingly universal terms like "all" and "every" often occur within contexts that restrict their meanings, so that "all" means all that is within the defined boundaries, and "every" means every one that is within the specified restrictions.
With this in mind, the previous passages, at least from 2:13 to 3:6, all deal with submission to human authorities. But lest anyone should say that 3:8-12 has severed the continuity, our verse is itself enclosed by other verses that refer to those who have the power to "harm" (3:13) Christians, the potential to make threats and incite fear (3:14b), and cause them to "suffer" (3:14a and 17). The text continues to say that Christ "died" (3:18) for the unrighteous, that he was "put to death" (3:18), and that he "suffered in his body" (4:1). The "everyone" is no ordinary fellow.