how then shall we live?

1 Peter 3

8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind.

Sympathize with each other.

Love each other as brothers and sisters.

Be tenderhearted,

and keep a humble attitude.

9 Don't repay evil for evil.

Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you.

Instead, pay them back with a blessing.

That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

10 For the Scriptures say,

"If you want to enjoy life
  

and see many happy days,

keep your tongue from speaking evil
  

and your lips from telling lies.

11 Turn away from evil and do good.
  

Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
  

and his ears are open to their prayers.

But the Lord turns his face
  

against those who do evil."

13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?

14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it.

So don't worry or be afraid of their threats.

15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life.

And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way.

Keep your conscience clear.

Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

Before we dismiss what Peter is saying here because he didn't live in the political & social realities that we do today, let's remember what his world was like.

Rome was in charge. They were not known for being gentle rulers.

Life was very brutal & violent.

There were very few laws guaranteeing individual rights.

People didn't go out & night – they could be robbed, beaten, kidnapped, or killed – or any number of other things.

The socio-economics of the time were pretty stark – most were poor, a few were middle class, & even fewer were wealthy.

And a HUGE portion of the population were slaves.

Non-Roman citizens had very few rights & privileges.

They were conquered people – subjects.

It's hard to imagine what people must have thought when Peter came out with all of this.

They must have thought he was crazy!

And Peter's words seem just as crazy today as they did then, don't they?

Look at our world – it's a pretty dangerous place.

How does what Peter said back then remain true today?

How can we live like he says we must in the individual realities each of us face each day?

I'm not asking rhetorical questions here – these are real questions – how are we supposed to live our lives following what Peter says here?

I know what the correct answer for the question is.

I'm more interested in the real answer – the answer that takes in all the realities of our present world yet expresses a life that is consistent with what Peter says.

I don't have a whole lot of real world answers – I don't think many of us do.

And yet, we have to consider what Peter says here, & how we are to practically implement it in our lives.