People who waste time trying to silence someone with a different view, are deceivers rather than bearers of truth. If what someone believes is true then alternative views are not a threat to them because they won’t stand up in light of the truth and so there is no need to silence these other views. These people are just looking to control others rather than persuade them. Persuasion does not happen with fear but with love.
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Persecution vs Punishment
Peter makes a very clear distinction between persecution and punishment. When bad things happen and people mistreat Christians, they must ask themselves, “do I deserve this”? If we did something to another we must apologize, but if they are just haters then we rejoice as James 1:2-4 says so that our faith can grow, and we are to love on and pray for our enemies as Jesus says in Matt 5:43-48, Paul echoes this in Romans 12:9-21. We must always remember that God is our avenger and we must not retaliate against people who harm us (Deut 32:35). Let’s look at some of Peter’s writing on the subject.
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