First Peter - Lorin

suffer for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order
to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and
made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently
in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through
water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an
appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
14 ἀλλʼ εἰ καὶ πάσχοιτε διὰ δικαιοσύνην, μακάριοι. τὸν δὲ φόβον αὐτῶν μὴ φοβηθῆτε μηδὲ ταραχθῆτε, 15
κύριον δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἕτοιμοι ἀεὶ πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντι ὑμᾶς λόγον
περὶ τῆς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐλπίδος, 16 ἀλλὰ μετὰ πραΰτητος καὶ φόβου, συνείδησιν ἔχοντες ἀγαθήν, ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καταλαλεῖσθε
καταισχυνθῶσιν οἱ ἐπηρεάζοντες ὑμῶν τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστροφήν. 17 κρεῖττον γὰρ ἀγαθοποιοῦντας,
εἰ θέλοι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, πάσχειν ἢ κακοποιοῦντας. 18 ὅτι καὶ Χριστὸς ἅπαξ περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἔπαθεν, δίκαιος
ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων, ἵνα ὑμᾶς προσαγάγῃ τῷ θεῷ, θανατωθεὶς μὲν σαρκὶ ζῳοποιηθεὶς δὲ πνεύματι· 19 ἐν ᾧ καὶ τοῖς
ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασιν πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν, 20 ἀπειθήσασίν ποτε ὅτε ἀπεξεδέχετο ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ μακροθυμία ἐν
ἡμέραις Νῶε κατασκευαζομένης κιβωτοῦ εἰς ἣν ὀλίγοι, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν ὀκτὼ ψυχαί, διεσώθησαν διʼ ὕδατος. 21 ὃ
καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀντίτυπον νῦν σῴζει βάπτισμα, οὐ σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου ἀλλὰ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς ἐπερώτημα
εἰς θεόν, διʼ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, 22 ὅς ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ θεοῦ πορευθεὶς εἰς οὐρανὸν ὑποταγέντων αὐτῷ
ἀγγέλων καὶ ἐξουσιῶν καὶ δυνάμεων.
Notes:
This lengthy answer to the beginning question is divided into two parts: an assertion of the correctness
of unjust suffering (vv. 14-16) and two sets of supporting reasons for unjust suffering (vv. 17-22). We will
consider each segment separately.
Be willing to suffer unjustly, vv. 14-16: “14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.
Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15 but 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; 16 yet do it with gentleness
and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good
conduct in Christ may be put to shame.” [14 ἀλλʼ εἰ καὶ πάσχοιτε διὰ δικαιοσύνην, μακάριοι. τὸν δὲ φόβον αὐτῶν μὴ
φοβηθῆτε μηδὲ ταραχθῆτε, 15 κύριον δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἕτοιμοι ἀεὶ πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ
τῷ αἰτοῦντι ὑμᾶς λόγον περὶ τῆς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐλπίδος, 16 ἀλλὰ μετὰ πραΰτητος καὶ φόβου, συνείδησιν ἔχοντες ἀγαθήν, ἵνα
ἐν ᾧ καταλαλεῖσθε καταισχυνθῶσιν οἱ ἐπηρεάζοντες ὑμῶν τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστροφήν.]
The first answer to the question in verse 13 is to pronounce a blessing on those who do undergo persecution.
Verse 14a contains a beatitude. 22 These ancient literary forms in both Judaism and early Christianity
were used to invoke God’s blessing upon individuals meeting specified conditions. Peter sets up the beatitude
as a concessive idea, that is, something that might happen and if it does in spite of the negative condition
something positive is to be gained. Contrast between the negative of suffering physically and the positive
spiritual benefit from it is made. This forces us to go deeper than the merely human level in order to see the
positive divine benefit to be acquired from the negative human suffering.
Peter very possibly had in the back of his mind the pronouncement of Jesus in Matthew 5:10-12:
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on
my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you. 23
Thus he was standing in the tradition of Jesus who saw potential spiritual blessing in suffering unjustly for the
22 For more details on ancient beatitudes see my “Literary Forms of Beatitudes,” cranfordville.com: http://cranfordville.com/
Beatitudesexplained.htm. The beatitude in First Peter takes a modified second person form of the beatitude, where the required
condition for blessing is defined in the ‘if’ class, which is a second class concessive protasis dependent clause: “even if...” (εἰ
καὶ...).
23 GNT: 10 μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.
11 μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσιν καὶ εἴπωσιν πᾶν πονηρὸν καθʼ ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. 12
χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· οὕτως γὰρ ἐδίωξαν τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν.
Also see the Lukan parallel in Lk. 6:22-23 and 26:
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son
of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the
prophets....
26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Bible Study: Page 183