1. 1 Peter 3:6 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does Peter include the clause, “Do not fear anything that is frightening”?

1 Peter 3:6 (ESV)

6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

In the flow of thought, the preceding words “if you do good” sum up Peter’s instruction. But “doing good” (being subject to your husband) can come with frightening risks—as Sarah would have experienced in relation to Pharaoh (Genesis 12:15) and Abimelech (Genesis 20:2). A reborn person transfixed on the inheritance to come is not overwhelmed with fear of negatives but out of fear (awe) for God perseveres in doing good.