1 Peter / Suffering for Righteousness, Christ’s Victory, and Baptism

Suffering for Righteousness, Christ’s Victory, and Baptism

1 Peter 3:8-22

Chapter 3

⁸ Finally, all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, brotherly-loving, compassionate, humble-minded, ⁹ not giving back evil in return for evil or reviling in return for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit blessing. ¹⁰ For the one who wants life and to love and see good days, let him stop the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit. ¹¹ But let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. ¹² because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous ones and his ears toward their prayer petition, but the face of the Lord is on ones doing evils. ¹³ And who will harm you if you become zealots of the good? ¹⁴ But if even you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. But do not fear their fear nor be disturbed. ¹⁵ But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, always ready to give a defense to the one who asks you for a word concerning the hope in you, ¹⁶ but with gentleness and fear, having a good conscience, so that, in what you are slandered, those who falsely accuse your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better, if the will of God should so wish, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ¹⁸ because Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God, having been put to death indeed in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; ¹⁹ in which also he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison. ²⁰ who formerly disobeyed, when the long-suffering of God was eagerly waiting in the days of Noah while an ark was being prepared, in which few—that is, eight souls—were saved through water. ²¹ which also now saves you—baptism, not the putting off of the filth of the flesh but the inquiry of a good conscience toward God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, with angels and authorities and powers having submitted to him.