SCRIPTURE:
19 For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
1 Peter 2:19-24
OBSERVATION:
When someone treats you unfairly, how do you feel? And more importantly, how should you respond?
According to the world, you have the right to seek your own justice and fight back. Speak your truth. Seek revenge. And contrary to what you might believe, God gives you the freedom to choose this if you’d like. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:12 AMP, “Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything and brought under its power, allowing it to control me.”
So if we are not to fight back, what then should we do? We should respond like Jesus.
As Peter writes, “you must follow in his steps” because “God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment…if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you” 1 Peter 2:21, 2:19-20 NLT).
When Jesus was treated unfairly, He did four things:
1. He did not sin.
“He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.” (1 Peter 2:22)
2. He did not retaliate.
“He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.” (1 Peter 2:23a)
3. He let God handle it for Him
“He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.” (1 Peter 2:23b)
4. He offered Himself as a living sacrifice.
“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.” (1 Peter 2:24a)
APPLICATION:
In John 16:33 NIV, Jesus tells us “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” One of the troubles that you will face in this world is being treated unfairly by people. In these situations, we feel hurt, angry, bitter, sad––maybe even powerless. And these situations are even more troubling when you are treated unfairly by someone you least expected. The closer the relationship, the deeper the hurt.
When we are treated unfairly, anger and resentment begin to whisper in our ears tempt us to seek revenge. “They hurt me, so I have the right to hurt them. They need to feel the pain they caused me.” And if we choose the way of the world, retaliation is often the result. So we hurt those who have hurt us, and before we know it, we’ve become caught in the devil’s trap and we contribute to the brokenness of the world.
As Jesus encourages us, although we are in the world, we are not to be of the world. When you are treated unfairly, respond like Jesus:
1. Do not sin.
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV)
When you’re treated unfairly, you may not start wrong, but if you choose to sin against the one who hurt you, you can end wrong. Yes, they should not have treated you unfairly, but just because they did that to you does not mean that you should do the same to them. In fact, if you treat them the way they treated you, you’ve become them. Sin leads to more sin, so let the buck stop with you.
2. Do not retaliate.
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:9)
Two wrongs don’t make a right. Yes, man may have cursed you, but in the spiritual, they have given you the right to inherit a blessing from God. However, you will only receive that blessing if you bless the one who has cursed you. Don’t retaliate, for if you do, you will renounce your blessing.
3. Let God fight for you.
19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19 NIV)
You may think you’re able to fight for yourself well, but you aren’t. And more importantly, you may feel like you have the right to justice, but that right does not belong to you; it belongs to the God. So let Him fight for you. Don’t steal His right away from Him, and don’t try to jump into the ring when our all-powerful, almighty God volunteers to fight for you. Make way, yield to Him, and allow God to avenge them.
4. Continue to offer yourself as a living sacrifice.
17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8:17 NLT)
When you respond like Christ when you’re treated unfairly, you share in His glory. And more importantly, you discover His love for you in a brand new way. Why? Because that’s what He did for you. Christ offered Himself as a living sacrifice for you. He allowed Himself to be treated unfairly and unjustly because of you and your sins. So when you fight your flesh and endure unjust suffering well, you come to realize how much Christ loved you––for it was in love that He endured this same unjust treatment over and over and over again for you.
When you’re treated unfairly, don’t focus on doing what’s “right”; aim to do what is righteous. Don’t respond in the way of the world; respond as the Way, the Truth, and the Life would. For when you do, you’ll overcome the trap the devil has set before you. Rather than contribute to the trouble of the world, you’ll become an example of how Christ has overcome the world. And if that’s not enough reason for you to respond well in the face of unfair treatment, remember this: you don’t really want “fairness,” for the only fair place in the whole wide universe is hell itself.
PRAYER:
Jesus,
When I am treated unfairly, my flesh causes me to struggle with responding well. But thank You for your example and encouragement of how I should respond. I repent for the times I have failed to respond as You have called me to and have given into my flesh. When others treat me unfairly, unjustly, and unrighteously, help me to love them like You do. Holy Spirit, empower me to respond like Jesus. Father, would You be glorified as I answer Your call to respond like You in the face of injustice. I love You, Lord. Thank You for loving me.
In Your name I pray,
Amen
