“Finally, all of you, lie in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing...” -1 Peter 3:8-12

The Apostle Peter continues to give us a vision for a better life. We must remember who we are – born again, strangers & aliens, called, chosen, redeemed, the people of God. Given who we are, we are to live such good lives that people glorify God. And that will indeed be the result of our lives; people will be convinced of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

First, he tells us to be ‘like-minded,’ to live in harmony with one another. He’s speaking of a unity in the midst of great diversity. God created such a diversity of people, yet made possible a unity which is really a miracle. In John 17:20-23 Jesus prays for us and his prayer is that, “all of them may be one…just as I am in you and you are in me. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” It is our unity which demonstrates to the world the truth of the Gospel. (Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 to see the opposite – these struggles are nothing new)

He then tells us to be ‘sympathetic,’ literally to ‘suffer with.’ This is simple a transliterated Greek word, which signifies an identification with each other – feeling each others pain, placing ourselves in each others shoes. Being sympathetic certainly helps us to live in harmony.

Next, Peter tells us to love each other as brothers, to have a familial love for each other. We were already told that in 1 Peter 1:22, and now he tells us again. We are to love in word and deed, and so be like God. (1 John 4:7-8)

He then adds compassion to the list. It is a word for our ‘guts,’ normally referring to the heart, kidneys and liver. It means to care for each other from deep down – not just out of duty, but because we ‘feel’ for each other. The ideal is to move from duty to feeling in our love – it’s much easier that way. We are also to relate to each other in humility. He is going to elaborate more on that in 1 Peter 5:5-7. It is God who exalts us and humbles us.

Lastly, we are not to return evil for evil, but to ‘bless,’ to do good in our relationships with others. We are a different kind of army – we are not out to kill, but to give life. Why? Because to this we were called by God, so that we can ‘inherit’ a blessing. Above and beyond every situation is the reality of God and His calling on our life. It is God that we are to please, and we will be blessed, both now and into eternity. This is the promise we have, and part of our motivation.

Jesus saved us to live a different life – to please God, and in so doing to bless others. By doing this we are being like Jesus, our Lord and Savior who set the example for us. We are called to ‘live good lives,’ and we leave the results to our Father, just like Jesus did. We live this way because of who we are in Christ. Others don’t define us – God does.

Pastor Tim, April 13, 2008