Finally, all of you should be in agreement, understanding each other, loving each other as family, being kind and humble. ~ 1 Peter 3:8
Today, we return to our study of 1 Peter 3 where the Apostle Peter is giving us God's instruction for the solid infrastructure that we need to deal with the difficulties of living life in this fallen world. Brennan Manning once wrote, "Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever."
In today's verse we are given some skills that can get us to the place where we can benefit from the pain and suffering that comes into our lives. In this verse, Peter implores us to live life to the fullest with excitement, integrity, and confidence in the God of the Bible by learning to see the pain and the suffering as a means rather than an end. Very often, I have discovered, my pain serves me in a variety of ways from making sense out of my life and helping others navigate through their difficulties. The key is to allow God the time He needs to use it to bring about His purposes. And, I have found, that if I am patient, I will free myself from much anxiety because I will not worry about the circumstances.
Todays' verse begins with: "Finally, all of you should be in agreement."
Believers in Christ should be so real and authentic that when unbelievers look at us, even when we are suffering, they will desire what we have. Granted, when we are suffering, it's difficult to walk with God because even though we are forgiven and on our way to heaven our default mode continues to be the fallen part of us. Learning to walk with God is hard work but when we do it, it will translate into that which is real in the eyes of those who are not born again.
To this point in this epistle, the Apostle Peter has been addressing different groups of people who were all dealing with suffering in some form. He now addresses all groups of believers whether suffering or not, encouraging us to broaden our understanding of this most unusual means by which God changes us. The first is the importance of valuing community especially when we are suffering. Community is an absolute necessity when we are hurting the worst. When we are suffering, we are especially tempted to withdraw and fortify ourselves, in order to protect ourselves. When we are in such a place, we must be careful to not let our suffering desensitize us to the hurts and needs of others. The best time to bless others is when we are struggling the most ourselves.
There are a number of things we can do in community in order to find purpose in our suffering. The first is "to be in agreement." When we are suffering, we need people who can help us think straight. These people make sure that we are being controlled by reason rather than emotion, but most define being in agreement as everybody agreeing with me. That is not what the Apostle was writing about here. When we all think the same, that does not promote unity, it promotes uniformity. There are a litany of disagreements that we as believers in Christ have and should have. We are all fallen humans all gathered together to be in agreement, but that does not mean we have to think alike. Being in agreement is cooperating in the midst of our diversity.
To this point in this epistle, the Apostle Peter has been addressing different groups of people who were all dealing with suffering in some form. He now addresses all groups of believers whether suffering or not, encouraging us to broaden our understanding of this most unusual means by which God changes us. The first is the importance of valuing community especially when we are suffering. Community is an absolute necessity when we are hurting the worst. When we are suffering, we are especially tempted to withdraw and fortify ourselves, in order to protect ourselves. When we are in such a place, we must be careful to not let our suffering desensitize us to the hurts and needs of others. The best time to bless others is when we are struggling the most ourselves.
There are a number of things we can do in community in order to find purpose in our suffering. The first is "to be in agreement." When we are suffering, we need people who can help us think straight. These people make sure that we are being controlled by reason rather than emotion, but most define being in agreement as everybody agreeing with me. That is not what the Apostle was writing about here. When we all think the same, that does not promote unity, it promotes uniformity. There are a litany of disagreements that we as believers in Christ have and should have. We are all fallen humans all gathered together to be in agreement, but that does not mean we have to think alike. Being in agreement is cooperating in the midst of our diversity.
There are essential beliefs in the Christian faith we must all agree upon. And then, there are the nonessential beliefs. The essentials are the nature of God; the person and work of Jesus Christ, that He is God in human flesh, that He came to this earth to take our place by dying on the cross to pay the penalty that our sin created, that He rose physically from the dead, and that He is coming again. These are some of the essentials in Christianity. As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are in agreement with those beliefs. Secondary issues are non-essential issues and we agree to disagree on the secondary or non-essential issues include things like mode of baptism or when the Lord Jesus will return.
In addition, Peter says we are to be "understanding each other." This literally means we are to be willing to suffer together, to actively enter into one another's sufferings empathetically and compassionately. The Apostle combined two words here. The first is "pathos" which means "to suffer." The second word is "sum" which means "together with." We get our word empathetic from this compound Greek word. It means to suffer with someone.
When we do this, we will understand the fallenness of the humanity in one another. Being marked by our Savior, who is our empathetic high priest, says the writer of Hebrews, we will share in the feelings of others, joining in their sorrow, and joining in their joy. We will be known not as indifferent to the needs of others, not as their critics, but as sensitive to the pain of the yet fallen.
In addition, we are to be "loving each other as family." This means we need to love with brotherly love. Here Peter uses the Greek word "philadelphos" which means brotherly love. We get our word Philadelphia from this word. There really are people who are brothers and sisters we can trust, who will accept us and with whom we can feel secure.
Next Peter says, "being kind" which is to be tenderhearted. The heart in the ancient world was the seat of emotion. It was where you felt things, which for them, was in their bowels. He is saying that we need to emotionally commit ourselves to one another. We must feel emotionally, not just remain intellectually or theologically, but to feel with another.
Then, Peter says we need to be "humble." This word Peter used here literally means "humble-minded." In Philippians 2:3 we read, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself." When we are feeling weak and vulnerable, we need somebody who can identify with us in humility. That helps lower our defenses and then the purposes of God can be realized.
Finally, I have learned, the best time to help others and love on them is when I am struggling. Scientific research provides compelling data to support the anecdotal evidence that giving is a powerful pathway to personal growth and lasting happiness. Loving on others is God's way of bringing His completeness into our lives. As we encounter our own pain, we discover that if we allow God to inculcate His culture in us and we choose to become more others-minded, we will discover that His way does not only help us to cope with our own pain, it also equips us to discover why we are ultimately on this earth to be a blessing to others.
