Five Points of Gospel Community: 1 Peter 3:8

As we have seen in 1 Peter, our faith in the gospel translates into the way we live. When we believe the gospel, it will not remain a relic in our hearts, collecting dust like a forgotten old figurine on the wall in our house. The truth of the gospel is meant to live and breath in our lives. Our hope in Christ is meant to paint our hearts with vivid color that comes out our mouths and fingertips. Peter covered the vivifying effect of the gospel in chapter 1 of 1 Peter, reminding us that God ‘has given us a new birth into a living hope’ (1 Pet 1:3). That hope now lives and breaths and changes our lives, coming out in the very way we live.

Peter spent the next few chapters showing us how that living hope is expressed in our lives; through submission in our roles in this world; in submission to government, in the workplace, and as wives submit to husbands. All those areas of submission point to our faith in Christ, revealing that we are trusting Christ as Lord.

In 1 Peter 3:8, Peter continues by showing us how faith in the gospel shapes our fellowship with other Christians. Peter writes, ‘Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind’ Peter gives a five pointed command here, addressing it to ‘all of you.’ All of those people would be those gathered in their local churches to hear this letter read to them from their church leaders. This command, then, is for those gathered together in the unity of their local church. And so these five traits are to be exhibited within the body of Christ, the church. We are to have unified minds, be sympathetic, live in brotherly love, have tender hearts, and humble minds with other believers that we are in local fellowship with.

Of course, the very fact that Peter is writing this is because our life is not always reflective of our hope in the gospel. Though we have believed the gospel and Peter has assured us that our salvation is secure and guarded for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-5), our actions do not always indicate that we are continuing to believe that gospel. In this life we tend to wander from what is true. In the flesh, we sometimes stray from God’s ethic for our lives and must be called back to it. Peter’s list, here, is helpful for us, not in the sense that we can earn our salvation through it, but that it can reveal what we are believing.

Below is a chart with Peter’s five points that indicate gospel faith in the way we are relating to others. It also show the inverse response to faith in the gospel. Read these and note any that stand out to you.

Results of faith in the gospel	External Markers	Result of neglecting the gospel	External Markers
Unity of Mind	Puts others needs first and approaches disagreement with a willingness to have prejudices and ideas corrected by Scripture.	Disunity with other Christians	Characterized by an ‘every man for himself’ attitude which results in consistent disagreements, frustrations, or total withdrawal and distance from other Christians.
Sympathetic	Genuine affection with others in Christ; weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice.	An unsympathetic spirit	Declares ‘woe is me’ and can only share sorrow; does not engage with others.
Brotherly Love	Relates and presses into other Christians, knowing that these relationships, having been united by Christ, are closer than family.	Consistent Separation	Ignores relationships in the church or even holds grudges and is unforgiving toward other believers.
Tender Hearts	Affection and desire to relate to others and to know how to pray for and help them.	No cares for others	Callous forgetfulness of others that causes a person to not relate to anyone nor ask or consider their needs.
Humble Minds	Willingness to admit when one is wrong without excuses. Abstains from boasting and bragging. Gives freely to others without expectation.	Pride before others	Considers others less significant than oneself resulting in self-focus, inability to admit wrongs, and taking and consuming without giving.

Questions for personal reflection and application:

1.     Which of these do you find yourself succeeding in as you relate to other Christians? Which of these do you find yourself consistently struggling with?

2.     We cannot sort out our own hearts in these areas. But when our sin is revealed, we are to repent and trust the Lord to sanctify us. One way of trusting the Lord with our sin is by applying Scripture to these areas of our life. What Scripture can you apply to these areas that would help you apply the gospel in these areas?

3.     What practical steps can we take as a church to help one another grow in these areas? How can we encourage our children to grow in this way?