1 Peter 3:8-12 - The Good Life

Introduction

What is “the good life”?

If you’re older, and nearer to death than birth, how are you evaluating your legacy? Have you lived a “good life”? And how would you know?

If you’re younger, and (Lord willing) only just beginning your long life, how are you prioritizing your ambitions? How are you planning to live a “good life”?

What kind of man are you, and what kind do you want to be?

What kind of woman are you, and what kind do you want to be?

How ought we define “the good life,” and how should a Christian definition of “the good life” differ from a non-Christian definition?

40 years ago, in his book The Christian Mindset in a Secular Society, Carl Henry wrote, “what Christianity calls ‘the good life’ [is] a threat to [modern conceptions of] self-fulfillment… Today’s narcissistic philosophy considers biblical imperatives a barrier to self realization…” In other words, biblical ethics stand in the way of who and what I want to be. And Henry said, “the church [is] an impediment to free and creative selfhood.” In other words, meaningful church membership hinders my personal freedoms and creativity.

In summary, Henry wrote, “[The] renewal of sinners in Christ’s magnificent image is replaced [in American culture] by conceptions of a ‘new image’ defined by physical gratification, material affluence, and worldly status.”

His point was that the popular American notion of “the good life” (defined primarily by what makes me feel good, my bank account bigger, and my social status advance)… what some might call the American Dream… this was something emphatically different from the biblical end or point of Christianity – namely to renew and conform sinners to be like Christ.

Henry went on to say, “Our secular contemporaries often equate great living with great self-indulgence, rather than with self-giving; to them, nothing seems more [suspicious] than the emphasis that the way to find one’s life is to lose it.”

“But,” he said, “if we are [unclear] about modeling the evangelical lifestyle, if we have no heart to die to self, no longing for Christ’s return because that would end our [self-indulgent] comforts, then what right have we to judge the world?” His point was that we ought to embrace the biblical definition of “the good life” before we go about telling others how to live theirs.

Friends, as we continue our study through this first general letter from the Apostle Peter’s to Christians scattered about the ancient Roman world, we have arrived at a passage this morning that provides a rationale for and a summary of all the practical commands Peter articulated in our last several passages.

What does it mean to be under God’s blessing? How should this motivate our posture toward non-Christians around us? And how should God’s relationship toward His people affect the way we relate to those Christians with whom we are united – especially as church members?

In other words, “What is the good life, and how should it be lived out in relationship with Christians and non-Christians?”

These are some of the main questions our passage means to answer for us this morning.

May God help us to grow in our understanding of “the good life,” and may He help us to live it – in relationship with others around us, both Christians and non-Christians.

Let’s stand together as I read our main passage for today – 1 Peter 3:8-12.

Scripture Reading

1 Peter 3:8–12

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 

9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 

10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; 11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

Main Idea:

The good life is one lived before God’s face of blessing (which Christians do); therefore, Christians are to bless antagonistic non-Christians around them and to cultivate and maintain genuine love among themselves.

Sermon

1. The Good Life (v10-12)

Our passage this morning is Peter’s concluding remarks for this middle section of his letter. As we’ve mentioned before, Peter began his letter by focusing (1) on the God who saves and (2) on the salvation God has provided for those who love and trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

The God of the Bible is the merciful God, the intentional God, and the powerful God. He loves sinners, and He sent His Son into the world so that He would die and conquer death for those sinners He loves. All that God has been doing, all that God is doing now, and all that He will do is working toward the unfurling of His glorious plan: (A) to make Himself known and (B) to bring repenting and believing sinners into His inexpressible salvation.

The salvation God provided is one that is sure, it is hope-filled, and it is transformative in the here and now. God guards those He loves in Christ. God will do all that He has promised in Christ. And God is presently at work in the lives of those He loves, transforming them from sinners to saints, from rejects to precious stones, from rebellious orphans to beloved children.

This transformative work that God is doing not only affects the inner-lives of those who love and trust in Jesus – they don’t just change in their affections and thoughts – but God also transforms them in such a way that it shows on the outside – they offer their whole lives as spiritual sacrifices, giving themselves to honor God, to obey Him, and to serve Him in every aspect of who they are and what they do. And Peter has been going on about this life-transformation for a while now.

In fact, Peter has been urging and commanding Christians (those who believe and follow Christ) to “keep [their] conduct… honorable” in the world as witnesses of Christ (1 Pet. 2:12). This “honorable” “conduct” is displayed in all manner of practical relationships – how Christians relate to civil authorities (as citizens), how Christians relate to vocational authorities (as laborers), and how Christians relate to one another in marriage (as husbands and wives).

In our passage today, Peter is concluding this section on Christian living by turning his attention more broadly to the whole congregation – the churches wherein various Christians are gathered together as visible outposts of Christ’s kingdom on earth. He says, in v8, “Finally, all of you…” (1 Pet. 3:8).

This is not the end of Peter’s letter, but it is the beginning of the end. It is something of a hinge point, where Peter turns now to offer a rationale for why Christians ought to live in the way he’s been urging and commanding.

Our passage includes two types of commands (v8-9), but it also includes a lengthy OT citation (v10-12), which is Peter’s biblical rationale – it’s the reason why Christians ought to understand “the good life” as the one lived under God’s face of blessing and why Christians ought to obey the commands articulated here.

Let’s begin by trying to understand the rationale.

In v10-12, Peter cites Psalm 34:12-16. This is a Psalm of king David, a song of praise to God for the way God delivers His people from the schemes of the wicked. David was the chosen king of OT Israel, but (for a time) he was under serious threat from the sitting king – Saul.

Some of you will know the story. Saul was the first earthly king of Israel, when the people chose a king based on his apparent grandeur (he had the stature and appearance of a king). However, Saul did not obey God’s commands, but instead made pragmatic decisions about what would be best for him and his kingdom. For Saul’s rebellion, God cursed Saul and chose David to reign as king.

But for a long time, Saul remained on the throne (God did not eliminate him immediately). And Saul did not receive God’s curse laying down. He rallied all his cunning; he used all the worldly (and even demonic) resources he could muster. Saul even tried to kill the God-appointed king who was to replace him – David.

And yet, God’s word stood against Saul, and David was delivered from Saul’s wicked schemes. Eventually, David did ascend the throne, and David praised God for His miraculous provision throughout his time of peril. And Psalm 34 is a song David wrote to commemorate all of this. It begins, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Ps. 34:1-3).

The Apostle Peter cited a few verses from the middle of this Psalm, but Peter turned David’s song into a rationale and a command for Christians of every generation. Here in our passage, Peter called Christians to understand what David learned during his time of exile – and this is fitting because of what Peter had already said (in this letter) about Christians in the world, awaiting Christ’s return.

Peter said, Christians are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession” (1 Pet. 2:9). But Christians in the world are not yet ascended to their place of comprehensive blessing and glory. As Peter put it, Christians are “sojourners and exiles” in the world, and they still live among unbelievers who “speak against” and act in wicked ways toward them (1 Pet. 2:11).

In this situation, what are Christians to understand and remember in order to live well – as faithful followers and witnesses of Christ – in the world?

Peter writes, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him [command 1] keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him [command 2] turn away from evil and do good; let him [command 3] seek peace and pursue it. For [rationale] the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Pet. 3:10-12).

These commands in v10-11 are the substance of what Peter applies in v8-9, so we will get more into those in just a moment. But (as I’ve said) the rationale is what we’re after right now – and that is what we see in v12.

Like David of old (during his time of exile and trouble, though David was already the chosen and blessed king), Christians of every generation must remember that God’s “eyes” and “ears” are opened toward “the righteous” (1 Pet.3:12). So, “the good life” is one lived before the face of God (coram deo). “The good life” is lived under God’s blessing and not His cursing. It is the life of right words and deeds that come from a heart and mind aimed at trusting and obeying God – regardless of present circumstance.

Biblically speaking, “the good life” is fundamentally a Christian life. And Christians can live well in virtually any circumstance (good or bad). This turns on its head any notion that “the good life” is measured by heath, wealth, or prosperity.

Friends, there is something that the worldly prosperity preachers get right – it is good to have health, wealth, and prosperity! If we have any or all of these, then we should thank God for them!

But these are not the ultimate or final measure of God’s blessing upon His people. Nor are these worldly benefits something that Christians can earn by praying just the right words or by having just the right amount of faith or by giving just the right amount of money at just the right time.

It would be easy to misunderstand at least a couple of phrases in our passage this morning. One might mistake Peter to be saying (in v12) that good works are how one earns God’s blessing. In v9, Peter could be misunderstood as saying that the way one earns God’s blessing is by blessing others.

On the contrary, Peter has not forgotten what he wrote earlier. The Christians to whom Peter was writing were those who were “foreknown” and “elected” by “God the Father” (1 Pet. 1:1-2). They were “sanctified” or made holy by God the “Spirit” (1 Pet. 1:2). And they were “sprinkled” clean from their sin by the “blood” of Jesus Christ, who is God the Son (1 Pet. 1:2).

If anyone is righteous today, it is not because he or she has done enough good works to become righteous. As the German reformer, Martin Luther, said, the righteousness which the believer has in Christ is a “foreign righteousness” or an “alien righteousness.” In other words, if we are righteous before God, it is because we have received the righteousness of another – namely Jesus Christ.

The blazing center of the Christian gospel is that God (in Christ) has done what we cannot and would not do. God the Son took on humanity, and in His perfect life and humiliating death, Jesus exchanged His righteousness for our sinfulness. For all those who turn from their sin and trust in Christ, we are able to wear the righteousness of Jesus Christ as though it were our very own.

But this is not the end of it!

No, this glorious exchange (our sin for Christ’s righteousness) provides for us and now compels us to live in a new way – “the good life.” And this is Peter’s point. For those who have been born again by God’s Spirit and have received the righteousness of Christ, they will now walk the path of righteousness. In other words, those who are saved by God’s grace will lovingly and gratefully obey Him.

And Peter says here that those who do this (those who trust in Christ and live in obedience to His commands) they can be assured that they are under God’s blessing – “the eyes of the Lord” are upon them, and “his ears” are open to them (1 Pet. 3:12) – even if non-Christians around them are evil in their actions toward them. Indeed, “those who do evil” have the opposite reality at work in their lives – “the face of the Lord is against” them (1 Pet. 3:12).

Brothers and sisters, let this be a great comfort to us today. Whatever circumstances we face, whatever hardship our present exile is causing us, and whatever evil is coming our way from those who are evil… the Lord sees and judges all according to His standards of good and evil… the Lord has turned His face of blessing toward those in Christ, and He has turned His face of cursing toward those who do evil. We can rest assured in that.

There is an inside the camp blessing for God’s people and an outside the camp cursing for those who remain in sin. The Bible’s word for this is “covenant,” and God makes a clear distinction between those who are in and those who are out.

However, this does not mean that Christians won’t suffer hardship or poor health or poverty or persecution in this life. No, Peter warns his reader that they will endure all sorts of evil from antagonistic non-Christians. And he even teaches them to make a considerable effort to cultivate and maintain genuine love among their relationships with fellow Christians – those inside the camp.

The reality of God’s blessing and cursing – that God’s face of blessing is aimed toward His own and God’s face of cursing is aimed toward those who do evil – this is our rationale or our motivation for doing the hard work of living faithfully, both with unbelievers and believers in the world around us.

Brothers and sisters, if we are in Christ, then God’s face of blessing is turned upon us. He has nothing but love for us. His wrath against our sin has been exhausted and satisfied in Christ, and there is only grace and mercy and love in His fatherly gaze. Whatever our circumstances, we can know for sure that the God who rules and reigns is at work to display His glory and to bring about our good.

“The good life” in this world may not be materially or physically better than our non-Christian neighbors, but it is truly better. In Christ, we are living the good life – enjoying God’s blessing, receiving His favor, and living in His light. God hears our prayers and knows our needs, and He is bringing us to glory.

But how are we to live “the good life” among those who do evil? And how are we to live “the good life” among those who share our love and trust in Christ?

2. Christians in the World (v9)

As we read just a moment ago, Peter’s OT citation included 3 commands: “Whoever desires to love life and see good days” [i.e., whoever wants to live “the good life”] (1 Pet. 3:10; cf. Ps. 34:12): (1) “let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit” (v10), (2) “let him turn away from evil and do good” (v11), and (3) “let him seek peace and pursue it” (v11).

It seems to me that these three commands are what Peter is applying here (in v8-9) in two different directions – toward non-Christians (v9) and toward fellow believers (v8). Let’s work our way up, starting with v9 – Christians living “the good life” toward non-Christians.

Peter says, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (v9).

Let me offer just a few pastoral observations and applications about this:

First, this is not a call for Christians to do nothing in the face of persecution or hostility from non-Christians.

Christians ought not resort to the evil tactics of sinners, but we most certainly can (and should) stand up for ourselves.

Numerous biblical and historical examples could be cited here, but consider the Apostle Paul’s use of his political status (as a Roman citizen) to save his hide when threatened by a mob in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-22:19).

The Jewish crowd was ready to kill him, but Paul appealed to the Roman magistrate for protection, and Paul even used his Roman citizenship to demand proper treatment from the civil magistrate.

Brothers and sisters, we must not “repay evil for evil,” but we may indeed seek justice when unbelievers do evil against us.

Second, this is not a call for Christians to affirm sin or evil.

Peter expects evil people to do “evil” against Christians, and he expects them to “revile” Christians (this is a fancy way of saying they will slander or mock or falsely accuse).

But when Peter commanded Christians to “bless” those who do such things, Peter was not saying that Christians must affirm or speak well of sin or evil.

On the contrary, Christians must rebuke evil, they must condemn sin, and they must call sinners to repentance.

This is (in fact) one way we “bless” sinners!

To leave sinners in their sin – or worse, to affirm them in it – that is the mother of all curses.

Brothers and sisters, we must “bless” those who persecute us, but we must never affirm sin or evil.

Third, this is a call for Christians to pursue peace, to turn away evil by doing good, and to avoid the common tactics sinners use to get even.

Friends, we are likely tempted toward bitterness and revenge when sinners do us wrong, but we must not harbor such things.

We might also do well to distinguish between those offenses that are merely personal slights and those that are an assault on Christ or an attack more broadly on Christ’s people.

If you’re insulted at work or among friends (for being a prude or a bigot), then you might just let that go.

But if your employer has a policy that makes it harder for Christians to work there, or if the civil authorities make it harder to live as faithful Christians in our town or state, then maybe we publicly call that out, maybe we fight against it, and maybe we seek justice for fair treatment.

But we should not use evil tactics to get revenge,

we could bear witness to our unbelieving co-workers,

we could pray for our unbelieving friends and neighbors,

and we could try to reason with those who are willing.

In our relationships with non-Christians (either nominal Christians or conscious unbelievers), we will endure various kinds of evil and reviling. At times, they will treat us badly, and they will falsely accuse us of all sorts of things – judgmentalism, legalism, bigotry, simple-mindedness, or some kind of phobia.

In fact, if you live the way I urged us to do in my sermon last Sunday, you are sure to face the “evil” and “reviling” Peter is talking about in this passage. If you get your own life in order (according to God’s design and commands), and you start urging others to do it too, then you will get pushback.

Sinners don’t usually want to be friends with Christians who call them out for their sin. Worldly people don’t want to be reminded that the judgment of God is soon to come upon them. People with disordered lives and relationships and priorities are sometimes offended by simply being nearby to others who seem to be doing better than they are.

But, brothers and sisters, we can remember that we have been called to “the good life.” God’s face of blessing is upon us even as we endure such injustice from people in the world. We are God’s people, and we enjoy His favor and reflect His character. God sees and knows everything, and He will just aright on the last day.

Who knows, it may be that God will use your faithful and patient witness in the world to change the hearts and minds of your unbelieving friends and co-workers and neighbors who are right now causing you trouble.

3. Christians in the Church (v8)

As I said earlier, I think Peter is applying his commands (cited from the OT) in v10-11 in two directions – toward non-Christians and toward fellow believers. Let’s turn our attention (finally) toward the application of these commands in the context of our relationships with one another.

How is it that Christians can “love life and see good days” [i.e., live “the good life”] in and among the local church (1 Pet. 3:10)? What do our relationships with one another look like when we “keep [our] tongue from evil and [our] lips from speaking deceit” (v10)? How do we “turn away from evil and do good” in the church (v11)? And how do we “seek peace and pursue it” with one another (v11)?

Peter says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Pet. 3:8). We might summarize these by saying that church members can life “the good life” with one another if they have or if they are united, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble.

Let’s consider each one in briefly.

We must strive for unity.

Unity is not the absence of all disagreement, but a shared conviction on those more important things that unite us.

We are united in our shared belief about Christ, about sin, about salvation, and about the church.

And we are united in our shared trust in Christ, our shared desire to turn away from sin, our shared hope of salvation, and our shared commitment to one another as a church.

Brothers and sisters, we may have all sorts of disagreements among us, but we can live “the good life” together when we keep our focus on those main things that unite us.

We must exercise sympathy.

This word carries a sense of understanding.

Not all of us come to the table with the same experiences or knowledge or personalities, and we would do well to remember and understand that.

By God’s grace, we are all growing as Christians, but none of us here have arrived at our final destination.

Brothers and sisters, when we experience differences among us, we can live “the good life” together by having sympathy for one another as we grow together.

We must love one another.

As many of you know, this is the most common command we find in the NT for Christians in relationship with one another.

And this is not a mere feeling or sentiment; it is an active commitment to demonstrate real love by how we treat and care for one another.

Brothers and sisters, when we see a need, when we learn about a struggle, when we notice a weakness or a fault, we can live “the good life” together by lovingly bringing aid.

Love compels us to meet needs.

Love compels us to come alongside brothers and sisters who are struggling.

Love compels us to cover and forgive each other’s weaknesses and faults.

Love compels us to look for way to be a benefit to others.

We must show compassion.

This is a funny word, translated “compassion” (in the ESV). We might think of it as “warm-heartedness.”

In superficial relationships, we never have to bear with others or forgive them or endure their shortcomings or offenses.

In superficial relationships, we aren’t exposed, we aren’t invested, and we don’t have a lot ridding on them.

But in meaningful relationships (like those we ought to have among our church family), we regularly have to bear with one another, we must forgive often, and we have to endure all sorts of offenses (big and small).

Brothers and sisters, we can live “the good life” together by showing “compassion” toward one another.

We are going to hurt each other, we are going to offend each other, and we are going to let each other down (at some point or another).

And when that happens, we can decide to show compassion, to deal graciously, and to count our relationships as more important than holding onto bitterness or unforgiveness.

We must embrace humility.

This one (it seems to me) is the sort of overarching characteristic that enables us to embrace all the rest.

How can we have unity, sympathy, love, and compassion for sinners saved by grace who are still striving for sanctification?

We must remember that we too are sinners saved by grace who are still striving for sanctification.

Brothers and sisters, we can live “the good life” together if we embrace humility and remember that we all need each other.

Of course, this all takes a great deal of effort. That’s why it’s commanded of Christians here in our passage this morning. It doesn’t come naturally. We have to cultivate it, and we have to work to maintain it.

But this is exactly the sort of church life together that displays the glory of God… and it is the context in which God has designed to grow and bless us.

Conclusion

Friends, I’ve argued this morning (and I believe I’ve faithfully drawn my argument from the passage before us) that “the good life” is one lived before God’s face of blessing (which Christians do); therefore, Christians are to bless antagonistic non-Christians around them and to cultivate and maintain genuine love among themselves.

There is an inside and an outside of God’s blessing, God’s favor, God’s love and affection. Those who are turning from their sin, who are trusting or believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and who are aiming to live in keeping with what Christ has commanded… they are on the inside. These are the ones who have “the good life” right now, and they are empowered by God’s Spirit to live “the good life” – out in the world and with one another.

In our passage this morning, we have read about and considered the command to live “the good life” in these two different directions – toward non-Christians and toward fellow believers. And we have also focused our attention on the rationale – the reason why – Christian can and should do this.

As we move toward observing the Lord Supper this morning, let’s set our minds on how the Supper visualizes what we’ve been talking about this morning.

The Lord’s Supper

When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He told His disciples that this representative meal was the sign of the “new covenant” (Lk. 22:20). In other words, those who partake of these elements of the bread and the cup are both pledging and receiving – they are pledging their own faith or belief in Christ, and they are receiving the sign that says, “these are Christ’s people.”

Therefore, as we partake together this morning, we too (like all the Christians who have gone before us, and like all other true Christians in the world right now) are pledging our faith or trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior, and we are receiving the sign that marks us off as Christ’s people in the world.

To partake of the Lord’s Supper is to receive from Christ the affirmation that God has turned His face of blessing upon us. We are no longer under God’s curse, but Christ – in His broken body and shed blood – Christ has suffered God’s curse for us. We are now living “the good life” – God’s eyes and ears are open to us.

So too, to partake of the Lord’s Supper is to re-commit ourselves to live “the good life” – we are Christ’s people, and we love and follow Him.

Thus, the Lord’s Supper is not for all people everywhere. It is only for those who are loving and trusting and following Christ.

If you are a baptized member of this church or of another church that preaches the same gospel that I have described this morning, then you are welcome to participate. It is not our words or deeds that grant us a seat at Christ’s table, but Christ’s own work on our behalf has opened a place for us.

If you have questions about who should partake or why we explain the Supper like this, then I’d be happy to talk with you about it after the service. Just come on up and ask me about it.