1 Peter / Question
Peter says Christ suffered and left an example “so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). He explains that Jesus did not sin, did not retaliate when reviled, and entrusted himself to the one who judges justly (1 Peter 2:22–23).
In 1 Peter 2:21–25 the writer tells mistreated believers that their calling includes enduring unjust suffering, because Christ suffered and left a pattern to trace. Christ is described as innocent and truthful, yet he refused to retaliate, instead entrusting his case to God’s just judgment. This paragraph sits inside a larger call to live honorably among outsiders and within social hierarchies, even when those structures produce mistreatment (2:11–3:12).
This paragraph ties the readers’ unjust suffering to Jesus’ own suffering. The text explicitly says they were “called” into a path that includes endurance, and it anchors that calling in Christ’s story: he suffered “for us,” left an “example,” and his life is portrayed as innocent and truthful (no sin, no deceit).
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with 1 Peter 2:21, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
21For to this were you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps,