16However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame.
Let's look at that in its context, to figure out what “this” is…
13And who will harm you if you are passionate for what is good? 14But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, 15but set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all….
Verse 13 starts out with a somewhat rhetorical question - who will harm you if you are passionate for what is good? This is an encouragement to his readers (that's us) that most people would not harm them just because they were doing right by the Lord and good towards others. But, in verse 14, he goes on to tell them that even if someone does make them suffer, they are blessed; this echoes the words of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.
11“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
In verse 15, Peter shifts toward evangelism, and tells us that we always need to be ready to defend the faith to those who may ask. If someone is doing good, and others are persecuting them, yet they continue to do good, still others will notice, and will wonder where they get the power to continue doing good. This is just what Paul told Timothy.
2Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
Now, having set all that up, we come to verse 16, where we learn how we are supposed to do this. The words Peter uses are “gentleness and respect.” Many people today find the Word of God offensive - even in America, there are a lot of people who have puffed themselves up, believing that they are above all this “religion” stuff. When we share Christ with others, they may be offended; but that does not absolve us of the responsibility to share Him with others. Here is how the author of Hebrews describes the Word of God…
12“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.”
Some people will get offended at a two-edged sword diving their soul and spirit, and judging their hearts. Rev. Marc Myers, my pastor during high school, used to put it this way: “A Christian should not be deliberately offensive. If you share the Word of God, and the Word offends, so be it. But if you share the Word of God, and you offend, you would be better off not sharing it at all.” This is true - being offensive while sharing Christ actually does more harm than good. It takes the focus off Christ and puts it on the messenger, and it creates a bad reputations for Christians in general.
Think about the abortion clinic. A gentle and respectful way to fight against an abortion clinic is to stand out on the sidewalk and talk, one to one, to the women coming in. I know from experience that women seeking abortion, a lot of times, are using that as means to an end, not an end in itself. Sharing Christ with them can give them hope, and when God works in their spirit, the baby is not only kept, but welcomed and wanted.
Another way of dealing with an abortion clinic is bombing it, destroying it so that it is no longer a conducive place for abortion. However, not only is this offensive (disrespectful to the property of others, irresponsible towards life in that people may be in the building), it is also illegal. Verse 17 says that it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Eric Rudolph is suffering for doing evil, not good.
Peter wraps up chapter 3 by reminding us of Who else has suffered for doing good. Christ is our example, and just as the world was offended at His message when He delivered it, it still finds this message offensive today. In the verse above from Matthew, Jesus said that they also persecuted the prophets before Him. While we should strive not to offend, this should be encouraging to us; if they take offense at our message - well, that's nothing new, is it? May we have the courage to share Christ, and the humility to share it without our methods offending.
16He speaks about these things in all his letters, in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.
The “he” in the beginning of the verse is Paul, who wrote many of the letters that are now books in the New Testament. This is a good recommendation from a fellow minister, but it comes with a couple of warnings.
First, Peter warns the church that some of the things which Paul has written to them are difficult to understand. This is certainly true - even today, there is often spirited debate over the meaning of some of the things Paul wrote. Of course, rather than just listening to debate, and deciding which side is more convincing, it is important to search the Scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal its interpretation. And, knowledge without application is useless - once you have determined what the Scripture says, that knowledge needs to be put into action.
The second warning Peter has for the church is that the “untaught and unstable” will try to twist what the Bible says. Man has been doing this since, quite literally, just after Creation. Let's look at the first recorded twisting of God's Word. God gave Adam and Eve specific instructions regarding the Garden of Eden.
16And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”
But when Eve is talking to the serpent a few verses later, she gets it… well, not quite right.
2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'”
Now, we don't know whether it was Eve who got it wrong here, or if it was Adam who amplified God's warning when he was telling Eve what God had said. But either way, what God said is not faithfully represented in Eve's answer to the serpent. And, just as the Bible begins with this story illustrating (among other things) twisting God's words, it ends with a warning as well.
18I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. 19And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book.
I don't know if you've read the book of Revelation all the way through or not; if you have, you know that you certainly don't want all the plagues of that book added to you!
Another application of these warnings applies to selecting a version of the Bible to use for study. Before making assumptions, research the translation philosophy, and whether the version is a literal translation or a paraphrase. Using more than one version can help you understand a tough passage.
The key in interpreting the Scripture is to be sure that you know what It says. Don't rely on what other people say about It - what does It say? I pray that we will all study the Scriptures, and allow God to reveal His interpretation of it to us.
(Note - we'll discuss more on Bible study when we get to 2 Timothy 3:16.)
John is reminding the recipients of his letter that Jesus provided the ultimate example when it came to love. He gave everything for us. But one of the most amazing parts of His sacrifice is that it was just that - a sacrifice. No one took Jesus and killed Him against His will. In fact, Jesus mentioned in John 10:17-18 that He would lay His life down willingly.
17This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. 18No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.
Jesus' sacrifice is truly our example. But, if we were saved, and then died for someone else, there wouldn't be very many Christians around! Giving up our lives is noble, and there are many who have done that for others - military people, police, and firefighters risk that and often make that ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man. But rather than put our lives on the line, this should remind us that anything God asks us to do less than that is really no trouble at all. Laying down our lives can just mean giving up something of ours for the benefit of someone else.
13No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.
It isn't actually circular reasoning - I believe that there are two different things we can take from this. The first of these reminds us of Jesus' words, when asked what the greatest commandment was.
34When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together in the same place. 35And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
37He said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38This is the greatest and most important commandment. 39The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."
Both parts of the greatest two commandments, according to our Lord, deal with love. This is the second principle we can see in this passage. Even looking back at the Ten Commandments, we can see this.
2I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.
3Do not have other gods besides Me.
4Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.
7Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will punish anyone who misuses His name.
8Remember to dedicate the Sabbath day: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work - you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
12Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13Do not murder.
14Do not commit adultery.
15Do not steal.
16Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Think about it - if you love the Lord, you won't have other gods, you won't worship idols, you won't misuse His name, and you'll set aside a day to remember what He has done for you. By the same token, if you love your fellow man, you'll honor your parents by recognizing what they've done for you; you won't murder your fellow man; you won't steal from them, whether their spouse or an earthly good; you won't lie about them; and you won't be jealous of the blessings they have received from God.
So, you see, it's not really circular at all. Love is the command, and the command is love. May God grow in us His love, both for Him, and our fellow man.
The book of 3 John is a letter written from John to Gaius, a believer who was doing good things. A group of believers, led by Demetrius, was visiting in his area, and John wrote this letter to commend Gaius on how he was helping them. Helping other people, especially those you don't know and those doing God's work, is a recurring theme throughout the Bible.
When Jesus was sending out His disciples, He proclaimed a blessing for those who would welcome then and support them.
40“The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me. 41Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he's righteous will receive a righteous person's reward. 42And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple - I assure you: He will never lose his reward!”
Would you give an angel a hand if you could? By helping others and being hospitable, you may actually have the ability to help an angel! And, even if you never come into contact with one (and I'm not really sure how you would know even if you did), by being hospitable to others, you can do the work of an angel for them.
Finally, let's look at an Old Testament example of hospitality.
8Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9“Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” 10So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow woman gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.” 11As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”
12But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I don't have anything baked - only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”
13Then Elijah said to her, “Don't be afraid; go and do as you have said. Only make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterwards, you may make some for yourself and your son, 14for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: 'The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.'”
15So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. She and he and her household ate for many days. 16The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through Elijah.
This kind lady was willing to give up nearly all the food she had in her house to help Elijah; yet, her kindness was rewarded by God's provision over many, many days. And, in the remainder of this chapter, 1 Kings 17:17-24, her son dies, but is then raised by God through Elijah! That's quite a reward, just for the simple act of giving up a little food.
“Random acts of kindness” is the idea that you do something nice for someone else, with the hope that someone else will do something nice for you. Mysticism has the idea of “karma,” where the things you do (for good or bad) determine how the rest of the world treats you. Neither of these come from the Bible - we should do nice things for other people “just because,” not to get a reward; and blessings from doing good come from God, not some nebulous “spiritual balance” that we can manipulate.
However, the prevalence of this theme, both in the Bible and outside It, show us that God blesses those who bless others in His name. Look for opportunities to bless others - you never know who you may be helping!
(Since there aren't 3 chapters in Jude, this “3:16” isn't actually a 3:16.)
24Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, 25to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now, and forever. Amen.
This is my favorite benediction in the entire Bible. It's a blessing to the church to whom Jude had written, but in the process, Jude writes a great summary of the power of God.
The entire book of Jude is not very large - only one chapter of 25 verses. In it, though, Jude was addressing the apostasy (a total desertion of belief) of some people who had come into the church. In verse 3, he encourages them to “contend for the faith,” because people were trying to destroy it.
In this context, verse 24 begins by telling them that Jesus can “protect you from stumbling…” This was an encouragement that this church needed. It is often difficult to resist people, especially when they have fervor and passion on their side. Jude reminds these church members that they are not alone, and that the Lord can keep them from falling into the seduction of sin.
He then continues “...and to make you stand in the presence of His glory…” This was the reward for which they were working, and Jude reaffirms to them that they will receive it. Many times, we do not see the destination when we begin our journey; but, if we persevere, we will get there. This also let the church know that if they did not abandon Jesus, He would not abandon them - they would stand in His presence!
Jude ends that verse with “...blameless and with great joy…” When they arrive in Jesus' presence, they would be “blameless,” even though they may not have been perfect here on earth. What a transformation! And Jude isn't making this up himself; Paul told the Corinthian church the same thing.
8He will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If we're preserved blameless, and are in the presence of God, no wonder there's great joy!
In verse 25, Jude leaves no doubt as to the identity of the One the church should follow - “The only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord…” Some of the people who had come to destroy the church were trying to get them to follow other gods, but Jude reminds them that they serve the one true God. He continues with “glory, majesty, power, and authority,” which speaks to the totality of God's being, and His control over them. Finally, “before all time, now, and forever” refers to God's eternity and infinity - He was, is, and is to come.
These days, we'll usually just end our letters with “Love” or “Sincerely.” But what an encouragement this must have been to the church! Not only did it bless them personally, it reminded them of Who and why they were serving, and what the fruits of their labor would be. I pray that you will also be encouraged from these words today.
Author
Daniel is a man who wants to be used of God however He sees fit.