1 Peter 3:13-17 Commentary
Survival and Suffering; Witness While Suffering,
The Christians' Securities Against A Hostile World (MacArthur)
Finding Security in This Troubled World
Practicing The Lordship of Christ 3:13-17
When we practice Lordship, we turn suffering into a witness and bring glory to Christ. http://sermons.pastorlife.com/members/UploadedSermons/sermon_471.pdf
Pastor/Teacher/Expositor: Charles e Whisnant
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1 Peter 3:13 Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? (NASB:
Greek: Kai tis o kakoson (FAPMSN) humas ean tou agathou zelotai genesthe?
Amplified: Now who is there to hurt you if you are zealous followers of that which is good?
KJV: And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? (NLT - Tyndale House)
After all, who in the ordinary way is likely to injure you for being enthusiastic for good?
Young's Literal: and who is he who will be doing you evil, if of Him who is good ye may become imitators?
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OUTLINE: First Peter 3:13-17
Promise: 13a
Passion: 13b
Persecution: 14
Prosperous: 14b
Protection: 16
A Defiled Conscience Titus 1:15
A Seared Conscience I Timothy 4:2
A Evil Conscience Hebrews 10:22
Possibility: 17
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Francis Schaeffer wrote this in the 1970;s
In ancient Israel the nation had turned from God and from His truth and commands as given in Scripture, the prophet Jeremiah cried out that there was death in the city. He was speaking not only of physical death in Jerusalem but also a wider death. Because Jewish society of that day had turned away from what God had given them in the Scripture, there was death in the polis, that is, death in the total culture and the total society.
In our era, sociologically, man destroyed the base which gave him the possibility of freedoms without chaos. Humanists have been determined to beat to death the knowledge of God and the knowledge that God has not been silent, but has spoken in the Bible and through Christ - and they have been determined to do this even though the death of values has come with the death of that knowledge.
We see two effects of our loss of meaning and values. The first is degeneracy. Think of New York City's Times Square - Forty-second and Broadway.
IF one goes to what used to be the lovely Kalverstraat
The Kalverstraat is a busy shopping street of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. It is named after the kalvermarkt ("calves market") that was held here until the 17th century.
The Kalverstraat is the most expensive shopping street in the Netherlands, with rents of 2200 euros per square meter (2007).[1] In 2009 it was the 17th most expensive street in the world measured by rent prices.[2] The Kalverstraat is also the most expensive street in the Dutch version of Monopoly.
in Amsterdam, one finds that it, too has become equally squalid i.e. foul and repulsive, as from lack of care or cleanliness; neglected and filthy.
The same is true of lower old streets in Coperhagen. Pompeli has returned . The marks of ancient Rome scar us: degeneracy, decadence, depravity, a love for violence's sake. The situation is plain. If we look, we see it, If we see it, we are concerned.
But we must notice that there is a second result of modern man's loss of meaning and value which is more ominous, and which many people do not see. This second result is that the elite will exist. Society cannot stand chaos. Some groups or some person will fill the vacuum. An elite will offer us arbitrary absolutes, and who will stand in the way!
How Should we then live! The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture
As one of the foremost evangelical thinkers of the twentieth century, Francis Schaeffer long pondered the fate of declining Western culture. In this brilliant book he analyzed the reasons for modern society's state of affairs and presented the only viable alternative: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God's revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible's morals, values, and meaning.
How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture is a major Christian cultural and historical documentary film series and book. The book was written by presupposition list theologian Francis A. Schaeffer and first published in 1976. The book served as the basis for a series of ten films. Schaeffer narrated and appeared throughout the 1977 film series, which was produced by his son Frank Schaeffer and directed by John Gonser.[1] In the film series, Schaeffer attacked the influences of the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and Charles Darwin. The films were credited with inspiring a number of leaders of the American conservative evangelical movement, including Jerry Falwell.[2] The complete list of materials that the Schaeffers produced under the title "How Should We Then Live?" include the initial book, a study guide for the book, the ten-episode film series, and study aids for the films.
Overview[
According to Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live traces Western history from Ancient Rome until the time of writing (1976) along three lines: the philosophic, scientific, and religious.[3] He also makes extensive references to art and architecture as a means of showing how these movements reflected changing patterns of thought through time. Schaeffer's central premise is: when we base society on the Bible, on the infinite-personal God who is there and has spoken,[4] this provides an absolute by which we can conduct our lives and by which we can judge society. This leads to what Schaeffer calls "Freedom without chaos."[5] When we base society on humanism, which he defines as "a value system rooted in the belief that man is his own measure, that man is autonomous, totally independent",[6] all values are relative and we have no way to distinguish right from wrong except for utilitarianism.[7] Because we disagree on what is best for which group, this leads to fragmentation of thought,[8] which has led us to the despair and alienation so prevalent in society today.[9] Another premise is that modern relative values are based on Personal Peace (the desire to be personally unaffected by the world's problems) and Affluence (an increasing personal income.)[10] He warns that when we live by these values we will be tempted to sacrifice our freedoms in exchange for an authoritarian government who will provide the relative values.[11] He further warns that this government will not be obvious like the fascist regimes of the 20th century but will be based on manipulation and subtle forms of information control, psychology, and genetics.[12]
Believers in Peter's time lived in the Roman Empire. Schaeffer referred to, facing all the same kind of degeneracy and depravity that assaults today's church. But they faced more frequenct and overt hostility and persecution than believers in today's culture face.
In some parts of the world, however, there is direct persecution of believers, and it is likely that in the coming years Christians everywhere will face increasing hostility, both from civil authorities and from unbelievers at the personal level
This passage speaks to all who would live godly lives in the midst of a hostile, ungodly culture.
John MacArthur lays out five principles believers need to embrace to equip and defend themselves against the threats of an unbelieving, hostile world:
a passion for goodness
a willingness to suffer for wrong and for right
a devotion to Christ
a readiness to defend the faith
a pure conscience
