Peter tells his suffering congregation to arm themselves with the same attitude that Christ had when he suffered. That attitude was readiness to stop sinning. Not because suffering is punishment, but because when you're suffering, you're not going to live the rest of your life by human desires anymore.
Suffering has a clarifying effect. It strips away pretense. You stop trying to impress people. You stop pursuing things that don't matter. You get brutal about what actually deserves your energy. Peter sees this as a gift, even though it comes wrapped in pain.
He also mentions something strange: the gospel was preached even to those now dead, so that though condemned in the flesh according to human standards, they might live in the spirit in the way God intended. Even in death, even in condemnation by earthly powers, there's a verdict that supersedes it. That's what Peter's offering his suffering people. A cosmic perspective that makes Rome's verdict sound very small.
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