1 Peter 3:16

1 Peter 3:16 ‘and keep. good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.'

‘and keep. good conscience' -‘keep'-present tense. Points to Note: 1. No matter how good, wise, or fervent the “reason” given, if the life is inconsistent with the defense what good is it? ‘”A saint”, as someone has said, “is someone whose life makes it easier to believe in God.”' (Barclay p. 274) 2.. good conscience is. real possibility. This means that man can observe the commands given in the Bible (1 John 5:3). People can know when they sin. And those sins can be repented of, confessed and forgiven (1 John 1:8). 3. In contrast, those who contend that the Bible is an insufficient guide, or that you are always going to be guilty of violating something because of ignorance, must contend that. good conscience is an impossibility.

‘so that' -Some people won't be convinced by the truth. There have always been those who have slandered Christians and have invented the most outlandish accusations against Christianity. The way to prove them wrong, is to live. godly life. They may not be won over, but others who listen will realize that their accusations are untrue.

‘those who revile your good behavior in Christ' -Nothing has changed. People still complain about the godly behavior of Christians. People resent our lasting marriages, obedient children, clean lifestyle, stewardship with our earthly possessions, views concerning right, wrong, sin, heaven and hell, etc…

‘may be put to shame' -‘proved to be liars' (P.P. Comm. p. 132) Hopefully, they will be shamed to the point that they honestly admit that they also need God in their lives. That their accusations aren't grounded in the truth, rather, they are grounded in envy, jealousy, self-pity and dishonesty (1 Peter 2:12; Matthew 5:16; Romans 12:20).