Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.Finally, all of you be like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, courteous,Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:Finally, be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humbleminded:
3 sermons cite this verse
… well they know 15 is in there if I say 1 Peter 3 8-12 how many of us just immediately go oh yeah nope wait a minute right after that hmm so that's why I call it the lost paragraph Because it's right here between these two very useful and very memorable paragraphs. But it's very important if we're going to understand 315. The lost paragraph belongs to a broader section of Peter's epistle, which spans from chapter 2, verse 11, all the way down to chapter 3, verse 12. That's very important to know. It's part of a broader section. Hence, the paragraph is actually the conclusion of a section. Because this section of Peter's argument ends in 312. Then we get to the paragraph about apologetics. So, again, think about what we're doing here. Peter is building his argument here in his letter, and he's going to get to this section on apologetics. but before that, from 2.11 to 3.12, he's setting it up. He's laying a foundation for it so that whatever is happening in 13 through 17, we've got to understand what's going on in 2.11 to 3.12 in order to sink our teeth into it. …
It doth not answer the rules of Christian charity, to relieve those only who are reduced to extremity, as might be abundantly shown. I shall at this time mention but two things as evidences of it. 1. We are commanded to love and treat one another as brethren: 1 Pet. iii. 8. “Have compassion one of another; love as brethren; be pitiful.” Now, is it the part of brethren to refuse to help one another, and to do any thing for each other’s comfort, and for the relief of each other’s difficulties, only when they are in extremity? Doth it not become brothers and sisters to have a more friendly disposition one towards another, than this comes to? and to be ready to compassionate one another under difficulties, though they be not extreme? The rule of the gospel is, that when we see our brother under any difficulty or burden, we should be ready to bear the burden with him: Gal. vi. 2. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” So we are commanded, “by love to serve one another,” Gal. v. 13. The Christian spirit will make us apt to sympathize with our neighbour, when we see him under any difficulty: Rom. xii. 15. “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” When our neighbour is in difficulty, he is afflicted; and we ought to have such a spirit of love to him, as to be afflicted with him in his affliction. And if we ought to be afflicted with him, then it will follow, that we ought to be ready to relieve him; because, if we are afflicted with him, in relieving him we relieve ourselves. His relief is so far our own relief, as his affliction is our affliction. Christianity teaches us to be afflicted in our neighbour’s affliction; and nature teaches us to relieve ourselves when afflicted. …
This truth also may suggest to us a few profitable reflections. First. Christians ought to bear with one another. It appears from what has been said, that they are all of one kindred, that they have a relation to other Christians which they have not to the rest of the world; being of a distinct race from them, but of the same race one with another. They are descended all along from the same progenitors; they are the children of the same universal church of God; they are all the children of Abraham; they are the seed of Jesus Christ; they are the offspring of God. And they are vet much more alike, than their being of the same race originally argues them to be: they are also immediately the children of the same Father. God hath begotten all by the same word and Spirit; they are all of one family, and should therefore love as brethren. 1 Peter iii. 8. “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.” It is very unbecoming those who are God’s offspring, to entertain a spirit of hatred and ill will one towards another. It is very unbecoming to be backward in helping and assisting one another, and supplying each other s wants; much more, to contrive and seek one another’s hurt, to be revengeful one towards another. …