3:13 who is there to harm you. Peter is not denying that the Asian Christians (Introduction: Date and Occasion) may suffer for their faith (4:12). This statement may be interpreted either as a truism teaching that mistreatment is less likely if one’s behavior is exemplary, or, more likely, as a statement that, whatever happens to the Christian, no external force can cause spiritual harm (Ps. 56:4; Luke 12:4, 5).