1 Peter 3:15-18 is found in the context of 3:13-18, the beginning of the third part of 1 Peter which is on the topic of Persecution. The previous sections have dealt with the dignity and status of the baptized and its consequences for their daily lives. The author now deals with a matter that he had alluded to in his opening berakah regarding the various trials/temptations that the baptized have to face.
The illustration above shows the centrality of verse 17 in this exposition. The lines show how the key ideas in the section are related. Thus, the Christian's suffering because of rigteousness has its christological counterpart in verse 18, the suffering of Christ for the unrighteous. The Christian's preparedness to explain to anyone the grounds of his hope (15) is similar to the way Christ preached to sinful souls on his way up to God after his death (19-20). The Christian's commitment to keeping his conscience clear (16) is something that derives from his baptism which is the pledge for a clear conscience before God (21). Finally, the Christian can rest assured that because of the subjection of all to Christ (22), fear -- not reverential fear, but the fear that is the opposite of faith -- should not have a place in their hearts. Christ, the one who suffered righteously is now Lord (15).
"Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts..." Christians are admonished not to to be afraid of those who speak against them but instead to "sanctify Christ as Lord". The phrase is similar to the Old Testament expression "Sanctifying the name of the Lord". To sanctify God's name is the opposite of causing His name to be blasphemed. The "name of God" is to be sanctified because it is God Himself, not some external label that is pasted on Him. In the NT, the expression appears in the Lord's prayer as a petition: "Holy be your name". The sanctification of the Father's name is linked to the coming of His reign and the carrying ouf of His will "on earth, as it is in heaven." To sanctify God is to live in such a way as to cause other's glorify Him, not to blaspheme Him.
In 1 Peter, the sanctification in the heart of Christ "as Lord" is summed up in the life-style of the Christian who suffers inspite of not having sinned. It is a way of life that is "holy" (1:15), different from the kind of life they used to live (1:18). It is the "beautiful" way of life among the nations that would cause God to be glorified on the day of visitation (2:12). This way of life wins converts (3:1.2) and shames those who defame them (3:16).
"Give an explanation of ... the reason for your hope..." The word "explanation" here is a translation of the Greek word "apologia". It is both "defense and explanation". The discipline of "apologetics" is based on this verse of 1 Peter, but not the apologetics one observes when members of fundamentalist groups defend this or that point of doctrine. Rather, it is the kind of explanation a Christian gives in what Paul VI calls the second stage of evangelization. In Evangelii Nuntiandi, Paul VI distiguishes three stages of evangelization: a) the silent witness of Christians, b) the verbal witness (this is when observers begin to ask questions about the manner of life of the Christian), and c) the formation of other "witnesses".
Consistent with the whole attitude that the author asks Christians to have, the author emphasizes that they should give an explanation that does not offend the interlocutor -- with gentleness and reverence. Christians who are "sojourners" and "wayfarers" are required by general decency to be respectful to those who ask them about their hope. It is the living hope for which the Christians have been given a new existence (1:13), the hope on which their lives should be fixed (1:21). Christian hope is linked to the "treasure" reserved for those who have put their trust in the God who protects them in the midst of their tribulations. It is also related to the confidence with which the Christian can face the the one who judges all impartially on the last day. It is therefore a hope that "cannot be shaken" even by the most intense interrogation.
Christians are to be gentle and reverent even before their interlocutors so as to keep their consciences "clear". Their baptism is a pledge of a "clear conscience" (3:21), the commitment to live in the righteousness received through Christ. There are some translations that use the expression "appeal of a clear conscience" here. But the Greek word used can also mean "pledge" and refers to another aspect of baptism that is most often ignored: the Christian's vow to reject Satan, his lies and works (1 Peter 5:8-9 is a reminder of this vow). In their gentle and reverent answers to their interlocutors, Christians become counter-witnesses to the negative declarations their detractors say about them, thus, shaming them by their conduct.
"For it is better to suffer for doing good..." The idea is at the center of verses 13-22 and is on of the dominant themes of the epistle. In 1:6, the author said that Christians will have to undergo different forms of tribulations so that the genuineness of their commitment to Christ may be revealed. In 4:17-18, these tribulations are placed within the context of the general judgment that has begun in the household of God
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.
If it begins first with us,
what will happen to those who don't obey the gospel of God?
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will happen to the ungodly and the sinner?"
In 2:18-19, those whom the author called "servants of God" (2:16) were also addressed in the "house slaves" for whom it was a grace to suffer as innocent men and women. In 4:15-16, the author returns to this theme.
For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evil doer, or as a meddler in other men's matters.
But if one of you suffers for being a Christian,
let him not be ashamed;
but let him glorify God in this matter.
Suffering because of one's Christian commitment is the Christian's participation in the suffering of Christ (4:13). In sharing in the sufferings of Christ, the Christian too, will share in His glory.
"For Christ also suffered... righteous for the unrighteous..." The motive for suffering in doing good is once more given here: the suffering Christ. The sufferings of Christ were intimated by the Holy Spirit to the prophets who inquired into it (1:11). It should be the motivation for slaves to endure their pain (2:19.21) so long as such suffering does not result from a sin committed (2:20). Participation in this suffering (4:13) makes one "blessed" (3:14). The suffering of Christ in the flesh is an example for all (4:1) . Those follow this example do the will of God (3:17;4:19) and share in the glory of Christ (5:1, cf. 5:10) .
