One House : 1 Peterਨਮੂਨਾ

Live in Harmony

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’

1 Peter 3:8–12 ESV

There is a temptation in our current political climate for Christians to repay the kind of bad behavior we often receive with the same kind of behavior in return. But the scripture is clear, Christians don't have the right to respond to people with the same treatment they've given us. Rather, Christians are to bless those who persecute. To bless doesn't mean we become passive; it means that when we respond to evil, we don't respond with more evil. Instead, we respond with the same kind of blessing God gave us when we were in rebellion against him.

How did God treat us? He saved us.

Peter's emphasis up to this point of the letter has been to show us the great blessings we've received in salvation. His point now is that we should seek those blessings for those who commit evil against us. God looks with favor on those who imitate his grace towards others. Peter says that we can obtain God's blessings when we respond to the evil in others with the same grace he showed the evil in us.