What does 1 Peter 3:14 mean?

Peter follows the question of the previous verse—who will harm you if you are eager to do good—with the acknowledgement that Christians may very well suffer for the sake of righteousness. Christians performing good deeds in the name of Jesus may, in fact, be harmed for that very reason. Peter is writing to a group of Christians who probably experienced intense suffering for Christ. Others, reading Peter's words today, certainly have suffered for the faith. Peter himself was persecuted and killed for Christ's sake.

Thus far in his letter, Peter has made several things abundantly clear. Christians have a secure and abundant future with the Father in eternity. Christians are called to live differently from the world. We are to lead good lives, now, for the sake of Jesus. Jesus, our example, suffered for our benefit, so we should not be surprised to suffer for His sake. In fact, in this verse, Peter writes that to suffer in that way is to be blessed. It is a privilege.

Peter then references Isaiah 8:12, a passage about fearing God rather than men. As Christians, we are called to refuse our natural instinct to be afraid of those who might hurt us for our faith in Christ. We are told to reject our anxiety. The next verse reveals what we should do, instead of falling into fear.