3:13,14
Verse 13 seems hopelessly naive, but then verse 14 shows that Peter is not as naive as might seem, for he recognises that some will suffer even if they do do what is right. So what are we to make of this? There are two extreme views of the world that are wrong. One is that everything is basically good, or at least on an improving trend. The opposite view is that the world is utterly evil. The truth is that we live in a world that was created by God, inhabited by people created in the image of God. This is world is also a fallen world, all mankind is sinful, and creation is under a curse (God’s judgement on man’s sin) because of this. Both these facts are at play. Throughout Scripture we find claims that God is at work in the world, looking after it. We find people who do do good. We also find times of floods, earthquakes, famines and disease, and we find lots of people who do evil. So the norm is that doing good is the best thing to do. If it was not then society simply could not function. But when the times do come, as they will, when people suffer for doing good, or despite doing good, what are we to do? We are not to fight evil with evil, but with good. We know that we are blessed, Jesus said we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness (Matt 5:10). Peter then quotes from Isaiah 8:12, God’s command is that we do not fear what the world fears.
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