Scripture: 1
Peter 3:13–22
Today’s reading continues the semi-continuous reading of 1
Peter through the Easter Season. As the last reading taught God’s people to
endure unjust suffering as Christ also endured it for our salvation, this
reading focuses on the same theme while encouraging the reader to share the
hope they have in Christ. This reading also specifically states that the result
of Jesus’s suffering was to bring us to God. This is encouragement for us to be
faithful in our witness as well as in good works trusting in Jesus to bring us
through suffering to eternal life.
Teaching
Twice in this reading Peter mentions having a good
conscience. A person gets a good conscience through faith in Jesus, when he
forgives them for their sins or washes their sins away in baptism. One of the
ways the devil works against God’s people is by attacking their consciences. He
is the accuser who keeps reminding people of sins they’ve committed that Jesus has
forgiven. Clinging to Jesus’ forgiveness is the key to having a good
conscience.
We should also note the strong statement in verse 21 that
Baptisms saves. Too often Baptism is viewed as a past event with little impact
on one’s daily life. Worse yet, some see it as a mere act of obedience, which
in no way actually saves us. Yet here Peter points to Baptism as God’s
salvation, similar to God saving Noah and his family through the ark. God’s
judgement is coming upon the world, and it is only through faith in the
crucified and risen Christ that anyone can be saved, and Baptism delivers
forgiveness and the faith to receive it.
Life
Here we are encouraged to do good. We sometimes want to balk
at statements that remind us that we are called to good things with our lives, noting
that it is only by Jesus’ death and resurrection that we can be right with God.
But the statements are not mutually exclusive. Jesus did die and rise to save
us. He is the only source of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Yet,
because we are forgiven and reconciled to God, we are called to do good for
others. It is an expression of our love for God that we would love those that
he, himself, loves eternally; even as he loves us.
Our focus is rightly always on what Jesus has done to rescue
us; to bring us to God. Yet as those who have been brought to God, those who
have been baptized into Christ, those who have been blessed with a good
conscience, our lives are now lived imitating our Savior. And when we live such
holy lives those who speak against us are put to shame.
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