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Being of “One Mind”

Read 1 Peter 3:8-12. What point is Peter making here about how Christians should live? What does he repeat that he already wrote about in 1 Peter 2:20, 21?

Peter starts out telling them all to be of “one mind” (homophrones). He’s not talking about uniformity, in the sense of everyone having to think, do, and believe exactly the same way. The best example of this idea is found in 1 Corinthians 12:1-26. In these verses, Paul points out that the body is made up of parts. There are hands and eyes, but still together each part makes up the whole body. In the same way, the church is made up of individuals with different spiritual gifts. They work together to form a united community.

Of course, such unity is not always so easy to achieve. The history of the Christian church has sadly shown this to be true all too often. So Peter warns believers against not agreeing with one another. Then he tells his readers how they can show this Christian ideal of being united.

For example, Christians should act with sympathy (1 Pet. 3:8). Sympathy means that when one Christian suffers, then others will suffer with him or her; when another Christian rejoices, other Christians will rejoice with him or her (compare 1 Cor. 12:26). Sympathy enables us to see the perspective of others, an important step along the way to unity. Peter then says we should “love one another” (1 Pet. 3:8, NIV). Jesus Himself said that the way you can recognize His true disciples is that they love one another (John 13:35). Furthermore, Peter says that Christians will have a tender heart (1 Pet. 3:8). They will have compassion for one another’s difficulties and failings.

“Crucify self; esteem others better than yourselves. Thus you will be brought into oneness with Christ. Before the heavenly universe, and before the church and the world, you will bear unmistakable evidence that you are God's sons and daughters. God will be glorified in the example that you set.” - Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 188.

How often do we do what Peter says here, especially the part about “not returning evil for evil” (1 Pet. 3:9, NKJV)? What kind of death to self must we experience in order to follow these words? How can we have that kind of death? (See Gal. 2:20.)