1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, be you all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brothers, be pitiful, be courteous:… I. TO BLESS IS THE CHRISTIAN'S WORK, FOR THEREUNTO IS HE CALLED. 1. The first thing to be noted with regard to this blessing as the calling of the Christian is that it is conceived of not as a mere matter of words and form, but as something real and effective. In order to bless we must not only have goodwill, but we must also have sufficient power and suitable means at our command. Whom the Lord blesses he is blessed. And the manner of our blessing must be as His. Whom we bless must receive from us the blessing, and to do this we must bless him from the house of the Lord, with the Lord's blessing. 2. Again, to bless is to do something more than to bestow a gift. The multitude which pressed around Jesus and received from Him abundant food out of the five loaves and two fishes had obtained a precious gift, but it was a blessing in the true sense only to those who afterwards confessed before Jesus: Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God. The gift may be merely material; the blessing must be spiritual. The Lord blesses that man in whose soul He reveals His Son. These, then, are the leading characteristics of the blessings of the Lord — it is real and effective, and it is spiritual. Our Lord's life on earth from first to last was one continuous act of blessing as thus understood. And now as He is, so are we in this world. As Christ was called to bless, and has, in the fulfilment of His calling, blessed us, so we are called to follow in His steps, and bring to others the blessing which we ourselves enjoy. To continue Christ's work in the world, to be Christ's representatives upon the earth, this is at once the highest and the most comprehensive description of the Christian's rank and position. Seeing, then, that this is our heavenly calling, we ought to consider it, so that we may accomplish our calling, and by word and deed bless as we have been blessed. "Our calling" — the phrase is well understood in the affairs of everyday life. Whatsoever a man's calling may be, upon that he is expected to concentrate his attention. The slave of Satan is diligent in doing his master's will, he yields his members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. Surely we must show a like diligence in our heavenly calling by yielding ourselves to God and our members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Our calling is to bless, and this calling we realise just in the measure in which we surrender ourselves to God, and put all our powers at His disposal, to be used by Him as instruments in His work of grace and salvation. II. We are called to bless, and WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO LABOUR ON IN OUR CALLING BY THE ASSURANCE THAT WE SHALL NOT MISS THE INHERITANCE, We are called to bless that we may inherit a blessing. In the keeping of God's commandments there is a great reward. Simply to be called of God is to receive a blessing. But for the encouragement of the worker in the presence of those who render him evil and rail upon him, so that in his mission of blessing he may not become weary in well doing, the apostle assures him that even over and above the blessedness of being called to bless, there is blessing in store for him — an inheritance of blessing of which he shall have certain foretastes here and full experience in the bliss of heaven's rest. What is the blessing which those who bless inherit here and now? 1. There is, first of all, the joy that comes from the assurance that we are obeying the command of Christ and realising His expressed desire. 2. Then, again, there is the joyful experience of a growing likeness to Christ. It is the truest joy of the disciple's heart to know that he is being conformed unto the image of the Saviour who is so dear to him. 3. And now, finally: What is the blessing which those who bless hope yet to enjoy amid the bliss of heaven? The fulness of the inheritance is entered upon only when all differences between us and the Heir have ceased. And in order that this consummation may be attained unto, we must go on prosecuting our calling, which is to bless as He blessed, who went about doing good, yearning over the unthankful and the evil whom He had come to seek and to save. (John Macpherson, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:WEB: Finally, be all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, courteous, |
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