Suffer for the Good of the World || 1 Peter 3:18 || Manna for the Mind #136

Welcome to Day 136 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about finding nourishment in the Word of God to get us through the day. In each devotional, I take a variety of scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses each) and build our understanding of what they teach via their context and connecting scripture. My goal is to help you understand how to be the type of human God created you to be.

Today’s passage is 1 Peter 3:18. We’ll talk about Jesus’ death and resurrection and how we might suffer in doing what Jesus called us to do.

1 Peter 3:18

NASB	NLT	VOICE
18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;	18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.	18 The Anointed One suffered for sins once for all time – the righteous suffering for the unrighteous – so that He might bring us to God. Though He died was in the flesh, He was made alive again through the Spirit.

This part of Peter’s letter describes what it means to suffer for God. He mentions that God will reward you for suffering for doing the right thing. Because of God’s reward, we shouldn’t fear the consequences of doing the next right thing. Instead, Peter says to be prepared to share your hope in Christ gently and respectfully. When you share your testimony, keep your conscience clear. Share all parts of your story, even those that aren’t pretty and easy to share. That way, if someone speaks against you, they will be ashamed to see how well you live because of your relationship with Jesus.

Peter’s core message is found in verse 17: It’s better to suffer for doing what is right (if God says so) than to suffer for doing what is wrong.

Jesus suffered. Jesus suffered for all of us. Jesus was, and is, the only perfect, sinless being to exist. He was the perfect sacrificial lamb that fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial laws. He gave us the perfection we could never achieve on our own so that we could have a perfect relationship with our heavenly father. He was put to a physical death but was raised to a life in the Spirit. Humanity didn’t deserve to have Jesus die for them. We continue to mess up and get things wrong. We continue to hurt those around us for our own gain. We continue to treat others horribly. Why save these kinds of people? God loved his creation too much. God wants to save his creation from this eternal hell that he continues to live in. Unfortunately, not everyone will want to follow God for whatever reason. That’s where we come in. Christians are called to represent God to those without a relationship with them. We can show them through our acts of righteousness. Caring for our neighbor. Standing up for the voiceless. Fighting for the same rights we have. God created us uniquely and individually. The goal is to live and love as Jesus did and allow those around us the same opportunity.

Hebrews 9:26

NASB	NLT	VOICE
26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages. He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.	26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove by his own death as a sacrifice.	26 because that would require His repeated suffering since the beginning of the world. No, He has appeared once now, at the end of the age, to put away sin forever by offering Himself as a sacrifice.

The ”end of the age” refers to the time of Christ’s coming to earth in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Christ ushered in a new era of grace and forgiveness, and we still live in this period. The last days began with the death and resurrection of Christ and will be completed at Christ’s return. I’ve never heard the last days beginning with Easter, but it makes sense. This moment began the countdown to Christ’s return to finally vanquish evil and Satan and all that. During this time, we need to be active. Fighting the fight against evil through the work of the Spirit. Shedding care and compassion to all. Fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. Jesus teaches us consistently to care for the widows and orphans. Who are the widows and orphans of your community? Who are the most vulnerable around you that you can help? Our communities are becoming more diverse as each goes on: from different ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, social statuses, wealth levels, and more. Who can you help so they can live the life they were created to live?

Father God, thank you for your ultimate sacrifice in sending your son to die on our behalf so we can have a right relationship with you. While we would never experience that level of suffering, we know there will be suffering in doing your will. Help us to wrestle with that suffering and to continue to do good in this world despite how we might suffer. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.