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Reading: 1 Peter 3:8-12
Pray
Peter has been stressing the call for Christians to endure unjust suffering while still subordinating themselves to proper authority.
He has detailed some of the ways we submit, to governing authorities, masters (employment authorities), and within marriage (both husbands and wives).
He now calls his readers to have several character traits that enable/empower righteously enduring suffering.
To do this, Davids notes, Peter uses five “imperatival adjectives” (NICOT, 123ff.).
Instead of commanding these outright, Peter uses descriptions of what the righteous sufferer looks like.
The use of adjectives with imperatival force is a more vivid way to issue a command.
God does not merely want to be obeyed, but to be understood; he desires more than cold “good works,” but wants a warm relationship with his people.
By presenting these adjectives rather than simply commanding his readers, Peter is illustrating the commands in a more personal way.
God Calls Us to Be Upright
Unified in Mind
Bigg refers to this word indicating “rather likeness of sentiment or disposition than of opinion, but includes community of faith and hope” (ICC, 156).
The idea is not that we agree or have the same outlooks and opinions, but that we utilize the same process of making decisions.
Davids says “This is not the unity that comes from a standard imposed from without, such as a doctrinal statement, but that which comes from loving dialogue and especially a common focus on the one Lord” (NICNT, 124).
We are to be “birds of a feather,” viewing the world with the paradigm of faith.
Caring for Others
To be sympathetic, in the traditional sense, is to allow oneself to feel the emotions experienced by another.
We are to sympathize with others, both those who suffer and those who are happy, because part of God’s love for us is demonstrated in Christ’s bearing our burdens.
He demonstrates sympathy because he loves us, and we are to express that same kind of sympathy toward others out of God’s love for them flowing through us.
Loving the Body
The city of Philadelphia gets its name from this Greek word.
The idea of loving each other within the Christian community, however, is a common refrain:
Tender in Heart
The same word is used in Ephesians 4:32.
The word used here literally refers to good bowels, as bowels were considered the seat of emotions such as compassion and tender-heartedness.
Thus the translation “tender-hearted” in many translations.
The compassion Christians were to show would extend beyond mere pity and sympathy to actual demonstrations of care and concern.
This is reminiscent of Jesus’ words at the last day (cf.
Matthew 25:40, 45).
Humble in Attitude
Peter begins these adjectives with a reference to the mind.
Here, Peter reiterates the mind, but this time concerning humility.
Coming from the disciple who once said “though all forsake you, I would never,” only to within the same day also say “I do not know the man,” Peter had learned humility how we often do - the hard way.
He had eaten plenty of crow, and could not exhort humility as the better way for believers.
Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
Blessing, Not Retaliating
To top off these adjectives describing the upright person, Peter also describes how this person responds to evil.
You will be wronged - there’s no way to escape it.
But how you respond demonstrates your character.
Peter tells us not to retaliate, but to bless those who do us wrong:
He’s obviously drawing from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus commands us:
Our response to evil with good shows our character as God’s children, and trusts that he will administer justice in his time.
It is enduring unjust suffering the way Christ did.
But Peter doesn’t just leave us with instructions - he also reminds us of God’s promise that our suffering is not in vain, for:
God Blesses Us When We Are Upright
God will bless our righteous response to wrong.
That’s comforting, because we all bear the brunt of evil from time-to-time.
Peter quotes from Psalm 34 in verses 10-12:
God’s promise has three facets in this passage:
He Watches over Us
Whenever you see the eyes of God mentioned in Scripture, he is always active to do his work.
He watches over his word to perform it, he sees the struggles of his people and responds with salvation, he sees wickedness and judges it perfectly.
Where God’s eyes see, God acts: and God watches over the righteous.
What a comfort!
He Listens to Us
He Avenges for Us
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