Hope for the Good

Have you ever wondered how to find good in this crazy world? Peter’s readers were surrounded by those who would harm them, and Peter encouraged them to live God’s good way in the midst of evil.

*How do we find good in our world today?

*What evil surrounds us in our current society?

*How can we experience hope in the midst of it all?

Peter summed up his previous comments about our interactions with others with these words that remind us of Paul’s encouragement in Philippians.

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8).

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2).

• Peter said his readers should be like-minded in their understanding.¹
• Paul urged his readers to be like-minded in love, spirit, and mind—how they thought.¹
• Both included compassion, or sympathy, love for one another, and humility.
• Last Sunday I heard another definition of humility to add to my working definition:

*We’re not the most important person in the room.²

This definition fits with the words Peter used in verse 8 and with what Paul wrote.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

*What does it mean to be like-minded in our understanding?

*How can we show compassion, sympathy, and love to others?

*How do you define humility?

*How might humility as defined above look in practical situations?

Let’s look again at Peter’s words.

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8).

• Compassion refers to the idea of “together in / with suffering.”³
• Love here is made up of the Greek roots for “brother” and “friend,” describing Christian behavior toward each other.⁴
• There are two other words included in the King James, which have corresponding word definitions in Greek.
• One is a Greek word that’s like a compound word with part of it meaning “tender-hearted compassion.”⁵
• Reuben Welch described this word, splágchnon, as a gut feeling, something we feel in our innards.⁶
• Compassion should come from our innermost being, from our heart.
• The other is translated “courteous.” After reading a dictionary, I interpret this as “think like a friend.”

Recently I attended a multi-day conference with more than one hundred people, which means there were some I knew and others I did not know. Our fearless leader reminded everyone that we were all believers, who were there because of our interest in writing. Therefore, we had at least two things in common with every other person there at the conference. What a great illustration of the concept of “courteous” in the context of 1 Peter.

• Those who would read Peter’s letter (and Paul’s) were all believers, and they faced similar external circumstances.
• Imagine what the world would be like if we followed Peter’s advice in this single verse and simply thought of people more as friends than the competition.

*How would reaching into our innermost being change the compassion and love we show to one another?

*How would you describe friendship with fellow believers?

*How can we set aside feelings of competition to practice humility?

Peter carried his line of thought one step further.

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9).

What’s all this about blessing those who do evil?

• Our instinct is to give back what would be expected: to behave in like kind.
• It’s natural to want to do unto others as they have done unto us.
• The evil Peter mentioned is harm done to someone; it’s a personal offense.
• The New International Version (quoted above) used the word “insult,” which carries a stronger meaning than the original meaning of “reproach.”⁷

Either way, in such situations we would do well to remember Paul’s advice.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).

This is exactly what Peter had in mind when he said we should repay evil with blessing.

• I like how Zodhiates described this idea of blessing those who intend evil.

“Pray they may be turned from their ways through God’s intervention in their lives.”⁸

“Pray for [their] welfare as God perceives it for His actions in their lives.”⁸

• It’s about God and what He will do, not about how our society defines blessing.
• When God called us, He invited us to repentance in Jesus.
• The blessing we will inherit is the eternal kingdom of God that is incorruptible.
• This blessing is given from God to man and has the idea of new growth.⁹
• We are called to invite others to receive Jesus and His kingdom.

*How have you repaid evil with blessing?

*How have you personally experienced God’s calling in this context?

*What hope does Peter offer in this verse?

More next week on how to live a good life in the midst of evil. Sometimes these challenges God places before us are best tackled small steps at a time. You’ll see next week’s post on Saturday, as Thursday I’ll be away from Internet (aka “off grid,” a summertime place to be).

 

1. Spiros Zodhiates Th.D., The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament (Chattanooga, Tennessee: AMG Publishers, 1992), 1047.
2. Cory Hancock, New Heights Church, talk on Luke 14:1-14, July 2, 2023.
3. Zodhiates, 1328.
4. Zodhiates, 1444.
5. Zodhiates, 685.
6. Reuben Welch, We Really Do Need Each Other (Nashville: Generoux Nelson, 1973), 88.
7. Zodhiates, 926.
8. Zodhiates, 677.
9. Zodhiates, 679.