Prepared To Make a Defense
Standing Firm in Suffering | 1 Peter 3:13–22
Peter writes to believers who are not living in comfort. They are misunderstood. They are slandered. They are beginning to feel the weight of cultural pressure. And instead of promising them relief, he prepares them for resilience.
In 1 Peter 3:13–22 Prepared To Make A Defense, Peter moves from identity and submission into something even harder: suffering. But he does not present suffering as meaningless. He presents it as purposeful, refining, and anchored in Christ’s victory.
Let us walk through what that means for us today.
1. Zealous for Good in a Hostile World
Peter begins with a question:
“Who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?”
Generally speaking, people are not looking to attack those who are consistently loving, generous, and faithful. But Peter is realistic. He immediately follows that with:
“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed.”
Notice the distinction. He is not talking about suffering because of arrogance, poor behavior, or harsh speech. He is talking about suffering that comes from righteous living.
The believer is called to:
Love when unloved
Serve when unappreciated
Obey when it costs something
And if suffering still comes, Peter says you are blessed.
Not blessed with comfort.
Not blessed with ease.
Blessed because you belong to Christ.
Salvation is your blessing. Eternal security is your blessing. Favor in God’s sight is your blessing.
2. Remove Fear from the Throne
Peter then shifts inward:
“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.”
Before you defend your faith publicly, you must settle Christ’s authority privately.
Peter is saying:
Do not let fear sit on the throne of your heart.
Do not let culture sit on the throne of your heart.
Do not let approval sit on the throne of your heart.
Christ belongs there.
When Jesus occupies the highest place in your heart, fear loses its grip. And when fear no longer controls you, silence will not control you either.
3. Always Be Prepared
The core command comes next:
“Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
Notice what Peter does not say:
He does not say argue with everyone.
He does not say win every debate.
He does not say provoke hostility.
He says be prepared.
When believers suffer without collapsing…
When they respond to hate with love…
When they endure hardship with hope…
People notice. And eventually, someone asks why.
You do not need a theology degree to answer that question. The early church did not even possess the full New Testament. What they had was the gospel:
Christ lived sinlessly.
Christ died for sin.
Christ rose in victory.
Christ saves sinners.
You defend the hope within you by telling your story:
Who you were.
What Christ did.
Who you are now.
That is apologetics at its most personal and powerful level.
4. Gentleness and Respect
Peter adds guardrails:
“Yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
Truth without gentleness becomes cruelty.
Conviction without humility becomes pride.
Remember, you were once lost. You still depend daily on grace. The tone of your defense should reflect the mercy you have received.
Peter even says that maintaining a good conscience will cause those who slander you to be put to shame. The evidence of a transformed life speaks loudly.
5. Suffering Under a Sovereign God
Peter writes:
“It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will…”
That phrase can unsettle us. God’s will?
Yes. We serve a sovereign God. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing escapes His authority.
This does not mean He delights in suffering. It means He is never absent from it.
Sometimes suffering is the furnace that strengthens faith. Sometimes God allows what He does not cause in order to produce what would not exist otherwise.
Suffering for sin produces regret.
Suffering for Christ produces refinement.
6. Christ Suffered First
Peter immediately anchors our suffering in Christ:
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God.”
This is the heart of the gospel.
He suffered once. The payment is complete.
He was righteous. We were not.
He died to bring us to God.
Salvation is not installment-based. It is not partial. It is not dependent on ritual or effort. Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient.
He was put to death in the flesh, made alive in the Spirit, and now reigns victorious.
The worst the world can do is temporary. The victory Christ secured is eternal.
7. Noah, the Ark, and Baptism
Peter references Noah and the flood, then makes a statement that has caused confusion for centuries:
“Baptism… now saves you.”
But he immediately clarifies:
“Not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Water does not save. The resurrection saves.
In Noah’s day, the water was judgment. The ark carried God’s people safely through it.
Jesus is our ark.
Baptism is not the mechanism of salvation. It is the public declaration of it. It is the visible symbol of an inward transformation.
The power is not in the water.
The power is in the risen Christ.
8. The Final Encouragement
Peter closes with triumph:
Christ is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subjected to Him.
The One who suffered now reigns.
The One who was mocked now rules.
The One who died now intercedes.
Your suffering does not end in defeat. It ends in glory, because Christ already secured the victory.
Final Thoughts: Live Ready
To be prepared to make a defense means:
Christ rules your heart.
Fear does not.
You understand the gospel clearly.
You can articulate your testimony simply.
You speak truth with gentleness.
You endure suffering with hope.
The world may misunderstand you.
It may slander you.
It may pressure you.
But when Christ sits on the throne of your heart, you are steady.
And when someone asks why you have hope, you will be ready.
Because the same Jesus who suffered once for sins now reigns in victory.