1 Peter 3:15-16

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Peter 3:16

having a good conscience; that, wherein ye are spoken against, they may be put to shame who revile your good manner of life in Christ.Having a good conscience ... This key admonition recurs again and again in this epistle: "zealous for good works ... for righteousness' sake ... sanctify the Lord ... with meekness and fear, etc.," all of these in this very paragraph.Wherein ye are spoken against ... They were spoken against because of the manner of their lives; but they are told to make their... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15. But sanctify the Lord God— Grotius thinks that to sanctify God means here, to give thanks to, or glorify him; that is, in a time of persecution; or as some of the martyrs gave thanks to God when they heard the sentence of condemnation. See Acts 5:41. But in general it may be said, that sanctifying God, is behaving towards him as convinced that he is a holy God, who loves truth and integrity; who will reward the righteous, if they persevere, but punish all such as apostatize. Of... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Peter 3:16

1 Peter 3:16. A good conscience;— This may be called the breast-plate of righteousness. Ephesians 6:14. —Hic murus aheneus esto, Nil conseire sibi.——— Be this thy brazen bulwark of defence, Still to preserve thy conscious innocence. FRANCIS'S HORACE. See Proverbs 28:1. He that would apologize for the Christian religion, ought first to lead a holy life, or be a good Christian himself: this will enable him to defend Christianity with courage, and to speak with invincible force: but a wicked man... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Peter 3:15

15. sanctify—hallow; honor as holy, enshrining Him in your hearts. So in the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:9. God's holiness is thus glorified in our hearts as the dwelling-place of His Spirit. the Lord God—The oldest manuscripts read "Christ." Translate, "Sanctify Christ as Lord." and—Greek, "but," or "moreover." Besides this inward sanctification of God in the heart, be also ready always to give, c. answer—an apologetic answer defending your faith. to every man that asketh you—The last words limit... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Peter 3:16

16. Having a good conscience—the secret spring of readiness to give account of our hope. So hope and good conscience go together in Acts 24:15; Acts 24:16. Profession without practice has no weight. But those who have a good conscience can afford to give an account of their hope "with meekness." whereas— (Acts 24:16- :). they speak evil of you, as of evildoers—One oldest manuscript reads, "ye are spoken against," omitting the rest. falsely accuse—"calumniate"; the Greek expresses malice shown... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Peter 3:13-17

1. Suffering for doing good 3:13-17 read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Peter 3:15

Rather than being fearful we should commit ourselves afresh to Christ our Lord (Yahweh of armies, Isaiah 8:13) by purposing to continue to live for Him. We should also have the reason we are living as we do on the tip of our tongues so whenever an opportunity arises we can explain why we behave as we do (cf. Acts 22:1; Acts 25:16). Our inquisitive questioner may not ask about our hope per se. Nevertheless our hope is the root cause of our behavior and should be the subject of our answer. We... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Peter 3:16

A good conscience is possible when we know our suffering is in spite of good behavior, not because of bad behavior (cf. 1 Peter 2:19; 1 Peter 3:4; 1 Peter 3:6). A simple explanation of our good conduct may take the wind out of the sails of our critics."Conscience may be compared to a window that lets in the light of God’s truth. If we persist in disobeying, the window gets dirtier and dirtier, until the light cannot enter. This leads to a ’defiled conscience’ (Titus 1:15). A ’seared conscience’... read more

John Darby

Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament - 1 Peter 3:15

3:15 hearts, (c-9) See Isaiah 8:12-13 . of (d-28) Or 'a reason for,' logos , as ch. 4.5; it includes both ideas. In Matthew 12:36 it is 'account,' but in Acts 19:40 'a reason for,' as elsewhere. read more

John Darby

Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament - 1 Peter 3:16

3:16 which (e-10) See Note m, ch. 2.12. conversation (f-25) See Note o, ver. 1. read more

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