“Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep 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 prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”—1 Peter 3:8–12

Prayer 

Great God, you have designed us and know us. You are the Great Shepherd of the sheep. Through your servant Peter you have given us a powerful word today and by your Spirit you are eager to enable it to have its effect. Please use it to rebuke us, leading us back to the way everlasting. Please use it to rebuild the broken-down places and restore us. Please use it to instruct us in the way that we should go. And please also use it to equip us for good works. Would you give me grace to present your word clearly in your power, for your praise? And would you also help each of us to receive it eagerly, helped by illumination from your Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Introduction

What is the last thing that made you say, “Wow”? What has recently caught your attention and stirred up appreciation? Two weeks ago, I was on the North Shore of Minnesota and saw a waterfall for the first time. This waterfall was unlike the others I have seen up North. Rather than rushing like a powerful torrent, this waterfall on the Caribou River spread out across a thirty-foot-wide rick face. It was large, beautiful, and approachable unlike the others I had seen. What has recently caught your attention and stirred up your appreciation? 

This past week, I had that same experience with a person, the apostle Peter. I observed a new side of him that I had not seen before. I was struck by Peter’s skill as a shepherd. As I did, I became more and more excited about our time together in this passage. The Spirit also reminded me the reason why Peter was such a good shepherd. He had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Peter learned how to shepherd others by listening, observing, and being shepherded by Jesus, the Good Shepherd. 

Peter’s Shepherding Challenge 

Let me remind you: Peter faced a great shepherding challenge. The believers he was seeking to serve were facing hostility from the surrounding culture in word and deed. They were also facing internal temptations to fight back, to turn the pain they were experiencing against one another. What is more, Jesus’ desire, expressed in this letter through Peter, is that they would entrust these hostilities to God and exchange good for the hostility they were experiencing. The call of this letter is to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, blessing our enemies for the sake of their gospel transformation. How would Peter lead them and motivate them in that direction? Just like Jesus. 

Let’s look at our passage to get our bearings and see the fingerprints of Jesus. We will look at this passage in three main sections.

Outline

Peter calls these churches and us to the following: 

1. Internal Call – Be Described This Way (1 Peter 3:8)
2. External Call – Return Blessing for Evil (1 Peter 3:9a)
3. Call to Faith – Trust the Lord and Obey That You May Receive a Blessing (1 Peter 3:9b–12). 

1. Internal Call – Be Described This Way (1 Peter 3:8)
In verse 8, Peter follows the Good Shepherd and begins with the heart. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). So in verse 8, Peter seeks to serve the churches of Asia Minor “internally”—beginning at the source of their words and actions.

2. External Call – Return Blessing for Evil (1 Peter 3:9a)
In verse 9, Peter reminds them of their high calling to return blessing for evil. As he does this, he roots it in the cross work of Jesus. Because it is a high calling, Peter includes the final section …

3. Call to Faith – Trust the Lord and Obey That You May Receive a Blessing (1 Peter 3:9b–12).
Verses 10–12 are focused on the blessing promised by God to those who obey him in this way. Just like Jesus in the Beatitudes, calling his disciples to difficult things by focusing their attention on the blessing, Peter calls this church to trust God and obey that you may receive a blessing. 

Call 1: Beginning on the Inside—Be Described This Way (1 Peter 3:8)

Opening Words

Look with me at the first word of our passage (3:8): Finally. This is odd. Especially as you glance down the page. The second half of the book is still to come. This word finally does not signal the end of the book, but it is a clue to how Peter has organized his letter. Our passage today is the concluding words of the second major section of his letter (1 Peter 2:11–3:12). 

If you remember, in the past three sermons Peter has been seeking to serve three different groups. Just like Jesus, he gave particular shepherding care to individuals and groups that needed the most instruction and help in this high calling. Peter, just like the Savior, gave specific shepherding attention to these:

1. Those suffering under a hostile government (2:13–17)
2. Slaves suffering unjustly under their masters (2:18–25)
3. Wives who have been born again, married to husbands who have not yet been won by the Savior (3:1–7) 

Five Stunning Adjectives

Look again at our passage. “Finally, all of you”—after addressing those three specific groups, Peter spreads his arms wide and addresses all the believers collectively. Read verse 8 with me.

Have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

This is a good translation of Peter’s intention, but I want to point out something from the original language of this letter (Greek) that I think will be very helpful. After the words “Finally, all of you,” there are only five Greek words used to complete the sentence. All five of them are adjectives. What is an adjective? A word that describes a noun. Each phrase that we just looked at is designed by Peter to describe the embattled churches he is writing to. It is meant to describe us as well. Not just in general, but especially when the heat is turned up, when it is costly to be a Christian, and when we are being maligned, attacked, and grieved by various trials. 

Let’s look more closely at these words. I have arranged them below to help you see Peter’s skill and artistry. I believe he took great care with choosing and ordering this verse so that these five words (or concepts) would lodge in our minds. His desire is that they would stick with us and be used by the Spirit to test us internally, humble us, and point us to the Lord for help to live this way. I would encourage you to write this verse out this way and put it up in front of you—on your mirror or somewhere you will see it.

unity of mind,
     sympathy,
         brotherly love,
     a tender heart, 
 a humble mind. 

Mind

Notice how the first and fifth phrases work together. What is the common theme? The mind. How we think about things is critical. Unity of mind is a compound word—literally, “one mind.” It is defined by one resource as “thoughts traveling the same path.” The other phrase that is paired with it is a humble mind. Rather than an exalted evaluation of our thoughts, it is an openness to be refined by Scripture, and as we are convinced by Scripture, we are to stand in the truth, not looking down on others but knowing that this too is a merciful gift from God. 

What This Means for Us

This is a relevant word for us. Unity of mind and a humble mind are rare commodities in our day and age. It is critical that we understand Peter’s teaching here correctly. Our culture is celebrating a very different version of united thinking and seeking to lead us in the opposite direction of this passage. For example, the spirit of our age is that if you disagree with me you are my enemy. This is in direct opposition to Peter’s teaching here and it should have no part in believers’ thinking. Additionally, the concept of intersectionality presents an unbiblical solution to united thinking. In this worldview, each person makes a list of their social oppressions. The person with the longest list, or the most oppressed person, determines what is right and true. The person with more power must be silent, agree, and follow the oppressed person’s direction. This is an unbiblical worldview and not the path toward unity of mind. Finally, our culture says that we must celebrate the thinking of others even if it is in direct contradiction to the Scriptures or hurts the other person.

So what does Peter have in mind? In this letter, Peter presents a unity of mind that is tethered to the truth revealed in God’s word. How do I know that? Peter’s call here, to the entire church, must be in line with his call to the entire church earlier in the letter, in1 Peter 2:2. There Peter calls the believers to “long for the pure spiritual milk [of the Word], that by it [the Word] you may grow up in your salvation. Believers must humble themselves together under God’s word and be eager for it to shape their thinking. This is the foundation for a united mind. Peter is calling his church to do the hard work of pursuing unity of mind, placing themselves under God’s word, and doing so not with elevated thinking but with humble minds. May God give us grace to do that!  

Affections

Notice the next pair (the second and fourth phrase). What do they focus on? Affections. The second word sympathy is literally the compound word “feeling with,” and this is paired with a tender heart. This combination is the description of a person who is moved by the conditions of others—let me add—whether we agree with them or not. This again is not tossing truth overboard. It is allowing truth to rightly shape us. If someone we love is a slave to sin, we grieve rather than say we agree with them, even if they cancel us.

Love

The final phrase—without a pair—is brotherly love. Notice how the other four phrases fit together with this one. Our minds and the affections dramatically influence our actions of love. Test yourself. How does your heart respond when you disagree with someone? It becomes more difficult to have a soft heart toward them. This is Peter’s point: We need to know this is the goal and humble ourselves before God, seeking his help. If our minds are set against them and our hearts turn away, our acts of love will follow. We will pull away and our prayers will also grow cold and follow suit.  

Peter is calling us in a different direction. Notice it says “brotherly love” or family love. We as believers are children of the King, each one of us a brother or sister of Jesus. Love “is not self-seeking” (1 Corinthians 13:5). Therefore, as God works in our minds and gives us grace in the heart, we will love one another as Christ has loved us. In word or deed, sacrificially, serving in the strength that God supplies.

How Does This Apply to Us?

Peter’s design with this verse was to give us a biblically rich, artistically expressed mirror to check our minds, hearts, and actions. I want to encourage you to pause right now and invite the Lord to search your heart and see if there are any grievous ways in you: 

1. In my mind as I relate to others …
2. In my affection toward others …
3. In my acts of love toward other believers …

Seek his help to turn from any thoughts, feelings, and actions that do not line up with this call.

Call 2: Return Blessing for Evil (1 Peter 3:9a)

These five descriptions flow into a very high calling—one that can only be obeyed from the heart. Supernaturally.

Peter organizes verse 9 by saying ...

1. what we should abstain from and
2. our response when others revile us or act toward us in evil ways.

Peter begins with the “do not.”

“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling.” When evil comes our way in word or deed, we are not repay in kind. What does this look like? 

Several years ago, I was on a ministry trip serving with a group of students at a community center in Chicago. As our students were cleaning up the grounds, some of the neighborhood children picked up rocks and began to throw them at them. If my memory is correct, they were hurling their words as well. Someone came and found me and explained the situation. When we found out where they lived we knocked on their door. When they opened the door, they looked scared, like they knew they were in trouble.

Let me interrupt this story to share two things to fill in some of the pieces I left out of the story. Providentially, just prior to that incident, I had read Jesus’ words about loving your enemy and returning a blessing for evil—which is what Peter is referencing here when he says, “but on the contrary, bless.” I reminded some in our group of this truth. We had a dilemma. Throwing rocks and insults at other people, though minor, fits into the evil and reviling category. How were we to return a blessing?

You see, it is one thing to endure hardship while letting our anger boil under the surface or taking it out in other ways like gossiping or giving a cold shoulder. But to return good for evil—that requires a miracle. 

Later that afternoon when we knocked on their door, it was not our desire to scare them. We had recently visited the local grocery store to buy popsicles. We were simply there to deliver them. They were quite perplexed. God gave us grace and creativity to display the Savior by returning something good—not evil—to bless them.

• What evil is being directed at you?
• What reviling words are coming your way? 

Important Clarification: You May Need to Seek Help

This illustration is tame compared to the evil and reviling that some of you are facing. You may be in a circumstance like bullying or oppression, endangerment, or illegal behavior. You may need to seek help from leaders in the church like our students did, or perhaps help from the authorities. For others, it has not reached that level, but still confusion abounds. You may need the wisdom or support from another trusted believer who can join you in prayer and in seeking a wise solution. I say this because there are some situations where other actions need to be taken when evil is done against us. Even as we seek to forgive and entrust all the elements of the situation to God.   

First of Two Reasons

Next, Peter turns to the first of two very helpful reasons why believers should take this path. The first is, “for to this you have been called.” These are the same words used earlier in this section in 2:21. The words that surround it are addressed to slaves facing unjust treatment from their masters. These words have three foci:

1. Jesus himself, on earth, called his followers to do this when he said things like “Bless those who curse you” in Luke 6:20.
2. Jesus not only commanded this, he also obeyed these words perfectly, leaving us “an example” (2:21).  When Jesus faced false accusations in his trial, cruel treatment from others, and ultimately crucifixion (as Steven Lee preached two weeks ago), he continued entrusting everything to the one who judges justly—the words, the actions, the desertion, and more. There has never been, nor will there be, greater evil than that, nor more wicked reviling words than those. But what did Jesus do in return? He spoke words of blessing: “Forgive them.” He endured the cross—a fountain of blessing for all who would repent and trust in his sacrifice in their place.  

We too are to look to him, to cast the ugly and unjust things upon him, that we might return a blessing.

3. But Peter may have even more for us here in his words, “to this you have been called.” Peter uses this word called many times in this book. For example, each time he says “elect exiles,” the word elect can also be translated “called ones.” God Almighty has summoned believers “out of spiritual darkness into his marvelous light” (2:9). His Cross work has also freed them to follow him for, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (2:24). He has caused us to be born again. This is his mercy and his doing. We have been “called” by him to this as priests in his service (2:9) of suffering for the sake of his excellencies being made known.   

So let me ask you ...   

• What words or actions do you need to entrust to the Lord?
• Who can walk alongside of you as you navigate how to return a blessing for evil? 

Please know that many questions may remain. Take heart, we are only half way through this letter. There is more instruction and help to come, Lord willing, and we will hear truth from the next passage on dealing with our fears. But for now, Peter is intent on fixing our eyes in a specific direction: the Lord and his promise of a reward. The final phrase of verse 9 leads us there: “That you may obtain a blessing.”

Call 3: Trust God and Obey, That You May Receive a Blessing (1 Peter 3:9b–12)

These words lead into the final point of this passage and act like a doorway into verses 10–12, which explain them.

Second of Two Reasons

Peter’s second reason to return a blessing for evil is this: “That you may obtain a blessing.”

These words are a direct contradiction to the lie that God is a killjoy. No, the truth is that God is out for your joy! He has hard-wired you to pursue your happiness. And he has provided Jesus as the source of your greatest joy. One of the most exciting messages at Bethlehem is that you are designed for joy—and Jesus is the ultimate source of that joy. If that is a new message for you, please lean in and revel in that truth with us. If you have heard it over the course of many years, you may need to ask the Lord to dust it off for you and help it to become fresh again.  

This phrase introduces the next three verses (vv. 10–12), which are a direct quote from Scripture (Psalm 34) and highlight the path of blessing. Notice, Peter spills more ink on this promise of blessing than any other point in this passage. Why does he do this?

Believe Something Better!

We need great motivation to do hard things. When we are reviled or others do bad things to us, everything in us—our natural sinful passions (1 Peter 2:11)—yearns to return evil. We want to return something ugly and cutting when we are reviled. We want to defend ourselves. We believe revenge will be sweet. How do we combat those internal inclinations? By believing something is better? Peter waves the blessing flag here right after the high calling because he learned from Jesus that that is how the Christian life works. God has designed the spiritual life so that good works come from faith and are fueled by promises (and warnings) from God’s word.

Scripture Births Spiritual Miracles 

Peter is a good shepherd. He knows the truth that Galatians 3:5 proclaims: God works miracles among us by hearing with faith. We certainly need a miracle within us to not return reviling for reviling but rather to bless. What is the pathway to a spiritual miracle? Hearing, digging into, and studying God’s word. Peter uses an extended quote from Psalm 34 because he knows that God’s word has the power to stir up faith to obey. Here, God’s promises of blessing will stir up faith to believe that obedience is better. 

Let’s look carefully at what he says.

Setting the Context of Psalm 34

The psalm that Peter quotes here in verses 10–12 was written by David. The first half of the psalm is an invitation to bless the Lord with David for God’s goodness and his rescue. David says, “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8). Just prior to the words that Peter quotes, David moves from worship to teaching. He says, “Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” These words are very applicable to Peter’s church and their situation.  

Then Peter begins his quotation with, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days.” We need to be very careful that we do not take these words out of context. These words are to be applied not to wealth and living in luxury but, most closely in this psalm, to relief from a season of suffering. 

Situation of the Psalm

When David penned these words, he was not yet king and had just been delivered from the Philistine king of Gath, but he was still on the run for his life from King Saul. Saul had tried to kill him personally and sent others to do his dirty work. Saul had repeatedly spoken publicly, saying that he wanted David dead and even reviling his own son when he stood for justice in David’s favor. Even though David sought to discern his error, the situation became so bad that David fled to the Philistines—of whom he, in battle, had killed thousands. Notice that the place that seemed safe in his panic was the hometown of the infamous Philistine champion Goliath of Gath, whom David had killed. 

David Is Qualified to Teach Us

If that was your circumstance, would you like to “see good days”? Yes! This situation continued for years and this song powerfully ministered to many and was the path that the Lord helped David pursue. You can read about the entire saga in 1 Samuel 18–30. David is more than qualified to speak about trusting God when others do evil to us and revile us. So what does he have to say?

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.—Psalm 34:13

Notice how perfectly this fits with what Peter has been instructing the churches and us to do when reviling and evil are aimed at us. But what does it add? Here, remember, in the same persecuted context, David is writing this as a pathway to blessing. David (and Peter) are saying, “Let me introduce you to the mind-bending way our amazing God has designed this world. If you desire to love life and see good days, guard your tongue and your fingers, which are the pathway to words in email, text, and social media. Seek peace not revenge, for, “The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

Why? For, “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12). David is again speaking from experience. “I was in an extremely desperate place,” he is writing, “yet the LORD heard me, and he delivered me from all my fears.” Don’t allow these words to bounce off you. The Great God of Steadfast Love and Mercy (signified by the word LORD in all capitals in Psalm 34 and Lord [Jesus] in Peter’s quote) sets his eyes toward the righteous—those made righteous in Jesus who are seeking by faith to obey him. And his ears are open to their prayer. The God upon whom we can “cast our cares” will sustain us even when we face hostility—evil and reviling.

This first half of the verse is followed by the conjunction “but,” and the second half of the verse provides a contrasting warning: “But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” God’s warnings are meant to be just as motivational as his promises of blessing. God is saying here, “I promise to bless the righteous. And I promise to turn my face from you if you do evil.” This is a powerful word to an Israelite for whom the greatest blessing was Numbers 6:24–26:

The LORD bless you and keep you, the LORD make his face [same word] to shine upon you … the LORD lift his countenance [same word, face] upon you and give you peace.

This is very similar to the later quote in 1 Peter 5:5, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Do not act out of your fleshly passions and have God oppose you. Seek his blessing. Move in a way where his face will be radiant toward you and you too will be shepherded like David was. 

One Final Word on 1 Peter 3:12 

This is not to be applied wrongly to our enemies. I do not believe Peter quoted these words so we can mumble, “I am zipping my lip because you are going to get yours.” It is true that God is the God of justice. He is the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” He will right every wrong. But I believe this word is here to motivate believers to do good, not remind them of final judgment. 

A Win-Win Situation 

I believe Peter’s desire in this letter and even in this quote is that our earthly suffering in this way (returning a blessing for evil) will be a win-win situation.

He desires for believers to obey God and receive a blessing. But he intends that blessing to overflow onto others in a way that blesses them. His aim in our honorable actions in the face of hostility is that they would honor Jesus and be used to turn the hearts of our enemies to the Savior. Remember the opening of this section (2:12), “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” This is Peter’s desire here?

You would be right to ask, “Where do you see that in the text?” I see it based on where Peter stopped his Psalm 34 quotation. Peter ended his Psalm 34 quotation mid-sentence. Let me read what Peter quotes again and insert the second half of the verse that David wrote in Psalm 34:16. Peter quoted, “But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Which David concludes with “to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” 

My point is that Peter ended his quotation prior to these words. Why? I believe Peter did not include that because he is focused on something different. He does not want the last words of this section ringing with the words of judgment for unbelievers. Rather, he is eager to motivate believers so that they will be used in the transformation of their enemies.

This Message Is for All—Those Receiving Evil and Enemies

That also means that this passage applies to every one of us—those of us who are facing oppression from enemies, and also to those of us who are the enemy. We all need to turn from evil, confess our sins to the LORD, seek Jesus’ payment on our behalf, and continue to call upon him day after day for help, empowering, and forgiveness.

Application

This passage speaks to several different groups: 

• Those who need encouragement. 

For some hearing this message today, it has become clear that you, like David, have been heard and sustained by the Lord in the face of great suffering. May your hearts rejoice in his kindness to you even as you ask for more help.

• Those who need correction. 

Some of us today need God to correct us. For some, we are the enemy who needs to lay down our arms of rebellion against others, and most importantly God himself. For others, we need to be corrected about our internal thinking, affections, and actions toward others.

• Those who need help in the face of oppression. 

Still others need help from the Lord, others in the church, or the church’s leaders to navigate how best to respond to reviling and evil being done to you.

• Those who need help fighting sin.

Finally, others need similar help from God on a different battlefront. This section of Peter’s teaching began in 2:11 with a call to abstain from the passions of the flesh. Then for almost a chapter he sought to serve this embattled people in a specific passion of the flesh stirred up by the hostility they were facing. However, there are many passions of the flesh, and you may need to apply Peter’s skilled shepherding in your specific area of need. Regardless of whether it is resisting gossip, wrestling against the fear of man, or some other sin, you too need to mine God’s word for his promised blessings and warnings to fuel your faith and stir up your motivation.

Let’s seek his face together in prayer.