Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. KJV
Do you see the instructions before God's love and peace being with us?
It says to 'be perfect. Now how in the heck can I be perfect?
In the King James original Greek, it says 'be perfected'. To me that is a process and one to strive for.
katartizó: to complete, prepare
So, the only way I know to be complete and to prepare is to be in God's Word. We must know what His Word says, meditate on it, pray and ask God for wisdom and understanding and be willing to hear and obey what He says. The only way I can be perfect (perfected) is to keep moving forward, changing where God wants me to change, repenting of sins and drawing on God's strength to put them behind me. This is a journey I want to take, to be changed and be more Christlike.
He tells us to 'be of good comfort'.
In the King James original Greek it says to 'be comforted'. Being comforted, to me, comes from someone else - someone giving me words of encouragement or just holding my hand in a difficult time.
and this is what the Greek says - parakaleó: to call to or for, to exhort, to encourage
Then we are told to 'be of one mind'. Again how the heck can we all have the same mind? same thoughts? We can know God's Word and agree that it is the Truth. We can know what He has called us to do and say. We can all desire to live for God and treat each other the way He commands.
In the King James original Greek it says 'mind (be of)'
phroneó: to have understanding, to think
