In 1 Peter 3, Peter continues on a theme from the previous chapter - that we should have good conduct and humility in our interactions with others, because

“...you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

In this chapter, Peter adds

“not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9)

In other words, when your boss acts harshly towards you, rather than going to talk behind his back, you tell yourself:

I was called to respond to cursing with blessing instead.

When your husband does something that displeases you, rather than making your displeasure clearly known to him, you tell yourself:

I was called to have a gentle and quiet spirit.

When you feel that your wife is being unreasonable, rather than insisting on your way or your rights, you tell yourself:

I was called to be understanding and give her honour.

While choosing to accept injustice may seem very unappealing, let us consider some reasons to do so in this chapter.

Firstly, let us consider 1 Peter 3:13. Indeed, this is a question we ought to ask ourselves seriously. Who would harm us if we are truly doing good? Oftentimes, we are not as good as we imagine ourselves to be. We imagined our boss to be unreasonably harsh towards us, but we didn’t realise that he has been observing our poor attitude at the workplace for some time already. We feel that our wife is unreasonable, but we failed to recognise our own pride or stubbornness. Before we imagine ourselves to be suffering wrongfully, let us humble ourselves and consider whether we are suffering for our own faults (1 Peter 2:20).

Next, let us also consider the example of Christ, who suffered for our sakes, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18). We must remind ourselves that we have freely received mercy and grace from our Lord, and He calls us to do the same (1 Peter 2:21). In fact, when teaching the Lord’s prayer, Jesus tells us that if we want to receive forgiveness ourselves, we must show grace to others (Matt 6:14-15).

Knowing all this, let us respond to our calling with a renewed determination to lead our lives of faith with a good conscience and a willingness to suffer.