Living the Good Life

1 Peter 3:8-12
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, August 20, 2017
Copyright © 2017, P. G. Mathew

In the previous passage, Peter concluded his treatment of submission, which he began in 1 Peter 2:13. Now, in 1 Peter 3:8–12, he begins to deal with the doctrine of sanctification. He tells us how to live the good Christian life. Only true believers in Jesus Christ can live a truly good life. The good life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. The good life is a life lived for the glory of God in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ lived the good life, and we are also to live the good life. Jesus told us, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (John 8:29). In Isaiah’s prophecy we read, “For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite’” (Isa. 57:15). This is the good life.

The good life is living out the confession, “Jesus is Lord,” in all of life. This includes during times of suffering as well as times without suffering. The good life is what Paul describes: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Our bodies are not our own; they belong to God. We are to glorify God with our bodies.

Live the Good Life

In Philippians 2, Paul speaks of living the good life. He begins, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed . . .” Christians are to obey Jesus Christ from the moment they confess Christ as Lord. He continues, “not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12–13).

Stephen, Peter, and Paul all lived the good life. It is true that they suffered for their faith in Christ. Stephen was stoned to death, Peter was crucified, and Paul was beheaded. But the Lord was with them, as he promised, to help them. Jesus said, “Behold, I will be with you always, even unto the end of the ages” (Matt. 28:20). Life with God is life in heaven. It is living the good life.

To live the good life, Peter gives us in this passage ten commandments (ten imperatives in the Greek text). Every believer is to obey these ten imperatives by the power of the Holy Spirit. A true believer is born again; those who are not born again are not true believers. A true believer will be filled with the Holy Spirit and Scripture, so he will be able to live the good life of obedience to Christ. And in his epistles, Paul exhorts us to be so filled. He writes, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be [continually] filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). He also says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Col. 3:16).

Be of One Mind

Peter begins this passage, “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another” (v. 8). The first imperative is homophrones, “be of one mind.” We are to “be of one mind” based on our faith in Christ, which is based on Scripture. A true believer will subscribe to the absolute authority of God’s word.

The Westminster Confession of Faith begins with the authority of Scripture because the word of God alone is truth. It is to be our rule for faith and life. Thus, of the early disciples we read, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Peter also writes, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21).

God’s people have renewed minds; thus, we can be of one mind, for we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). Paul instructs, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom. 12:2). He also says, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:5–6).

True believers are to be of one mind in Christ. Paul warns, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them” (Rom. 16:17). We must keep away from heretics. Paul also says, “Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Phil. 2:2). When a husband and wife cannot get along, or when believers in the church cannot get along, the devil is working. Paul wrote about such a situation in the church of Philippi: “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord” (Phil. 4:2).

We are to live together in unity. Paul writes, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:3–6). We have seven reasons for unity: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God the Father over all.

Disunity, especially in a Christian home or a Christian church, is the work of the devil. Unity of mind is the work of the Holy Spirit. So wherever there is fighting and quarreling, self-centeredness and disobedience to the Holy Spirit, it means someone gave place to the devil.

Be Sympathetic

The second imperative Peter uses is sumpatheis, from which we have the word “sympathetic.” Peter commands, “Be sympathetic” (v. 8). It means “to suffer together with.”

As our high priest, Jesus sympathizes with us in all our troubles and comes to our aid in every trouble. The Hebrews writer says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Our Lord is able to sympathize with us, and, therefore, we are able to sympathize with others. The writer also says, “You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions” (Heb. 10:34).

Paul also speaks of this, writing, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15). It is not just his problem; it is our problem. He also says, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). We do so because we are members of one body. In Acts 4:32 we read, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” This is why we have to know how others, especially in the church, are doing. We are to rejoice with them, suffer with them, and visit them.

We are to sympathize with our brothers and sisters. John writes, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (1 John 3:15–16). The Hebrews writer exhorts, “Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Heb. 13:1–3).

The problems of our sisters and brothers are our problems. This is serious ecclesiology. A true church is not a group of disconnected individuals coming and going without sharing and sympathizing with each other. Those who are disconnected are not saved.

Love as Brothers

The third imperative is philadelphoi, “show brotherly love” (v. 8). Elsewhere Peter writes, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22). Paul also speaks of this: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Rom. 12:10).

Of such brotherly love, Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35). John writes, “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:19–20).

We are brothers and sisters by adoption. God is our heavenly Father and Jesus is our older brother. Unlike Cain, who killed his brother, we are to die to save our brothers and sisters. We do so by the love shed abroad in our hearts in abundance by the Holy Spirit. The first fruit of the Spirit is sacrificial love. It is not just saying, “I love you”; we must love in actions and in truth.

Be Compassionate

The fourth imperative is eusplangchnoi, “be compassionate” (v. 8). The idea of the Greek word is that you feel your bowels, your intestines, moving forward and you work to solve the problem of the other person.

Jesus once went past a village called Nain, where there was a widow whose son had died. All her hope had been on this son, but he died. Jesus had compassion on the widow, so we can translate this verse as follows: “When the Lord saw her, his heart [moved out of him and went] to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” (Luke 7:13). And not only did Jesus’ heart go out to the widow, but he also raised up her son from the dead.

We find this idea also in the story of the Good Samaritan. “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him” (Luke 10:33). The man was beaten, robbed, and left for dead. The Levite and the priest did not help. But the Samaritan stopped. He was moved with compassion and helped him sacrificially.

Another example is found in the story of the prodigal son. The prodigal said to his father, “Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me” (Luke 15:12, KJV). This son liquidated his assets and went to the Decapolis to sin. Finally, he had nothing. No one gave him a job. He had no food; he had nothing. He came to himself and said, “I will arise and go to my father’s house and tell him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. Have mercy on me. Hire me as the last hired person. I will not have any rights, but at least I can eat.’” So we read, “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion [in Greek it is “he was moved with compassion”] for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

Peter is saying that we must feel our intestines, our bowels, move with compassion to solve the problems of others. We must act as Jesus did, as the Good Samaritan did, and as the prodigal’s father did. And, note, the father’s feeling of deep love preceded his prodigal son’s confession.

This is what will happen if we are born again and belong to God’s holy church. When we see someone, we will be interested in that person. We will want to know where that person is coming from. He is our brother, she is our sister, and we want to know how we can help that person. It is not that we just come to church and go home without ever talking to anyone because we do not want to get involved with others and their problems. If we behave that way, we are not saved. James tells us, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Jas. 1:27). And Paul says, “Be kind and compassionate [it is the same Greek word] to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

Be Humble-Minded

The fifth imperative is tapeinophrones, “be humble minded” (v. 8). Jesus was humble; he was not proud or arrogant. If Jesus is humble, we should be humble. He said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:29).

Jesus is our Lord and Teacher, yet he did the job of a slave, washing the feet of his disciples. John writes, “When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and ‘Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet’” (John 13:12–14). He is Lord; we are not. We must be humble.

Paul wrote that Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant [slave], being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:6–8).

Paul also said, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). The people of God throughout the world who trust in Jesus Christ are rich.

Peter writes, “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Pet. 5:5). Paul says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2). He also writes, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Cor. 12:7–9). The cure of pride is pain registering in our bodies. We can pray all we want, but God may say, “No. I want to prevent you from becoming arrogant, so I will not take away this pain.” In Proverbs 29:23 we read, “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.”

At the end of the first five imperatives, Peter exhorts, “Do not repay evil for evil or insult with insult” (v. 9). When someone treats us badly, we may want to repay evil for evil, but we must not do so. We must follow the example of our Lord. Peter writes, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pet. 2:23). This is true Christianity.

Jesus himself said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil because of me” (Matt. 5:10–11). How many true ministers are insulted and persecuted for preaching the true gospel! Yet Jesus says we are blessed.

He also said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt. 5:38–39). We must have the power of the Holy Spirit to do these things.

Paul writes, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thess. 5:15). He also says,

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:17–21)

We must not repay evil for evil, but repay evil with blessing. As Stephen was being stoned, “he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60). What did Jesus do? From the cross he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Earlier in his ministry, he said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). If we are not born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we cannot do these things. We want to beat those who beat us. Only Christians filled with the Spirit can do what Peter is saying.

Paul writes, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Rom. 12:14). Why do we bless? Because, Peter says, “God called us to inherit a blessing” (v. 9). We have been made very rich in every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. We have been foreloved, predestinated, called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and we are going to be glorified.

Our destiny is glory. Paul writes, “What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory” (Rom. 9:23). He also says, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rom. 8:16–17).

That is our destiny. We are not prepared for wrath; we are prepared for glory. Peter says, “He has given us new birth . . . into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:3–4). We are kept here so that we may receive our glorious inheritance in heaven.

We are people of God prepared for glory. What is glory? John speaks about it in Revelation 21: “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.” That is eternal life. That is ultimate, indescribable happiness. John continues, “They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’” (Rev. 21:3–4).

Five More Imperatives

In verse 10, Peter begins, “Whoever would love life and see good days.” He is speaking about loving eternal life, and also enjoying good days in this temporal life. Then he gives five more imperatives that we must obey. We can do so by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is not enough that we hear the word of God and go home. We must do what it says. This is our righteousness. The psalmist says, “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Ps. 34:19). Paul writes, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).

We can abound in obedience. Away with all excuses! We can do what God wants us to do by grace received freely from God. Paul said, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). No one can obey by his own strength, but we can by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself promised, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

The Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9). Our need is not grace plus something else. The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Elsewhere Paul writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassions and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Cor. 1:3–4).

In 2 Corinthians 1:9 says, “Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” All sufferings are for a purpose. We do not like our back pain? We do not like that we do not have a job right now? We must acknowledge that it is God who is giving us trouble. (PGM) And the purpose of this pain and suffering is that we might not rely on ourselves but on God. So we can pray all we want, but he may not heal us. And we can take great comfort in the truth that with God every day is a good day. If we are true Christians, God is with us, God is in us, God is all around us as a wall of fire, and we are in him. “If God is for us, who can be against us? . . . Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:31, 39).

Must Stop Tongue from Evil

The sixth imperative in the Greek is translated “must stop tongue from evil” (v. 9). We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. He must control our minds and our mouths. And if this is true, then we will prophesy truth to edify people. With our tongues, we will praise our God.

Paul writes, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be [continually] filled with the Spirit, [speaking] to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, [singing] and [making] music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:18–20). Only the Holy Spirit can control our tongues.

In Acts 5, we read that Satan filled Ananias and he lied to the Holy Spirit. Every unbeliever is a child of the devil and he can only lie. If any unbelievers speak truth, it is due to common grace.

Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). In Genesis 3:4 we see the devil lying to Adam and Eve. He said, in essence, “You shall not surely die.” The devil always negates the word of God.

James says, “No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (Jas. 3:8). Only the Holy Spirit can control our tongues to speak truth.

Must Turn Away from Evil

The seventh imperative is “must turn away from evil” (v. 11). David said, “For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees” (2 Sam. 22:22–23). We also read, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Prov. 28:13). The psalmist says, “Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever” (Ps. 37:27). True repentance means turning from evil to do righteousness.

Must Do Good

The eighth imperative is “must do good” (v. 11). Paul declared, “First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent [that is, turning from evil] and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20).

In Revelation 2:4–5, the Lord is speaking about the church of Ephesus. He begins, “Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love.” Theirs was not a little sin; it was a serious sin. When you forsake your first love for Christ, your heart and love for God is gone. You may still do things for God, but the first love is gone. So the Lord says, “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things which you did at first,” that is, in love. God hates heartless, loveless works.

How should we behave? Paul writes, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). He also says, “This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone” (Titus 3:8).

Paul lists some good works in 1 Timothy 5:9–10: “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble.”

The first time the word “fellowship” appears is in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ doctrine and to fellowship.” So when we come together, we want to know how everyone else is doing. And if we find out someone has a problem, we should help that person.

Doing good works is not a new idea. In Deuteronomy 6 we read, “Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers” (Deut. 6:18). We are always to be busy doing good works. So Jesus said,

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. (Matt. 7:24–27)

In due time, those who are foolish builders will walk out of the church. They are fake. They are the first three soils people. They are not born again. They do not have a good heart. The first three soils people will not persevere to the end.

Must Seek Peace

The ninth imperative is “must seek peace” (v. 11). As we said before, where the devil is, there is self-centeredness, fighting, and quarreling. Where the Holy Spirit is, there is love, joy, and peace. Remember what Jesus said? “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). He also said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). There is no peace outside of Jesus Christ.

By his death and resurrection, Jesus reconciled us to the Father so we now have peace with God. Jesus is our peace (Eph. 2:14).

Must Pursue Peace

The tenth imperative is “must pursue peace” (v. 11). Our peace disappears when we sin. Sin destroys peace. So we must pursue peace by repentance, confession, and receiving forgiveness from God and his people.

When we come to worship and remember that there is a relational problem, we must stop worshiping and take care of the problem. Jesus said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23–24). If our hearts condemn us, if we have filthy hearts, God will not accept our worship. But if we pursue peace and reconcile with our brothers and sisters, God will accept us.

We must also forgive those who repent, so that peace may prevail. Jesus said, “So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him’” (Luke 17:3–4). Who said this? Jesus Christ said it. We have no right to not forgive a person who comes to us and says, “I repent.” God will deal with us severely if we do not forgive. Paul writes, “For this reason many of you are weak and sick and many die” (1 Cor. 11:30). We have no right not to forgive. If the person says, “I repent,” God will deal with him if his repentance is not true. Our responsibility is to rebuke, and our job is to forgive, even if the person comes to us seven times in one day. We all need forgiveness every day, and our gracious God forgives us.

We must forgive the one who repents, so that peace may prevail and we may worship God with a good conscience. If our hearts condemn us, we must not worship. There are some people who sin yet whose hearts are hardened. So they come and take the holy communion. But they can die (1 Cor. 11:30). We must be careful and examine ourselves in the light of the Scriptures.

Paul warns us not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). If the Holy Spirit grieves, how can we have peace and joy? We can fake happiness but it is not true. When we sin, we must repent quickly so that peace may come and flood our souls. Paul writes, “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Eph. 4:26–27). We give the devil a foothold when we do not repent. And the devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.

Practice Proverbs 28:13. Do not conceal your sin but confess it, renounce it, and you will receive mercy. Never go to bed without experiencing the shalom of God, the peace of God, that comes from repenting.

Reasons for the Ten Imperatives

Finally, Peter gives two reasons for these ten imperatives. First, he says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous” (v. 12). God is looking on us to bless us. Elsewhere we read, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen [to bless] those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chron. 16:9). He sees us. The psalmist also speaks of this, saying, “The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand. . . . The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. . . . The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Ps. 121:5; 145:20; 33:18). So the first reason we must obey these imperatives is that the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous to bless them. God always sees us.

The second reason is, “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (v. 12). The Lord’s face is against those who do evil to destroy them. Peter was quoting the psalmist, who said, “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth” (Ps. 34:16).

Paul writes, “[God] will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power” (2 Thess. 1:8–9). Those who do not want to believe will be punished on the day of judgment. So the second reason is that God’s face is against those who do evil, to destroy them.

John gives us a description of the day of judgment:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened [which contain everything we ever did—all our motivations, thoughts, words, and deeds, including sins of omission and sins of commission]. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:11–15)

After the seventy-two disciples were sent out by Jesus, they came back and told Jesus, “It was exciting.” “What was exciting?” “Even the demons are subject to us.” Jesus told them, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

Those seventy-two people knew their names were written in heaven. But you and I must make our calling and election sure through obedience to Jesus Christ. So Peter gives us ten commandments, ten imperatives, in this passage, that we may obey them:

Be of one mind
Be sympathetic
Show brotherly love
Be compassionate
Be humble-minded
Must stop your tongue from evil
Must turn away from evil
Must do good
Must seek peace
Must pursue peace.

May God help us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, practice daily Peter’s ten imperatives, that we may live the good life every day of our life and be a source of blessing to others.