The best lies are the ones made up of partial truths. Satan is a liar from the beginning. He loves to use the truth, twist it, and present it to persuade people to believe a lie. We often take one part of the truth from the scripture and fail to understand the rest. Scripture teaches us on many occasions not to take revenge or to return evil with evil but to bless and do good to those who do evil against us. (Romans 12:17-21; Matthew 5:39; Matthew 5:44; 1 Peter 3:9). Does it mean we should tolerate evil and ignore justice in the face of evil?

Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing. – (1 Peter 3:8-9)

Addressing all believers, in 1 Peter 3:8-18, Peter gives a general exhortation to us on the Christian conduct in an ungodly world. He emphasizes the importance of having unity among believers. And that was the prayer for the believers Jesus offered to the Father in the Gethsemane (John 17:20). Unity is to be the characteristic of Christians. Jesus told the disciples that it would be by their loving unity that the world would know that they were His disciples (John 13:34-35). Unity has always been prized in the church. Jesus did not command us to like our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we are commanded to love them.

Peter urges the believers to be of one mind. Most of us are willing to have one mind, as long as that one mind is our own. God created the world with diversity. We are not all the same, and we can’t expect everyone to be like us. But our common mind is to be the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) – to be unanimous in the belief of the same faith, and the practice of the same duties of the faith. God has built both unity and diversity among His people. We can’t be of one mind, the mind of Jesus, if we don’t know what His mind is. The word of God shows us the mind of Jesus. Being of one mind speaks to the essential unity of God’s people.

Then he tells us to refuse the natural human instinct of seeking revenge when we are insulted or treated with evilness. It may be that you’re unjustly treated, but the right response of a Christian is no retaliation. Peter not only says not to retaliate with your actions (v9) but also not to retaliate with your words. We are commanded to guard our tongues from speaking evil and deceit (v10). Instead of returning evil for evil Peter urges the Christians to imitate the love of Christ who was unfairly persecuted and murdered by corrupt human powers (v18).

So, now the question arises should Christians tolerate evil?

The key is to turn away from evil and do what is good and to seek peace and pursue it. The instructions for Christian conduct do not end at verse 10. The loving and non-retaliatory attitude does not mean that Christians should tolerate evil or justify sin.

The V11 lists two moral duties of the Christian:

  1. Refrain from evil and deceit and do what is good (V11a). This is not an absolute assurance; however, those who are eager to do good, even to those who hurt them, are much less likely to be mistreated (v13). And doing good to others rarely inspires their desire for revenge.
  2. It is the duty of Christians not only to embrace peace when it is offered but to seek and pursue it when it is denied. (V11b)

It is a sin to tolerate evil

Remaining silent and inactive about evil isn’t biblical. Our passive silence is actually an active choice not to stand against evil. Perhaps the greatest examples of ignorance of evil are Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroyed both cities as punishment for their wickedness, and their lack of repentance, and to stop their evil from spreading. By doing nothing to restrain or punish his sons, Eli sent them to hell. By failing to act by love, he not only lost his sons but also brought God’s wrath upon himself. Even the righteous can become accustomed to all kinds of evil if condoned long enough. Many churches are making people comfortable instead of challenging and equipping them to resist evil and speak up against evil when needed. Following Jesus requires action; our faith is not passive. God expects Christians to take an active approach in the face of evil. And following Jesus means that we say no to evil and stand up for the truth of God. “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Psalm 97:10). Do not fight the evildoer, fight the evil (the force, Satan) behind that person.

Seek peace and pursue it

We are commanded to seek peace and pursue it (v11b). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that God has promised to bless people who are peacemakers and call them sons of God. Jesus is referring to the people who set about to bring divine peace. Peace is not the absence of conflict. Rather, it is the presence of righteousness that leads to the right relationships. Where there is real peace, there is righteousness (Psalm 85:10). The reason there is no peace is because of two things: the opposition of Satan and the disobedience of men. There is a war waged between God’s truth and the Satanic system. The Bible never calls for peace at the expense of God’s truth. Sure, we want to avoid needless strife, however, in that process, if we were to sacrifice the truth and compromise divine principles, that is not real peace. Should true peace be established, first the sword (Hebrews 4:12) must fall.

Show mercy and uphold justice

The LORD has told us what is good, and this is what He requires of us: to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). Christians should not turn a blind eye to evil or injustice. Christians must take a stand against evil and seek to uphold justice. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous (v12). Our eyes must be open to the threats of evil and Satan himself. “Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice” (Amos 5:15). Justice is established when the things that you love and the things that you hate are clearly separated. Hate needs to be directed at the kingdom of Satan and everything it stands for, and not towards the person.

God has established proper means of implementing law, order, and justice, in the church as well as in the society. The Bible teaches that the civil authorities have the right to use force to punish wrongdoers (Romans 13:2-4). The Bible also teaches that the church should discipline its members who are intentionally and persistently sinful (1 Cor. 5:4-5). God’s call is to be both merciful and to uphold justice. Returning good for evil and treating our enemies better than they deserve shows people what God is like in his mercy and how he frees us from retaliation. Upholding justice shows people what God is like in his justice, and how he wants us to do justice without a malicious spirit.

If you ignore and allow the sin and evil to run havoc the church and the whole society will crumble. We should be willing to respond faithfully whenever God calls us to speak out against evil. Neglecting to do so is like giving evil permission to continue. Jesus did not come to negotiate, debate, or teach how to peacefully cope with evil. We must speak about evil in order to act against it. Leviticus 5:1 points out that staying silent about evil is a sin for which people will be held accountable: “If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.” James 4:17 says, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” If we know that God is calling us to speak out against evil but choose to be silent despite that, we’re sinning.

Let Him be your fear

It may not be possible to stand up to evil without sacrificing some measure of safety and comfort. Standing against evil means an inevitable pushback from the evil one. Refusing to stand against evil is disobedience to God. None of us want to suffer. Even if you have to suffer for doing good you’re blessed (v14a). And, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good is better than suffering for doing evil (v17). Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. Instead of terrifying yourselves with the fear of men, be sure to fear the Lord God in your hearts (v14b-15a). Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). Let God be your fear, and let Him be your dread (Isaiah 8:13). Rely upon his power, trust in his faithfulness, submit to his wisdom, imitate his holiness, and give him the glory due His Name.

Finally, Christians should be prepared to give a reason to anybody for their hope and belief. This confession of our faith ought to be made with meekness. It doesn’t matter if the other person agrees or not. You demonstrate your faith by your good conduct in an ungodly world. (v15b-16).