Hog-Wallow

Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,  whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery,insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:10-22

Peter, in his warnings about the false teachers who would infiltrate the Church, became more condemning of them as he continued to write this epistle. He saw this coming, and he was thoroughly disgusted by the damage they would do to the naive, unsuspecting lambs in his flock. His graphic descriptions of them tell us how sickened he was by the coming confusion these apostates would bring to the Body of Christ. This is why, in the earlier verses of chapter 2, he insisted that the believers must learn the New Testament doctrines so thoroughly that they could never be shaken from the truth.

These apostates are so bold they are not afraid to blaspheme the holy ones of God. Angels do not denounce the false teachers, but leave their judgment to God. These “natural brute beasts,” in their rebellion against God’s plan, have such hardness of heart (scar tissue of the soul) that all they can think is evil. They take advantage of the Christian fellowship meals to indulge in drinking parties. They will convince some baby believers that “God is love, so let’s get it on.” With many, their motivation is greed. Carnal Christians whose priority is money will do anything for it. Balaam did. He, a believer, was willing to curse the people of God for a fee from a foreign king (Numbers 22:7,17 and Jude 11). Of course, God didn’t allow the curse and used Balaam’s own donkey to chastise him for his evil. These folks will use their church as business connections or some will actually steal the offering money for personal use and not seem to feel any conviction about it. They may think they are somehow entitled to it? 

False teachers come in two categories: some have made professions of faith in Christ, but have never actually believed in His finished work on the cross for their salvation. So they affiliate with a local church for the aforementioned advantages (social connections, monetary gain, approbation lust). Since they are natural men, not regenerated by Christ’s imputed righteousness, they have no concept of the truths of God’s Word (I Corinthians 2:14). No spirit = no understanding of spiritual things = mercenary do-goodism. That is a frustrating, unfulfilling life, and when they tire of it they go on a frantic search for happiness, which leads them into all forms of counterfeit religions, demonism and sensuality, which leads them into blackout of the soul. All their thoughts are selfish and evil. They will tell you they know the Bible, having read it once or twice, but they have a distorted view of its teaching. On the scriptures that condemn their own attitudes and behaviors, they will try to convince you that the particular passage is mistranslated, out of context, or any number of falsehoods, to justify their own sin.

Then there is the other category. These have actually been born again, perhaps at a young age, by hearing the gospel, believing it, and receiving Jesus as their personal Savior. But they don’t learn Bible Doctrine, they don’t learn how to live the Christian Way of Life, they do not continue in Jesus’ Word and become true disciples, they do not mature into grace-oriented believers with purpose and definition for their lives. They never learn to truly love the brethren. They are lazy and negligent in their duty to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are practicing religion. Falsely. Non-productively. They have nothing of value to offer. 

The scary part is the carnal believers once knew the truth, believed the truth, and had been delivered from the defilements of the world. Now, they have allowed their lusts and emotions to overcome their spiritual common sense, to the point of total reversionism. The believer in total reversionism is just like an unbeliever. No understanding, no desire to know and please God, no real love for other believers. They’ve returned to their lusts and passions, like the dog to his vomit and the sow to her wallowing.

Both of these categories of false teachers reject the authority of God’s Word. They are driven by emotion and self-will. If they don’t like a standard of behavior, they refuse to believe that God ordained that standard, and prefer to say that those teachings are out-dated and irrelevant in today’s world. There is a prevalent attitude among these people which says: “if I want to do it, it must be okay. Anyone who doesn’t approve of my lust is simply a bigot; a wrong-thinking hater. God is love. He made me this way.” They don’t want truth. They want strokes.

Peter was beginning to see them infiltrating the Church in his lifetime. He was deeply agitated about it, and did everything he could to prepare his flock to resist this invasion of evil. Well, brethren, I recognize those people among us nowadays, don’t you? They will continue their wickedness, disguised as pastors, teachers and leaders in the local churches, until Jesus returns and separates the tares from the wheat. Until He does that, we must be ever on our guard against these wolves. They are lying in wait to devour us and our lambs. There is protection that will not fail: God’s perfect Word of Truth, resident in our souls will guard us against their distortions, no matter how cleverly they present them. 

Destructive Heresies

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 2 Peter 2:1-3

From the dawn of time, Satan has had his counterfeit religions. Humans tend to be a religious species, and Satan is delighted to give us anything to worship except the truth. If he can get people caught up in emotional do-goodism and thrilling experience, they’ll follow him straight into hell. As with Eve in the garden, he offers “superior knowledge” and distorts God’s Word (“yea, hath God said?”) to convince us we’ve been deprived of some special esoteric “spirituality.” This can be titillating, heady enticement to baby believers who want to feel special and like to think they are contributing to the “good of mankind.” Believers who are looking for excitement rather than simple reality will fall prey to the glamorous experiences, secret societies and human-good “help God” projects that are distractions from the straight-forward, fully executed plan of God. This is arrogance! God’s plan is grace. There is no salvation or spirituality in human works or wisdom, or in demonic works or wisdom. Morality does not save. Human scientific achievement does not save. Legalisms do not save. Jesus Christ saves, by the Work He has already done on the cross.

Because of “them” (the false teachers who deny the completeness of the work of Christ), society and religion blaspheme the “way of truth.” Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the way of truth. No one comes to the Father but by Jesus Christ (John 14:6). That way is blasphemed, daily, by religious, self-righteous hypocrites who will say such things as “when a person says to me that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, I don’t wanna hear anything else he has to say.” I heard a prominent, conservative talk show host who is Roman Catholic speak those words once, and I haven’t wanted to hear anything else HE has to say. “They,” the greedy exploiters of our stupidity, were condemned long ago. Their fate awaits them. OUR job is to not be taken in by them, or allow our fellow believers to be taken in by their sensuality (KJV: pernicious ways, self-destructive ways). All this rebellion against the authority of God and this rejection of His grace to all mankind (even to themselves, for whom Christ also died) is based in human self-indulgence, which is taken advantage of (exploited) by Satan to try and usurp the authority of God.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;  if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;  and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked  (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);  then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,  and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. 2 Peter 2:4-10

In eternity past, the brightest and most beautiful of God’s Archangels became proud and arrogant and in his sensuality, he rebelled against his creator. He challenged the authority of the Sovereign of the universe. About a third of the angelic host bought into his selfish scheme, and joined him in his rebellion. They had to be evicted from their heavenly positions, and were given access to earth. This is found in Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:13-14).

These fallen angels, Satan included, are commonly known as demons. They are more powerful and smarter than humans, but are not omnipotent or omniscient or omnipresent. They are finite creatures who can  be in only one place at a time. They do not die. They have been alive for eons, observing us. They know everything about the human psyche and human behaviors, but they cannot read our minds. They love to influence us for evil, but cannot make us do anything against our will. They cannot override human volition. They must resort to trickery to use us for their evil debauchery, and they are experts at that. Their schemes run the gamut from outright lasciviousness (nasty physical and mental lust patterns; ugly sins) to self-righteous morality (think: the “green” movement, which is even being practiced in some local churches today. Think: the “love everybody and never express an opinion” attitude which brings out belligerence in those who despise God’s standards. Those are aesthetic sins.) These are expressions of human good, which is no good, and is promoted by Satan himself, to distract us from the truth about salvation by faith alone in Christ alone.

The most sexually lustful of those demons, in the years before the great flood, infiltrated the human race by raping human women or enticing them into sexual relationships which resulted in the conception of super-human beings (“giants” Genesis chapter 6). There was rampant evil in the earth. The true human race was about to be obliterated. The problem? The Messiah must be true human! A human-angel hybrid cannot save us. That’s what brought about God’s judgment by flooding the entire world, destroying every living, breathing thing that wasn’t on the ark with Noah and his family. Satan’s attempt to circumvent God’s plan by defiling the race didn’t work, and those fallen angels were incarcerated in chains of darkness until such time as they are let loose “for a little season” again upon the earth. Those are the ones Peter refers to here, also mentioned in Jude 6, who stand as examples of God’s judgment on those who rebel against Him and try to distort His truth.

All the fallen angels were not involved in that pre-flood infiltration, and are not incarcerated. Many of them are still at large, doing all the damage they can, such as those who influenced the homosexuals of Sodom and Gomorrah to dominate the whole society to the point of total annihilation of those cities. Lot and his righteous family barely escaped that destruction, with the help of God’s righteous angels. Those same demons who are at large in the world were influencing the false teachers of the early church to distort the Word of God and confuse the baby believers who lived by their emotions and admired pseudo-intellect more than they loved the Lord Jesus Christ. They are still at work today, using those same tactics, because they know they work with weak believers who lust for attention and “feeling.”

Peter’s point: God knows exactly how to deal with those demons and those who are allowing themselves to be used by them. He knows who they are, where they are, and exactly what each has done to try to prevent lost souls from hearing the gospel and to prevent saved souls from growing in grace and knowledge. He has their destiny defined. It is certain. It will occur. The destiny of the false teachers is also a certainty waiting to happen. Those who indulge in defiling lusts and who despise authority will meet the judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ, because they have chosen to reject His grace.

The Drill

Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. 2 Peter 1:12-15

“Therefore,” because 1) we share a faith in the perfect salvation purchased for us by Jesus Christ; because 2) God’s grace and peace continue to be multiplied to us; because 3) we are now Royal Family of God and have certain family standards to maintain, for our continued growth to maturity; because 4) if we do not attend to cultivating these characteristics of godliness, we will be confused in our faith and stunted in our spiritual growth….easy targets for the devil’s deception….THEREFORE….as long as Peter drew breath, his priority was to keep the Church reminded of these basic truths….”even though you know them”….and are stabilized in the truths you understand. Stability is the Christian’s greatest personal asset in the devil’s world. We must stand upon the truth we know, and continue to build upon that. If what we see, hear or feel in our studies and experiences conflict with what the apostles have already taught us about God’s plan of grace, then the “new” information is false. If we are well established in truth, we will immediately be alert to that which is false. That’s why we don’t spend inordinate amounts of time and energy studying cults. When you know the real, you will know the counterfeit.

The way we become stabilized in our faith is by REPETITION of doctrine! You didn’t learn any science, math, language or philosophy by having it presented one time. You continued to study and read and practice and drill in that discipline until you could pass the final exam. Then, if you were continuing in a profession, you took refresher courses. Repetition teaches! Peter considered it “right,” his pastoral duty, to drill his Church in these basic doctrines as long as he was present with them to do it. He offered no apology for the repetition. Whiny, wimpy, emotional baby believers who complain about being bored with a pastor’s repetitious teaching are spoiled brats who don’t understand their responsibility to learn God’s will and God’s way. Peter’s objective was to “stir you up” by continual reminders of the grace they had been given and the Righteousness of the One Who gave it.

Peter knew he would not be physically with his flock much longer. He was making “every effort” to burn Bible doctrine into their brains before he was taken away. It was necessary to their spiritual survival to recall those things at any given time.

What are the things you will always remember? They are the things you can never forget. The alphabet. Multiplication tables. Basic grammar. Nursery rhymes and songs. If you’re a soldier, close order drill. Drilled. Over and over until you can recite them in your sleep, upside down and backwards. This works with scripture memorization. It works with categories of doctrine. When you are away from home, captive and hungry, desperate for something familiar, what will you have left? Your memories! If your memories are categories of doctrine and promises of God (Faith-Rest), those memories will carry you through whatever ordeal you may have to face. Any time Peter spent drilling his Church in basic doctrine was time well invested. He had important work to do and precious little time to do it. This was urgent. They were about to face intense persecution from Rome, and Peter knew he was not going to be there to help them endure. They would have to support each other with the love, grace and confidence that they had learned and stored as they received it from their pastor’s faithful teaching.

Every scripture we memorize, every category of doctrine we learn and store becomes part of our eternal soul. Those things are in our memory banks, to be recalled whenever and wherever the need arises. As we grow up in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we can call those things up just because we enjoy the fragrance of them as we go about our daily lives. Even if we are not carrying a printed Bible at all times, we have great portions of it stored in our souls to think about and share along the way.

For we did not follow cleverly devised  myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,”  we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,  knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:16-21

“We:” (Peter, Paul and the other apostles and writers of Holy scripture) didn’t just sit down and make this stuff up! The gospel of Jesus Christ is of utmost importance to us and to you. There is nothing more important or more true in the believer’s life than knowledge of the Word of God. Peter, James and John  SAW Jesus in His glorious majesty on the mount of transfiguration. They HEARD the voice of the Father commending Jesus and commanding them to shut up and listen to Him. Even so, Peter knew that the words of the ancient prophets were equally as important as the living witness of the Church age apostles, because they all came from the same source: Sovereign God! Not men, but God speaking through the men, by enablement of  the Holy Spirit.

The written Word of God in its original languages is plenary, meaning full and complete; it is verbal, meaning specific words, not just general concepts; it is inspired, meaning God-breathed. Some men were chosen to write God’s complete, specific, inspired words to be preserved and taught to mankind throughout history. No human and no group of humans could have authored such a perfect work. It is God’s work. He gave it. Certain men recorded it. You and I learn it, love it and live by it.

We are abundantly blessed.

  

Servant and Apostle

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:1-11

Simon Peter is identified as the author of this epistle. He considered himself a bond-servant (slave) and had been appointed an apostle (one sent on a mission) of Jesus Christ.

The epistle is addressed to those whose faith is the same kind as his own; namely, belief in the perfect person and finished work of Jesus Christ, made available to us through the righteousness of “our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” In His matchless grace, he took all our sins and gave us His perfect Righteousness (+R). This faith is a permanent relationship with the Lord and supersedes all religions, which have nothing to offer but frustration in those working to try to earn salvation. Faith equal to Peter’s own is the only faith that saves.

God’s grace (unmerited favor) to us always comes before God’s own perfect peace in us, and both are multiplied in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. At gospel hearing, we perceive God’s grace to us helpless sinners. Then, as we comprehend and believe the gospel, we receive the marvelous peace which comes from being delivered out of the condemnation of our own sins. Now, having received in ourselves the Holy Spirit, we are God’s family. As children do, we grow and learn about our family; who we are, Who our Father is, and what He has provided for us. That knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ increases our assurance and our sense of destiny and purpose in our Father’s plan of grace. The more we grow spiritually, the more we know of our Lord Jesus Christ. That produces peace in us, which is then multiplied in us as we continue to perceive the grace plan in which we live eternally. God’s grace, peace and love in us are ALWAYS multiplied. That’s important to remember. We never have to worry that there won’t be enough for the long haul.

In our spiritual sonship of God we are given the same nature as Jesus Christ, and it is our duty to add to our saving faith virtue (excellence with energy), knowledge (of God’s Word), self-control, steadfastness (stability of faith), godliness (divine viewpoint), brotherly affection (philo-delphios) for believers and unconditional love (agape) for all mankind.

An active faith will consciously cultivate these characteristics, which will continue to grow and multiply in the life of the believer, spilling over to all of our surroundings. Continuing in the practice of these qualities will keep our spiritual senses sharp and productive in our Christian walk.

An inactive faith will “dry up on the vine,” to the degree that the believer who neglects the cultivation of this divine knowledge forgets Whose he is, and what he was left on this earth to do. Diligence of growth and production is the issue for the believer in the devil’s world. We who are saved and know it must grow up, past the baby stage of crying for our Lord’s attention. We have His attention. He has given us His all. In our gratitude for His grace, let us apply our souls to learning everything we can about Him and His perfect Word of Truth. That Word is the source of our knowledge; our access to His grace, which brings us personal peace in all our circumstances of life.

Thereby we maintain conscious awareness of our citizenship in the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Second of Peter

Following the early Church fathers through their New Testament epistles, we now come to the 2nd Epistle of Peter. Knowing the author, the time and the circumstances of a particular book are important to the appreciation and understanding of the doctrines presented in that book. I love and use several study Bibles every day. I find the text notes of Scofield and Ryrie are the best, doctrinally. The Master Study Bible has many helpful references which I enjoy using. By far the best book introductions are found in the Open Bible. I recently expressed this opinion to my son, who pastors a church and teaches New Testament courses and Greek at Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Little Rock. He wholeheartedly agreed, and said the Open Bible book introductions are the ones he always uses in his classes. So, here I share with you excerpts from the Open Bible introduction to

THE BOOK OF 2 PETER

First Peter deals with problems from the outside; 2 Peter deals with problems from the inside. Peter writes to warn the believers about the false teachers who are peddling damaging doctrine. He begins by urging them to keep close watch on their personal lives. The Christian life demands diligence in pursuing moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and selfless love. By contrast, the false teachers are sensual, arrogant, greedy, and covetous. They scoff at the thought of future judgment and live their lives as if the present would be the pattern for the future. Peter reminds them that although God may be longsuffering in sending judgment, ultimately it will come. In view of that fact, believers should live lives of godliness, blamelessness, and steadfastness. The statement of authorship in 1:1 is very clear: “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ.” To distinguish this epistle from the first by Peter it was given the Greek title Petrou B, “Second of Peter.”

THE TIME OF 2 PETER Most scholars regard 3:1 (“Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle”) as a reference to 1 Peter. If this is so, Peter had the same readers of Asia Minor in mind (see “The Time of 1 Peter”), although the more general salutation in 1:1 would also allow for a wider audience. Peter wrote this epistle in response to the spread of heretical teachings which were all the more insidious because they emerged from within the churches. These false teachers perverted the doctrine of justification and promoted a rebellious and immoral way of life. This epistle was written just before the apostle’s death (1:14), probably from Rome. His martyrdom took place between A.D. 64 and 66 (if Peter were alive in A.D. 67 when Paul wrote 2 Timothy during his second Roman imprisonment, it is likely that Paul would have mentioned him).

Key Word: Guard Against False Teachers—The basic theme that runs through 2 Peter is the contrast between the knowledge and practice of truth versus falsehood. This epistle is written to expose the dangerous and seductive work of false teachers, and to warn believers to be on their guard so that they will not be “led away with the error of the wicked” (3:17). It is also written to exhort the readers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:18), because this growth into Christian maturity is the best defense against spiritual counterfeits. This letter serves to remind its readers of the foundational elements in the Christian life from which they must not waver (1:12, 13; 3:1, 2). This includes the certainty of the Lord’s return in power and judgment.

Nelson, Thomas (2006-04-11). Open Bible, NKJV (Kindle Locations 123073-123081). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

The Roaring Lion

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. I Peter 5:6-11

God’s timing is perfect. God’s plan is perfect. Each of us believers is in full-time Christian service; on active duty in the angelic conflict. Our orders are to be studied up, prayed up and always on the alert for opportunity to witness to God’s grace plan of salvation. We are not to crow and brag and openly challenge authority, but be humble in our love for Jesus Christ and the brethren. In humility, we give our burdens to the Lord, Who knows and cares what we are anxious about. When the believer is prepared with the filling of the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine resident in the soul, God will bring the opportunities. Some of those opportunities will be pleasant and personally fulfilling, such as when an unbeliever inquires about salvation, or a baby believer needs our support in learning, or prayer for guidance on his way to maturity.

Some of our opportunities in the devil’s world are decidedly UNpleasant, such as when we come under attack for our belief in Jesus Christ, or for our adherence to God’s standard of living; when we are falsely accused of being bigoted haters because we insist on the gospel as Jesus Himself presented it: “no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). These days we are faced daily with those who reject God’s standards, and in their rebellion against the Word of God, they accuse anyone who disapproves of their lifestyle of being “UNChristian.” This always begs the question, of course: how do they know what is unchristian, since they themselves have rejected Christ? “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14). It is the devil’s own distortion of God’s grace teaching of unconditional love. We are taught to love our fellow-man, and especially the Christian brethren. We are NOT taught to accept as right and normal whatever rebellion they choose to flaunt.

In God’s “proper time,” His perfect time, He will use our opportunity for witness to give us success and reward. There is no greater reward for the believer in time than to see his witness received and believed, and even shared, by one who desperately needs salvation, renewal to the faith, or spiritual guidance. That was Jesus’ “food that ye know not of,” as He told His disciples in John chapter 4. It is the elixir of the believer’s life.

The devil and his hordes stay busy, prowling the earth in search of Christians to harass and neutralize; in search of unbelievers to hinder from hearing our truth. He wants to devour us and sabotage the plan of God; though actually, he cannot if we are confident of our faith in the perfect provision of Jesus Christ. We know there is nothing the devil can do to interfere with our position IN CHRIST. We stand firm on that knowledge, realizing also that there are Christians throughout the globe at any given time, who are enduring the same sufferings and pressures we are, and depending on the same Lord to strengthen and secure their faith. It is God Who restores my depleted energy, confirms my permanent position IN CHRIST, strengthens my resolve and establishes my sense of purpose and destiny. It is God Who stabilizes us in our faith as we grow to maturity, resisting all the evil trickery that Satan can throw our way. It is God, the Sovereign of the universe, who remains in charge of history and of our daily lives, yesterday, today and forever.

By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. I Peter 5:12-14

Peter apparently dictated this letter to Silvanus and confirms his own authorship: “This is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.” He states that he and some fellow believers are in Babylon. There has been some speculation that Peter was referring to Rome as Babylon, but J. Vernon McGee points out that Peter wasn’t cryptic by nature, and that if he said it was Babylon, that is where he was. I tend to believe that, too. The kiss of love was common greeting between like-minded brethren. Peter advised his flock to continue that practice.

I have great respect and admiration for this former boisterous fisherman who became such a stalwart leader of the Church. He had failed most miserably, at the arrest of Jesus, and was consumed by shame. Jesus had warned Peter in Luke 22:31-32 that Satan would try to ensnare him. It had soon become a reality in Peter’s experience, and now he was warning the Church about it.  Jesus didn’t ever count him out, however, and gave him that wonderful opportunity to declare his love for the Lord three times—the same number of times he had previously denied the Lord (John 21:16-18). From that time, he never looked back again, but dedicated his life to obeying the command of Jesus to “feed my sheep.” What a magnificent teacher!

J. C. Metcalfe faithfully writes: "It is more than comforting to realize that it is those who have plumbed the depths of failure to whom God invariably gives the call to shepherd others. This is not a call given to the gifted, the highly trained, or the polished as such.

"Without a bitter experience of their own inadequacy and poverty they are quite unfitted to bear the burden of spiritual ministry. It takes a man who has discovered something of the measures of his own weakness to be patient with the foibles of others. Such a man also has a first-hand knowledge of the loving care of the Chief Shepherd, and His ability to heal one who has come humbly to trust in Him and Him alone. Therefore he does not easily despair of others, but looks beyond sinfulness, willfulness, and stupidity, to the might of unchanging love. The Lord Jesus does not give the charge, 'Be a shepherd to My lambs ... to My sheep,' on hearing Peter's self-confident affirmation of undying loyalty, but He gives it after he has utterly failed to keep his vows and has wept bitterly in the streets of Jerusalem."

          --from The Green Letters--Preparation

The Shepherd and the Flock

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” I Peter 5:1-4

 The “elder” was and is the pastor of a local Church. Among the spiritual gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation is the gift of pastor-teacher. This man is the one who studies God’s Word and disseminates it to the congregation. He is a teacher, expositor and the human authority in that local body. He is not the final authority, because that position belongs to the Word itself. Therefore, if the pastor is teaching something that contradicts the written Word of God, he is wrong. The pastor’s most important priority must be to study and accurately teach the Word of God. All other pastoral duties spring from the studying and teaching of the Word. That is his position and responsibility above all else, because without his godly leadership the sheep will be scattered and confused. Because of this priority, there must be others in the local church who will do ministry among the believers as well as helping to evangelize the lost in the area. We are to learn accurate doctrine under the leadership of our pastor and then take that knowledge and apply it to our own souls and share it with the community. We are to take the truths we learn and use them to serve within the congregation and throughout our surroundings.

If a pastor is spending most of his time visiting the sick, attending local events, and counseling baby believers, he is taking that time and attention away from his studies. If he doesn’t have enough time to study properly, he will not be thoroughly prepared to deliver God's message and teach his people when they gather to worship and learn. When a believer in a local church realizes that he doesn’t quite understand the doctrine or how to apply it, instead of expecting the pastor to tutor him, he should seek the guidance of a more mature believer under that pastor’s authority and he should make sure he is in attendance when the pastor is teaching the congregation. If one regularly attends Bible class and worship services that the pastor is teaching, and if he pays attention to what is being taught, and if he prays for the Holy Spirit’s help in comprehending the doctrines and making personal application, he WILL grow in grace and knowledge. I believe in taking notes as the pastor teaches. This helps with your concentration on what he is saying, and you have a permanent record when you need to refresh your memory of that teaching, or look up references for your own private study.

This office was of great importance to Peter, both for himself and for the fellow pastors whom he wished to encourage. He and the other original apostles had evangelized and trained many of these men, who now were pastors of local churches. His advice: keep your priorities straight. SHEPHERD THE FLOCK OF GOD! That is your job. God gave you that job. You are an overseer of the people of God. Your willing attitude will be your best asset, not your grudging sense of duty. Not for money, as some cultists do, but because you are driven to teach the Word, joyfully, to those who are willing to learn. You are a pastor, a shepherd, a teacher; not a dictator. You are their guide, not their ruler. The pastor is not of any higher rank than any other believer, he just has a highly visible gift and a position of great responsibility. He should lead by example, not by decree. Peter did not ever claim superiority over the brethren.

The pastors have a specific reward awaiting them for faithful service: the unfading crown of glory, awarded to them by the Chief Shepherd Himself—Jesus Christ, at the judgment seat evaluation of all believers.

Humility should be practiced by all believers. We who are not pastors should exercise our spiritual gifts under the leadership of the pastor. That’s the way the Church works. We are an organism, a universal body, the head of which is Jesus Christ. We will accomplish nothing of value unless we understand and submit to the system of authority God has ordained within the body. We, as individual believers do not have to be recognized or applauded or admired. Our gifts may be of the low profile variety, but they are not any less important. It takes all of the body parts to function as a whole. Kidneys are not visible, but we cannot survive physically without them. We don’t even have to know what our particular gift is; if we are faithfully submitting to the authoritative teaching of the pastor and making our lives available for the service of the Church, the gift is functioning.

Whatever gift we have, whatever position we serve in the Church, pride is not an asset. It is always a hindrance to the work of "God, who opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." What is humility? It is grace-orientation. Kindness and generosity to one another. Love of the brethren. Willingness to learn. Patience. Respecting the pastor and the other members. Realizing that my gift is one of support, not of leadership. That is a wonderful gift to have, because the leadership always needs our support, and always appreciates it. The congregation does, too.

Sober Watchfulness

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. I Peter 4:7-11

Peter, Paul and all the early Church fathers had a sense of urgency about the soon return of Jesus Christ for His Church. All of us who are born-again share that belief, that He’s coming soon. Since there is no timetable given for that event, it could be any moment. Peter wanted us to keep that in mind as we live our lives. Be constantly ready to meet the Lord when He appears. That will be the end of all things regarding our earthly production. Be alert, aware of how our conduct affects our own thought pattern and the attitudes of others with whom we have to do. If we get sloppy and self-indulgent, we will easily get out of fellowship with God, and then our prayers will not be according to His will and our petitions will not be granted.

It is of major importance to love the brethren. When we love someone, we will not be quick to criticize or take offense at their behaviors. We don’t gossip about people we love, but we honor them and seek to share with them whatever spiritual and material blessings we have. We don’t become exasperated with someone’s lack of Bible knowledge if we love him, but we pray for him and try to help him understand. We will be hospitable and generous with those we love, without complaining. Each of us believers has received a spiritual gift for the work of the Church, and those gifts should be used to edify and serve one another, contributing to the growth of all. If your gift is speaking, understand you are to share the word of God; if your gift is service, you will be strengthened by God for the service you provide. The work is God’s. He has called us to it and gifted us for the ministry of His Work.

This love of the brethren is not emotional, “feel-good,” warm fuzzies. LOVE IS A DECISION THAT YOU MAKE. We love the brethren  in direct obedience to the command of Jesus Christ (John 13:34-35, John 15:12,17). It is the expression of benevolence. And yes, we can decide to do this, and we can as believers cultivate that love. That conscious decision changes our attitude toward our fellow believers. We have the same Savior and share in His destiny. We are family. Family has each other’s backs. Oh, and that multitude of sin love covers is not the brother’s. It is ours. The sinful attitudes we were harboring toward the brother are stifled by the love we are now demonstrating to him. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs 10:12

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. I Peter 4:12-19

Jesus told us we would suffer because of our identification with Him. Peter and Paul, in their epistles to the Churches, have told us we would suffer because of our identification with Jesus. It is part of our grace package. Those who believe Jesus and love Him and fashion our lives after Him WILL suffer because of that identification, because the world hates the gospel. They like to quote the “love” teachings, but despise all references to the sovereignty, righteousness and justice of God the Son. It is true He loves all mankind, enough to give His life to save us; but it was the sovereignty, righteousness and justice of God that required His life to save us.

Since we have been repeatedly forewarned about this suffering because of the Name of Christ, Peter says we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens to us. It is to be expected, since we represent Jesus in the world. It is a great compliment to the believer in Jesus Christ to share His sufferings. We should actually rejoice that we are considered worthy to do that. That can only be true if the Holy Spirit is evident in our lives. The believer who commits crimes or sins against his brother, and is punished, is not suffering for Christ’s sake, but because of his own carnality. Suffering for the Name of Jesus is something to thank God for. We believers will someday stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, to have our spiritual production evaluated and rewarded (2 Corinthians 5:10). We will be evaluated first, before the unbelievers meet their final judgment. In anticipation of that, let’s keep our attitude one of love and grace and thanksgiving for every opportunity God gives us to faithfully represent Him in the devil's world.

Suffering and Growth

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. I Peter 4:1-6

Christ suffered in the flesh. Indeed, that was the only way He could suffer, and the reason He became flesh—in order to suffer for the penalty of our sins. A spirit cannot suffer or die. As we grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and His work, we become more like Him in our attitude of grace and love. Our suffering as Christians will be because of our identification with Him. He clearly warned of this.

John 15:18-25 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  Whoever hates me hates my Father also.  If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.'

Christian suffering is suffering BECAUSE I am a Christian. It is persecution by the world, who hate and distrust what they cannot understand. All humans have common adversities; believers, unbelievers, all categories of people; illnesses, economic distresses, taxes and death. But only born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ suffer for His sake, because of our identification with Him and His cross. Now, if I am suffering because of my identification with Jesus, that indicates that the world can see Him in me. If the world is seeing Him in me, it means I am no longer thinking and behaving like the world. I have ceased from practicing sin as my way of life! No, not living a totally sinless life; that is not possible in these bodies, but less worldly and more spirit-filled; more like my Lord. I have outgrown those former indulgences of the flesh.

That behavior is in the past, when we were unregenerate Gentiles. We actually thought that lascivious behavior was fun! Our former friends still think so, and wonder why we don’t want to join in the partying anymore. They ridicule us as stuffed-shirt, religious fanatics who are afraid to relax and enjoy the feasts, orgies and merry-making. They have no concept of the pure pleasure we have in our fellowship with God and with like-minded believers who love God’s word. The world has nothing to offer that can compare to the life of grace and peace.

Even those who have lived and died in previous generations have had opportunity to hear the gospel, for every unbeliever will meet a judgment and give an account of his rejection of God’s grace. Even our idolatrous former friends.

Christians suffer in many ways and for many reasons. The sufferings we endure which are common to all mankind enable us to proclaim our faith in the perfect provision of Jesus Christ in all circumstances of life. Even when facing the death of our loved ones, “we sorrow not as others (unbelievers), which have no hope (no confidence of eternal life).” I Thessalonians 4:13. Those human adversities, as painfully intense as they are, give opportunity for the Christian and his family to demonstrate the stability and assurance we have in God’s perfect plan of grace, knowing nothing can affect our lives unless God allows it for a reason. When unbelievers suffer these same adversities, they do not have that assurance to comfort them through it.

Our sufferings, therefore, are opportunity to present our testimony to the world, and they are tests that confirm and strengthen our own faith. We don’t know what we know or how we will apply what we know until we are tested by fire. We are not proving anything to God in these trials, He is proving something to us, about ourselves.

I have to mention that there are ways Christians suffer that are absolutely invisible and unknown to anyone but that individual, God, and Satan himself. There is an anguish of soul that can be almost unbearable, when a believer lives with and loves someone who has contempt for his faith. When the thing you love most in the universe—Bible doctrine—is despised, resented and ridiculed by the humans you love most, your heart breaks daily. Remember you are not alone. Jesus knows. And the one who is causing your pain knows not.

“…but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13

Jesus knows exactly what you are enduring. He endured it, too, in His humanity and He endures it in His glory, because many He died to save reject His atonement and despise His Word. The Apostle Paul endured it, because his people, the Jews, hated everything he stood for as a preacher of the gospel, which was his very life. We can escape into the comfort of God's perfect Word of Truth, claiming this promise and others that tell us there will be relief. Our Lord is walking with us. We must remain steadfast. What else can we do? To whom shall we go? No one else has these words of eternal life.

Those words of life carry us through and give us a reason for being. Our purpose, our destiny is in those words. Psalm 119:49-51:

Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law.

For Righteousness' Sake

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. I Peter 3:13-17

We who belong to God are His own possessions. If we are being persecuted, He has allowed it for our testimony and our eventual blessing. We need not fear adversity as long as in our conduct we are honoring our Lord. He honors those who keep His Word. In His will, we have nothing to fear.

“always being prepared to make a defense” is not a command to debate, as some have said. It means to be studied up on our Bible doctrine and prayed up at all times, so that when “anyone ASKS for a reason for the hope that is in us” we are ready to respond with the truth of God’s Word. “the hope that is in us” is our absolute confidence in the salvation we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. “Hope” is not wishful thinking. Biblical hope is certain knowledge of what to expect. Confident anticipation. We give these answers with a respectful attitude, not in a confrontational manner, knowing that when we are accused of being self-righteous, judgmental prigs (and we will be accused of that, and more), we will know that is is simply the slander of evil people who hate what we represent. Therefore, when we suffer, it will be for doing good that is honoring to God (divine production), not for doing evil.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,  in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. I Peter 3:18-22

Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, suffered the ultimate agony for the sins of the unrighteous, you and me. He did that so we could be members of His Royal Family forever. As His body died, His living spirit actually went to the imprisoned spirits in Tartarus (the abode of the unbelieving dead), to make a “Victorious Proclamation” ("proclaimed:" Greek kerusso--to herald, especially divine truth.) that His work of atonement was finished and that they (Satan’s hordes) had lost the war. There are other interpretations of this passage, but Peter does plainly say that Christ “in the spirit, went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison…” and those spirits are identified as the ones who did not obey the gospel as presented by Noah before the flood.

This is directly related to the angelic conflict, in which Satan and his followers (fallen angels) have always tried to usurp the authority of God, and sabotage the plan of God. Part of this conspiracy involved the angelic infiltration of the human race before the flood, told in Genesis chapter 6, wherein there were human-angel hybrids born on the earth who had superhuman characteristics. They were offered salvation for 120 years as the ark was being constructed, and they rejected it. Those demons who perpetrated the act of impregnating human women are incarcerated “in chains of darkness” (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6) and we know that angelic beings who move freely about are not capable of that kind of reproduction anymore (Matthew 22:30).

Noah and his family, just eight souls, were protected through that worldwide flood. That was a prefigure of Christian baptism, since they had identified themselves with God’s plan of grace. We identify ourselves with God’s plan of grace by placing our faith in the finished work of His perfect Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. By believing in Him, we are placed by the Holy Spirit IN HIM forever. That is our permanent position.

People and circumstances can come and go; our own obedience can wax and wane, but our position IN CHRIST never changes. It is the work of God, not our work that saves us. It is the work of God, not our work that keeps us. Our eternal life does not depend on our weakness and stupidity, but on the eternal essence of almighty God, the creator and sustainer of the universe. We are Jesus’ representatives in this world. Simple gratitude should motivate us to represent Him honorably and well, as He is representing us at the right hand of God, in the presence of angels, authorities and powers. Thank you, Lord.

Wives and Husbands

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. I Peter 3:1-7

This is a category a lot of us wives would just as soon skip, especially when there is spiritual inequality in the marriage, and emotional stress. Ideally, the husband would be a born-again believer in Jesus Christ and the spiritual leader of his household, but all households are not ideal. In the early Church, as now, the wife may be saved and the husband not, or vice-versa, and that always sets up tension between the partners.

Peter’s directive to the wife: respect the delegated authority of your husband, even though he is not a believer. God honors His system of authority because it protects and preserves the marriage and children—indeed, the human race. God honors your faith, even though you must practice it without the support of your husband. Here’s the advice: DON’T NAG! Nagging and self-righteous sniping will only generate resentment and hostility in the unbelieving mate. He’s likely looking for something to be suspicious of, since he does not understand your faith. That will make your own Christian service more difficult and cause you to become secretive and resentful, yourself. By your respectful conduct, your unconditional love for him and your submission to his authority as head of your household, your testimony will have impact without words. As you grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, your inner beauty will become even more appealing than any external adornment you can fashion. God cherishes the gentle confidence of a mature believer, and actually, unbelievers do, too. They don’t know why, but God does, and will honor you all the more with greater knowledge and inner peace as you conduct your daily life with your husband.

Believing husbands, too, are advised to treat their wives honorably, with compassion for their weaker physiques, protecting and nurturing them as you anticipate your shared inheritance of grace.

Marital conflict hinders the prayers of the believer. Honor and respect each other so as not to hinder your prayers. We have enough distractions in life without creating our own.

This is actually a pet subject of mine. Married people, whether believers, unbelievers or both, can become really disrespectful of one another. It is shameful conduct, when practiced in public, and I can see no reason for being rude to the love of your life even in private. My question to husbands, wives, and all family members: “why are you kinder and more polite to strangers than to the people you love?” I can think of no acceptable reason for that. It is also a fact that you receive the same kind of treatment you give. Treat your spouse with respect and dignity and that is what you’ll get in return. Maybe not immediately, if he’s really dense, but eventually his response will match your example. And eventually he’ll realize that your respectful attitude is not because he’s so wonderful, but because your Lord is. That is our witness.

I Peter 3:8-12:

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days,
let him keep 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.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Submission to Authority

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. I Peter 2:13-25

We, who belong to Jesus Christ are instructed to be like Him; to learn His Word and emulate His ways. Our Lord never challenged the existing authority. He knew Who He was and what He came to do, and He did it within the framework of the government of Rome. He taught grace in the face of legalistic Judaism, but He did it within the acceptable practices of the day, by preaching in the streets and by teaching in the synagogues and temple. He never broke any law of Judiasm or of Rome. He was falsely accused and condemned by legalistic religion, which used Rome’s legal system to put Him to death. That was the result of religious conspiracy, not because of any wrongdoing by Jesus.

Challenging authority, rioting, demonstrating, demanding our “rights” are not the acceptable methods for Christians to represent our Lord. He didn’t demonstrate. He didn’t shout. He never demanded. He had the message of salvation by grace, given by a loving Heavenly Father Whom He, the Son, represented. He had the confidence of Truth; HIS Truth, which would be understood by those who were willing to learn His Word and thereby be made free. Isaiah 42:1-4:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.*

This prophesies the demeanor of our Lord in His incarnation. He is our example for Christian conduct.

God’s system is authority. Proper authority protects the freedom of the nation and the individuals in it. Without a system of authority there is anarchy, which leads to chaos. In anarchy and chaos, no one is free, because everyone is at the mercy of whoever chooses to bully you or take advantage of whatever weakness you may have. *For those who will note Jesus' ejection of the money-changers in the temple: Jesus WAS the authority over the temple, and the merchants were conducting illegal exchanges for profit within its gates. He would not tolerate such corruption of "My Father's house." (John 2:13-16). 

If, when we are disobedient and just plain wrong, we are disciplined for it, that is to be expected. There’s no credit for enduring that just punishment. If, when we are obedient and right, we are wronged and abused, we should still endure, because it is the demonstration of grace that we learned from our Savior, who suffered unfair treatment, false accusation and brutal torture, though He had done no wrong. He endured this for us, who ARE sinners. In so doing, He healed our sin disease.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake…Philippians 1:29

He suffered for our salvation. In this world, as His own peculiar people, we will suffer for our identification with Him. He took that suffering graciously. As His representatives here, we should also take adversity graciously. That is honoring to our Lord  and it is respectful to His delegated authorities. It gives the world no legitimacy for criticizing us.

It is the right thing to do.

Peculiar People

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. I Peter 2:9-12

“But” sets up a contrast to those mentioned in verse 8, who stumble over the rock of offense (Jesus Christ), because they disobey the Word, as they were destined to do (Romans 9:22, Jude 4). Salvation is available to everyone; whosoever is willing to believe in the finished work of the Savior. God is omniscient, and always knew which humans would receive that atonement and which ones would reject it. Those who reject it are destined to remain spiritually dead, and blind to the truth of the gospel.

“But YOU,” believers, are a chosen race. We were born first after Adam’s kind; sinful. Spiritually dead. In the new birth, we become New Species, of which Christ is the firstborn (Colossians 1:12-15). We are chosen IN HIM to be God’s own people, with active human spirits and indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. We, as God’s new race of people, are royal priests. Israel HAD a priesthood to lead in ritual and teach God’s Word. The Church IS a priesthood. Each believer has full access to God, because we are His family. He is our Father. We do not need a mediator to facilitate our relationship with Him. We represent ourselves before the throne of grace.

We, the Church, are a holy nation. “Holy” means set apart unto God. We presently live in the world, but we are aliens here. We are citizens of God’s kingdom, representing Him here on temporary assignment. In the KJV the next phrase is “peculiar" people. That’s a wonderful word, and I like to keep it in mind when reading this passage, but in modern vernacular it has come to mean “somewhat strange.” Yeah, that usually applies, too, to us Bible-wavers, as compared to the worldlings, but in this passage the literal meaning is as given: “a people for God’s own possession.” We are of God’s clan. We have characteristics “peculiar,” or specific to a people who belong to God. All humans are not God’s children, even though most folks like to say so. Only born-again believers in Jesus Christ are God’s children (Galatians 3:26). We are peculiar (special, different), in our thoughts, attitudes, world-view, expectations, eternal destiny, and in our confidence in the perfect provision of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Having such a family connection with the Sovereign of the universe makes us different from the unregenerate, natural men. And it is a permanent condition.

We got this new identification because God Himself called us out of the world’s darkness and into His supernatural, holy light. Our job is to proclaim our Lord’s excellence to the world. We were once nothing and nobody. In terms of spirituality, unbelievers don’t exist. They are spiritually dead. That’s why an unbeliever can’t “give” God anything. His works don’t count. Not then, not now, not ever. We are now God’s people. Before, we were condemned. Now we have received His mercy.

As visitors to this planet (sojourners and exiles) from the kingdom of God, we must not let the passions of our Adam-nature overwhelm us. Those fleshly lusts war against the soul of the ambassador of Christ, rendering us incapable of properly representing our Lord if we allow them control over us. It is important to keep our conduct honorable. The natives WILL speak evil of us. They will be suspicious and envious and offended by our faith, which is freely available to them, though they choose to reject it. Many would rather reject and hate than receive and become. This erects in them a barrier of distrust and misunderstanding for the work we do and the gospel we preach. We, like Jeremiah, MUST continue to preach (Jeremiah 20:9), but we must do it in a way that is always honoring to our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t give them cause to judge our actions and motives.  The gospel must stand on its own, without unnecessary distraction from sloppy Christians. Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the only issue in salvation. Not the bad behavior of undisciplined Christians. Our work is for God's glory, not our own. 

Peter wanted us to keep it that way.

Rock of Offense

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. I Peter 2:1-3

“So,” in view of the foundational facts of salvation stated in chapter 1; the unlimited atonement of Jesus Christ, our saving faith in Him and our total dependence on His grace to preserve us until our ultimate sanctification; in view of His provision allowing us to “purify” our souls, thereby remaining in fellowship with God and each other, we have no excuse to harbor petty human attitudes and behaviors.

“malice” means unforgiving spirit. It leads to such pettiness as deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. All these are sins that don’t need to be part of the lives of God’s people. These are sins that must be confessed and cleansed (“put away”) before we are fit to serve our Lord. Those who have been sidetracked by such sins have not grown beyond spiritual infancy. The sins have hindered their growth, like a crippling disease. By this self-regulating of our spiritual fellowship, we are renewed to a true longing for the Word of God (“spiritual milk”) which enables our continued growth “into salvation,” as a small child will “grow into” the human model specified by his dna. The salvation is ours. We live in our salvation. We must take spiritual nourishment, however, to grow up as productive Christians.

As we monitor our own attitudes and make the necessary adjustments to our Lord’s standards, we renew our appetite for the “sincere milk” of His Word, whereby we grow. And we will do that, if we have known, experienced, TASTED our Lord’s grace.  A hungry baby desires milk. A hungry believer desires God’s Word. The more we learn and grow, the more we perceive of His standards.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe,
but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. I Peter 2:4-8

          Acts 4:11 (Peter speaking to the Jews)

This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
“The stone” is Jesus Christ, and this is a reference to Psalm 118:22, where the builders are the rulers of Israel. Peter says “you builders”, placing the men of the Sanhedrin clearly in that role. Peter is saying, “By your rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, you have fulfilled one of your own prophecies. And, just as surely as one prophecy has been fulfilled, so shall the other – the rejected stone will become the head of the corner.
1. Christ is the Rock of Salvation: Exo. 17:1-7
2. Christ is the Rock of Judgment: Isa. 8:14; 1 Pet. 2:8
3. Christ is the Rock of Provision: Isa. 26:3,4
4. Christ is the Foundation Rock: Isa. 28:16; Psalm 118:22
5. Christ is the Rock of the Church: Matt. 16:16; 1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20-22.
6. Christ is the Destroying Rock at the 2^nd Advent: Dan. 2:35, He’s the Rock cut out without hands that crushes the image.

The Jews understood these references; and Peter is telling them that they have “set at nought” the Lord, having rejected Him and totally disregarded Him.
Christ “became” the “head of the corner,” referring to His joining the two spiritual kingdoms, the Church and born-again Israel. After the 2nd Advent, there will also be political unity, but of course made up only of believers in Christ.

        –from Warren Doud’s Grace Notes

In our epistle, Peter was addressing Gentile believers. The same stone, Jesus Christ, who had been rejected by the Jewish nation, is now the cornerstone which connects the believing Jews with the believing Gentiles, building up a spiritual house: The Church. Jesus Christ and Him crucified is THE ISSUE in Christianity.We who are Church are now a holy priesthood, drawn from all nations and all races. No longer Jews, no longer Gentiles, but CHURCH. New Species. Body of Christ.

He is the cornerstone to those who believe. But to those who reject, He is the stumbling stone. They are offended by His Person, they reject His Work, they despise His Name.

This is their destiny, because they reject the Only Savior. There is no more sacrifice for sin.

Imperishable Seed

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word s the good news that was preached to you.

I Peter 1:22-25

We who have received Jesus Christ’s atonement are eternally saved because we have obeyed the truth about His person and His finished work on the cross. We are IN CHRIST forever, and nothing can change that. Our temporal fellowship with Him can change, however, and it does anytime we sin. There are many ways born again believers sin and are not even aware of it. There are many ways born again believers deliberately sin, and aren’t greatly concerned about it, because “we’re only human” and we cannot lose our salvation. Yes, we are only human, but as believers we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and He is grieved by our sin. When we sin, we are out of fellowship with God and the Holy Spirit cannot communicate to our human spirit the things God wants us to know. God has provided a way for the believer who has sinned to “purify our souls.” That is by confessing to God the Father the sins we are aware of having committed (I John 1:7-9). We are thereby agreeing with our Father about the sin, and He forgives us that sin, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. This renews our fellowship with Him and enables us to continue growing in grace. The carnal Christian is not growing, is not learning, is not serving. He is stagnant and useless to the kingdom of God. He may be involved in many “do good” projects. He may be on a frantic search for happiness. He is most definitely not spiritual.

This is not minimizing the issue of sin. The sins have all been paid for by the blood of Christ, and the believer who confesses is acknowledging that fact. This practice maximizes our service. The stagnant, neutralized Christian has nothing to contribute to the service of Christ. The longer he stays out of fellowship, the darker his soul becomes, until he is severely disciplined and perhaps taken by the sin unto death, which removes the unrepentant carnal believer from the battlefield to protect others from becoming casualties as well.

Out of fellowship (carnal) believers don’t have much in common with in fellowship (spiritual) believers. Two or more carnal believers are a disaster waiting to happen. Peter wanted his flocks to stay in spiritual fellowship with God and with each other, demonstrating to one another and to the world the mutual love that Jesus commanded us to cultivate (John 13:35). We live in the devil’s world, brethren. We are under constant attack. We need each other.

We are no longer worldlings. We have been born again. We are spiritual beings with an eternal destiny. Our newly created person is incorruptible. Natural human flesh will die and deteriorate, and that is good, because the old sin nature will die with it. Our new person was conceived and birthed by the Word of God, which cannot die. We are now the offspring of Him Who is imperishable.

Verses 24-25 are from Isaiah 40:6-8.

When I taught small children as young as 3 years old, Isaiah 40:8 was the first scripture I taught them to memorize. Peter quotes it here. Some of those kids are now approaching age 40, and they have never forgotten that verse. It is easily visualized with colorful graphics and has a natural cadence. A 3 year old doesn’t understand the doctrine, but 10, 12, 15, 20 year olds do, and it is right there, stored in their memory banks for life.

It is important to remember that God’s Word is imperishable, powerful and eternal, and when every material thing is gone, including our human bodies, that Word will STAND FOREVER.

Peter reminded his people and us that the imperishable Word of God is the good news (gospel) that was preached to us and saved our souls.

This Salvation

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. I Peter 1:10-12

“This salvation” was obtained as the outcome of our faith in the One whom we have not seen, but we love. We do not now see Him, but we believe in Him (verses 8-9).

The Old Testament prophets knew about the Messiah. They prophesied about His birth, His suffering and his glory, but did not know these things would be fulfilled in two separate advents. This was not because they didn’t want to know, for they diligently searched and inquired about Him. The Holy Spirit revealed many details about His person and His work of grace to both Jews and Gentiles; about His glorious eternal reign; but did not reveal to them the time frame of these events. They knew Him through the prophecies and believed. We know Him from history and believe, because we have the testimonies of the disciples and apostles to compare with the testimonies of the OT prophets. They anticipated His birth and life and His ascent to rulership. We have historical evidence of His birth and life and are anticipating His universal rulership. There are still prophecies to be fulfilled, regarding the coming revelation of the glorified Christ and His people. We know that day is coming, but like those OT prophets, we don’t know when. They knew they were prophesying for future generations, but had no clue when or to whom these prophesies would apply.

The OT prophets had special, temporary enablement from the Holy Spirit Who revealed Truth to them before the crucifixion of the Messiah. We who live after His death, burial and resurrection and who believe in Him are given the Holy Spirit to permanently indwell us, revealing Jesus to us on a moment-by-moment basis. We know Him because we are IN HIM and He is in us. Angels would love to have this intimate knowledge of Christ and His Church. Whatever their relationship with God involves, they are not Royal Family of God. 

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,  but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I Peter 1:13-16

“Therefore,” in view of these profound truths which have been passed down through the generations of God’s people, let’s be ready for what comes next. Be clear in your thinking. Confidently anticipate (“set your hope on”) the grace that will be revealed in Jesus Christ. We are children of God. Our obedience to God means we will not continue in the old culture of a depraved and ignorant pagan society. Jesus Christ is holy—set apart for rulership of God’s kingdom. We who identify with Him also must set ourselves apart from the pagan lifestyle. He reminds us that we shall be holy because we belong to Him, Who IS holy. Set apart unto Him. Totally identified with Him. There should never be a moment’s doubt about whose we are and what we represent. We bear His likeness and superscription and are rendered unto Him (Matthew 22:21). He is our standard of holiness. He is absolute righteousness. God cannot think evil. God cannot do evil. God cannot tolerate evil.

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,  knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,  but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. I Peter 1:27-20

Our Father is perfect Justice, and the fair judge of all our thoughts and actions. That is our motivation to be reverent throughout our earthly exile (we are citizens of heaven). He ransomed us out of the degeneracy that was practiced by our pagan ancestors. He ransomed us, not with money, but with the  precious blood of Christ. As Jesus hung on the cross, bearing our sins, He cried out in agony because of His separation from the Father and the Holy Spirit. That is what the term “ blood of Christ” represents. This was His destiny from eternity past, but was not physically fulfilled until the end of the age of Israel. The atonement of that act applied to everyone in all ages. The OT believers looked forward to the atonement and were saved. We Church age believers look back to the atonement and are saved.

This is the work of God. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all personally involved in our salvation. God doesn’t live in time, so the atonement was an accomplished fact even before He created the universe. God the Son, however, to make the atonement, had to become a perfect human, live a perfectly sinless life and be sacrificed for our salvation as a perfect lamb without spot or blemish. To do that, he had to enter time as a physical being who could die.

God raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory.

Now our faith (what we know) and hope (what we anticipate) are in God.