1 Peter 3:13-16
13. who . . . will harm you—This fearless confidence in God's protection from harm, Christ, the Head, in His sufferings realized; so His members.
if ye be—Greek, "if ye have become." followers—The oldest manuscripts read "emulous," "zealous of" (Tit 2:14). good—The contrast in Greek is, "Who will do you evil, if ye be zealous of good?"14. But and if—"But if even." "The promises of this life extend only so far as it is expedient for us that they should be fulfilled" [CALVIN]. So he proceeds to state the exceptions to the promise (1Pe 3:10), and how the truly wise will behave in such exceptional cases. "If ye should suffer"; if it should so happen; "suffer," a milder word than harm.
for righteousness—"not the suffering, but the cause for which one suffers, makes the martyr" [AUGUSTINE]. happy—Not even can suffering take away your blessedness, but rather promotes it. and—Greek, "but." Do not impair your blessing (1Pe 3:9) by fearing man's terror in your times of adversity. Literally, "Be not terrified with their terror," that is, with that which they try to strike into you, and which strikes themselves when in adversity. This verse and 1Pe 3:15 is quoted from Isa 8:12, 13. God alone is to be feared; he that fears God has none else to fear. neither be troubled—the threat of the law, Le 26:36; De 28:65, 66; in contrast to which the Gospel gives the believer a heart assured of God's favor, and therefore unruffled, amidst all adversities. Not only be not afraid, but be not even agitated.15. sanctify—hallow; honor as holy, enshrining Him in your hearts. So in the Lord's Prayer, Mt 6:9. God's holiness is thus glorified in our hearts as the dwelling-place of His Spirit.
the Lord God—The oldest manuscripts read "Christ." Translate, "Sanctify Christ as Lord." and—Greek, "but," or "moreover." Besides this inward sanctification of God in the heart, be also ready always to give, &c. answer—an apologetic answer defending your faith. to every man that asketh you—The last words limit the universality of the "always"; not to a roller, but to everyone among the heathen who inquires honestly. a reason—a reasonable account. This refutes Rome's dogma, "I believe it, because the Church believes it." Credulity is believing without evidence; faith is believing on evidence. There is no repose for reason itself but in faith. This verse does not impose an obligation to bring forward a learned proof and logical defense of revelation. But as believers deny themselves, crucify the world, and brave persecution, they must be buoyed up by some strong "hope"; men of the world, having no such hope themselves, are moved by curiosity to ask the secret of this hope; the believer must be ready to give an experimental account "how this hope arose in him, what it contains, and on what it rests" [STEIGER]. with—The oldest manuscripts read, "but with." Be ready, but with "meekness." Not pertly and arrogantly. meekness— (1Pe 3:4). The most effective way; not self-sufficient impetuosity. fear—due respect towards man, and reverence towards God, remembering His cause does not need man's hot temper to uphold it.16. Having a good conscience—the secret spring of readiness to give account of our hope. So hope and good conscience go together in Ac 24:15, 16. Profession without practice has no weight. But those who have a good conscience can afford to give an account of their hope "with meekness."
whereas— (1Pe 2:12). they speak evil of you, as of evildoers—One oldest manuscript reads, "ye are spoken against," omitting the rest. falsely accuse—"calumniate"; the Greek expresses malice shown in deeds as well as in words. It is translated, "despitefully use," Mt 5:44; Lu 6:28. conversation—life, conduct. in Christ—who is the very element of your life as Christians. "In Christ" defines "good." It is your good walk as Christians, not as citizens, that calls forth malice (1Pe 4:4, 5, 14).