Christians should love God, love each other, love their families, love their enemies, and love life.
What does it mean to love life? Two New Testament words are translated “life.” Bios (βίος) refers to existence (physical life) (1 Timothy 2:2, 4); figuratively it can mean the way a person lives and the duration of earthly existence.1 Zoe (ζωή) is higher. It is new life. It is spiritual life (cf. Genesis 2:7). It is abundant life (John 10:10). It may be stunted or strengthened, as grace is used or abused.2 It is God’s best gift.
God wants His children’s lives to be full of good days—days filled with good things (Psalm 36:7–8; Proverbs 19:23; John 14:27). He even has a recipe for having a good day, every day. It reads, “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:10–11; cf. Psalm 34:12–14).
The way to find lasting happiness— what everyone wants—is to follow God’s way. Peter gives five ideas formed as three couplets.
INTRODUCTORY THOUGHT: CHOOSE TO LOVE LIFE
He who wants good days must choose a positive mindset. “He who would love life” means, “He who deliberately sets out to love life.” This is the opposite of Solomon’s pessimism: “I hated life . . . for all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). We decide if bios is a burden to be endured, a danger to be escaped, or a journey to be enjoyed. Zoe makes bios worth living.
Scripture is largely concerned with character and conduct. Christianity is judged by outsiders by what it can do more than by what it teaches. An unbelieving world may be skeptical of a preacher’s words but impressed by a Christian’s selfless behavior. Peter urged servants to submit to unfairness, looking for a reward (1 Peter 2:18–20). He told wives to pleasantly submit to unbelieving husbands to help convert them (3:1–7). Now Peter commands Christians to choose a positive attitude (3:10–11). All these are countercultural. What we are matters more than what we say—so we must work on the hidden person of the heart.
COUPLET 1: REFRAIN THE TONGUE FROM EVIL AND THE LIPS FROM DECEIT
He who wants good days must rule his speech. God requires constant watch over two things—the heart and tongue (Proverbs 4:23; 18:21; James 1:26; 3:1–10)—and the latter is a window into the former. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).
Couplet 1a: “Refrain his tongue from evil.” Many of life’s problems are caused by wrong words, spoken wrongly. Most of us have learned that the fastest way to a bad day is to open the mouth foolishly. Think how many misunderstandings, arguments, and hurt feelings started with hasty words. How often have we spoiled our day, and the day of another, by ill-chosen words? James wrote, “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man” (James 3:2). Peter knew the sad consequences of hasty speech (Matthew 26:74–75).
The first step to ruling the tongue is restraint. Being “swift to speak” is a constant temptation for many (James 1:19). The psalmist pledged to heed his ways, not sin with his tongue, and keep his mouth with a muzzle (39:1–2). When it comes to words, incline to sparing. Many words tend to sin (Proverbs 10:19).
Couplet 1b: “And his lips from speaking deceit.” First, limit your word quantity; next, improve your word quality. Christians must guard against these types of words:
• Corrupt—anger, blasphemy, filthy, wrath (Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 3:8–9).
• Unkind (Ephesians 4:32)—speech that defames and disgraces, spoken in public or private. The first is cruel; the second is a pestilence spreading secretly.3
• Idle—filthiness, foolish talking, coarse jesting (Matthew 12:36; Ephesians 5:4).
• Murmured—discontent, complaint. If we take time to count God’s blessings every day, we will not complain (1 Corinthians 10:10; Philippians 2:14).
• Untruthful—lies, double meanings. Christians must not speak guile or deceit (1 Peter 2:1, 22). A lie does not become the truth because it is dressed in professional language, printed on a résumé, or displayed in a store window. Falsehood remains falsehood whether it is whispered in private, spoken in public, or advertised for profit. God does not judge the appearance of a statement but the honesty of the heart behind it.
COUPLET 2: TURN FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD
Couplet 2a: Turn away from evil (Psalm 34:14; Proverbs 16:16–17; Romans 12:9; 2 Timothy 2:19; 1 Peter 3:11). Removing sin precedes becoming good. The Old English word eschew means “to avoid something despised.” Strong repulsion accompanies removing evil. As John Rogers wrote, the thought of sin is unpleasant to every good person. Since sin dishonors God (1 Samuel 15:23) and provokes His anger (Psalm 106:29), one who loves God, hates sin (Psalm 5:4).
Since God is everywhere, all people should avoid all evil at all times in all places. There is a time for all things (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8)—except for sin. Sin is never in season. Sin brought misery, shame, and confusion to humanity. It caused all this world’s suffering and eventually leads to eternal destruction (Matthew 10:28).4 Harboring sin shipwrecks happiness. At first, sin gives pleasure, but then it steals happiness (Proverbs 13:15; Hebrews 11:25–27). The result of sin is never good (Luke 15:20–24; 2 Peter 2:20–22).
Couplet 2b: Do good. Life can be lived on three levels:
• The Devil Level: Return evil for good, as the Jews did to Jesus (Mark 15:13).
• The Human Level: Return good for good and evil for evil (Matthew 5:38– 48). When Peter pulled a sword, he was on the “evil for evil” level (Luke 22:47–53; John 18:10). This is sowing to the flesh (Galatians 6:7). An “eye for an eye” is the basis for justice, but God wants Christians to operate on the basis of mercy, as He does with us (Luke 6:36).
• The God Level: Return good for evil, as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:21–23) and the apostles (Acts 4:29). This is sowing to the spirit (Galatians 6:7).
The Bible is a book about doing: Do, deed, deeds, and done occur 589 times in the New Testament—more than twice per chapter. God is good (Matthew 19:17; Acts 14:17), and He wants us to be like Him (1 Peter 1:15–16). Jesus is good (Matthew 20:15), is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 32), and went about doing good (Acts 10:38). One of His best-loved characters was the good Samaritan (Luke 10:33). Christ is our example (Matthew 16:24; 1 Peter 2:21). A doer of the work is blessed (James 1:25). At Judgment, Jesus will not say, “Well said,” “Well thought,” “Well supervised,” or, “Well criticized.” He will say, “Well done” (Matthew 25:21).
Christians should:
• Let others see our good works so they can glorify our Father (Matthew 5:16).
• Overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21), abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8), and do good even to those that hate us (Matthew 5:44).
• Out of the good treasure of the heart, a man brings forth good things (Matthew 12:35)—with both hands and tongue (Ephesians 4:28–29).
• Do good to all, given opportunity, especially God’s family (Galatians 6:10).
• Follow that which is good (1 Peter 3:13); hold fast to it (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Women should be known for good works instead of just adornment (1 Timothy 2:9–10; Titus 2:3–5). Men desiring to be bishops must be of good behavior (1 Timothy 3:2). Those with money are to be rich in good works (1 Timothy 6:18).
Three groups in most churches include: Those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who wonder what happened. Since it is a sin to do nothing (James 4:17), Groups 2 and 3 should move to Group 1. The Chinese say, “Be first in the field and last to the couch.” A clockmaker observed, “Even a clock passes time by keeping its hands busy.”5 We should do all the good we can, to as many as we can, in all the places we can, for as long as we can6 (Psalm 119:6; Luke 1:6; 2 Kings 23:25).
Peter gives both positive and negative admonitions. It is not enough to avoid evil; we must do good. It is insufficient not to injure; we must heal. A person never remains neutral or empty for long (Acts 10:38; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 13:16). In Jesus’ parable, the evil spirit’s house that was left “empty, swept, and put in order” eventually became worse than ever (Matthew 12:44). When we sow nothing, weeds (sins) grow back. When we sow goodness, we reap happiness.
COUPLET 3: SEEK AND PURSUE PEACE
Couplet 3a: Seek peace. He who would have good days must maintain healthy relationships. He must be gentle, considerate, and loving. If one seeks trouble, then he can find it; if he seeks peace, he will generally find it. Jesus blesses peacemakers (Matthew 5:9; cf. Psalm 34:14; 120:7; Romans 14:17; Hebrews 12:14; James 3:17–18), so be a peacemaker, not a troublemaker. Take the chip off your shoulder. Do not be bothered by every slight. Is it worth giving up your good day because somebody breaks in line in front of you? Be willing to overlook many things. You will win in the long run.
Couplet 3b: Pursue peace. Peter uses two verbs (seek, pursue) for emphasis. Pursuit is the stronger concept. Peace does not come naturally—it is hard and must be maintained. Christians must work at it (Romans 14:19; Ephesians 4:2).
Since righteousness is the basis for peace (James 3:13–18), peace cannot be had at the expense of what is right. Ephesians 4:1–6 shows areas where unity is required among Christians:
• Unity of purpose: one hope
• Unity of organization: one body
• Unity of life: one Spirit
• Unity of authority: one Lord
• Unity of teaching: one faith
• Unity of practice: one baptism
• Unity of worship: one God.
It is not always possible to be both righteous and peaceful. The psalmist learned: “I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war” (120:7). Paul worded this carefully: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).
Pursue unity by prayer. Would your quality of life be improved if you began each morning with a request for a peaceful day and guidance into stressfree paths? Jesus sometimes—perhaps always—began days with prayer (Mark 1:35). Did He pray for peace?
CONCLUDING THOUGHT: TRUST THE LORD
He who wants good days must trust God to watch over him (cf. Matthew 14:22–33), answer his prayers, and defeat his enemies (Romans 12:17–21).
How do we know if a day is good or bad? A good day does not necessarily mean it is free from problems. Peter quotes Psalm 34:12–15 as God’s idea of a good day. It speaks of fears (34:4), troubles (34:6, 17), afflictions (34:19), and a broken heart (34:18).7 Thus, a good day is not sheltered or pampered; it simply has God in it. A good day magnifies God (34:1–3), receives His answers to prayer (34:4–7), tastes His goodness (34:8), and has God near (34:18).8
Even bad days turn out well with God’s providence. Joseph had bad days —one day he was sold into slavery, another day he was falsely accused and imprisoned (Genesis 37:28; 39:17–19)—but in retrospect they were good days because God brought blessings out of them (50:20). The next time you have a bad day, be sure to read 1 Peter 3 and Psalm 34.
Endnotes
1 Richard Chenevix Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, 9th ed. (London: Macmillan, 1880), 91–92.
2 The British Weekly Pulpit: A Companion Journal to the British Weekly. Vol. 3. Forgotten Books, 2018.
3 Robert Leighton, “Comments on 1 Peter 3:10–11,” qtd. in The Biblical Illustrator Commentary, ed. Joseph S. Exell (New York: Baker, 1905–1909), https:// www.studylight.org/ commentaries/eng/tbi.html.
4 John Rogers, “Comments on 1 Peter 3:10–11,” qtd. in The Biblical Illustrator Commentary, ed. Joseph S. Exell (New York: Baker, 1905–1909), https://www. studylight.org/ commentaries/eng/tbi.html.
5 Evan Esar, source unknown.
6 John Wesley, “Sermon 36: The Law Established through Faith: Discourse 2” in Sermons on Several Occasions, new ed. (Leeds, England: Edward Baines, 1799), 486.
8 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 413.
