Here Apostle Peter moves from their problem of suffering to their problem of temptation and indulgences in a foreign land. Previously the Christian exiles have been told that the revelation of Christ would bring ultimate glory to them as they suffer now. Here Peter exhorts the Christians to be 'sober-minded', to be holy, to act with fear, and to obey the truth. For each of these actions, he uses 4 different motivations:
A. The revelation of Jesus Christ prompts us to be sober-minded.
Peter wants the Christians to set their eyes on reality, to think rightly. The ultimate reality isn't their suffering, nor is it the pleasures all around them. These things don't last. Rather, by setting their hope on the last days when Christ comes in victory and in judgment, this is a strong incentive not to indulge in things that appear pleasurable to them now. We are not to think that we can sin now and no consequences would befall us. We are not to create this false sense of safety when God is really against us.
B. Our identity as children of God prompts us to live holy lives as God is holy.
Twice Peter mentions our identity as "obedient children" and as people who "call on the Father who judges impartially". The reasoning is simple: as the Father is holy, so must the child be. Therefore they must set aside sinful passions of their former ignorance.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Three Statements on Suffering (1 Pet 4:19)
Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Pet 4:19)
Amazing verse, because in suffering we tend to think poorly of God, and wallow in self pity, thinking we had it the worst.
A. Suffering wasn't God's mistake.
B. Suffering doesn't prove God is unfaithful and uncaring.
C. Suffering doesn't give you an excuse to despair and stop the exercise of your gifts and service.
I think the last statement is the most surprising. Peter says that good works is still expected of us during suffering! People-centeredness and other-directedness is still demanded. That is very contrary to how we normally feel when suffering, as we tend to be very self-centered - grumbling, complaining, getting attention about our own suffering. Yet this limits our ability to serve others, in fact, suffering must bring the opposite - if anything it gives us better ability to serve as our faith is strengthened.
Amazing verse, because in suffering we tend to think poorly of God, and wallow in self pity, thinking we had it the worst.
A. Suffering wasn't God's mistake.
B. Suffering doesn't prove God is unfaithful and uncaring.
C. Suffering doesn't give you an excuse to despair and stop the exercise of your gifts and service.
I think the last statement is the most surprising. Peter says that good works is still expected of us during suffering! People-centeredness and other-directedness is still demanded. That is very contrary to how we normally feel when suffering, as we tend to be very self-centered - grumbling, complaining, getting attention about our own suffering. Yet this limits our ability to serve others, in fact, suffering must bring the opposite - if anything it gives us better ability to serve as our faith is strengthened.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Born again to living hope (1 Peter 1:3-12)
What kind of benefits did the Christians enjoy as elect of God? Peter says we are "born again to a living hope". We have been given new life only through the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Without resurrection, there can be no new life and we will still be the old creature. When we are saved, we partake in the life of Jesus: as he was raised from the grave and given life again, so also are we given new life. We are born again. That's who we are now.
The future ahead is one of glory. We are born again to a living hope. Living, because Christ still lives, and as surely as that fact stand, so is the assurance of our hope. We are guaranteed an inheritance that is eternal and cannot fade away, kept in the heavenly realms, the final destination of our spiritual pilgrimage.
Yet now as fragile saints living under the suffering and persecution of this world, we may feel that the future is not that secure. Heaven seems a tad far away sometimes, and sometimes it seems suffering will take the better of us. Peter tells us we are not in it by our own strength. If indeed by our own strength, we will surely fail. Rather, we are kept by God's power which will eventually reveal our final salvation. We will be totally saved at the end, with no more tears and sufferings, by the power of God. It is a living hope we have.
This salvation that we now enjoy must be lived by faith through sufferings. It produces four good things: firstly, our faith through sufferings will be proven genuine. Faith that lasts is true faith, while faith that gives up in the midst of persecution are like the seed that fell not on good soil and is eventually fruitless.
Secondly, faith through suffering becomes more precious. Faith is compared to gold here. Gold eventually perishes, but faith that is refined by suffering is has much more worth: it is shiny and attracts people around us as to the character that we live. Godly character is more readily seen and Christ more readily magnified.
Thirdly, faith through suffering brings us joy. We can rejoice, Peter says, if we keep our eyes fixed on the future salvation that is to come. Otherwise, what's left is only grief when we are fixed only on our temporal problems. But for the Christian suffering is always grief-joy affair. There must be nothing so difficult that we despair of the trials we go through, unless the Christian has lost his fixation on the power of God. If God will finally give us full salvation, will he not bring you through this trial too? He has done that which is more difficult!
Lastly, and most gloriously, faith through suffering eventually brings praise and glory and honor at the final salvation. Peter says, the outcome of our faith is the salvation of your souls. Though you may be beaten, mocked, taken advantage of in this life, the final end will be glorious. The description of faith is this: that you do not see Jesus now, yet we love him and we believe in him with joy. At the very end, Jesus will be revealed right before our eyes. And there will be praise - praise for God who has mightily brought us through. There will be glory - glory of the coming Jesus, as well as glory for us, as we are given new imperishable bodies and a perfect soul. There will be honor - the Master will reward the faithful servant and he receives a crown of everlasting life.
There is no doubt though that Peter's emphasis is not the quality of our faith that eventually brings us through, but rather the glorious work of God. The salvation we have received, Peter says, is glorious: it is served unto us by the prophets preceding us, it is delivered by the gospel through the Holy Spirit from heaven, and finally it is something that even the angels long to ponder.
What great salvation that we are born again to a living hope!
The future ahead is one of glory. We are born again to a living hope. Living, because Christ still lives, and as surely as that fact stand, so is the assurance of our hope. We are guaranteed an inheritance that is eternal and cannot fade away, kept in the heavenly realms, the final destination of our spiritual pilgrimage.
Yet now as fragile saints living under the suffering and persecution of this world, we may feel that the future is not that secure. Heaven seems a tad far away sometimes, and sometimes it seems suffering will take the better of us. Peter tells us we are not in it by our own strength. If indeed by our own strength, we will surely fail. Rather, we are kept by God's power which will eventually reveal our final salvation. We will be totally saved at the end, with no more tears and sufferings, by the power of God. It is a living hope we have.
This salvation that we now enjoy must be lived by faith through sufferings. It produces four good things: firstly, our faith through sufferings will be proven genuine. Faith that lasts is true faith, while faith that gives up in the midst of persecution are like the seed that fell not on good soil and is eventually fruitless.
Secondly, faith through suffering becomes more precious. Faith is compared to gold here. Gold eventually perishes, but faith that is refined by suffering is has much more worth: it is shiny and attracts people around us as to the character that we live. Godly character is more readily seen and Christ more readily magnified.
Thirdly, faith through suffering brings us joy. We can rejoice, Peter says, if we keep our eyes fixed on the future salvation that is to come. Otherwise, what's left is only grief when we are fixed only on our temporal problems. But for the Christian suffering is always grief-joy affair. There must be nothing so difficult that we despair of the trials we go through, unless the Christian has lost his fixation on the power of God. If God will finally give us full salvation, will he not bring you through this trial too? He has done that which is more difficult!
Lastly, and most gloriously, faith through suffering eventually brings praise and glory and honor at the final salvation. Peter says, the outcome of our faith is the salvation of your souls. Though you may be beaten, mocked, taken advantage of in this life, the final end will be glorious. The description of faith is this: that you do not see Jesus now, yet we love him and we believe in him with joy. At the very end, Jesus will be revealed right before our eyes. And there will be praise - praise for God who has mightily brought us through. There will be glory - glory of the coming Jesus, as well as glory for us, as we are given new imperishable bodies and a perfect soul. There will be honor - the Master will reward the faithful servant and he receives a crown of everlasting life.
There is no doubt though that Peter's emphasis is not the quality of our faith that eventually brings us through, but rather the glorious work of God. The salvation we have received, Peter says, is glorious: it is served unto us by the prophets preceding us, it is delivered by the gospel through the Holy Spirit from heaven, and finally it is something that even the angels long to ponder.
What great salvation that we are born again to a living hope!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
To the elect exiles (1 Peter 1:1-2)
Peter writes to the elect exiles, at once a collaboration of two words that are seemingly contradictory. As for being elect, they are eternally safe and secure. As for being an exile, they are vulnerable daily to a host of suffering and persecution. Yet Peter writes that their current situation is not out of God's plan, instead they are "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father". Their salvation has run from the eternal decree of God starting with God's foreknowledge. And yet this salvation is not completed, but is fulfilled continually as the elect are changed by the sanctification of the Spirit. Their living in difficult situations is a call for them to be obedient to Jesus Christ. Their lives in the present difficult time is an evidence of whether they are saved or not.
Thus, despite the fact that the elect are physically scattered abroad, far away from their homes of comfort and possibly far away from their loved ones, they are to find peace in their eternal security and in the grace of the Triune God who are obviously at work in their lives.
In fact, we too are 'exiles' in our workplaces and school, and immediately find that we are alien to the culture and value systems of our friends and colleagues, and may even suffer from our non-conformity. Here in God we must find to strength to continue to obey, and more importantly, to live out our identity as the 'elect' of God.
Thus, despite the fact that the elect are physically scattered abroad, far away from their homes of comfort and possibly far away from their loved ones, they are to find peace in their eternal security and in the grace of the Triune God who are obviously at work in their lives.
In fact, we too are 'exiles' in our workplaces and school, and immediately find that we are alien to the culture and value systems of our friends and colleagues, and may even suffer from our non-conformity. Here in God we must find to strength to continue to obey, and more importantly, to live out our identity as the 'elect' of God.
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