The way Christians live

1 Peter chapter 3 - part 3

Peter now turns his attention to how the Christian behaves within the community. Many of our base human reactions need to be filtered and monitored through the lens of the kingdom lifestyle, and some of the human reactions which may seem acceptable within the community that surrounds us, don’t fit within the environment of Christian behaviour.

9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 

Revenge and retaliation

For this Christian community payback or revenge can never be on the table. No matter how grievous the wrong perpetrated against us we can never stoop one of humanity’s most base reactions. Both the Old and New Testament speak directly against such actions: Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter. (Proverbs 20:22 - NLT) In his great theological treatise to the Christians in Rome Paul gives sound and superior advice: Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:17, 19 - NLT)

Our problems lie in the all too human reaction of anger. We have been deeply wounded and the natural human reaction is to fight back and lash out, perfectly understandable and at the time it seems well justified. Why should we suffer such injustice? The unfortunate outcome of such payback or revenge is that it just adds fuels to the fire, and the situation escalates and relationship can become so damaged they can never be rectified.

The writer of Proverbs was well aware of how anger can escalate a difficult situation and in those tense moments when our anger threatens to make us lose control, to recall the wisdom of Proverbs will be helpful. A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. (Proverbs 15:1-2 - NLT)

No doubt James had been a keen observer of life and is able to apply some of his human observations to a spiritual framework. Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. (James 1:19-20 - NLT) Christian understanding and reflection in response to a situation may keep us from speaking ill-advised words which we later regret. Anger is rarely the correct response to a difficult situation and often wisdom dictates that we should be quick to draw back when anger surfaces. James is quite correct when he writes: Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires (James 1:20 - NLT). We need to ensure our anger is not stimulated by some internal feelings that could be linked to unrelated circumstances.

Peter’s resolution to such a tense situation is to disarm your adversary and pay back evil actions, harsh words and insults with a blessing. A challenge when you are burning with the white-hot passion of anger, but doable in the power of the Holy Spirit. Such are the actions that God wants from us in these difficult situations.

10 For the Scriptures say,

“If you want to enjoy life.
    and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
    and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
    against those who do evil.” (1 Peter3:10-12 – NLT)

The one thing this new Christian community possesses is still the free will that God allowed humanity to exercise, and Peter faces them with the fact that much of what eventuates in their lives will be the result of their own choices; If you want to enjoy life. He wants them to fully appreciate the outcomes that flow from the choices made with respect to actions he is about to address.

Words, and how we use them, exhibit energy far beyond our wildest imagination, and evil words and lies have been the curse heaped on many people, even within the Christian community; gossip and the like are often rationalised under the cloak of caring for another, and that simply doubles the wrongdoing. Other speech-related activities such as sarcasm, belittling, putting down, and even refusing to speak to a fellow member of the Christian community, are often tolerated and go unchallenged.

Words can be the pinnacle of human interchange, lifting people and nations to undreamed heights of human endurance and effort, or dragging people and nations down to the very gates of hell. The two most prominent leaders of World War 2 are classic examples of this. The words of British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, leading his nation and much of the world to extraordinary heights, while the nation was under threat of conquest. The German Chancellor, Adolph Hitler, was the classic opposite, with his repulsive ranting against the Jews, dragging his nation down the very gates of hell as he murdered people in their millions.

Such is the power of words, rightly used, they can lift humanity; wrongly used, they can indeed destroy humanity and the Apostle James is well aware of the enormous power they possess and how they can be utilised. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God (James 3:9 – NLT).

If we think we can simply retreat into silence to avoid the issue we are wrong. Silence is not always golden, and retreat into a monk-like silence is neither wise nor is it a Christlike way of controlling the tongue. Speech is a crucial tool of human socialisation and communication, and abstention from its use is neither biblical nor wise. However, wisdom in speech is both biblical and wise and the reality is that when Christ controls the mind, we are far better able to control the tongue and keep it from destructive actions.

Once again Peter highlights the fact that in much of what is going to take place within this new Christian community, rests with the free will decisions of its members. Although they have set their feet on the kingdom lifestyle, it is the ongoing decisions they make that will dictate the quality and character of the journey. Consequently turning away from evil and seeking peace are paramount decisions they have to make if they are to finish their journey at all.

It is a conscious fact that we always need to be aware of: The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right (1 Peter 3:12 – NLT). Through his Holy Spirit, God is always present within the kingdom lifestyle, not as some sort of repugnant punisher, but more as a father-like figure wanting us to make the right decisions and guiding us with spiritual counsel. If we continually and intentionally reject his counsel and pursue evil, the day will come when the Spirit will no longer strive with us and the Lord [will turn] his face against those who do evil (1 Peter 3:12 – NLT).  Such a situation will be a result of sinfully exerting the freewill God bestowed upon us.