Peter’s Instructions: Part Two

It doesn’t take much to notice how hair-trigger our world has become. Everyone seems offended. The left hates the right. The right hates the left. Every social issue isn’t discussed anymore—it’s screamed, posted, streamed, and shoved in our faces around the clock. Constructive conversation is rare, and outrage feels endless. At times, it almost feels intentional, as if someone benefits from keeping us perpetually divided. But that’s a conversation for another day.

What matters more is this: that spirit can creep into the church.

Christians are not immune. We can abandon Christlikeness faster than we realize, trading grace for volume and humility for hashtags. We jump on political bandwagons, defend our “side,” and forget that our calling is not to win arguments, but to reflect Christ. I know this personally. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. And honestly, I’m burned out by it. Politics promises solutions but often delivers nothing but bickering, and I finally had to turn it off.

Peter offers a better way. Consider the fact that he was the one who drew the sword and cut the ear off a soldier who came to arrest Jesus. He is speaking from lived experience.

Instead of returning insult for insult, he tells believers to bless. Not because the other person deserves it, but because we were called to it. The Christian response to hostility is not vengeance, sarcasm, or louder shouting—it is blessing. That doesn’t mean ignoring truth or abandoning conviction. It means choosing Christlike responses in a combative world.

There are hurting people everywhere, including people we disagree with—and yes, even fellow Christians. What if our energy was spent differently? What if, instead of reacting online, we simply looked for needs we could meet? A kind word. A practical help. A quiet act of service.

Peter reminds us that blessing others is not weakness. It is obedience. And remarkably, it is also how God chooses to bless us in return.