Love Life and See Good Days
Posted by Pastor on March 15, 2010
Bible text: 1 Peter 3:8-12
This passage concludes Peter’s instruction section to the Elect Exiles. Though the previous instructions to slaves, wives, and husbands were meant to be read and understood by all, he now explicitly returns the attention to all of his readers.
Sometimes we get all caught up in ourselves in church. We come to believe that we attend church to receive something – a blessing, encouragement, friendship, an experience. We become consumers rather than producers. But Peter tells us that every true believer is a producer. We do not attend church merely to learn how to experience God. Participation in the church community is an experience of God. When “the church” fails our expectations, we tend to withdraw and hope someone will fix it. Instead, the Elect Exile will become the change he seeks.
You can find the verb in verse 8 (have, live, be, etc.) and mark it right out. The Greek sentence has no verb. Peter simply lists five adjectives that describe the Elect Exile. These words – harmony of mind, understanding, brotherly love, good compassion, and humble – are words that (especially taken together) refer to family or close cultural community relationships. Peter begins in 2:11 discussing the need for Elect Exiles to live honorably in society. He then gives illustrations about how that would look like in public life, then in private life, and now in the community of faith populated by other Elect Exiles. In other words, how you behave in church is a witness to the world. Your conduct should be honorable as described by these terms.
Peter seems clear – we are a family, defined by a new cultural heritage – our lives now only make sense according to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the gospel that binds us together into a church. Rid yourself of worldly expectations and be who God has called you to be. Watch how God transforms your life and brings positive change to others in the church.
Peter gets to the verb in v.9 – Do not return evil for evil, but bless instead. Returning evil for evil is the world’s way. You said this about me, I’ll say that about you. That is not the way of the Exile. The Elect of God demonstrate the power and freedom of the Lord by following his example and blessing those who seek to curse. This is done in practical ways – honorable/worthy ways that transform (or at least bear positive witness to) the culture around us.
Finally, Peter quotes Psalm 34 (which influences a lot of Peter’s letter). The quotation is from the wisdom section of that psalm of David and instructs the reader how to succeed in life – that is how to Love Life and See Good Days.
Wisdom for the Elect Exile is to pursue peace – to actively seek it out. This is pleasing to God who desires to bless those He has called to be a blessing to others. However, the one who claims Exile status but does not follow Exile ways offers prayers that are not even heard by God.
If your life is not adding up, you don’t sense God anymore, you are frustrated with how things are not working out even though you are doing all this stuff for God…Peter might ask you, “Who are you angry with? What have you done to actively pursue genuine peace with this person?”
Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5): “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” It is the peacemakers who receive the inheritance. It is the pursuers of peace who are blessed by God. It is those who walk in the wisdom of blessing who are the Elect Exiles of God.
Do not grow weary of doing good. Do not step off the path of wisdom which leads to your salvation. Be the change you seek. Love life and see good days according to the pattern given by the head of the church, Jesus Christ.
