End Time Series
1 Peter 3:1-18
“God’s Promise Is Not Slack (Gen. 6: 5—8: 22) 1Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which aI stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, cand of the commandment of 1us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, dwalking according to their own lusts, Charts and Diagrams: Right Living in a Wretched World 4and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of ecreation.”
“5For this they willfully forget: that fby the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth gstanding out of water and in the water, 6hby which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7But ithe heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for jfire until the day of judgment and 2perdition of ungodly men. 8But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ka thousand years as one day. 9lThe Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but mis longsuffering toward 3us, nnot willing that any should perish but othat all should come to repentance. The Day of the Lord 10But pthe day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which qthe heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” “11Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be rin holy conduct and godliness, 12slooking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will tbe dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will umelt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for vnew heavens and a wnew earth in which righteousness dwells. Be Steadfast 14Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent xto be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15and consider that ythe longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16as also in all his zepistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the arest of the Scriptures.”“17You therefore, beloved, bsince you know this beforehand, cbeware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18dbut grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
— NKJV Study Bible, Full-Color, eBook: The Complete Resource for Studying God’s Word by Thomas Nelson
1 Peter 3 The Message (MSG)
Cultivate Inner Beauty
3 1-4 The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.
4-6 Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
7 The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.
Suffering for Doing Good
8-12 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.
13-18 If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.
Living Water Ministries 