Thick-Skinned, Tough-Minded, Tender-Hearts
1 Peter 3:8-12
Introduction – You are Christians. This is a fellowship of believers, the body
of Christ, the family of God. The way we
live with and around one another is key to ‘put to silence the ignorance of
foolish men’ (
To the Church – Finally (“And now, the end….”), Peter
instructs believers on our relationship as the body of Christ. The issue is how Christians are to relate to
one another.
One Mind – Peter does
not describe Christian unity in the same way we modern evangelicals talk about
unity. “Doctrine-less” unity is not what
he has in mind. Paul (in 1 Cor
Sympathetic – The same
word describes Jesus’ compassion towards us in our temptations (Heb
Love as Brothers – A family is
one of the word-pictures God uses to describe His people (along with a
building-temple, a priesthood, a kingdom…). It is this word picture that is connected to
the fact that we are heirs of God (Rom
Tenderhearted – The word
means to ‘feel generous deep in your belly’.
One who is pursuing the truth with zeal (one mind) must do so without a
stiffness of heart towards others, never indifferent towards their needs – “as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies” (
Love-Minded – That’s a
literal translation of ‘courteous’ here.
Love in all the trifles is constantly to be on our minds. This is not satisfied by staying out of
people’s way, but rather by getting in the way of their troubles, bearing their
load, and honoring them. Remember –
invisible courtesy is discourtesy.
Not Reviling, But Blessing – Peter is not simply talking about people who always get along. He is talking about sinners. Where there are sinners, there is bound to be
sin. What are you to do when evil is
done to you? What are you to do when you
are slandered? It is not enough to leave
them alone. Even in Gal 6:1, where
instructions exist to go to a brother who has wronged you, you must be
qualified, which means you must first return evil with blessing (Matt 5:44f).
“Called to this” – This is not teaching that the blessings you
inherit are based on your works. You
were called to something in order that you would inherit a blessing. You were called to Christ, and as Paul says, “not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for
His sake…” (Phil 1:29).
Psalm 34 – Now Peter quotes from this psalm. This Messianic psalm speaks of Jesus’
suffering as well (34:20). Reviling and
returning evil are set aside when one rests in the sure justice and vengeance
of God, just as Jesus did. As He hung on
the cross, His desire was to give blessing.
And He did. He turned from evil,
He kept His tongue in control, and He sought peace for those who hated Him.
Eyes, Ears, and Face (
Application from the Heart – There is much that needs to be done, according
to this passage. But you must only work
out what God is working in. You must
‘be’ somebody before you can ‘do’ something.
If you are in Christ, then you are being called to sacrificial
service. But that service is not
faithful obedience unless it is done with the song of Psalm 34, and the hope of
God’s future grace, in your heart. And
to this you were called.
Dave Hatcher –