Do not fear their threats
1 Peter 3:14 - If you sometimes feel as if others despise you for your faith or your Christian way of living, rejoice! You are blessed!
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“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”
1 Peter 3:14 NIV
If there is one word to define what Peter is writing about in this verse, it is persecution. In his epistle to the early Christians in Roman Asia Minor (now Türkiye), the apostle makes many references to the hostility and oppression they are receiving from their neighbors.
Peter is warning the Christians that life will not be easy for them. At the time this was written, persecution not only came in the form of ostracism by other townsfolk, but there were often legal penalties for following the faith, and torture and execution at the hands of the Romans was also common. But Peter tells them that they are blessed by God in their suffering!
Spurgeon (cited on Precept Austin) provided an eloquent commentary on the first part of this verse:
If a man suffers as a Christian for doing that which is right, he is suffering for Christ’s sake. If he cannot and will not act disreputably and contrary to the commands of God, as others do, the suffering that he willingly bears, the loss that he cheerfully incurs because of his uprightness, is so much borne for Christ’s sake. If a man is out-and-out righteous in this world, he will be sure to be pointed at by certain persons as an oddity. He cannot lie, as others lie; nor practice tricks in trade, as others do; nor frequent their places of amusement; nor indulge in their lusts.
Therefore straightaway they say, “He is a hypocrite; he is a cant.” And as they cannot understand the principle that inspires him, they impute to him motives that he abhors. This is how they talk:
“He is doing it for the sake of being thought a saint.”
“He is paid for it.”
“He has some sinister motive or other.”
Or else they sum up the whole matter by declaring, “He is a downright impostor.”
Now, if in any of these ways you are made to suffer for that which is right—for speaking the truth, and acting the truth—never mind, but rather rejoice that you are permitted to suffer for Christ’s sake. Say within yourself, “If my dear Lord lost all things for me, I may well lose some things for Him. If He was stripped to the last rag for me, I may well be content to be poor for His sake.” Set your “face like flint” (Isa 50:7) and say, “We can be poor, but we cannot be dishonest. We can suffer, but we cannot sin.”
Persecution of Christians hasn’t disappeared in the past two thousand years. Open Doors International, a Christian persecution watchdog organization, estimates that 380 million Christians worldwide suffer from persecution ranging from discrimination to violent attacks. The group reports that 4,476 Christians were killed for their faith in 2025, with another 4,744 detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned for following Jesus.
In the face of threats like this, you would think that Christians in African and Asian countries where persecution is rampant would be filled with anxiety and fear instead of faith. Yet people like Aweis — a Somali Christian who faces death threats constantly — take heed of Peter’s words in this verse and find that they “are blessed” in their suffering.
From English pastor and evangelist F.B. Meyer in Our Daily Homily:
It was a time of very real and fiery trial when Peter wrote these words. Persecution was already beginning with the House of God. The first mutterings of the awful storm which was to break in Nero’s terrible atrocities were making themselves heard throughout the Roman world. The intention of this Epistle, therefore, was to encourage these scattered saints, that they might not be overwhelmed. Some who read these words may need similar comfort.
Remember, beloved fellow-believers, that Jesus has suffered; your Lord and Master has trodden these thorns before you. See, they are flecked with his blood. Would you not desire to be fellow-partaker with Him in his sorrow, that you may share his glory? It is only in suffering that we can properly identify ourselves with the great anguish of the world, or learn to comfort or pray for others. And, probably, none know the innermost tenderness and companionship of Jesus like those who daily fill up that which is behind of his sufferings. Besides, their fear is much worse in anticipation than in actual experience. Probably God entirely delivers his martyrs from those physical tortures which to onlookers might seem unbearable.
If you sometimes feel as if others despise you for your faith or your Christian way of living, rejoice! You are blessed! The last part of this verse is scripture paraphrased from Isaiah 8:12:
“Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.”
Peter is advising the readers of the epistle to display courage and faith, saying that they should be strong in their faith despite the pressures of the outside world. Peter was making a contrast of the fear of man versus the fear (respect) of God. Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom”, and by calling the church to “not fear their threats”, Peter is exhorting them to find courage in the knowledge of God’s protection and salvation.
The verse ends with the words “do not be frightened”, echoing the words of Jesus in John 14:27:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Believers are being asked here to trust in God’s promises and ultimately in the hope of salvation. Remaining firm in the face of intense persecution testifies to the world the transformational power of the Gospel.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Knowing Jesus:
Heavenly Father, I know that in this world I will have tribulation and troubles as a child of God. I pray that I would not be fearful but trust in You. I pray that these words of Jesus would sink deep into my heart in whatever situation I find myself in: “In the world you will have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.” In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
BibleHub was accessed on January 3, 2026 for commentary on 1 Peter 3:14
Precept Austin was accessed on January 3, 2026 for commentary on 1 Peter 3:14