Finally, [be] all of one mind, sympathising, full of brotherly love, tender hearted, humble minded;
Peter has been giving instructions to particular groups. Now he turns to everyone at once, naming five qualities that should mark believers among themselves — each one first seen in Christ.
This verse does not begin a new subject. It closes the previous ones by naming the temper that should run through them all.
Verses 8 and 9 are general exhortation, covering all relationships. To be all of one mind, we must set aside personal preferences and desires, out of genuine consideration for others.
Unity here is not agreement reached by argument. It is the by-product of a shared lowliness, and its absence has a traceable cause.
The world around is full of discord, but in Christian circles there should be unity: "Be of one mind". Other Scriptures show that a Christian company reaches "one mind" only when each person has the lowly mind — the mind that was in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:2-5). Nearly all the discord among believers traces back to one thing: the unjudged vanity and self-importance of the flesh. It always seeks to be prominent and counted great (Luke 22:24). Apart from having the mind of Christ we shall either be in conflict or form a false unity after our own ideas.
Older English versions blur three of these five words. Behind one of them stands a different reading altogether.
"Courteous" is hardly the right rendering of the original here. "Friendly" would be much more exact, since the conduct required should flow from affection. The reading generally accepted, however, gives another word altogether, translated "humble-minded." And we instinctively feel that this word fits the spirit of the whole passage better, since every feature of that passage presents Christ Himself to us. […] The phrase "having compassion one of another" is really a paraphrase of one word, and its exact meaning is "sympathising." It is remarkable that sympathy appears only three times in the Scriptures. First, it is used of our Great High Priest, who is not One unable to "sympathise with our weaknesses." Second, in the same letter the apostle says the Hebrew believers had "sympathised with prisoners" (Hebrews 10:34, in a more literal rendering). And last, in our passage from Peter. […] Finally, the term "pitiful" in Peter is far better given as "tender-hearted."
In this world, sympathy will mean sorrow far more often than joy.
We live in a world full of misery, and our bodies are not yet redeemed, so we groan in them. That is why we are urged to be "sympathetic" as well. Surely we may and ought to rejoice with those who rejoice. But far more often we are called to share the grief all around us, and especially grief borne for righteousness' or Christ's sake. Suffering with Him is the common portion of all Christians, even if we never experience suffering for Him.
Brotherly love rests on a relationship, not on a mood. And small things can dry it up.
We can let very small differences between believers wither up our compassion. If, then, our compassions are not to fail, the motive behind them must be love. So the exhortation follows: "Love as brothers". This is not love after a human fashion as in natural relationships, however right in their place, but love as linked together in the divine relationships of the family of God.
That family bond outranks natural family ties, though it never runs free of God's word.
"Brother-loving" is a plain call, as belonging to the same family of God. Should we not love them more than we love our own natural relatives? The bond is deeper, divine in nature, and everlasting. […] How we show that love depends on each case, and for that we need the word and Spirit of God. For as John clearly shows, it is no mere human impulse and must not clash with the truth of God or with obedience.
The next quality shows whether that love is real.
"Tender-hearted" suitably follows. There is no worth in God's eyes if we love only in word or tongue, and not in deed and truth. We are to learn from Him. He never gave relief by power alone. His spirit entered into the weaknesses and diseases He removed, and carried them before God.
The list ends with the quality Jesus' own twelve disciples most plainly lacked.
"Humble-minded" comes last, but it is not the least of the qualities the apostle wanted at work. And where can we find its perfection but in the same Lord and Saviour? And we cannot look back on the days of His life on earth without a vivid and humbling memory of the sad contrast even in the honoured Twelve, His closest disciples. So often, and right to the last, they argued about which of them should be counted greatest. "I am gentle and lowly in heart," He said, and it was always true. Man's ambition was wholly foreign to Him. "But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves."
- Source. Every quality here is first seen in Christ. The lowly mind that was in Him is what makes "one mind" possible among believers.
- Inward. Sympathy means feeling with another. Scripture uses the same word of our High Priest, who sympathises with our weaknesses.
- Bond. Brotherly love rests on the family of God — a tie deeper and longer-lasting than natural family.
- Outward. Tender-heartedness turns love into deed and truth. Love that stays in the tongue counts for nothing.
- Finish. The list ends in a humble mind, not mere courtesy. That answers the disciples' argument over who was greatest.
not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; but on the contrary, blessing [others], because ye have been called to this, that ye should inherit blessing.
Peter has just urged unity, sympathy and a humble mind. Now he applies it to the hardest case: how to answer someone who has wronged you.
The verse names two forms of payback: the injury done and the insult spoken. Peter rules out both and puts something positive in their place.
If, sadly, someone tries to harm us, or speaks abusively against us, we are not to return evil for evil, or abuse for abuse, but on the contrary, blessing. Our practical life in the Christian circle is to be governed by our calling to inherit blessing. Sensing the grace that has so richly blessed us, we should be ready to bless others even if they have spoken abusively to us.
Refusing to hit back means leaving the case with God instead of settling it yourself.
If we are to gain the blessing in the time of suffering, we must first give up all thought of taking our case into our own hands. We must give up trying to avenge ourselves on those who oppose and abuse us unjustly. Whatever the suffering, the believer is to hold back from taking vengeance. When insulted, the flesh is always ready to insult back. When suffering unjustly, it is ready to threaten. It would love to take vengeance on all who oppose us and insult us with harsh words. The LORD cannot trust the believer to deal with those who oppose. Vengeance belongs to the LORD.
The reason Peter gives is a calling. That sets the whole verse on the ground of grace, not achievement. Older translations render the promise as "inherit a blessing," where the ESV has "obtain a blessing."
Again the apostle charges the saints not to return evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary to bless, "for to this you were called, that you might inherit blessing." How sharp the contrast is between the Christian and Israel, who undertook to earn blessing by keeping the law! The apostle Paul set this before the saints in Galatia, who had made the same sad mistake. "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse" (Gal. 3:10): not those who broke the law, but all who are pledged to that principle.
Those who were themselves rescued now carry to others what they received.
They were called out of sin, ruin and misery into blessing. So they were to be the witnesses and channels of grace in a world and a race that had fallen under curse.
Peter has been giving instructions to servants, and to wives and husbands. Here he widens it.
The exhortation is not limited to slaves. Here we find the various relations of life practically met, and in particular the great social bond of wives and husbands... What a place for the Christian! — called to blessing, and to be a blessing.
One writer pauses on the word "blessing" here and reads it as work to be done, not a mood.
"Not returning evil for evil, or abuse for abuse, but on the contrary blessing." Blessing there means the ministry of blessing. "Knowing that you are called to this, that you should inherit a blessing." We are going to inherit it, we do inherit it, and our only business is to minister it.
Peter calls the blessing an inheritance. Hardship now does not cancel it.
"You are called to this, that you should inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:9). What an inheritance! It is quite true that the Christian is already "blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." But along with this infinite favour he has many a sorrow and many a trial along the way, for he has not yet reached his home. Even so, God calls him to share for ever in an inheritance of perfect and unmixed blessing.
Knowing God has forgiven you drains the bitterness out of your answer to others.
Because my foundation is what God has done for me, I am aware of the goodness of God. If I am blessed myself (see 1 Peter 3:9), I can show love to others. Feeling that God has pardoned me takes away all bitterness from my life and from the way I act.
The standard is not an ideal but a Person.
Perfect consistency in a Christian is found only in Christ. He is the one constant standard for us. What love in Him even for the vilest and bitterest of His enemies! Called to inherit a blessing, may we not return evil for evil or abuse for abuse, but bless instead.
- Blessed — the chain starts with what God has done. He called you out of ruin into blessing; He did not put you on trial to earn it.
- Blessing — because the supply came free, blessing is what you now hand out, even to the person who insulted you.
- Blocked — two exits are shut: paying back the injury, and returning the insult. Vengeance belongs to the Lord.
- Blesser — this is not a passive mood but a ministry: we do inherit blessing, and our business is to pass it on.
- Blessing ahead — the circle closes in an inheritance of unmixed blessing. Sorrow on the road never cancels the calling.
For he that will love life and see good days, let him cause his tongue to cease from evil and his lips that they speak no guile.
Peter's letter is about how God governs His people in this world. Here he quotes Psalm 34 to answer a practical question: how does a Christian come to enjoy life in a hostile world?
One writer traces which parts of the Old Testament Peter uses, and why.
Now we come to a quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures, Psalm 34. It is very instructive to see how the apostle, by the Spirit of God, lays his hand on the three great sections of Scripture in this letter. He uses them all for our building up. In the first chapter he quotes from the law, in the second from the prophets, and now in the third from the Psalms. They all bear beautifully on us. That is because Peter, in his letter, is presenting the moral government of God over His people in this world.
The life in view is the life you are living now.
Godliness is the way of happiness in this life, apart, of course, from persecution along with it, as we read in Mark. But it is the way of blessing... The passage in Peter refers directly to the peaceful and upright character. That character avoids evil, and gets quietly through the world in peace as a follower of good. If you wish to see good days, you must govern your spirit and walk in a certain way. Then — apart from persecution for righteousness or for Christ — if you live in peace, you will live in peace and happiness. But the life we love is life here.
Yet this life is more than being alive. Another writer shows the difference with a picture.
What is life to a criminal shut in a solitary cell? It is true he is as much alive as if he were free and among his family; but in the practical sense, is his "life" the same? Would he not describe his prison life as a living death?
Of all the places the verse could begin, it begins with the mouth.
Do you love life? Do you want many days, and to see good? Is it good you are seeking? Here is the instruction on how to secure these blessings... It does not begin here with my heart. It begins with my tongue. "Keep your tongue." Oh, that is a most difficult job. We all know how hard it is to keep the tongue. Are you set on seeing good? That is the question. I know the people who are desiring good, by the way they use their tongues.
Loose talk costs the speaker first.
You will not find a happy, bright Christian who allows himself the unrestrained use of his tongue. He will not be bright, he will not be happy, and he does not see good days. On the contrary, he sees miserable days, unhappy and dull. That is because he has done the thing the Lord told him not to, and he suffers for it.
The second half of the verse names a particular sin of speech. One writer defines it and shows how far it reaches.
This word is often translated "guile" in the New Testament. It expresses cunning, craftiness, and plotting to deceive. It usually has to do with a person's words. There was no guile found in the mouth of Christ (1 Peter 2:22)... But it was by guile that the Jewish council sought to arrest Jesus and put Him to death (Matt. 26:4; Mark 14:1).
Does becoming a Christian lift you out of that rule? One writer answers.
The grace of God does not set aside the government of God. We do not escape it by becoming Christians. Though we are the subjects of grace, it is still true that we reap what we sow. We cannot use Christianity to cover evil.
The same writer stops short of promising an untroubled life. Doing good may still cost you.
The Christian who walks this way, according to the government of God, will be in the Lord's favour. He will escape in large measure the troubles that men bring on themselves by their evil ways. Still, in an evil world the Christian may have to suffer for righteousness' sake. This shows that the government of God will not always show itself fully until righteousness reigns in the days to come. The devil is not yet banished from the world, and evil still prevails. So the pursuit of righteousness always meets with the favour of God, yet it may bring opposition from men when doing right cuts across their interests.
- Desire. The verse starts with a wish anyone can own: to love life and see good days.
- Government. God answers that wish through the way He governs now. Grace does not stop us reaping what we sow.
- Tongue. The first step is not the heart but the mouth: keep it from evil, and from the craftiness that plots through words.
- Days. Loose speech punishes the speaker. Dull, unhappy days follow the very thing the Lord warned against.
- Limit. Good days are the rule, not a promise of ease. Doing right may still draw opposition until righteousness reigns.
And let him avoid evil, and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it;
Peter takes these words straight out of Psalm 34 and hands them to Christians scattered under pressure. He gives three commands — turn from evil, do good, chase peace — and the last one raises a question: why must peace be chased?
Verses 10 to 12 are a quotation. One writer shows which parts of the Hebrew Scriptures Peter draws on, and why:
Now we come to a quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures, Psalm 34. It is very instructive to see what the apostle does here. By the Spirit of God he lays his hand on the three great sections of Scripture and uses them to build us up. In the first chapter he quotes from the law, in the second from the prophets, and now in the third from the Psalms. They are all beautifully brought to bear on us. For what Peter is doing in his letter is presenting the moral government of God over His people in this world.
The first command is stronger than saying no to a temptation. Commenting on the same words in the psalm, one writer explains what departing means, and what must take its place:
Also, "Depart from evil and do good" (Psalm 34:14). We are not only to abstain from evil, but to depart from it. That is, we are to have no association with it, and to leave the very place where it goes on. That is a negative, but a positive follows at once: "and do good." Do we take advantage of the many opportunities we have for doing good? If so, we should not have time for useless pursuits. "Seek peace and pursue it," or, as Romans 12:18 tells us, "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."
The good in view is not just religious activity. It stands opposite the harm the believer must avoid:
As well as in words, we are told to avoid evil in our conduct too — anything that will cause harm in God's creation. The word covers every kind of harm: moral, spiritual, physical, or material. This certainly includes avoiding accidents. But on the other hand, we are told positively to do good. There is certainly enough good to be done that we should not even have time to do evil. Added to this is seeking peace — the grace of harmonious well-being — in whatever relationships we are in. And we are to "pursue it" with diligent purpose.
Peace with God is a gift. Peace with other people is a chase, and the same word runs through several New Testament commands about it:
Sinful people without peace can now obtain peace with God for their consciences and the peace of God for their hearts. This personal peace is a gift of the grace of God to each one individually. It is also the foundation for true peace on earth. Yet peace among men, and among believers, also depends on the condition of our hearts and on our conduct. Therefore we are very often exhorted to follow or to strive after peace (Rom. 14:19; 2 Tim. 2:22; Heb. 12:14; 1 Peter 3:11). The Greek text uses the same word every time. It means "to chase, run, follow". In Ephesians 4:3 we are also told that diligence and zeal are necessary to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. If these exhortations were not necessary, God would not have had them written in His Word.
The chase gets tested when someone tries to draw you into a fight. One writer puts the answer in a sentence you can say out loud:
You are to seek peace, and pursue it; it is the thing the heart is to be really set on in going through this world, and if any would incite you to cause trouble, you simply say, "No, I will seek peace."
Ignoring this costs something. A believer tangled in quarrels stands exposed:
One of the marks of the kingdom of God is peace; we have been called to peace in one body; and we are to seek peace and pursue it. Will a quarrelsome Christian, caught up in the quarrels of the flesh, be able to meet the crafty enemy? Such quarrels are no match for the enemy. A heart in that state leaves room for the flaming darts of the wicked one.
Turning from evil comes first in the verse. One writer warns that peace must never be chased apart from it:
Let us then seek peace — the peace of unity — and pursue it. But let us do so with our eyes open. Right through the Bible one fact is pressed home: separation from evil is essential to that peace.
- Quoted — Peter lifts the words from Psalm 34. They show God's moral government over His people in this world.
- Depart — turning from evil means leaving the place where it goes on, not just refusing to join in.
- Do — there is enough good waiting to be done that no time is left over for evil or for useless pursuits.
- Chase — peace with God is a gift; peace with people you must run after, with diligence and zeal.
- Guard — chase peace with your eyes open: separation from evil is what keeps it real.
because [the] eyes of [the] Lord [are] on [the] righteous, and his ears towards their supplications; but [the] face of [the] Lord [is] against them that do evil.
Peter has just told scattered believers to repay insult with blessing, to guard their tongue and to seek peace. Now he gives the reason, borrowing the words of Psalm 34. God is not a distant observer of how His people live. His eyes, His ears and His face are all engaged.
Peter takes these words from a psalm written centuries earlier, when God dealt with His people in a different way. One writer explains why they still apply.
The principles of God's government of His people do not change. When David wrote Psalm 34, it was the age of law and God's people were in the place of servants. Today is the age of grace and we are before God as His sons, as Galatians 3:23–4:7 shows. Yet the apostle Peter can quote David's words from Psalm 34 as applying equally to us. We reap what we sow in the government of God; and the way to "see good" is to "do good," as verses 10 to 13 of our chapter show. Many a disagreeable event in our lives is clearly the result of our own disagreeableness. If we sowed more good we should reap more good.
One writer explains what those watching eyes mean, and what kind of righteousness Peter has in view.
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous." This means not only perfect discernment of every motive, but watchful care in preservation. It is true that in principle God sees every believer as righteous in Christ. But Peter insists that the believer should be this in practice, if he is to know God's approving eye upon him. The same holds for God's ears being open to his prayers. That involves not only hearing, but hearing with approval, and answering.
If God's ears are open, why does He sometimes seem slow to answer?
How it should still our hearts in the presence of God when He seems to delay to answer our cries! Urgent need or pressing danger is generally impatient and will not wait. "Has not God said," we repeat at such times, "that He will hear our prayers?" How then is it that we have cried in vain? Ah, no! We never cry to Him in vain; "for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer." If the Lord waits, He waits only for His own glory, and our fuller blessing.
Another writer gives a second reason for God's silence.
"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer." Sweet word! Peter feels the necessity of prayer and dependence, and if your walk is right, he says, the Lord is attentive to your prayers. "But," you say, "He does not answer." Well, He may have something to settle with you, because "the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." That is as true of a child of God as of an unconverted person.
The last clause is not aimed only at outsiders. One writer applies it inside the family of God, where it touches everyday conduct.
The face of the Lord is as much against His own children, if they are doing evil, as it is against the children of the devil. Here he applies it in the practical walk of the Christian. Observe the good things here: good days, follow what is good, good conscience, and good conduct.
Peter stops mid-sentence. Psalm 34:16 continues, "to cut off the memory of them from the earth" — and that clause is missing here.
Not a word about cutting off. Why is this? Because the Lord is not now acting on the principle of cutting off. He acted on it under the law; and He will act on it in the kingdom, by and by. But just now He is acting in grace and long-suffering mercy. His face is just as much against all evil-doers as it ever was, or ever will be. But it is not now to cut off the memory of them from the earth. Here is the most striking illustration of this marvellous grace and patience. The very men who, with wicked hands, crucified His only Son were evil-doers of the most pronounced type. Yet instead of being cut off from the earth, they were the very first to hear the message of full and free pardon through the blood of the cross.
- Government. God still governs His people day by day; the psalm's principles carry over unchanged, and we reap what we sow.
- Eyes. His look is watchful care, not mere inspection. And Peter means righteousness lived out, not just held.
- Ears. Open ears mean hearing with approval and answering; when He delays, He waits for His glory and our fuller blessing.
- Face. God sets His face against evil in His own children too. An unanswered prayer may mean He has something to settle with us.
- Grace. Peter leaves out the psalm's threat of cutting off, because God deals in mercy now. The men who crucified His Son were the first to prove it.