Who is There to Harm You?

In the last article we discussed the encouragement we can find in passages like Jeremiah 20:9-11. How encouraging it is to know that enthusiasm for the truth can help us overcome the negative side of criticism; the encouragement that comes from knowing that our God is a Dread Champion for us against our enemies. I would like to continue on that subject this week.

Would it not be great if every conflict that might arise between people would be resolved by both parties sitting down to a logical exchange of ideas with both parties being willing to admit defeat when and if the facts proved their position to be wrong? Would it not have been nice for those men in the government of King Darius who were jealous of the prophet Daniel to have challenged Daniel to some kind of discussion to see if, in fact, he was deserving of so much positive attention from the king? Yes, it would have been nice, but they did not do that, did they? They tried to find some dirt on Daniel and when they could not find any, they initiated a plot to use his strength (faith) against him. God took care of Daniel, but sometimes the care that God gives His faithful comes after death. Sometimes good people suffer and even die because bad people are treacherous.

Check out 1 Peter 3:13-17. The first question is key: Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? What a question! There really is no one who can harm the faithful Christian (see Romans 8:31-37). He does not say you will not or cannot suffer. If you are faithful, you will suffer, believe me. If you suffer for righteousness’ sake (for doing the right thing), you are blessed. You do not have to be afraid of anyone’s intimidation; you do not have to be troubled by anything, concerning your position before God. Of course, it is troubling if the source of your suffering for the sake of righteousness is from a fellow Christian, but in this situation, you stand justified before God.

We usually apply 1 Peter 3:15 to the need to study the Bible well enough so that if our friends or acquaintances ask us a Bible question we can answer with a Bible answer. Well, that is a good thing to be ready for, but Peter is really telling us here that in situations where there is conflict (whether it be conflict in the church, or with those outside the body of Christ) we had better be prepared. If we are going to suffer for the sake of righteousness, we must make sure that our cause is righteous; make sure that we are proving zealous for what is good. That is what it means to always to be ready to make a defense. This means constant self-examination on our part to see if we really have that ole’ log out of our eye (Matthew 7:1-5). We must keep a good conscience. That does not just happen on its own. It takes much effort, much prayer and much penitent action on our part. If we will work hard at making sure we line up correctly with the will of God as revealed in Scripture, we do not have to worry and those who slander us (i.e. call us “troublemakers,” “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” etc.) will be put to shame.

There is no question that it is much better to suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong. Someone might disagree and say that suffering is suffering. Well, the person who says that is ignorant of the blessings associated with this passage. If you suffer for doing right, even if your suffering is fatal, you are blessed (see Revelation 2:10). If you suffer for doing what is wrong (and that can be fatal, too) that suffering leads to eternal suffering.

One more thing before I let you go and have a wonderful week. What happens when we suffer for doing right, are slandered and our good behavior is reviled, and those who slander us and do the reviling are not put to shame? You know it happens that way sometimes. People in the right, faithful Christians who stand up for what is right, are “shot down,” sometimes by brethren in Christ, and no one ever knows the truth. The “Christians” who are on the wrong side of the question go on and “build their church” and seem to enjoy all the blessings of God and suffer none of the negative consequences of having stood against the truth and having opposed a faithful brother or sister. How is it that they are not put to shame? Let me assure you: the game (if I can call it that) is not over yet. There is still coming a time when the “shame” of such actions will be meted out. However, we must be careful here. I do not at all want to say all of this so that anyone can read it and start planning for the vengeance dance when the Lord brings down an enemy, either in this life or on Judgment Day. The Holy Spirit did not have Peter write this to have anyone gleefully plan the “shaming” of their enemies. He said it, and I have written this, merely to give the faithful who suffer for being faithful the encouragement of knowing that God sees your suffering and will take care of you.

Let me encourage you to go out this week and prove zealous for what is good! After all, who is there to harm you if you do? No one! That is because God is on your side. He loves you and so do I.

Donnie Bates