Bible Students

A. Love one another out of your obedience to the truth and thus cover many sins (I Peter 1:22, 4:8).

Christians must love one another. They have been loved greatly by the Lord, and so they must love others, even if they feel others are not worthy of love. This love springs out of obedience to the Lord, which is truth. The truth is the love of God, Christ’s crucifixion, which led to the forgiveness of Christians in the first place. Christians must cover the sins of others, just as the Lord has covered their sins. 

B. Be a blessing to one another out of your calling in Christ to inherit a blessing (I Peter 3:9).

Christians should seek to be a blessing to other people, not be a burden. Christians who are burdens to others do not contribute to their sanctification, but bring them out. This call to be a blessing is out of the calling to be like Christ and inherit the forgiveness of sins and the inheritance of the Kingdom. All Christians are on track to inherit the grace and love of God for eternity, and so they must be willing to be blessings to others, showing that they have accepted the Lord’s gift in their hearts. 

C. Be hospitable to one another without complaint (I Peter 4:9).

This is a double command. Christians are to be hospitable to others. In my own experience, this is one of the best catalysts for Christian fellowship, discipleship, love, service, and all good things. Hospitality is proper stewardship of the Christian’s possessions, time, and care. This must be done without complaint. It is not an obligation as a tax is an obligation. Rather, it is a natural outworking of knowing the love of God. God has prepared a place for the Christian in heaven, His domain. The Christian who knows this will be able to give their own space to those around them, at least for an hour every once in a while. 

D. Through love, serve one another since you have been gifted to do so (I Peter 4:10).

The gifts of the Spirit and of God have been given in order to serve other people. The gifts are not for the edification of the self primarily, but for the edification of others. Now, the gift of private tongues may be for the edification of self, yet the building up of oneself is ultimately for the building up of the body. Christ’s gifts are given in order to build up His body, not to be hoarded by the individual. They must be does through serving. Additionally, they must not be used in frustration or begrudging obedience, but must be done in love, with the desire of building other people up. 

E. Clothe yourself with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (I Peter 5:5).

If Christians are not humble, they are not walking with the Spirit. Understanding the love of God requires that one humble themself and know that they are horrible sinners. Christians must repent of their actions and view of self to know that they are sinners in need of a righteous Redeemer. Those who are prideful are rejecting God. Those who reject Him will be rejected by Him. Those who are truly humble before Him are choosing Him. God chooses those who choose Him. If one is proud, they will reject and be rejected by God. However, for the humble, God will give grace and redemption, for the humble choose Christ.