Life Group Questions – 3/5
Different – A Study through 1 Peter
Read: 1 Peter 3:8-22
8 Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, 9 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. 10 For the one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, 11 and let him turn away from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace and pursue it, 12 because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil. 13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
Transformation Questions:
- How can we demonstrate our love for people inside of the church? What about for people outside of the church?
- Why do you think Peter chooses to quote from Psalm 34 at this point? How can we be devoted to doing good?
- Peter challenges us to not fear what the world fears. What does the world fear that shouldn’t intimidate us? How can we avoid fearing what the world fears?
- Are you ready to share the gospel if anyone asks you about it? How can we equip ourselves to be ready?
- Can you think of someone in your life who handled a difficult situation in such a way that it pointed others to Christ? How did they do that?
- How can we focus on winning people and not arguments?
- Why did Christ suffer for us?
- Baptism doesn’t save us. However, it’s an incredibly important act of obedience. Why?