A New Approach
1 Peter 3:13-22
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: 1 Peter 3:15 –
“ . . . in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.”
Who wants to talk about suffering? It’s not a popular subject of conversation. Then again, talking about adversity is less painful than experiencing it.
Some readers might think just reading 1 Peter brings on a bit of suffering, as the first few verses of chapter 3 reflect the ancient author’s male bias: he instructed women to live under the authority of their husbands, adorning themselves with piety rather than jewels and braided hair (vv. 1-6). Husbands, meanwhile, were to honor their wives as “the weaker sex” (v. 7)
Some modern Christians continue to celebrate the writer’s endorsement of male dominance as a biblical principle, while others see it as an artifact of his societal context that did not appreciate gender equality. In either case, we may look past the author’s cultural coloring and accept his admonishment for all believers to “have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (v. 8). [DD]
Make pain count (vv. 13-17)
In vv. 13-14 the writer turns to the subject of suffering, but not for the first time. In the first chapter, the author addressed his readers as exiles who suffered various trials on the road to a purified faith (1:6-7). In 2:18-21, he encouraged slaves to be patient and respond with goodness even when they suffered under harsh masters. In 3:9, he called for believers to respond to abuse with blessings rather than returning evil for evil.
The author understood that suffering is a part of life, and God does not make Christians exempt from it. Indeed, some may suffer precisely because they are Christian.
When Jesus talked about unjust suffering in Luke 13:1-5 and John 9:1-9, he did not explain why bad things happen to good people, though he did refute the popular idea that suffering is divine payback for personal or family sin. Sometimes adversity has no apparent connection with personal failure on anyone’s part: everyone is responsible for his or her own behavior.
The writer chose to speak about suffering because his readers faced regular ostracism and needed encouragement to help them deal with it in a positive way. In 3:10-12 he had cited a psalm that promised blessing to the righteous, and now in 3:13-17 (along with 4:12-19), he offers counsel to Christians who suffer unjustly. [DD]
Common sense suggests that helpful people would seem less likely to get hurt: “Who will harm you if you are eager to do good?” (v. 13). Yet, we know that suffering is a reality, and sometimes good people are harmed by others.
How could the author say that “even if you do suffer for doing right, you are blessed” (v. 14a)? Can blessing come from suffering? Perhaps he has in mind Jesus’ beatitudes about those who are insulted or persecuted for the sake of righteousness (Matt. 5:10-11). Jesus had used the same word: makarios, “blessed.” [DD]
One of the worst aspects of suffering is the uncertainty of how long it will last or whether it will get worse. We shouldn’t be afraid, the author says (v. 14b). “Do not fear what they fear” is a quotation from Isa. 8:12, where Isaiah called on King Ahaz to trust God and not fear the Assyrians, as the kings of Israel and Syria did.
Readers of 1 Peter were not troubled by Assyrian conquerors, but by neighbors or people in power who rejected or discriminated against them because of their faith. The same words can be translated as “Don’t let the fear of them make you afraid.” [DD]
We know that other people can be mean or hurtful, but that should not intimidate us: the fear of being harmed can be worse than the hurt itself.
When struggles come, we can cope because we have the hope that comes with knowing Christ. Rather than living in service to fear, Peter says, we are to “sanctify Christ as Lord” in our hearts, showing reverence and obedience to Christ. Confident of our relationship with Christ, we can be ready to explain what makes us hopeful and positive despite hardship or rejection by others (v. 15).
As we defend our faith 1 Peter insists that we do so with kindness (v. 16). Christians are not immune to arrogance and the temptation to speak in harsh or self-righteous ways, but the potential benefit of our witness is more important than any satisfaction we might gain from a verbal retaliation. Others may bring shame on themselves in mistreating us, but we should not bring shame upon ourselves or on the cause of Christ.
We’ve all seen reports of a small but infamous family-centered “church” whose members regularly picket funerals with grotesque signs accusing the deceased of various sins and predicting eternal torment. While claiming to defend the faith, they serve only to make Christians look foolish and intemperate.
Others may act more quietly, leaving strident and cartoonish gospel tracts in waiting rooms or bathroom stalls that depict sinners burning in hell. These do not serve the gospel well: a positive and hope-filled witness is far more effective than a judgmental screed, and more likely to foster renewed courage and healing for our own hearts, as well.
The power of one’s witness can be proportional to the circumstances under which it is given. When life is going well, it can be easy to have faith and easy to talk about it. When times are hard, the ability to maintain our hope in Christ and speak of it may be particularly impressive. Many have been inspired, for example, by the example of believers such as Corrie Ten Boom and others who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust at great risk to themselves.
If we are going to suffer, Peter says, it should be for doing good and not evil. Facing suffering in this way is a part of God’s will for us – not in the sense that God causes our affliction, but because faithful suffering can test and strengthen our faith. As the pain of strenuous exercise makes our bodies stronger and more fit, the testing of our faith contributes to spiritual health and confidence.
Remember Jesus’ example (vv. 18-22)
The author consistently pointed to Jesus as the prime example of one who faced unjust suffering with courage and conviction (1:6-7, 2:18-25, 3:18-22, 4:12-19). In vv. 18-22 he reminded readers under duress that Jesus willingly “suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God” (v. 18). [DD]
But what do we make of his following claim that Jesus, dead in the flesh but alive in the spirit, “made a proclamation to the spirits in prison” (v. 19a)? The spirits in question lived in former times, he wrote, during the period when Noah was building the ark, and were disobedient, presumably to God (v. 20).
Just what was the writer talking about? This appears to reflect an early belief that Jesus went to the land of the dead between the time of his death and resurrection. The Apostles’ Creed includes an assertion that Jesus “Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead …”
While in the land of the dead, according to this view, Jesus preached the good news of repentance and grace to those who came before him – or at least to the disobedient contemporaries of Noah who died in the flood. [DD]
Some who are familiar with other ancient writings believe the reference is to Jesus preaching to the “sons of God” (we would call them angels), who reportedly consorted with human women in the years prior to the flood (Gen. 6:1-4). These “spirits” were in a special prison, according to the Jewish book of 1 Enoch, which was popular in the first century and cited elsewhere in the New Testament (for more, see “The Hardest Question” online).
The content of Jesus’ preaching is not stated, only that “he proclaimed to the spirits in prison.” Some believe Jesus’ purpose was to pronounce final condemnation on the fallen spirits, while others assume that any preaching of Christ must necessarily allow for the possibility of hope and redemption.
Perhaps the writer’s intent is to suggest that Christ will go to any length to reach out to the fallen – even to disobedient angels – and offer them hope.
In any case, the reference to Noah and his family being saved “through water” led the writer to thoughts of baptism, the central symbol of our public faith.
We are not saved by the act of baptism, as a literal reading of v. 21 might suggest, but through repentance and trust in Christ that leads to the waters of baptism. As the public profession of our faith, baptism sets us on the road to faithful living and ultimate salvation through the resurrected Christ, portrayed as sitting at the right hand of God and exalted over all other powers (v. 22).
Suffering is a part of life, and faithfully following the road of a Jesus-centered lifestyle will not deliver us from it. Such is life, but ours is not an ordinary life. As believers, our life is bound up with Christ’s life. As we follow Jesus’ example of confident endurance in the face of difficult days, 1 Peter claims, we will not only be blessed, but our witness will become a powerful blessing to others. That’s good news all around.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: 1 Peter 3:13-22
Youth Teaching Resources
Social Media Challenge
Create a list of the people that encourage you. Throughout the week create a post with the two of you and say how each person encourages you.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: 1 Peter 3:13-22
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
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“Joker – Final Trailer” from Joker
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