2. 1 Peter 3 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye : and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
3. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? The sinful world would, if they could. John 15 18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. The sinful world does hate God and His children --
4. But what real harm can they do to one who loves the Lord with his whole heart . Matthew 10 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear HIM which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
5. Proverbs 1 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Fear of the Lord is revealed by hearing His wise counsel as revealed in His Word, And taught by those who love Him. When we reverence God , we will not fear men: Not their anger, threats, criticisms, ridicule; Nothing that men can do .
6. 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy (fortunate; well off) are ye : and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; John 15 21 But all these things will they do unto you for My Name's sake, because they know not Him that sent me. (TLB) 13 Usually no one will hurt you for wanting to do good. 14 But even if they should, you are to be envied, for God will reward you for it.
7. Some boss may refuse to allow you to go to church on Sunday, forcing you to work. Start looking; God has a better job. If God leads you to witness to someone on a park bench, and you go to jail for it, Thank God for the opportunity to witness there where sinners abound.
8. 14b be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; That person is in a sad condition on whom sin and suffering meet: sin makes suffering extreme, comfortless, and destructive. Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary When we suffer for living life God's Way , He is there to comfort us and help us through. But when we suffer for doing wrong , there is no comfort .
9. 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (TLB) 15 Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.
10. 15a TLB Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord Jesus taught us not to make a show of Christianity: 1. Don't stand on a street corner praying long flowery prayers . 2. Don't make a show of giving to the needy. 3. Don't brag about acts of love.
11. 15b KJV ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you Our oral testimony must be consistent with our living testimony. When we are consumed with Jesus from the inside out, it is a natural thing to tell it.
12. 15c with meekness and fear: When we fear God and keep His Commandments , submitted meekly to the Word and Spirit, We will live our lives confident of God's Love, and we will desire to share that love with sinners. We can't browbeat people into Christianity, But, by God's Grace, we can love some into the family of God.
