In 1 Peter 3:8, Peter urges believers to have ‘unity of mind’ (AV). Interestingly, in this passage it does not mean we are all to be exactly the same in our beliefs and understanding. There are indeed core beliefs – there is one gospel (which includes the truths about God, His Son, man, salvation, sanctification and eternal hope, for example – and we are called to be united on these (Gal 1:6-7, Eph 4:3-6, 11-13) – this is a Unity of Understanding. But in 1 Pet 3:8 we are talking about a different aspect of Unity, a Unity of Character, as the rest of the verse reveals.
‘Unity of Mind’ is Unity of Character
To get to the heart of this term ‘unity of mind’ (which the NIV translates poorly as ‘live in harmony’), we need to look at the Greek. Don’t panic – I’ll explain. The Greek word used here is a two-part word. The second part of the word is from the root word (‘phrones’). It is used with different prefixes, and depending on the prefix it can refer to [for example] oneness of mind, or humility of mind, or foolishness of mind, and so on. So, it refers to ‘dispositions’ or to put it simpler, the outworking of our ‘character’ – ‘Unity of Mind’ is ‘Unity in Character’
In 1 Peter 3:8 there are five attitudes listed, and the list starts and ends with a ‘phrones’ word – it starts with ‘unity of mind’, ends with ‘humility of mind’ and in between are ‘sympathy’, ‘tenderheartedness’ and ‘brotherly love’. These ‘book-end’ words are there to highlight that this list is all about our character. But, of course, it’s not our natural character, but the character which is formed by God in those who are Christians.
So, what is the call to unity in 1Pet 3:8? It’s to a unity of character – each one of us having a humble mindset, not a self-exalting mindset, a sacrificial mindset, not a self-serving one.
Is this something only for some Christians? No – a look at some other passages of scripture quickly shows that it is so intrinsic that it should be evidenced in every believer:
Unity of Mind is fundamental to being a believer
In Philippians 2:2-5 we are called to have “the same mind” (i.e. the same mindset), which is the mind of Jesus (v5). What is the mind of Jesus like?: Loving: v2 “having the same love, being in full accord”, Humble – v3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” and Sympathetic – v4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” It’s the same list as in 1 Pet 3:8! And the outcome of such a mindset is amazing – the next few verses demonstrate how it leads Jesus to give up everything for those who are sinners, rebels, unlovely, even to go to the cross and give up His life for us. If we are ‘Christians’ (‘In Christ’), then His Spirit indwells and transforms and so this has to be the attitude of every Christian because we are now His children, in His family, looking like Him. And this is emphasised elsewhere in scripture too – for example Rom 12:16 has a very similar list.
Unity of Mind is fundamental to being in the Church
A graphic illustration of how Unity of Mind is the consequence of being ‘in Christ’ is seen in the life of the early church. In Acts 4:32 the church is described as “of one heart and one soul and of one mind”. And the result was hugely attractional – people were added to the church because of the transformation so clearly seen in them all.
We are being reminded that this mindset, this disposition of heart – humble, loving, sacrificial – is natural for the Christian and so should be seen in all of us
So the unity we are called to in 1 Peter 3:8 is focused not on having the same opinions, though of course uniting around the Gospel really matters. Rather, we are being reminded that this mindset, this disposition of heart – humble, loving, sacrificial – is natural for the Christian and so should be seen in all of us. It causes us to examine ourselves to see if we’ve been resisting God’s transformational work in us. It calls us to press on towards the character of Jesus – marked by humility, and sacrificial service, and a Christ-exalting motive for all we do. That’s the unity we are called to in 1 Peter 3:8.