The Practice of Family Life
The Practice of Family Life I Peter 3:8-12
How does the family get along? Peter says, “Finally, all of you” and gathers in one group the total of Christian society—servants, wives, husbands and all others who were a part of the community of Christians who were addressed in the epistle.
What is the one practice in family life that is of utmost importance? Unity, of one mind, or oneness of spirit is the one most important factor in family life. Peter uses, as we will see, five adjectives which illustrate this unity. Division of outlook and opinion should be reduced to a minimum.
The Greek word Peter uses, ‘homophron’ is its only use in the NT. Paul used an almost identical word in Romans 15:5 and Phil. 2:2.
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus”
2 “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
This same unity or oneness of Spirit is what the early church had in Acts when Luke wrote: “32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul.”
Paul had this same thought as he wrote to t he Corinthians: (1:10) “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
This unity and oneness of spirit was especially important in the environment of hostility the early church found itself in. They had to show a strong front of unity.
The world judges the church by its unity and the lifestyles of its members. They get enough of bickering and discord in the world and want no part of the church when they see it there.
Peter called on these Christians to live a life of unity. This would involve: Sympathy or having compassion, love as brothers, being tender hearted, being courteous and forgiving.
I. Sympathy: (sympathies—(Only use of NT word) Involved a sharing of the sorrows or troubles of another.
Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
--A readiness to enter into and share the feelings of others. When one suffers all suffer.
II. Love as brothers: involved a life based on what Jesus had taught them on his last night with the disciples: (John 15: 12. 17)
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
John 13:34-35 34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Peter is not thinking of brotherly love in general, but of the special love which should knit believers in Christ together.
I John reminds us that love of brethren is proof of who we really are:
1 John 3:14-15 14 “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
1 John 4:20-21 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, 4how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”
The simple fact is that love of God and love of man go hand in hand.
III. Be tenderhearted: Involved the attitude of compassion.
Stands for the deepest human emotions, especially love and compassion, being deeply moved or touched.
There is a sense in which pity can become a lost virtue. We hear of so much violence, killings, etc. that we become dull to it and we therefore have no compassion on those around us. There can be no Christianity without compassion. It is said of Jesus when he looked down on Jerusalem: (Matthew 9:35-38)
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
IV. Be Courteous: A humble mind, involved the humility of thought which does not look down upon any person as inferior.
Expresses a characteristic directly modeled on Christ which soon became a vital element in the Christian ideal of human relationships:
(Matthew 11:29)
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
ILLUS: Justin, age 10, and his sister Taylor, age 13, were always teasing each other. One day, Justus was getting "sensitive" about things his sister was saying to him. I reminded him that he had said the same types of things many times in days past.
With quiet reflection, he spoke a gospel truth: "But it doesn't hurt as much coming out of my mouth as it does going into my ears."
V. Forgiveness: It is to receive forgiveness from God and to give forgiveness to men that the Christian is called. The one cannot exist without the other; it is only when we forgive other their sins against us that we are forgiven our sins against God.
Matthew 6:12-15
12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
The apostle Paul reminds us that it is the mark of the Christian that he forgive other as God has forgiven him.
Eph 4:31-32 31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, 9clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Negatively, the Christian is not to respond to evil by returning evil.
Positively, he is to respond to evil by returning good.
Christian retaliation sounds contradictory but it is what it says. We return good for evil!
--To return evil for good is animal-like
--tor return evil for evil is human-like
--to return good for evil is God-like
Peter reminds us that to live that way is to obtain a blessing. (Psalm 34:12-16)
The way we experience the good and enjoyable life is:
(1) By clean speech—keep his tongue from evil
(2) honest speech—keep his lips from speaking guile
(3) By an upright life—turn away from eviol and do right
(4) Peaceful life—seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are looking for those who live that kind of life.
But His face is against those that do evil. He frowns with displeasure upon them. In Hebrew thought, the face of God meant his presence, his person. So, his entire person is against those who do evil.