Why We Suffer while Doing Good, Not Evil

1 Peter 3:13-17 

13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

As we do what is good by God’s standards and not ours or society’s, God will bless us with His good favor.  But if we do evil, the consequences will catch us eventually, and we will be ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28).  Therefore, if we suffer for doing what is right, we do well and should not focus on the threats and be troubled by the attacks of the unrighteous and ungodly.  Instead we are told here to set aside God in our hearts as holy and as the one that ultimately matters.  We must be set apart for and focused on the gospel, immersed in His word and the living of it that as central to our sojourning here.  This means being always ready and willing to testify to God’s work for us in Christ and how faith, grace, and justification in Christ alone give the glory due to God alone.  The gospel is not about the testimony of us and our coming to Him, but His work to open the eyes of our hearts to be drawn to Him.  Our testimony is Christ’s (2 Corinthians 4:5).  We are to be armed with the gospel of Christ and His work at all times, putting Him first and telling of the hope of justifying grace in Him apart from our efforts and will, answering the attacks and defamation with hope in meekness and fear (fear of their eternal outcome apart from Christ which we all share apart from Him, not of our eternal punishment as 1 John 4:18 says).  We are to be doing what is right as He sanctifies us that we do not bring shame on Christ’s name (Matthew 18:7) and keep others from hearing this message of grace’s reconciliation with God, for then those opposed will be ashamed for falsely accusing us.  In the end, it is far better to suffer while we do what is good according to God than to suffer for doing what we have been saved from - wrath on our sin against Him.