NOTES for Pe1 3:13
What does the apostle mean, by saying that it is impossible to harm the one who strives for good? If to understand his words, as referring exclusively to our world, not yet transformed, they can seem too optimistic. But what is considered good? And on what does it depend? V century before the birth of the Savior, the philosopher of Athens Socrates asserted that evil cannot come to man from the outside, and what people usually consider as evil, by understanding by this the failures, the sufferings and even death, indeed is not such. The real evil, according to the philosopher, can be caused to man only by himself, by making the bad choices and thereby bringing harm to his own soul. So the man living at the time of Zachariah and Malachi solved the problem of good and evil, but who never heard them. It would seem that the apostle wants to say the same thing: If evil is considered as damage caused by man to his own soul, then the one who seek only for good really has nothing to fear. But indeed, it is about the fallen man in the fallen world.
Can one be sure of his own steadily on the path of good? As seen, human wisdom is not sufficient here. But indeed, and the apostle speaks not only of it. Now, when the Messiah came and brought into the world the Kingdom, man already does not remain any more in his aspiration of good one-by-one with the world lying in evil and with his own sin. And if before only intention was not enough, if before the one who had chosen the path of righteousness inevitably had to be a spiritual hero, then now it is only enough to remain firm in his intention. And they shall always help us for the rest.