Continuing our verse-by-verse study of 1 Peter, we are challenged today by the apostle’s words to be a blessing both to those around us–and those against us! Here’s the text:
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)
The first word of verse 8 is the word “finally,” but it’s clear that Peter has much more to say; two more chapters, in fact. So this may seem like the false promise of a preacher who says, “finally,” and then goes on preaching for another twenty minutes!
But the word “finally” here is not Peter’s wrapping up the letter, but his wrapping up a section, a section on relationships.
Having talked most recently about husbands and wives relating to one another, he now says in verse 8, “Finally all of you,”–and then Peter calls upon all Christians to be a blessing to others.
Bless Those Around You
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
“All of you be of one mind.” What does this mean? Does it mean that we’re all to be exactly alike with no variation in thought or talents?
No. The word conveys the idea of harmony. We all have the same thoughts and attitudes about the things we believe and, because we’re all different, we think and act in such a way as to bring harmony.
A musical tune has one main melody that is heard throughout the song, yet the drum does its part and the guitar does its part. The keyboard, strings, and vocalists all do their part, too, and the result is one beautiful and harmonious song.
In a similar way, Christians work together in harmony when there are “all of one mind.” We’re each different. We come from different backgrounds and different locations. We also have different baggage that we carry with us into this “musical ensemble” called the church. But we can play together in perfect harmony because we’re all in agreement as to the chorus that runs through the church: the essential doctrines of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
You bless your brothers and sisters around you when you show an appreciation for each person’s uniqueness.
The next phrase in verse 8 is “having compassion for one another.” The word translated “compassion” is a word from which we get our English term “sympathetic.”
We must show sympathy for other believers. We share together with them in both good times and bad. As Paul writes in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.”
So you bless your fellow brothers and sisters when you rejoice in their good times. If they’ve received a promotion, had a wonderful time on a vacation, or are enjoying good health, then you’re not jealous, but you rejoice with them in these good things.
And when they have bad times, you don’t say, “Well I’m glad it’s not happening to me!” No, you “weep with those who weep.” You bless others to the degree that you can feel their innermost struggles. You sit right next to them and cry when they cry.
This is one reason why so many Christians love their small groups. Corporate worship is as important, of course. We gather corporately to hear the Word of God proclaimed and to sing hymns of praise to the Lord, but it’s in the small group gatherings where we have the opportunity to share victories and defeats. We share the singular joy of “having compassion for one another.”
The next phrase in verse 8 is “love as brothers.” It may be more helpful to translate this phrase as: “love as the brothers you all are.” It refers to the love of all Christians for one another. Love as the brothers and sisters that you all are to one another; you are a family of brothers and sisters.
Most of us give something like a “pass” to the siblings and relations of our immediate families. If one of them goofs up or says something that rubs us the wrong way, we give them a “pass” because they’re family. We think, “Look, that’s just my brother” or, “That’s just the way my sister is, but I still love her.”
This is the same kind of grace you extend to your fellow Christian brother and sister in the church. Show love by giving them a pass. If they offend you in some way, you can think to yourself, “You know, it’s no big deal! I mean, they are my brother or my sister. They’re cool. I love them anyway!”
The phrase “tenderhearted” is an odd word in the original Greek. It’s a word that refers literally to the inner organs. Kind of gross, right?! It is the word “splagchnon.” That just sounds like someone’s inner organs, doesn’t it?!
Splagchnon! Yes, it sounds a bit odd, but then we have our colorful English phrases, too, don’t we? We speak, for example, about someone’s “having guts” or we may talk about a person’s “intestinal fortitude.”
Peter uses this word “splagchnon” because it best conveys the idea of feeling for someone with all of one’s being. That’s what he means when he says, “Be tenderhearted.” He is saying, in essence, “Feel for your brother and sister with all of your guts!”
Here’s how it works: a brother or a sister in the church shares about a recent struggle or difficulty. Maybe they share about a family member who is straying from the faith. What do you do? You sit down next to that person and you imagine what it would be like to be in that person’s shoes. You imagine your own son or daughter going through the same thing. You feel inside what they feel inside. You feel the hurt, you feel the pain, and you feel the struggle. That’s what it means to be tenderhearted. Do that today to be a blessing to others.
Finally, the last behavior in verse 8 contains the word “courteous.” Other translations have the word “humble” or “humble-minded.” Both behaviors are important. Being courteous and being humble are what Christians do when they understand that they are called to bless others, to bless those around them. So, Peter would say to you and me: “Bless Those Around You.”
Bless Those Against You
Now Peter turns our attention to those who are presumably outside the church; non-believers. And Peter provides us with helpful behavior in responding to those who are against Christ or against Christianity. He says in verse 9, “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling.”
When someone speaks evil of you or treats you in an ungodly way, don’t seek revenge (cf. Romans 12:19).
I had a buddy I used to work with years ago who would tell people, “I don’t get mad, I get even!” That’s a popular thing to say, but the problem is that my buddy was a professed Christian and Christians don’t “get even.”
Remember what Peter wrote near the end of chapter 2? He wrote about how Jesus Christ is our example, and, referring to Christ, he wrote: “when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).
When Christ was mistreated, He simply committed the entire situation to the Heavenly Father; the Supreme Judge, who always does the right thing.
If you’re having trouble with someone who is against you–they’ve spoken evil of you or mistreated you in some way–don’t lower yourself to the position of treating them the way they treated you. Entrust the unjust situation to the just Judge. God knows. He sees. He’ll do the right thing at the right time.
In fact, Peter says that when people speak evil against you, rather than returning evil for evil: “on the contrary blessing.” Put another way: “Bless those who are against you.” Then, Peter reminds: “Know that you were called to this…” Called to what? Called to bless others, even those who are against you.
Remember that Peter was right there with our Lord years earlier when he heard Jesus preaching the “Sermon On The Mount.” He had heard Jesus say:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-44)
It’s very likely that those words were still ringing in Peter’s ears when he wrote in verse 9, “Don’t return evil for evil, but on the contrary, blessing. You were called to this, to bless others.”
How do you bless those against you? How do you bless your enemies? Jesus says in Matthew 5 that we bless them by loving them and by doing good to them; the very ones who have hated us, used us, and persecuted us.
One of my favorite Proverbs is Proverbs 19:11: “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”
If somebody wrongs you, the most Christlike thing you can do is to overlook it. God says it is to your glory; to your credit, to overlook the offense.
The reason you can overlook the offense, and the reason you can forgive anyone for anything, is because of what God in Christ has done for you.
Recall Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
The saving power of the gospel empowers us to forgive. The gospel empowers us to overlook the offenses of others.
A note from the Life Application Bible is helpful here: “In God’s Kingdom, revenge is unacceptable behavior, as is insulting a person, no matter how indirectly it is done. Rise above getting back at those who hurt you. Instead of reacting angrily to these people, pray for them.”
When we return to our exposition of 1 Peter, we’ll expand upon a supernatural principle at work from the end of verse 9 and following. Note it carefully as we conclude this post. It’s found in the last part of verse 9. Peter says you are to bless others “knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
Here’s the principle: Those who bless others will receive a blessing from God. We’ll come back to this rich principle next time!
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