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1 Peter 3:8
8 Finally [de] [telos], be ye all [pas] of one mind [homophron], having compassion one of another [sumpathes], love as brethren [philadelphos], be pitiful [eusplagchnos], be courteous [philophron]: KJV-Interlinear
8 To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; NASB
‘Finally,’ is the beginning of Peter’s summary of what he has been saying in the verses prior to this one.
‘Finally,’ rises to a summation of the principles he has been teaching.
‘Finally,’ is a reference to your understanding of what has been mentioned, as opposed to what you might think you understand. And most folks mess up these last few verses, because they believe that they are speaking of them, rather than a principle of doctrine.
And just what is that principle?
The structure and mechanics of the spiritual life, is what we are being taught.
The Bible is a long series of parables. From end to end, it uses common world experiences, to teach spiritual principles.
All of humanity begins in spiritual death. Anything that is spiritually dead cannot understand the spiritual realm, let alone the doctrines that pertain to it. Therefore, through the Holy Spirit, we come to learn of the gospel, the many doctrines for Christ, the principles of obligation and responsibility, and so forth, through the teaching of parables.
We have just seen a glimpse of marriage and the relationship of the husband and wife together with their respective roles.
Lets review, so you can begin to catch on to just what you have been learning.
First, the male is placed in authority. He has obligations to learn the rules and scope of his authority. That learning comes through the daily study of Bible doctrine. He is therefore obligated to subordinate himself to his studies and the framework of the spiritual life.
The wife, is the female part of this relationship. She is obligated to subordinate herself to authority, and in so doing, she is applying the doctrines she knows, to how she functions in life. This is the application aspect of the spiritual life.
Together, the two of them form a marriage of the two aspects of the spiritual life – learning, and application.
Together, in marriage the husband and wife become intimate, and produce a family. Likewise together they create a home. Together they enjoy the production of the synergy of the two of them, in blessings that are far greater than they could possibly enjoy on their own. On ones own, you cannot produce a child. On ones own, you cannot make a family, etc.
Therefore, marriage is a picture of the spiritual life as it applies to each one of us, individually.
We are all obligated to subordinate ourselves to the authority of God the Father, just as Christ did, and look to God the Father, through His plan, which means that we approach Him through Christ and only through Christ, and by no other means.
The marriage is a picture of our functioning in life, in accordance with the principles that we have learned. By being obedient to God in principle, we should also be obedient to Him in practice.
We live life with one mind, the principles of Bible doctrine. We live life with mutual respect to one another, we all being equal in salvation, in thought (doctrine), and we all possess the same potential of advancement to maturity.
Whether we are male or female, rich or poor, smart of dumb, makes no difference. We all have the same potentials toward life and certainly toward eternity. None of us are superior to anyone else.
The wealthy of the world do not have an advantage over the rest of us. The husband does not have an advantage over the wife. The gifted does not have an advantage over the un-gifted.
In this world, which is the devils world, there is an infinite set of disadvantages and unfairness for everyone. But in the spiritual life, the playing field is level and fair for everyone. We do not compete against each other in doctrine. We only have to compete against our own thoughts and attitude. And in that respect you are your own worst enemy.
Being sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit, means that we do unto others, etc. We exclude arrogance, prejudice, hate, inordinate competitiveness, and so forth from our dealings with one another.
