Having a good conscience. — This strikes the key-note of the paragraph. How vigorously St. Peter repeats it! “Zealous for that which is good,” “for righteousness’ sake,” “sanctify the Lord,” “with meekness and fear,” “a good conscience,” “your good conversation.”
Whereas. — The word means precisely the same as in 1 Peter 2:12, where see Note.
They speak evil of you, as of evil doers. — Tischendorf follows one of the best manuscripts and the Pesehito-Syriac version in reading whereas ye are evil spoken of. It is easy to see how the ordinary reading would come in, from the similarity of 1 Peter 2:12; and we may pretty confidently adopt the emendation. In any case, the words “as of evil doers” should be removed.
They may be ashamed (or, confounded). — When? St. Peter is evidently thinking of the Christian at the bar of the curator or pro-consul, and the mortification of the delator, or spy, who had given information against him.
Falsely accuse. — Literally, insult, that is, “odiously calumniate.” The word occurs again only in Luke 6:28.
In Christ. — This is the nearest approach in St. Peter to a use of this word as a proper name. Still, it is not so. Other Hebrews, he reminds them in this word, were safe from persecution only by rejecting the national hope of a Messiah. It is simply because these men are “in Christ” that the heathens (perhaps also their fellow Jews) insult their conversation. The phrase “in Christ,” i.e., as members of the Church, occurs again in 1 Peter 5:10; 1 Peter 5:14, and the thought is common enough in St. John (e.g. 1 John 5:20), but it does not come in 2 Peter, nor in Hebrews, St. James, or St. Jude. Of course, St. Paul’s writings teem with it. It contains the converse side of the Incarnation doctrine to that involved in 1 Peter 3:15; we not only have the whole Christ dwelling in us, but He embraces us all; “Ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:20).