1 Peter part five

We are at 1 Peter 3:7. The author has just finished expounding on how slaves should obey their masters and wives should submit to their husbands, even the bad ones. Now we arrive at the message to husbands. Husbands are not told to submit but to be considerate and respectful to the wives as weaker partners and co-heirs of "the gracious gift of life." Is that earthly life or eternal life? Why should husbands treat their wives well? So it won't hinder their prayers!

Finally, says the author, they should all live in harmony, with love compassion and humbleness. Sounds okay. They should also not "repay evil with evil, or insult with insult." That's okay too. What should they do instead? Blessings for everyone! They bless other people so they can inherit a blessing. That would be lovely, if a blessing was actually a thing and not just magical mumbling.

In order to convince the readers to be good to everyone, the author quotes Psalm 34:12-16, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the lord is against those who do evil." This is pretty much what the Psalm actually says. So, be a good person and god will hear your prayers. If you aren't, he won't. A simple carrot and stick philosophy.

Next, the author asks, "Who is going to harm you if you do good?" Boy, he is naive, isn't he? However, he says, "even if you suffer for what is right, you are blessed." Blessed. That lovely word that doesn't mean a whole lot but sounds like you won a prize. The readers are next told not to fear what "they" fear. Presumably the "they" is those who do evil. Instead, the readers are to set apart Christ as lord in their hearts. If  Jesus lives in their hearts, whatever that means in reality, it will provide them with something. Sort of?

The reader is always to be ready to tell people who ask the reasons for their strange beliefs, but they must be gentle and respectful, so no one can say anything mean about them. No fire and brimstone the first time they bring it up. Also, if no one asks, do they need to tell? The slanderers of  good christians should be ashamed of themselves. Anyway, "it's better, if it is god's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." Really? Does it feel any different? I can see saying that it is better to do good than to do evil, but suffering is suffering. None of it is good. Why would it be god's will for any people, good or evil,  to suffer?

Because...Christ suffered. He was righteous, and he died to bring them, the unrighteous, to god. "He was put to death in the body but made alive by the spirit." In what sense was he actually alive? What does being alive by the spirit entail? Is it real life, or Memorex?

We will stop there because the next section is going to need its own separate post. Till next time.