1 Peter 3: Living for the Good Is Worth It

Introduction

Is it worth living for the good? Bert Görzen opens his message at FeG Mainz with the question Asaph asks in Psalm 73. The psalmist looks at people who show contempt for God: they are successful, wealthy and free of worry. Everything goes their way. And he wonders whether he cleansed his heart and washed his hands in innocence for nothing (Psalm 73:13).

That question is still with us. A life without faith and without Christian values can work out very well, sometimes with less stress, sometimes with more success. The preacher admits that the question has taken on a new edge for him since he became a father: by passing on kindness, compassion, helpfulness and forgiveness to his children, is he doing them a favor in a society that is getting harsher, where people use their elbows at school, at university and at work?

As part of a series on the first letter of Peter, "living out your faith in a post-Christian society," he reads 1 Peter 3:8-18 from three angles: the good life as a solid argument for God, what it means in concrete terms, and why it is worth it.

Outline of the Message

1. Asaph's Question Is Ours Too

In Psalm 73, Asaph nearly stumbled: he envied the arrogant as he watched the wicked prosper. They wear their pride like a necklace, and many people run after them.
The preacher understands Asaph very well: what is the point of living by God's standards if it sometimes costs you? Wouldn't it be simpler to live like everyone else, who succeed without a very moral life?
The readers of the first letter of Peter knew these thoughts. As Christians, they lived as a minority in the Greco-Roman Empire, with values different from those around them, and that did not bring them only advantages.
Peter encourages them to hold on to these values and to live them out steadily, "because they are good, because they are right and because, in the end, they are a source of blessing for your own life."

2. The Good: A Solid Argument for God

Before turning to the text, the preacher proposes "a little thought excursion." It can strengthen those who believe and give those who do not believe something to think about.
In verse 13, Peter assumes that good exists. Non-Christians say so too: the philosopher Markus Gabriel stated on the radio station Deutschlandfunk that the existence of good and evil is an established result of philosophy, like the certainty in mathematics that 2 + 2 = 4.
But why are we so sure? Good and evil can exist only if there is a God who sets them for all human beings. If life is nothing but chance, with no meaning and no purpose, evil is an illusion and everything we do is merely the expression of our nature, of our DNA.
The atheist Richard Dawkins pushes his worldview all the way: in a universe of blind, impersonal forces, there is no justice, no meaning, no good and no evil. Christian thinkers add that without God there is no foundation for defining the good: if human beings define it, "we don't really agree."
Some atheists have come to faith by this route, such as C.S. Lewis or the British writer A.N. Wilson: "Atheism says that we are nothing but an assembly of chemicals. It has no answer to the question of why we are capable of love, heroism and poetry."
This is the moral argument: if there is good and evil, there must be a God. Good and evil exist. Therefore God exists. "Morality needs a moral lawgiver."
"It is not foolish to call yourself a Christian and to believe in the God of the Bible." The Christian faith makes sense, and there are many other good arguments.

3. An Attitude of the Heart: Compassion

What Peter calls the good falls into three categories. The first is an attitude, a disposition of the heart: I want to do good. This is the common goal of verse 8.
A good attitude is made of compassion and mercy. I am not always centered on myself: my attention and my heart are turned toward the other person, and their suffering touches me.
How do we get there? There is a pious answer: let the Holy Spirit work in us, since he has the power to change our hearts. "That is a good answer, a right answer."
There is also a less pious answer: don't let screens distract you too much. Heavier use of digital media goes hand in hand with less empathy. In the middle of a conversation, we think about our smartphone, glance at it, quickly type a message. "But that way, you cannot have a deep conversation with someone."
In practical terms, you can put your phone out of sight and out of reach at the table or in the living room. Maybe it is not the smartphone that distracts you, but a long to-do list or a hobby. Identify what keeps you from giving others your full attention: empathy is "a key quality" for living together.

4. A Way of Speaking and Acting

Living for the good also means communicating in a certain way: not insulting back when you are insulted, telling the truth, speaking with kindness and respect, blessing others.
Finally, it means doing concrete things for others. The preacher puts love in this category, because according to the Bible love is not a mere feeling: it always shows itself in actions.
We see this in Jesus: he loves us and he showed it in a practical way by going to his death for us.
Peter also calls us to actively seek peace and to answer evil with good. "What Peter asks here is really demanding."

5. Level 3: Doing Good to Those Who Do You Harm

The proverb "Do not do to others what you would not want done to you" is a very good rule for living together, but it is only level 1. Level 2: not doing harm and doing good. Level 3: doing good even to those who harm me.
Peter calls for level 3 in verse 9: "not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but instead blessing."
Peter did not invent it: Jesus said it in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:44-48). "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you," because the Father makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good.
"Being a Christian means living on another level": praying for those who do us harm, blessing them, staying kind to them in spite of everything.
How can we manage that? "Not by our own strength." We need a divine strength, and it is available to us through the Holy Spirit who has lived in us since we came to faith.
We are quickly drawn into a climate where people insult each other, raise their voices and strike back. When the neighbor grumbles for no reason, when a colleague tells lies about you, when classmates make fun of you, stop and pray: "God, give me the strength to respond at level 3."
It will not always work. But in those moments you can grow beyond yourself, because the Holy Spirit wants to be active in you. "Let's trust him."

6. A Life for the Good Brings Blessing

Is it worth it, even when you are mocked or you do not get a position because you refuse to use your elbows? Peter answers clearly: "Yes, it is absolutely worth it."
In verses 9 to 12, he quotes Psalm 34: whoever wants to love life and see happy days keeps their tongue from evil, turns away from evil, does good and seeks peace, because "the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous."
Blessing means that God turns toward us in a particular way. It does not always mean success or a lot of money: unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament puts less emphasis on material things and more on spiritual blessing.
This blessing can take the form of good relationships, because we are fair and kind. Or an experience of God that gives deep contentment. Or a clear conscience.
It also holds for eternity: before Jesus, our commitment to the good will be honored. The preacher clears up a misunderstanding: "We do not go to heaven because we do good." We are accepted by God through faith, Jesus won our relationship with God by his death and resurrection, and we cannot earn heaven. But the measure of our devotion matters for eternity.
Finally, there is a blessing for others. In verses 13 and 14, Peter assumes that the good is generally well received, even if suffering may come. Christian ethics are often appealing because they are social and respectful. The people around us then wonder where this behavior comes from, and they may discover that the source is Jesus.

7. Asaph Reaches the Same Conclusion

At the end of Psalm 73, Asaph concludes as Peter does: it is worth it, it is a path that brings blessing.
In verses 25 and 26, he says: "Whom do I have in heaven? There is no one on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Asaph lived what Peter describes: God turned toward him in a particular way. That gave him a sense of happiness, security and support, more important to him than money and success.
The preacher ends with a prayer: that God would help us live for the good in an age of polarization, harshness and insults, especially in the digital space, and that we would be "good billboards" for the good God who loves all human beings.

Key Takeaways

The question "is the good worth it?" is a biblical one: Asaph asks it in Psalm 73, and Peter answers it for Christians living as a minority.
The existence of good and evil is a solid argument for God: morality needs a moral lawgiver.
Living for the good means an attitude of compassion, words that bless and a love that shows itself in actions.
Level 3, doing good to those who do us harm, is possible only through the strength of the Holy Spirit.
A life for God brings a blessing that is above all spiritual, for today, for eternity and for the people around us.

Personal Application

Have you ever, like Asaph, envied those who succeed without caring about God? What does that feeling reveal about your expectations?
What keeps you from giving your full attention to the people you talk with: your smartphone, your to-do list, a hobby?
Who is hurting you right now, and how could you, with the help of the Holy Spirit, respond "at level 3" this week?
How do you talk about others and to others, especially on social media? Do your words bless?
If someone wondered where your way of life comes from, what would they see of Jesus in you?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Why live by Christian values if others do very well without them?

That is Asaph's question in Psalm 73. Bert Görzen answers with Peter: yes, it is worth it. A life for God and for the good brings blessing, above all spiritual: God turns toward us in a particular way. This blessing also touches our relationships, our conscience, eternity and the people around us.

What is the moral argument for the existence of God?

If there is good and evil, there must be a God who defines them for everyone. Good and evil do exist, and almost everyone knows it intuitively. Therefore God exists. For the preacher, morality needs a moral lawgiver: it cannot be derived from nature or from human beings alone.

What does it mean to live "at level 3" according to 1 Peter 3?

Level 1 is not harming others. Level 2 is not harming and doing good. Level 3 is doing good also to those who harm us, as 1 Peter 3:9 asks: not rendering evil for evil or insult for insult, but blessing. This is possible only through the strength of the Holy Spirit.