Studies in First Peter Part 18
“8To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing” (I Peter 3:8-9).
Here Peter extends the encouragement to live a life of love to the larger family of God, to “all of you.” And he sums it up this way.
Be harmonious. This is practicing the unity of the Spirit. What does harmonious look like? Think about a choir. What makes the harmony in a choir? Is everybody singing the same part? No, we are all singing our own part; soprano, alto, etc. But we are all singing the same song. We are harmonious when we sing our own part. And we are united in our harmony when we all sing the same song; a song expressing and practicing our love for each other.
Sympathetic. In today’s language, I would call this empathetic. Empathy is such a beautiful foundation in a marriage and in relationships in general. Empathy says, “I care about you.”
Brotherly. We are called to love as sisters and brothers in the Lord in the same way that a loving family operates. We do this by being kindhearted toward each other.
Humble in spirit. Finally, humility leads to harmony. Selfish ambition leads to quarrels and disputes. We are to lay aside selfish ambition and put on humility.
Finally, we extend grace, we extend blessing, instead of revenge. One of the most beautiful highlights of my journey into grace is how I have experienced grace-receiving saints become grace-dispensing saints. Grace-understanding believers are grace-giving believers. Grace is not a doctrine. It is a person, Jesus Christ. Grace is not a theology. Grace is a practice; the practice of loving one another.
The grace message we preach is this. If you have believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ, all of your sins have been forgiven. You are a new creation with a new identity, a new purity, a new heart, a new Spirit, a new nature, a new self, a new power, a new freedom, and so much more. You are forever clean and close with Jesus and the Father and the Spirit, because Christ Himself lives in you and is living His life through you. This is the great news of the gospel.
This is the simple gospel message. And here is the beautiful part. My love for you is the same whether you believe this message or not. So many times, groups demand our allegiance to certain doctrines to be accepted. If you have believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ, you are accepted into the family of grace unconditionally, no strings attached. I love you with the love of Christ whether or not you embrace what I teach about His grace. Your response to the grace message is entirely unrelated to me accepting and loving you as a brother or sister and friend. Here, you are loved!