For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing than for evil doing. 1 Peter 3:17
The emergence of DNA evidence has been a great boon to police departments in helping them to bring criminals to justice. With DNA evidence, police can be positive that they have arrested the right person for certain crimes. But DNA evidence has also been used to help clear the names of some people who have been unjustly accused and convicted of crimes in the past. Many stories have emerged of people who have spent years in prison for crimes that they did not commit, because the jury at their trials believed the lies told by their accusers. We consider how unfair it has been for those people to have wrongfully suffered in prison. It is also unfair for Christians to be mistreated for doing that which is right. But as our text declares, it is better to suffer such mistreatment than to be punished for doing wrong.
Do Christians suffer today for doing well? Oh yes, they do! In fact, such suffering should be expected. ‘Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution’ (2 Timothy 3:12). We read of the terrible persecution of Christians in the early days, and down through history. We read of the sufferings of Christians in Communist, Islamic, and Hindu lands today. Those people don’t deserve to suffer as they do, given that their suffering is based on their testimony for Christ. And before we get too comfortable in our safe land, suffering for well doing is coming our way. Most of us are aware of cases of Christians who have lost their businesses and paid huge fines for refusing to promote the abomination of homosexuality. Many other people are facing censure, boycotts, and public shaming for their stands against those things that the Word of God declares to be wrong. Christians are being accused of being hateful and prejudiced by the hateful and prejudiced organizations that are promoting evil. Their power is getting stronger, and they have gained the support of governments to promote and enforce the acceptance of their evil. If you and I are to continue to obey the Word of God, we will soon come into conflict with laws that make our obedience to the Word of God illegal. We will suffer for well doing. Our Assemblies that base our doctrines and practices on the Word of God will also come under attack and government censure. We will suffer for well doing. Is this fair? Of course not. So the question facing us in light of this growing threat is whether it is the will of God for us to endure this suffering.
Christians have always suffered persecutions for well doing. Our turn is coming. – Jim MacIntosh