When suffering for the gospel believers are to focus on the Lord who saved them

This letter of the apostle Peter was written to believers who were facing increasing persecution. In this passage we find that they are encouraged to respond in a way that is for the salvation of their persecutors. In v13 the question is asked ‘who will harm you if you are eager to do good?’ The answer is that when you do good it is no guarantee because no one wants to hear that they are a sinner.

Peter then quotes from the OT prophet Isaiah to show that they are to ‘fear’ God not their persecutors. They are to set apart the Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts and give an answer for the hope which is in them because of him. Jesus is also the example of suffering for doing good. This is a reference to what he endured by going to the cross … suffering not for his own sins, because he was completely faultless and vindicated by the resurrection, but for those of others. This was so that they might be brought back to God.