“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For ‘He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’” 1 Peter 3:8-12
One of the most fundamental aspects of God’s revelation to humanity is the necessity of proper treatment of one another. It is shocking enough when we see people in the world mistreat others, but it is exponentially worse when those who wear the name of Christ do so. The sad irony is that, often such is done in attempting to make one’s own life better somehow. Peter highlights the folly of such thinking and shows us that the truly blessed life is ordered around the pursuit of godliness.
Rather than seeking to lift ourselves by pushing others down, we are to pursue the good of all. It starts with minds united in compassion, love, tenderheartedness, and courtesy (3:8). Such would end the cycle of ill treatment and revenge by blessing those who have ill-treated them (3:9). In what follows, we will discover some actions to take, blessings to receive, and a warning to heed.
The first action to take is controlling the tongue. Two specific kinds of speech are named: 1) evil speech, and 2) deceitful speech. The old adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is a lie of the devil. If such were true, the Bible would not be filled with warnings against the uncontrolled tongue (Proverbs 4:24; 10:13, 19-21; 11:12-13; 12:13-14, 18-19; 15:1-2, 4; 17:27-28; 25:11-12; Matthew 5:22; 12:36-37; Acts 20:28-31; Ephesians 4:15, 29; 5:3-4; Colossians 4:5-6; James 1:26; 3:1-12; 1 Peter 3:10-12; 2 Peter 2:1-3). And this is but a drop in the bucket of such warnings.
Secondly, we must turn from evil and do good. Turning away means to avoid, shun, deliberately avoid, decline, deflect, etc. (Thayer, Mounce, BDAG). Evil simply means anything contrary to the will of God. Again, such commands abound (Psalms 34:10; 37:27-28; 97:10; Proverbs 1:10; 4:27; 14:16; Isaiah 55:7; Romans 12:9; Ephesians 4:20-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; James 1:21). Doing good indicates in addition to dropping evil, we must replace it with the things of God (Matthew 12:43-45; Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Galatians 5:19-24; :10; James 1:26-27; cf. Acts 10:38).
Lastly, we seek peace and pursue it (cf. Romans 14:17-19; Galatians 5:22; James 3:17). These terms are not redundant. To seek peace means to crave it, to search for it. To pursue peace means to press towards it, to follow it eagerly. It is possible for one to locate peace but never truly pursue it. Peace indicates harmony, concord, tranquility of soul based on things being put right with our Creator through faith in Jesus (Romans 5:1ff; 8:1ff).
Note how Peter describes the blessings of the “good days” ahead for those who take these actions. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers…” (3:12). Let this notion truly sink into your heart and mind. The One who spoke the material universe into existence watches over and listens to the prayers of those who pursue His manner of life. How phenomenal is this (cf. Psalms 8)?
Conversely, Peter concludes with a dire warning about those who reject the good life saying, “But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” It is not immediately evident to us, but this phrase indicates a military initiative. Those who do evil pit themselves against the Creator of the universe in a posture of war.
Oh, what folly to forfeit life and good days for the fleeting pleasures of sin (cf. Matthew 16:24-26; Hebrews 11:24-26). Would you love life and see good days? Then seek His peace and pursue in the light of His word.