TO SUM UP:
To de telos: or
"finally" as in most of the other translations.
Sum up (5056)
(telos from tello = to set out for a
definite point or goal) refers to the culmination or the outcome of a
growth or development representing an attained objective.
Telos
is never used in NT as a chronological end, as if something simply
stops. Instead, telos refers to a consummation, a goal
achieved, a result attained, or a realization. In the present context telos does not indicate the conclusion of the letter,
but the conclusion of the exhortations in this section. In context
this appears to be Peter’s conclusion to the topic submission, which
he introduced in
1 Peter 2:13 (see note)
These five virtues are to be normative qualities in
the lives of the people of God, reflecting the attitude and example of
Christ. Remember the context: The advice offered is for believers
facing persecution. Just as the whole of the Law is summed up in love
(see notes
Romans 13:8;
13:9;
13:10), so the whole of human relationships is fulfilled in
love. This applies to every Christian and to every area of life. Note
that Peter deals not so much with the AUTHORITIES but with those under
authority.
LET ALL BE
HARMONIOUS
(same mind, like–minded): pantes homophrones: (Acts
2:1;
4:32;
Ro 12:16;
15:5;
1 Cor 1:10;
Php 3:16)
Spurgeon
writes -
Be unanimous; do not hold
church-meetings to talk about nothing, and so quarrel for the want of
something to do. Be united with the resolve that you will glorify God,
and that there shall be no dissension, no division among you: “Be ye
all of one mind,” (1
Peter 3 Commentary)
Harmonious (3675)
(homophron from homós = one and same +
phren = mind, understanding) literally of one and the same
mind, like-minded,
having a common mindset but not necessarily all the same tastes or gifts
or habits. The idea is that they are to possess the same thoughts and assessments of the essentials of
life -- God, salvation, virtue.
Peter is not referring to minute
details (like the color of the pew cushions!) but is referring to a
unity on the major and important points of Christian doctrine and
practice that should be maintained among members of the Body of
Christ.
That harmonious "one mind" should be the mind of
Christ as Paul explained to the believers at Philippi...
make
my joy complete
(aorist
imperative = do
this now and do it effectively!) by being of the same mind,
maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose...5
Have this attitude
(present
imperative) in
yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, (See notes
Philippians 2:2;
Philippians 2:5)
Later in this same letter to the
Philippians Paul wrote
Let us therefore, as many as are perfect (not
sinless but maturing as believers), have this attitude
(in context, the attitude of pursuing the prize of Christlikeness - a
mark of spiritual maturity is a desire to go on with Christ) and if
in anything you have a different attitude (in regard to what is
involved in pressing on toward Christlikeness), God will reveal
(uncover, unveil) that also to you." (see note
Philippians 3:15)
Although the context of this
passage is different than Peter's, the principle is true that God is
willing to show the truth to those who are willing to follow it. A
personal humility, willingness and openness to God to reveal the
correct attitude one should have will tend to produce harmony in the
local body.
Application:
Beloved, are you open to God showing you whether your attitude or
action contributes to or detracts from the harmony in
your local body, in your family, in your marriage, in your workplace,
etc?
All Christians are to be
examples and purveyors of peace and unity, not disruption and
disharmony.
Peter is saying in essence, "You brothers join hands together." The chain
is only as strong as its weakest link.
A phrase that is appropriate in
this context is
In essentials, Unity. In non-essentials, Liberty.
In all things, Love.
Unity in diversity" and "Diversity
in Unity.
Unity does not mean uniformity but it
does mean cooperation in the midst of diversity. The members of the
body work together in unity, even though they are all different. Christians may differ on how things are to be done, but they must
agree on what is to be done and why.
A man criticized D. L. Moody’s
methods of evangelism, and Moody said
Well, I’m always ready for
improvement. What are your methods?
The man confessed that he had
none to which Moody quickly replied...
Then I’ll stick to my own.
Whatever methods we may
use, we must seek to honor Christ, win the lost, and build the church.
Some methods are definitely not scriptural, but there is plenty of
room for variety in the church. How would you describe your
church...harmonious? Are you contributing to the harmony of your local
body or are you marked by discord in attitude and action?
Think about your church as a
"symphony orchestra" that the world is watching and listening to. Is
you church "music" concordant or cacophonous?
SYMPATHETIC:
sumpatheis:
(Zech 7:9;
Mt 18:33;
Lu 10:33;
Ro 12:15;
1 Cor 12:26;
Js 2:13;
3:17)
Sympathy
(4835)
(sumpathes from
sun
= with, implies a close,
intimate association + páthos = suffering,
misfortune <> compare sumpascho = suffer together with)
describes a sincere feeling for and with the needs of others.
Sympathy is a
feeling for or a capacity for sharing in the interests of another. The
sympathetic individual manifests an affinity, association, or
relationship with others such that whatever affects one similarly
affects the other. Sympathy often suggests a tender concern and can
also imply a power to enter into another’s emotional experience of any
sort.
Sympathy is
feeling what others feel so that you can respond with sensitivity to
the need. It's the picture of suffering with another by entering into
and sharing their feelings rather than simply by having compassion on
them from a distance.
People who have true sympathy
generally do not say, "I know how you feel." Because since they
know how you feel, they also know how unhelpful it is to hear someone
say, "I know how you feel."
True sympathy is usually a
fairly quiet, time-intensive, presence-intensive way of being, feeling
what others feel so that you can respond with sensitivity to the need.
Remember people usually don't
care to know how much you know until they know how much you care.
Wuest explains that sympathy...
is made up of two Greek
words, one word meaning “to be affected” by something, hence “to
feel,” that is, to have feelings stirred up within one by some
circumstance, the other word meaning “with.” The word means therefore,
“to have a fellow-feeling.” It refers here to the interchange of
fellow-feeling in either joy or sorrow. It is “rejoice with them that
do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Ro12:15). The English word
“sympathy” refers to the fellow-feeling we should have with those that
suffer, and that is the secondary meaning of our Greek word. The
primary meaning refers to a fellow-feeling with a brother Christian
either in his joys or in his sorrows. It takes as much grace sometimes
to rejoice with another saint in the way God has blessed him as it
does to sympathize with someone who is in sadness. What a miserable
thing this petty jealousy is among the saints.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos)
Tragically, too often the church
is one of the cruelest places on earth in many situations.
Writing to Romans who he
had just urged to present their bodies to God as living sacrifices
(see note
Romans 12:1),
Paul made this presentation practical encouraging the believers
to...
Be of the same mind toward one
another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do
not be wise in your own estimation. (See note
Romans 12:16)
BROTHERLY: philadelphoi:
(1
Peter 1:22;
2:17;
Ro 12:10;
Heb 13:1;
2 Pe 1:7;
1 Jn
3:14,18,19)
Brotherly (5361)
(philadelphos from phílos = friend +
adelphós = brother) (See study of related word
philadelphia) is fond of brethren, fraternal and so
to love as brethren.
Philadelphos
is an adjective which conveys the idea “Be loving brethren,”
or “Be brethren who are loving.” The word here does not refer
to the love that God produces in our hearts as one of the fruits of
the Spirit. It is that human affection and fondness for one another as
brother Christians which Peter spoke of in the first occurrence of the
word “love” in chapter 1 writing to the born again ones...
Since you have in obedience to the
truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren (philadelphia),
fervently love one another from the heart (see note
1 Peter 1:22).
Don't view each other as strangers,
or as mere acquaintances, or as distant relatives. View each other as
close family for after all we now all possess the same "Father". Family can have some pretty serious squabbles and
exchange some very harsh words, but only in the rarest cases does the
family break up over it. Mutual love is one of the strongest
"arguments" for the Christian faith.
In Romans 12 Paul also
instructed the believers to...
Be devoted to one another in
brotherly love (philadelphia);
give preference to one another in honor (see note
Romans 12:10)
The writer of Hebrews
exhorted his readers to...
Let love of the brethren (philadelphia)
continue. (See note
Hebrews 13:1)
John explained how
important is the manifestation of love for one's brethren writing
that...
We know that we have passed out of
death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love
abides in death. (1 John 3:14)
Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows
God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1
John 4:7-8)
The idea expressed by John could
be summarized - Know love, know God. No love, no God.
Jesus related agape love with
being "friends" (philos, the root of the word "brotherly") declaring
Greater
love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his
friends. (Jn 15:13)
And then Jesus added that
You are My
friends (philos), if you do what I command you. No longer
do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is
doing; but I have called you friends (philos), for all
things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."
(Jn 15:14-15)
We therefore should have a new motivation for being
brethren who are loving.
F B Meyer asks...
Do we love the brethren, not always
liking them perhaps, but treating them kindly, and making their
interests more important than our own?
KINDHEARTED:
eusplagchnoi: (Ps 103:13;
Pr 28:8;
Mt 18:33;
Js 5:11)
Spurgeon
writes -
The Christian should be the highest
type of gentleman, in every respect the most gentle man, kind,
self-forgetful, seeking the comfort and well-being of others to the
utmost of his power. (1
Peter 3 Commentary)
Kindhearted (2155)
(eusplagchnos
from eú = well +
splágchnon = bowel = the viscera, an oriental metaphor for the
seat of the tender affections and of human emotions and one of
strongest Greek words to express compassionate love) means
tender–hearted or full of compassion.
Tender–hearted has
the idea of being compassionate, and reflects a feeling deep in the
bowels, or stomach, a gnawing psychosomatic pain due to empathy for
someone’s need.
F B Meyer asks...
Are we tender-hearted and pitiful
towards the afflicted and distressed? Are we courteous, with true
Christian politeness which differs from the world's code of manners?
Eusplagchnos
is not a word about conduct but about your insides -- literally, your
innards, your belly. The literal translation of the Greek means "feel
generous in your belly". Be well-disposed to each other in your deeps.
It's exactly the opposite of hypocrisy that acts tender and feels
malice.
The only other NT use is by Paul
exhorting the Ephesian saints to
be
(present
imperative =
to now be the believer's new lifestyle!) kind
(chrestos) to one another,
tender-hearted (eusplagchnos),
forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
(see note
Ephesians 4:32)
The idea is to have a tenderness
of heart toward others. Being tender hearted means you have truly
understood forgiveness. If you are not forgiving, you will have great
difficulty with submission. Don't say you "Can't" forgive and forget,
but tell the truth that you "Won't".
In the Roman Empire,
eusplagchnos was not a quality that was admired; but the
Christian message changed all of that.
Wuest adds a note that helps
understand the historical context of eusplagchnos, writing
that...
The first century was cold
and hard-hearted. Christianity, with its tenderizing influence upon
the heart, had not had time nor opportunity yet to make much of an
impact upon the callous heart of man. Today we have as a result of its
benign influence hospitals, homes for the aged, charities of one sort
or another. And yet how callous our hearts are to another’s pain. Only
the overflowing love of God and the experience of much suffering in
one’s own life can fit us to really sympathize with others in the
sense of feeling their pain ourselves, thus suffering with them.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos)
AND HUMBLE
IN SPIRIT: tapeinophrones: (Acts 27:3;
28:7;
Eph 4:31,32;
5:1,2;
Php 4:8,9;
Col 3:12)
The KJV which is translated
from the Textus Receptus has the Greek word "philophrones"
(from phílos = a friend + phronéo = to think, have a mindset) which
means
friendly, courteous, benign. NKJV translates it "courteous".
Most scholars favor the Nestle-Aland manuscript which has
tapeinophrones.
Humble of spirit (tapeinophron from tapeinós = humble +
phren = think) (See related word
tapeinophrosune) means thinking lowly, esteeming ourselves small.
Inasmuch as we are small compared to God, this is the correct estimate of ourselves.
In the NT this word describes a quality of voluntary submission and
unselfishness, humility or self-effacement and is the opposite of
arrogance and pride.
Humility was not
thought of very highly in the ancient world (pun intended) and in fact
was even considered to be a vice by the pagan moralists. Christ and
Christianity elevated humility to the supreme virtue -
the antidote for the self-love that poisons relationships.
Humility is not
thinking poorly of oneself. Rather, it is having the proper estimate
of oneself in the will of God. The person with humility thinks of
others first and not of himself.
Humility, when it
becomes self-conscious, ceases to have any value
It is not just that we are to act the role of a servant, but that
inside, with all authenticity, we are to have a lowly spirit. We feel
that we are utterly dependent on God for life and breath and
intelligence and emotional stability and faith and safety and the use
of our senses; and we feel utterly fragile and vulnerable in
ourselves. On top of that we feel sinful and unworthy as we look at
ourselves apart from the free grace of God. And this grace makes us
wonder-struck that we are loved, not pushy and self-assertive.
Did you observe something that
all five of those words have in common? They are all descriptions of what we are on the inside,
not primarily how we act. A common mindset, sympathetic in feeling, a
family love, kindly disposed in the depths of our innards, humble in
spirit. That's an unusual human being. This is why Peter's call to us
is not possible without a new birth and a new heart, one that now has
the potential of being controlled by the Holy Spirit and life out
these inner attitudes supernaturally. Be wary of trying to live out
these attitudes in your own strength, because it is not possible.
F B Meyer (Our Daily Walk) -
CHRISTIAN COURTESY
- "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of
another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous."-- 1 Pete 3:8.
IT WOULD be a marvel to find in any community under heaven a complete
embodiment of the injunctions contained in this and the following
verses. Yet nothing less than this is the Christian ideal, and it
would be well if, without waiting for others, each one would adopt
these precepts as the binding rule and regulation of daily life. This
would be our worthiest contribution to the convincing of the world,
and to the coming of the Kingdom of our Lord. Does not the Apostle's
use of the word "finally" teach us that all Christian doctrine is
intended to lead up to and inaugurate that life of love, the bold
outlines of which are sketched in these words?
The general principle. "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one
of another." This oneness of mind does not demand the monotony of
similarity, but unity in variety. We shall never be of one mind in the
sense of all holding the same opinions; but we may be all of one mind
when, beneath diversities of opinion, expression, and view, we are
aniMatted by a common devotion to Christ.
Note the specific applications.
Love as brethren. Love is not identical with like. Providence does not
ask us whom we would like to be our brethren, that is settled for us,
but we are bidden to love them, irrespective of our natural
predilections and tastes. Love does not necessarily originate in the
emotions, but in the will; it consists not in feeling, but in doing;
not in sentiment, but in action; not in soft words, but in unselfish
deeds.
Be pitiful Oh, for the compassion of our blessed Lord! How often it
breaks out in the Gospel narrative to the weak and erring, to the
hungry crowds, and to the afflicted who sought His help!
Be courteous. Be ready to take the least comfortable seat, or to let
others sit while you stand. Let the manners of your Heavenly Father's
Court be always evident in your daily life, so that the world may
learn that Christianity produces not simply the heroism of a great
occasion, but the minute courtesies of daily living.
PRAYER Blessed Lord, I beseech Thee to pour down upon me such grace as
may not only cleanse this life of mine, but beautify it a little, if
it be Thy will .... Grant that I may love Thee with all my heart and
soul and mind and strength, and my neighbour as myself. AMEN. (F B
Meyer. Our Daily Walk)
