The Law of Salvation: 1 Peter 3:9-22 - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect. Maintain a good conscience so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight lives, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—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, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. (NRSVue)

“Cosmic Cliffs” in the Carina Nebula (NIRCam Image). James Webb Space Telescope

It’s called The Law of Attraction: whatever consumes your thoughts is what you will get in life. If you think good thoughts and do good things, good things will come to you.

This idea was at the heart of a book and DVD series from the mid 2000’s called The Secret that sold millions of copies worldwide. 

It’s funny they would call it The Secret, because this idea has a place in nearly all of the world’s major religions, including Christianity and Judaism. You reap what you sow. What goes around comes around. Do unto others as you would have done to you.

I agree with the Law of Attraction to an extent. Positive thinking is both powerful and beneficial, and there are rewards and benefits for doing what is right. 

But to call it a “law” is to suggest that the universe is structured accordingly, just like the laws of physics. Unfortunately, I have a little secret for you: it’s not. Bad things happen to good people. All the time. Good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes.

This was the experience of the Christians the apostle Peter is writing to in our sermon text for today. The book we know as 1 Peter was written to Christians in Asia Minor—what we know as modern-day Turkey. Jews were an ethnic and religious minority; and Christians were a minority within that minority. Religious freedom and tolerance were unheard of back then. If you did not worship and offer sacrifices to the gods of city and empire, you were considered a traitor. Indeed, many believers faced persecution, ostracism, and even death. 

So much, then, for the Law of Attraction… These Christians believed the Gospel. They worshiped Christ and Christ alone. They loved their neighbors and strived to do justice—and seemingly, all they had to show for it was suffering. 

It must’ve been very tempting for them to abandon their baptismal faith and worship the local gods in order to survive.

Many will say that Christians are presently being persecuted in America. I will not. When you consider what happened to early Christians, and what is happening to Christians in other parts of the world, we are not being persecuted. 

However, we live in a society that has detached itself from the sacred. Wealth and power are our new gods. Personal success is the highest good. Sports stadiums are our temples. Social media is new gospel. What makes these gods so appealing is that they provide instant gratification, and rewards that are very much of this world. 

You look at how secular our society has become, you wonder: why bother telling others about Jesus? What makes us think that we car grow our church when only the nondenominational megachurches are growing? 

Meanwhile, the headlines are dominated by news of super-contagious Covid-19 variants, mass shootings, wars, and economic turmoil. Never has our prayer list been so long; never has life been this difficult. We all know the pain of unanswered prayers and disappointment with God. 

And you strive, with all your might, to do the right thing—only to end up getting hurt. I have personally witnessed many of you fulfilling your Christian duty to care for and look after family, friends, and neighbors in need—and instead of being thanked, you’re scorned, insulted, and accused. 

The Bible makes it very clear that faith and righteousness will often lead to disappointment and even suffering. This is precisely what happened to Jesus. He was persecuted and killed by the very people he came to save. Noah spent eight years building the ark while the world around him sunk ever deeper into unrighteousness. 

When he writes, “it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will,” he doesn’t mean that God causes suffering, but instead that God uses suffering to make you alive in Christ. 

After all, Christ’s suffering frees you from sin and death. In baptism, you die to sin and rise to new life with Christ every day. Therefore, when you suffer loss, endure hardship, and your good deeds do not bring about good outcomes, you can be certain that the Holy Spirit is working within you the very same grace that destroyed sin at the cross and raised Jesus from the dead. This is true even when you commit sin and face its consequences. Amazing grace is at work to bring you closer to God. Consider this the Law of Salvation.

These are trying times for all of us, and the gods of this world seem to have a lot to offer—so, you must ask yourself: who do you believe in? What do you believe in?

If love were not costly, it wouldn’t be love. There is no growth without struggle. There is no transformation without loss. There is no resurrection without death.

By the grace of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ—and all the saints who’ve gone before us—held fast to the promises of God—and God vindicated them in the end. 

When you suffer doing good; when you persist in prayer in the face of disappointment, when you persevere in love when everyone else chooses vengeance and aggression, you have already overcome the world. Jesus Christ is your strength; Jesus Christ is your reward. As we move forward in mission, as you share your faith with others, as you do the work of righteousness, God’s power is going to meet you there.

These are the laws of God’s salvation.