Chapter # 3 Paragraph # 3 Study # 1
April 25, 2010
Lincolnton, N.C.
1769 Translation:
8 Finally,
be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren,
be pitiful,
be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord
are over the righteous, and his ears
are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord
is against them that do evil.
1901 ASV Translation:
8 Finally,
be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humbleminded:
9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10 For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile:
11 And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears unto their supplication: But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil.
- I. Peter's "Finally".
- A. It obviously does not mean that he is "at the end of" his letter.
- B. The implication, therefore, is that he is "at the end of" some portion of his letter.
- 1. This "portion" has, primarily, to do with the major thesis of "submission", a theme first broached in 2:13. Peter's references by terminology to this thesis are six, but four of them are in the section of 2:13-3:8.
- 2. Therefore, we are moved to conclude that Peter's "finally" is a kind of final exhortation, or summation of the prior thesis. The major thesis of this "finally" is a summons to a life-style of doing what is right without regard for whatever negative consequences may come because of the wicked.
- a. That Peter "defined" what "doing what is right" means in terms of some form of "submission" to a higher authority implies that in his "finally" summary, he is going to emphasize how that is to work out in general.
- b. That his larger context admits that such behavior will likely bring about a certain degree of suffering implies that he is working "uphill" against the human tendency to "do what is right" only as long as it makes life "easy".
- II. Peter's Summary Summons.
- A. In positive terms.
- 1. Likeminded.
- a. This is the only use of this particular term in the entire New Testament. It is not used by Peter in any other text/context, nor is it widely used in the larger world (as evidenced by the paucity of use seen in Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon). There is a variation in 1 Peter 4:7 where the root is found. There the idea is that, because the end (same word found in Peter's "finally" phrase) of all things is near, believers should be "sober" and prayerfully watchful.
- b. The basic notion of the word shows up in Luke 8:35 where a formerly possessed man is "in his right mind" because the demons have been exorcised. Paul used the root term in Romans 12:3 when he exhorted the believers to not think of themselves "too highly", and he used it again in Titus 2:6 when he urged the "young men" to be "sober-minded". It is not likely that it is "accidental" that the word is used when a temptation exists to elevate oneself over another because of "gifting" or "age". It is a common flaw among the youthful to think they are smarter than the "old fogies".
- 2. Together feeling.
- 3. Brother loving.
- 4. Good emotioned.
- 5. Humble minded.
- B. In negative terms.
- 1. Not returning evil for evil.
- 2. Not returning railing for railing.
- C. In contrasting terms.
- 1. Returning "blessing".
- 2. Being called to inherit a "blessing".
