Sunday: 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.
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
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.)
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“If there be there fore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” {4T 20.1}
Also, Dane Griffin acrues that,
Nothing in the universe in the biological, physical, or spiritual realm—is more powerful than unity. At the molecular level, unity of action anchors atoms in their respective orbits and provides the building blocks of life in our diverse world, a world that demonstrates immense power, beauty, diversity, rhythm, and unity.
When we gather as a body of believers, we should discard our various ideologies especially on spiritual matters as this will go along way in bringing the bond spoken by the lesson's author. Questioning of our core distinctive messages by majority of us has also contributed in bringing discord among us. we really need to depend on God to achieve all these!
Unity can only be achieved when we put aside self and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, unity in Christ's pure unadulterated truth. We cannot compromise truth for the sake of unity, because that is not the kind of unity that comes from above. May the God help us to surrender self at every step of the way.
Esther
Yes Esther, we can achieve unity if only if we crucify self,& esteem others more than we do to ourselves, and also we should allow Christ to use us and control continuously and become his disciples as John 13:35that we should love one another in Christ.
What a great reminder for the troubled times we live in. When Peter said "... all of you be of one mind...ove as brothers, be tenderhearted..." he did not only mean Seventh Day Adventists, right? Shouldn't our love and compassion extend to those of other denominations and even other faiths? While we must stand up for our beliefs, we must not condemn or look down upon those who may not yet have received or accepted the full light. What if all Christians were one, united in our belief in Christ alone? Imagine the witnessing power we'd have to do the work that remains to be done to spread the Gospel!
As Jesus Christ's followers, we should have compassion, love, kindness for another other regardless of who they are. Love for one another is cardinal in the Christian walk. By loving one another we are exercising faith in our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we can live righteously and find favour before our Lord God.
We need to stop judging others and situations based on our human mind. We need to practice our spiritual ability through prayers and submission to Christ. Knowing that forgiveness and love first came from Him.
In this ever self-centred world... We need Him every moment.
You know, it's easy to esteem others better than ourselves when we haven't any bad report of what they have done!
But this "crucify self" finds its place when, instead of exploring someone's bad doings, we consider also his positive side.
Forgiveness and love only can enable us to esteem others better than ourselves.
Peter advices us to be kind with one another. Do not return evil for evil. We need to care for our brothers and sisters. If you are at faults, accept it. If you're blameless take it paytienly. When we walk with Christ, the flesh is
crucified, our minds bodies and spirit should be connected into Christ only.