Read 1 Peter 3

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”” (1 Peter 3:14)

There is great comfort in the words of the Apostle Peter who both exhorts us and emboldens us to suffer for the sake of Christ. Peter was, of course, no foreigner to suffering on behalf of the gospel. Thus, he speaks not only from truth but also from experience. What sweet assurance we have from his words! We learn that even in the face of adversity we can stand firm and not be afraid.

Glory to God that we currently live in a country where our faith can still be practiced and preached with little resistance from our society. Right now the sea is fairly calm, allowing us to sail smoothly. But we all intuitively know that the winds of cultural change are showing themselves to be aggressive, and it seems we will soon face much rougher waters as the storm against truth develops.

The question for all us who love Christ is: Are we ready to suffer for righteousness' sake? Beloved, we must remember that we have no reason to be afraid, and that in living for truth there is great blessing.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

How then, you might ask, can we be ready to suffer for the sake of righteousness? Peter answers this question for us in the following verse.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.” (1 Peter 3:15–16)

It starts with remembering who your Lord is. Peter actually tells us to set the Lord apart in our hearts. That is to say, Christ must have the throne of our lives. When Christ is ruling and reigning in us, then all fear is displaced by His great love (see 1 John 4:4, 18).

Next, we must be ready to give a defense for our living hope. This, no doubt, can only come from the diligent study of the Scriptures. How can we defend that which we do not know? And how can we know unless we let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly? (see Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:16; Jude 1:3)

And lastly, we must have a good conscience before God. This world will attempt in every way to defame us and accuse us of evil, but our vindication must come from God alone. It is better to stand in favor with God than in favor with man. Likewise, it is better to fear God than to fear man.

“The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)

Church, as we continue to stand for truth — especially biblical truth — may we be conformed more and more into the image of Christ and find our boldness in His words which shall never fade away! In this we are blessed and can live without fear.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10–12)