1 PETER 3:8-12
Finally, all of you, live 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. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

Peter is wrapping up the large section that we have been studying (2:13-3:7). He has been instructing his Christian readers to submit to government officials, masters, and husbands, many of which are probably unbelievers who are unsympathetic to their faith, and who might unjustly inflict hardship upon them. The general approach that Christians should take toward these authority figures is stated earlier: "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (2:12).

Now Peter comes to the final item on this list for this section. He has been telling his readers how to face outsiders, but it is also important for them to learn how to treat one another. And on this, he writes, "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." The statement is directed toward believers, since Peter speaks to "all of you" and tells them to "love as brothers."

To "live in harmony" is literally to "be of one mind" (NKJV) or to "be like-minded" (HCSB). The NIV gives the correct meaning of the word. The NASB is similar and reads "be harmonious." The RSV says, "have unity in spirit," but the meaning is the same. Although the New Testament stresses unity between brothers and sisters in Christ, it appears to be an uncommon trait among Christians today. Happy is the man who finds it among his community of brothers.

For those facing persecution for their faith, such as Peter's readers, it is not only a virtue and a duty to maintain unity, but it would also give them some practical advantage. That said, it is for this advantage that some choose to suppress even essential doctrinal differences in order to put up an united front before the world.

But once they suppress these essential differences, there can be no genuine and permanent unity, since they in fact differ on the most essential things. Unless they abandon their beliefs, these differences will seep through the cracks and generate conflict and distrust. Then, sooner or later, they might even erupt into full scale infighting and division.

On the other hand, if they do abandon their beliefs for a superficial unity, then this unity becomes worthless altogether. They no longer promote God's program in the world, so that they no longer carry an offense against the world, and there is no longer anything for which the world would persecute them. Thus there is really no point in maintaining a superficial united front. In addition, if the unity produced involves a suppression of doctrinal differences, it in fact falls short of the kind of oneness that Scripture requires.

To "be sympathetic" is to share in other people's joys and sorrows, and to identify with them in their condition. As Paul teaches in Romans 12:15, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn," and in 1 Corinthians 12:26, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." The context of the verse from 1 Corinthians provides the basis for this sympathy – all believers belong to the same Body of Christ.

The command, therefore, is not just an encouragement to identify with other believers in our imagination. Rather, it is a call to let our attitudes reflect the reality that we are one people in Christ. In a real sense, what happens to one or some of us happens to all of us. Thus it is unbiblical for a Christian to be concerned only about himself, and what happens to himself. More improper still is it to gloat over another Christian's suffering, or to envy another's blessing or deliverance.

To "love as brothers" is to maintain a self-giving affection toward other Christians. Of course, it refers to both male and female disciples. Grudem thinks that the NIV obscures the emphasis of loving fellow believers, and seems to prefer the RSV's "love of the brethren." However, I am unconvinced that the NIV's rendering, also shared by the KJV and NKJV, indeed presents such a problem. His criticism seems more relevant to the ESV's "have…brotherly love" and even more so to the NASB's "be…brotherly." But even these translations are not wrong, especially the ESV.

There is to be a special love among Christians. In heaven, the bond between believers shall be much more intense than the affection that exists between natural relatives on earth. Such a bond is seldom evident in the church today, and this can only mean that we are failing to regard other believers as family here on earth.

Yet Scripture never refers to this brotherly love as something that resides only in especially holy and mature saints. It ought to be the ordinary sign of discipleship. As Jesus states, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). John puts it both positively and negatively, and writes, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death" (1 John 3:14). The person who has no love for Christians is himself not a Christian at all.

Now, we partake of the bread and wine of the covenant, and rejoices that God has come to dine with men. We argue over the spiritual presence of Christ in the sacraments, and make fine distinctions to preserve the orthodox view. But have we neglected the fact that, when we eat the bread and drink the wine with one another, we reaffirm not only our fellowship with Christ but also to one another, and that we are as blood brothers in him? And when we sin against one another, when we sin against the brotherhood, we also sin against the blood of the covenant by which we are joined.

To "be compassionate" is to have a "tender heart" (RSV, also see NKJV and NLT) toward others. The NASB has "kindhearted," which is also correct. KJV's "be pitiful" is now archaic, although to be compassionate certainly includes the idea of showing "pity" as we understand the word today. However, the word is in fact too rich for a simple English translation to satisfy. Hillyer thinks that translations referring to a "tender" or "kind" heart are too passive, and "pitiful" is condescending. He favors the NIV as the closest possible English translation, although I am not convinced that these other translations are so bad.

In any case, the word literally refers to the bowels, the intestines, or the "gut," if you will. It depicts strong feelings in the inner parts. Thus the KJV refers to "bowels of compassion" in 1 John 3:17. There the NKJV and NASB say "heart," and the NIV has "pity." Christians should have this attitude toward all people, even their enemies, but the emphasis here is how believers should treat one another. So, to paraphrase, Peter says that believers are to have "gut-wrenching compassion and sympathy" for one another, and one that moves them to action (1 John 3:17-18).

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