Be good to one another.

1 Peter 3.8-15.

Simon Peter starts today’s passage with τὸ τέλος/to télos, “The last [thing],” but there’s two more chapters in his letter. How is this his last thing? Well it’s the last of his instructions to his readers about how we oughta live as Christians.

Scholars call these types of instruction “household codes,” but they’re not properly codes—meaning a list of laws one has to live under—so much as the right attitudes one should have when living under a patriarchal environment. You remember Peter began by addressing how people should live under Roman government, then how slaves and servants oughta be, then how wives and husbands oughta be. Some of these “household codes” also include instructions to the children of the family, but Peter doesn’t do that. Paul does. Ep 6.1-3, Cl 3.20

So this’d be the last part of Peter’s code—how Christians in general oughta be with one another.

1 Peter 3.8-15 KWL

8The last thing:

Everyone ought to be united,

sympathetic, loving one’s family,

compassionate, humble-minded.

9Not returning evil for evil,

nor insult for insult.

On the contrary, blessing,

because you’re² called for this reason—

so you² might inherit a blessing.

10For “One wanting to love life,

and to see good days:

Stop the tongue from evil,

and the lips from speaking deceit.

11Turn away from evil. Do good.

Seek peace and pursue it.

12Because the Lord’s eyes are on the right-minded,

and his ears are for their request,

and the Lord’s face is on evildoers.” Ps 34.12-16

13When you² become zealous to do good,

who will harm you²?

14But if you suffer for righteousness,

you’re awesome.

“Don’t be afraid of their fear,

nor should you² be bothered.” Is 8.12

15Sanctify Christ the Lord in your² minds,

always ready with a defense

for everyone who asks you² for a word

about the hope in you.

We’re all on the same side.

Some bibles decided to translate ὁμόφρονες/omófrones, “same-thinking,” as “harmonious”—which does not mean the same thing. People in harmony don’t do the same thing; they do different things which are compatible with one another. I suspect it’s because these translators have personally given up on the idea of Christians trying to share the same thinking. I have not.

True, there are many things on which we degree. But there are many things on which we can agree, and should. Namely we should agree Jesus is Lord, and agree if we call ourselves Christian we oughta follow Jesus. And in following Jesus, we should find many points in common. The fact we don’t, simply reveals not all of us are following Jesus as best we can. ’Cause even where we disagree about just what Jesus means, we should still all agree to love one another, look out for one another, be sympathetic and compassionate and all have all the other attitudes Peter lists in this chapter. Any of us who don’t, aren’t following Jesus; otherwise we’d produce these fruits.

Evil for evil, and insult for insult 1Pe 3.9 like unrepentant, unregenerate pagans? We shouldn’t see this behavior at all among fellow Christians. But you know we do. It’s understandable behavior among children and new believers; newbies don’t know any better. It’s not at all understandable among longtime Christians, who haven’t grown any closer to Jesus because they’re only following him Sunday mornings—and sometimes not even then. We need to rebuke it when we see it, and remind people: Bless and do not curse. Ro 12.14

Peter then quotes Psalm 34 as his proof text. I translated it from the Septuagint ’cause Peter’s quoting it—well, misquoting a little, ’cause he mixes up the word order and changes the verbs from second-person to third. He’s likely quoting it from memory. (Some of the Septuagint’s psalms, like 34, list verse 0 as verse 1, so it’s off by a digit. I readjusted it.)

Psalm 34.12-16 KWL (from Septuagint)

12Who’s a person who wants life,

who’d love to see good days?

13Stop your¹ tongue from evil,

and your¹ lips from speaking deceit.

14Turn away from evil and do good!

Seek peace and pursue it.

15The Lord’s eyes are on the right-minded,

and his ear is for their request.

16The Lord’s face is on evildoers,

to completely destroy any memory of them

from the land.

Peter cuts off verse 16 in the middle, which means he only quotes “The Lord’s face is on evildoers.” Which sounds weird, ’cause since the Lord’s eyes are on the right-minded 1Pe 3.12, Ps 34.15 and that’s a good thing, it sounds like it’d also be a good thing for his face to be on evildoers. But the rest of verse 16 makes it clear no, it’s really not. If Peter’s audience knew their psalms they’d know the rest—God’s gonna blot evildoers out of history itself. But today’s translators are quite aware your average Christian neither knows the psalms, nor is gonna look up this passage and learn its context. So they go with the quick ’n dirty fix of changing the participle from “on” to “against”—even though they both translate the very same participle, ἐπὶ/epí, “upon.”

1 Peter 3.12 ESV

“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.” Ps 34.15-16

You gotta wonder why Peter only quoted half the verse—but there’s probably very good reason. Local Romans might get ahold of this letter, read “to completely destroy any memory of them from the land,” go, “Waitaminnit, that’s about us!” and start persecuting Christians. Better to just trust the local Christians are biblically literate—or at least their leaders are. Sad to say, that’s not something we can always trust anymore. Some preachers do their homework. Certainly not all.

Anyway, you wanna live a good life? Follow Jesus and love one another. God’s not on your side when you don’t.

“Be ready always to give an answer.”

You’ll find Christian apologists love verse 15. Quote it all the time. I first memorized it in the KJV—

1 Peter 3.15 KJV

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

Properly it’s “sanctify the Lord Christ,” which the Textus Receptus changed to “Lord God.” Today’s Greek NTs move ἀλλὰ μετὰ πραΰτητος καὶ φόβου/allá metá praütitos ke fóvu, “but with gentleness and respect,” to verse 16, ’cause it’s part of the next paragraph. The Textus kept it with verse 15, where it doesn’t work so well. You notice the KJV had to drop the ἀλλὰ/allá, “but,” to make their translation work.

Anyway, apologists love it ’cause “answer” is a translation of ἀπολογίαν/apoloyían, “defense”—and hey, that’s what they do! Give answers. Defend the scriptures. Defend the faith. Defend Christianity. Defend God himself. Argue with pagans and skeptics and antichrists. That’s their holy calling, their spiritual battle. (Actual spiritual warfare is resisting temptation, but let’s be honest—arguing with pagans is way more fun.)

Is that what Simon Peter actually instructs Christians in verse 15? Nah. It’s about when people wanna understand why on earth we’re behaving like Christians. Why do we love one another like family? Why do we love strangers and enemies and outsiders indiscriminately? Why do we have this ridiculous optimism that God’s gonna make everything come out right, when it looks so much like we’re all doomed?

Well, we should be able to answer that, in a way that doesn’t make us sound like self-deluded idiots. Not with overconfident statements based on nothing. Not with connect-the-dots reasoning which makes us sound like the craziest of conspiracy theorists. Nor even with apologetic arguments meant to silence the toughest critics. We should, if we’ve been legitimately following Jesus, have testimonies. We’ve experienced so much God-stuff, we can talk about all the miracles we’ve seen and done. That’s what the apostles had, so that’s what they testified about. There’s our defense.

How do we gain those God-experiences? By actively following Jesus. You do his will, you’ll be granted his power. You listen to the Spirit, he’ll tell you when to do something impossible, and he’ll make you able to do it. You’ll have plenty of testimonies. Skeptics won’t know what to do with you—they’ve been bracing themselves for Christian apologists, and they’re not at all prepared for eyewitness experiences. And non-skeptics will wanna see for themselves—and that’ll be how we bring ’em to Jesus.