1 Peter 3:8-12
United in Blessing

  1. Singlemindedly love one another
    1. Peter briefly focuses on relationships among believers
      1. This is a momentary inward focus.
      2. His main concern is to teach his hearers how to respond to a world that is hostile to them and persecutes them.
        1. 1st part: Christians are constituted a unique society, separate from the world (1:1-2:10)
        2. 2nd part: Nevertheless, they must live within the social institutions of the world, even when those institutions are hostile (2:11-4:11)
        3. 3rd part: How they are to be preserved when that society hates and persecutes them. (4:12-5:14)
      3. Yet in this framework, he three times urges love among the believers (1:22, 3:8, 4:8)
      4. There is then, in context, something of an outward focus, even of these inward looking commands. There is a sense that the eyes of the world are upon us.
        1. Our unity is a testimony to unbelievers
          1. "I pray that they all may be one..."
          2. "All men will know that you are my disciples...."
        2. Our mutual encouragement prepares us to face the hostile onslaught
        3. Our fellowship unites us as a separate society with obligations to each other that transcend our obligations to the societies of the world
          1. Compare the obligations laid out hear with the duties of honoring the king or slaves obeying masters or wives submitting wordlessly to unbelieving husbands
          2. If the love of Christ constrains and enables us to do these things, even when there is an admitted tension between us and those to whom we submit, surely we may do even greater things with respect to one another.
    2. He urges 5 qualities that promote fellowship
      1. One-mindedness
        1. To agree with each other, even as Paul urges
          1. Ro 12.16a "Be of the same mind toward one another."
          2. Php 2.2 "fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."
          3. 1 Co 1.10,11 "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you."
        2. Has not God granted us, after all, one mind — the mind of Christ?
        3. Do we not have the same desires the same hopes the same goals?
        4. Are we not all being built as living stones into a single temple of God?
        5. Then let us be united in doctrine and life, believing and pursuing the same things. And where we cannot believe the same things, let us bear patiently with one another as those who know that we are one in Christ Jesus in whom their is no division or confusion.
      2. Sympathy (Compassion in NKJV)
        1. literally: to feel the same thing as. We move from mind to emotion.
        2. The word is used in other Greek literature to speak of the affinity a mother has for her children. She has more sympathy for them than the father because of the many pains she endured to bring them into the world
        3. So we are called to share one another's pains with the deepest affection, even as Christ has shared our afflictions (and we now share his)
        4. We mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice.
        5. Again, there is unity, as in a body. If the foot is hurt, the hand does not say "what is that to me?" So with us, if Christians in Uganda or China are persecuted, then we are gravely distressed.
        6. And if the brother or sister next to you suffers in whatever way — whether attacked by the devil with temptations or depressions or fears, or mocked by unbelievers or persecuted for righteousness — then that is as much your concern as if it were happening to you and you share in that with sleepless nights and genuine grief.
        7. Oh let us be good to one another since God has been so good to us. Let us not be as children who calmly stare at another child crying. Let us feel each others pains and share each others joys.
        8. Of course we cannot manufacture emotion; so it is tempting to reduce this command to deeds rather than to feelings (and truly, deeds must flow from these feelings).
        9. But this sympathy is ours abundantly in Christ Jesus who knows even now how to sympathize with our weaknesses because he was tempted just as we are.
      3. Brotherly love
        1. We've been born anew, as Peter says; and that means born into a new family.
        2. It's so common to refer to our "brothers and sisters in Christ" that the phrase has almost lost its meaning.
      4. Compassion (Tenderhearted in NKJV)
        1. Even deeper than "sympathy."
        2. It speaks of having a tender "heart" (lit. Bowels, kidneys, guts)
        3. Jesus is spoken of as having compassion on the multitudes because they haven't eaten in three days, or they need healing, or they are like sheep without a shepherd. The Good Samaritan felt compassion for the almost dead man and thus stopped to help.
        4. Let us have this heartfelt compassion toward one another as well.
        5. This is more than "sharing pain" as in sympathy (which we could do even if we could offer no help). This is being moved in our inmost being to strive with all our might for the relief of the grievous pain of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
      5. Humility (Courtesy in NKJV)
        1. Let us esteem each other better than ourselves (Php 2.3)
        2. Like the honor to be given to wives as the weaker vessels 3:7, we don't take advantage of any social or other position. But we serve one another even as Christ was a servant to Peter and washed his feet.
        3. If we are rich and others poor. If we have social graces that others lack. If we have abilities, talents, skills, or gifts, let us not be haughty about those things (as though we provided them); but let us serve one another, giving glory to God as he enables us.
      6. When we think, feel, and behave toward one another in this way, we realize we are a unique community in Christ Jesus and are encouraged to face whatever the world brings without losing our tempers or our faith.
  2. Do repay evil for evil, but good
    1. Peter turns his attention toward (hostile) unbelievers
      1. It may not seem obvious at first that Peter has switched the focus of his attention
      2. But he is not concerned with any in-house bickering in this letter; rather, as noted, the response the church makes to the world
      3. And he's told us already that the "Gentiles" are speaking against them as evildoers. (2:12)
    2. He urges his hearers not to respond in kind but oppositely
      1. He is fleshing out the example of Christ held up to slaves (in the first place) and to all in 2:22
      2. And as is his general focus in the letter, he speaks especially of the things that are said against the church of Christ. Please note well that Peter considers enduring these slanders as a major part of suffering with Christ. (And the more we identify with Christ and with one another, the more we will understand how horrible the slander of the church is)
      3. We don't respond to unbelievers doing evil to us by doing evil to them in return.
      4. If they slap us on the right cheek, we turn to them the other also
      5. You've heard "Love your friends and hate your enemies" but even the Gentiles do that.... Imitate your father in heaven that you may show yourselves to be his children.
      6. When others speak evil of the church, resist the temptation to speak evil of them.
        1. Sometimes, as self defense, it's a natural reaction.
        2. Television entertainers mock us so we mock them.
        3. The people to whom Peter writes are being slandered by the pagan Romans for their bizarre cult. How tempting to reply, "You think we look stupid, you superstitious, bird entrail reading ninnies?"
      7. We must not wish the worst on our enemies nor rejoice at their downfall but rather mourn that they hardened their hearts and did not repent.
      8. Do not take vengeance sooner than God does, and leave the vengeance to him, even as Jesus entrusted his persecuters to the righteous judge and even prayed for them.
      9. Indeed, that's what we're called to do, to bless those who curse us. Remember Steven crying out "Father, don't charge them with this sin!" And wasn't his prayer answered in the case of one Saul who held their coats and gave hearty approval.
  3. You've been called to inherit the blessing of the righteous
    1. You've been called to receive mercy, therefore show mercy
      1. Very difficult phrase sentence to decipher
        1. Does it mean, you've been called to repay curses with blessing in order (by that means) to inherit a blessing?
        2. Or does it mean that you've ought to repay curses with blessing because you've been called to inherit a blessing.
        3. You see the difference. One says you'll get a blessing if you do this. The other says you've received a blessing, therefore do this.
        4. I go with the second because of the grammar and the theology of the Bible.
        5. Peter is answering the question: Why should we repay evil with good? A: Because you yourselves have been called to inherit a blessing.
      2. You've been shown mercy by God; can you not show mercy to others.
        1. Consider the seriousness of your offenses against him, how displeased he is with sin
        2. Yet that is all wiped away; you've been called to an eternal inheritance reserved in heaven for you.
        3. What sins have been committed against you that you cannot then forgive?
      3. Since we are the people of the blessing, we ought to offer blessing
        1. This means we do not pray for the downfall of those who persecute and slander the church; we pray for their conversion.
        2. The day of judgment will soon come but we are not encouraged to take any pleasure in the idea that our enemies will then be destroyed
        3. Rather, we pray for them and plead with them to give up their enmity against God and come and inherit a blessing with us.
        4. We speak of the judgment that they may be warned not that we may taunt them saying: "Just you wait. You may be in control now...."
    2. Therefore conduct yourselves as those who love life
      1. Peter brings in Psalm 34 as a second support for his admonition
      2. This Psalm is not setting forth a covenant of works
        1. Not, do these things if you want to have eternal life
        2. Remember the context of the Psalm "This poor man cried"
        3. Remember that the Psalm refers to Christ "Not a bone...."
        4. Remember that we are in Christ and righteous in him.
        5. Therefore let your conduct be fitting as one who has been granted life and loves it.
      3. Do you love the life you've been granted in Christ?
      4. Then restrain your tongues from evil and your lips from deceit
        1. You have been saved by Christ, the truth
        2. How then shall your lips speak lies
      5. Have you been saved from evil? Then turn from it.
      6. Seek peace with all men, you who have been given peace in Christ
        1. This is at least, a social peace, giving no offense to the people of the world
        2. But, ideally, you long for a deeper peace with them and you pursue it
      7. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
        1. Are we the righteous? Yes! By God's grace, in Christ
        2. Then as we pray in the name of Christ, God hears us always
        3. It is not because God has forsaken us that we are reviled and ridiculed among men; God hears our every prayer and constantly looks after us.
      8. But his face is against those who do evil
        1. Do not repay evil with evil lest you become like those who are evil against whom the Lord has turned his face
        2. Rather repay evil with good and wait patiently for the judgment and the vengeance of God and hope that your adversaries may not need to endure it.

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