Ten Sinful Minutes
There’s a lot of the last half of 1 Peter 3 that nobody really understands. Who were these spirits in heaven? Why did Peter bring Noah into the argument?
But the main point of 1 Peter 3:12-22 is clear: If we bless those who hurt us and oppose us rather than retaliating, God will take care of us and vindicate us.
Even if we suffer because of our refusal to fight back, reciprocate, and return evil for evil.
In fact, “it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing [the] good [of holding our tongue and trust God to take care of us] than for doing [the] evil [of retaliating and making sure everyone knows why we’re right and our ‘enemies’ are wrong]” (1 Peter 3:17).
One of the deepest regrets of my life is a time when I refused to let God take care of my reputation. Judy and I had been devastated by a sanctified retaliation war. We lost a church we loved and moved from a community we thought we would raise our grandchildren in.
Throughout the fight I told Judy we would “take the high road.” I would simply resign and we would move away, trusting God for the results.
For the most part, that’s exactly what we did. We held our tongue in the community and refused to “explain” our side of the disagreements and issues.
But one night a few months after we had left, we gathered with one of the small groups that had been a part of that church. We were driving through the community on our way home from a pastor’s conference I had led. Our intentions were pure. We simply wanted to see these people we loved.
Then, they began to ask questions about some of the rumors they had heard.
I decided that I had had enough, that I just couldn’t take it any more, that someone had to “set the record straight.”
So, for the first and only time, I spouted all of my defenses and let everyone know why I was right and the other side was wrong. Judy looked at me with questioning eyes, “I thought we were taking the high road here?”
Those were maybe the most sinful ten minutes of my life.
After I finished my tirade, one of the men said, “I’ve got some people to talk to.” And I thought, “You bet you do! You just see how they answer this!”
Right then, at that very moment the Holy Spirit broke into my thoughts and said, “Ed, do you have any idea what you just unleashed here?”
I knew that I had sinned. I knew that this didn’t help anyone. And I regretted it immediately.
Still do.
To my shame and grief, nothing but bad came out of that meeting. Not one of those people still walks with the Savior.
I messed up, but you can learn from my sin. In your marriage, your family, your friendships, and your church, it’s not going to make anything better when you make sure everyone knows why you are right and everyone else is wrong.
You can be a better Christian than I was that night. You can keep your mouth shut and trust God for the results…even if it means that you will suffer for doing that good thing.
2 comments
Really? “There’s a lot of the last half of 1 Peter 3 that nobody really understands. Who were these spirits in heaven? Why did Peter bring Noah into the argument?”
Ed you are a leader, a shepherd, and a teacher in a moderately large church, and you are declaring that after plus or minus 2000 odd years of having these scriptures to ponder and to study that NOBODY, I presume, IN ALL OF CHRISTENDOM, understands them? Are you not doing what Paul admonished against in I Cor. 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? Are you not in fact herein surrendering all hope of showing oneself to be a workman that needeth not to be ashamed? I contest your statment, and humbly submit the simple interpretation of J.vernon mcGee ;
1Peter v. 18 — Again, Christ’s suffering for our sins is cited as the hope
in our suffering.
v. 19 — When did Christ preach to the spirits in prison? In His
day or in Noah’s day? The next verse answers it.
v. 20 — “When” is the key word. It was in the days of Noah.
Noah preached the gospel in his day. In Christ’s day, the spirits of
those men to whom Noah had preached were in prison, for they had
rejected the message of Noah.
v. 21 — “Baptism” is identification with and understanding that God has created in us a new nature, that we are, “born again”, the “inner man” the “spiritual man”, howsomorever still having an original body and nature of sin, in sin, but not to be identified with. treatment for which is found in 1 John 1:9 et al.
But why do you declare and teach that no man knows the meaning of these simple and clear passages in 1 Peter?
If you think you understand them clearly and that there is no tension in your heart when you declare exactly what they mean according to your theology, that’s great. I’m just not there.
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