1 Peter 4:14-15 14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15So, let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
Peter begins a series of conditional statements that compare different responses to suffering and their outcomes. Verse 14 gives the condition, which, if met, produces a blessing. Verse 15 warns against a possible negative response to the condition, which, if met, is answered in verse 17. The central issue is why one suffers insults.
Suffering insults for the name of Christ brings a blessing. Peter may be recalling Jesus’ Beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5:10-12, where those who are persecuted for his sake are blessed and in good company with the prophets. The verb insulted (oneidizesthe) is more than a personal sense of embarrassment or having one’s feeling hurt, but it can mean strong mockery, reproach, or ridicule. These early Christians were being socially shamed and rejected because of their new faith in Jesus. Such pressure might have caused them to forsake their faith, compromise their behavior, and follow the cultural forces around them. If they endured, they would experience God’s blessing.
The blessing is not specifically named but the context of the letter implies salvation and assurance of faith. However, Peter does state the source of the blessing as the presence of the Holy Spirit. This verse does not guarantee that we will be free from suffering. Rather, we should expect it. However, we have a power within us, God’s own glorious presence that created the universe and keeps it going, to help us through our suffering. The Spirit of God confirms and strengthens our faith when we are confronted with ridicule, trials, and persecution. The blessing through suffering refines our faith so that is purer and more valuable than the best refined gold (1:7).
Verse 15 gives examples of negative conditions for suffering that do not experience a blessing but rather the judgment of God. The outcome of sin is often suffering and pain. Our suffering should not be from our sins but because of our righteousness. Most people would agree that suffering for doing the types of sins mentioned in this verse deserve punishment; otherwise, society would descend into chaos. The Bible, especially the books of law, lays out clear punishments for certain crimes. The principle of lex talionis, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” states that the punishment should be equal to the crime (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 24:19-20; Deuteronomy 19:21). The wrong doing in this verse goes from the worst (killing someone) to petty meddling, getting into someone’s business, spying, or being a busy body (allotriepiskopos, a rare word possibly coined for this verse and difficult to translate).
The point Peter is making is that our suffering should not be because of the wrongs we have done but because we are following in the footsteps of Jesus and have found our identity in him. Evil doers deserve suffering for doing wrong. Righteous doers do not deserve suffering. Suffering for our faith is a form of injustice, especially in God’s eyes, who will judge the wicked for the acts of harm they do against his people (4:5).