Hebrews, James, Peter, John,
Jude
Southern Christian
University
Lesson on I Peter #2
James A Turner
Read all the
references and they will help you to grow
in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
When our time was up last time,
we were still talking about the foreordination and predestination of God. You
remember we read several passages about some of the things that God has
foreordained and predestined, and we know from these passages that God
foreordained and predestined to send Christ as an offering for sin, and
Ephesians 1:3-5 says that those Ephesian
brethren had been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. Now, the old Calvinist's doctrine, the worst
form of that false doctrine, contends that God foreordained and predestined individuals
that would be saved. And those
individuals that God had foreordained and predestined to be saved would be
saved regardless, and those that were not, God just didn't choose them! A well‑informed Primitive Baptist
preacher is hard to beat in public discussion on one tenet of this false
doctrine, Once Saved Always Saved. They would beat the ears down on some of our
preachers to day with that false doctrine.
But if God foreordained and
predestined individuals, that would be out of harmony with so many other
passages of scripture. One basic rule of
proper interpretation is that it's got to be in harmony with everything else
the Bible has to say, and the Bible sets forth man as being a free moral agent. Adam and Eve had the power to choose, and
they chose wrong when they ate the forbidden fruit. Of course, such a doctrine would be contrary
to such passages as II Peter 3:9 where Peter
says, "God is not slack
concerning his promises, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to
us‑ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance." Well,
if it is not God's will that any should perish, and he wants them to come to
repentance, then God surely provided the way that they can come to repentance
and be saved. And in Romans chapter two,
Paul talks about how that the long‑suffering of God is for the purpose of
bringing men to repentance. But if men
despise his longsuffering, then there is stored up for them wrath in the day of
wrath. He says, "Or despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that goodness of God
leadeth thee to repentance? But after
thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in a day of
wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every
man according to his works."
So God wants all men to be saved.
I Timothy 2:4 reads that God would have all men to be saved and come to
a knowledge of the truth. Such a
doctrine, of course, denies so many passages like John 3:14‑18. So that old doctrine we know is a false
doctrine.
But God has foreordained and
predetermined to save man, but how?
Remember Ephesians 1:3‑5, "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ:
Even as he hath chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love having foreordained
us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself according to the
good pleasure of his will." The verse that we are still on I Peter 1:20 says,
that Christ was foreknown
before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the
times (Christian age) for your sake. You also remember Acts 13:48 says
concerning the Gentiles, And as
many as were ordained to eternal
life believed. Romans 8:29-30
reads, For whom he foreknew, he
also foreordained to be conformed
to the image of his son, that he might be the first born (of the
resurrection of the dead) among many
brethren: and who he foreordained , them he also called : and who he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified: them he also glorified. II
Timothy 1:9 says that God who saved us, and called us with a holy
calling ------ before times eternal
. II Thessalonians 2:13-14
says of those brethren, that God
chose you from the beginning unto salvation --- where unto he called you through
our gospel ---. Ephesians 3:10-11 tells us that the church is to make known
the Manifold wisdom of God,
according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
All of these references tell us
very plainly that God has foreordained, or predestined, or predetermined some
things in regard to the salvation of man. So when we put these references
together, what did God in His infinite wisdom foreordain? God in his infinite
wisdom knew that if he made man a free moral agent that in process of time man
would sin. He also determined that only Christ as a perfect sacrifice and offering
for sin, could satisfy his justice (Isaiah 53:7-10;
Romans 3:23-28; Hebrews 10:4-9),
and when man sinned the first promise of the Savior was given (Genesis 3:15).God
also foreordained that in process of time he would send Christ to this world of
sin and sorrow (Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:16-19,
4:4; II Corinthians 8:9)
as a way of salvation for all men. God also predetermined that all who would
believe and obey Christ would be saved from sin (John 3:16-18, Hebrews 5:8-9),
and that all who faithfully serve Christ in his church will receive eternal
salvation.
Now, those Ephesians brethren
were dead in their trespasses and sins until Paul preached the gospel to them
(Ephesians 2:1-6). God called them to
salvation (II Thessalonians 2:13-14)
by the preaching of Paul, and they believed and obeyed the gospel and were
saved from sin. So there is a sense in which every person who is saved is saved
by the foreordination and predestination of God in that God had a plan for
mans salvation before he made man, and that plan included Christ and his
church.
When
man sinned God instituted that the blood of animals (Genesis 4:2-5; Leviticus 17:10-15) could make
temporary atonement for sin until according to his infinite wisdom it was time
to send Christ (Galatians 3:16-25, 4:4). When Christ died on
the cross his cleansing blood (Zechariah 13:1) reached back and
completely cleansed those that had died in covenant relationship with God by
the offering up of animal sacrifices (Hebrews 9:15).
Do
you think that you now have real understanding of what God has foreordained,
and do you see that the Calvinist doctrine is absolutely a false doctrine? If
you do not please send me E-mails for further instruction on this vital
subject. It is a very fundamental subject that you need to have a clear
understanding of.
Back to I Peter 1:21
"who through him,
(Christ) are believers in God, that
raised him from the dead, and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might
be in God. Seeing that you have purified your souls in your obedience to the
truth unto unfeigned love of the
brethren love one another from the heart fervently." So all of these brethren that Peter is
writing to covering this large area of territory made up of many, many
churches, all of them had purified their souls by their obedience to the
truth, and that is the only way that souls have ever been purified is by
obedience to God's truth. God's truth
must be preached, and men must believe it and obey it to purify their souls.
The alien sinner purifies his soul when he obeys the requirements of the gospel
for his salvation which requires faith (Hebrews 11:6;
John 8:24)
repentance (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30), and
baptism for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16;
Acts 2:38). Christians purify their souls by that second
law of pardon as given in Acts eight, when they learn that they have done
wrong, they are to repent and ask God for forgiveness. In I John 1:7-
9, "If we walk in the light, as
he is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin. If we say that we have no sin, we
make him a liar, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is just and righteous to forgive us of our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
It is by obedience to the
commands of God that souls are purified today.
Peter says, since you have
purified your souls in your obedience to the truth and unto unfeigned,
(unpretended), love of the brethren, love one another
from the heart fervently. So let your love be intense, Love
one another from the heart fervently.
In the average church today, there is a great lack of love. There is not anything that causes more
trouble in the church today than a lack of love. And we need to heed the admonition given here
that we are to love one another from the heart fervently. We need to keep before us the words of Jesus
as given in John 13:34-35.
Verse twenty-
three, "Having been begotten
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God,
which liveth and abideth." Note, the word begotten, before there
can be a birth there must be a begetting.
Some of the translations use the word begotten, some of them born
again. The King James Version says, having been born again. "Not
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible." Of course, that is talking about the word of
God. Luke 8:11,
"The word is the seed of the
kingdom." People cannot be saved, and the kingdom
of God cannot be established unless
the seed is sown, but just as surely as we do a good job of sowing the seed, it
results in people being saved and the kingdom
of God being enlarged. In Romans 1:16
Paul said, "For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: For it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." So the word of God is the incorruptible seed, which liveth and
abideth for ever." And then
Peter quotes from Isaiah 42:14 where Isaiah
said, "All flesh is as grass, and all
the glory thereof is the flower of grass; the grass whithereth and the flower
falleth, but the word of the Lord abideth for ever. And this is the word of good tidings which
was preached unto you." So
the word of God is going to be with us, it abideth
forever.
Chapter Two
Then Peter exhorts his brethren
to long for spiritual food and grow up. "Putting away therefore all
wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile,
that ye may grow thereby unto salvation: If
ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." I believe that in the last Class Session we
called attention to how there are several passages where the writers of the New
Testament would say if you have,
but it means a little different from setting forth a condition. It means that you have tasted that the Lord
is gracious and you know that he is, that with great kindness, he gives you
unmerited favor. "Unto whom coming, a living stone, (Christ) rejected
indeed of men, but with God elect, and precious, ye also, as living stones,
are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
During the patriarchal dispensation and then
during the entire Jewish dispensation, they offered up animal sacrifices as a
way of atonement for sin, but Christians are to offer up living sacrifices,
holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1-2).
Christ was the living stone that was predicted by the Old Testament prophets
(Isaiah 8:13-14,
28:16), and Christians are to be living stones
in the church or the temple that he has established. "Ye
also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, and be a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ." We may well
conclude that everything that we do in the way of proper Christian living is
reckoned as a spiritual sacrifice to God.
Surely when we pray with the right spirit and attitude, we are offering
a sacrifice to God, when we sing, and all the other things that we participate
in the way of worship, and when we give to the poor or whatever good works we
may be engaged in, then we are offering a sacrifice well‑pleasing to
God. Hebrew 13:15‑16,
"Through him then let us offer
up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips
which make confession to his name. But to do good and communicate forget
not:
For with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
The word communicate in the more recent versions would be
share. When we do good and share what we
have with others who are in need, then with such sacrifices, the passage says,
God is well‑pleased, it is a spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ. Christ is our high
priest, and we approach God through Jesus as our high priest. And we are acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.
Verse six, "Because it is contained in scripture,
Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, and precious:
And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame." That is a quotation from Isaiah 28:16. The Old Testament reference reads a little
different to what is recorded here.
"Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation of stone, a tried stone,
a precious corner stone, a sure foundation:
And he that believeth on him shall not make haste." "For
you therefore that believe he is preciousness:
But for such as disobedient. The stone which the builders rejected, the
same is made the head of the corner." Verse eight is a quotation in part of Isaiah
8:14.
The passage says, "And
he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of
offence to both the houses of Israel." When the prophet Isaiah wrote that by the
inspiration of God, Israel
was divided into two kingdoms, the northern kingdom and the southern
kingdom. The northern kingdom consisted
of ten tribes, and the southern kingdom consisted of Judah and Benjamin, and so
the prophet said that Christ would be a stumbling stone to both of the houses
of Israel. Of course, he would be a sanctuary to those
who believe and obey him (Hebrews 5:8-9).
Well, I left out verse seven, "The stone which the builders
rejected, the same is made the head of the corner," That is Psalms
118:22, and Jesus used this passage when he
gave the parable of the wicked husbandman as given in Matthew chapter twenty‑one. If you will turn with me to Matthew chapter
twenty‑one beginning with verse thirty‑three, "There was a man that was a householder,
who planted a vineyard." He
did everything to make the vineyard a good vineyard. "And
then he turned the vineyard over to husbandmen," verse thirty‑eight. And when it came time for him to receive his
fruits from the vineyard, he sent his messengers to receive the fruit and they
beat one and killed another and stoned another.
And, again, he sent other servants and they did in like manner to
them. Finally, he decided he would send
his son. He said they will reverence my
son. Verse thirty‑eight, "When the husbandmen saw the son,
they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take
his inheritance." God had
sent his beloved Son, to die as a sin offering for us, and Jesus knew that they
were going to kill him. And he says, and
they took him and cast him forth out of the vineyard and killed him. That is what they were going to do, Jesus
knew it. "When
therefore the Lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those
husbandmen? They say unto him, He will
miserably destroy those miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other
husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in
the scriptures." And here is
the same passage, "The stone
which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner:
This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I say
unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall
be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And he that falleth on this stone shall be
broken to pieces:
But on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees
had heard this parable, they perceived that he spake of them. And when they sought to lay hold on him, they
feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet." They were ready to kill him then, and they
sought to lay hold on him, but they were afraid of the multitude.
Verse nine, But ye are an elect race." Here he is talking about the Christians in
all of those churches, that you are
an elect race. The King James
Version and The New King James Version says, But
you are a chosen generation, but most of them say an elect race. The Contemporary English Version reads, But you are Gods chosen and special
people. Are not Christians of every generation a chosen generation, an elect race, and
Gods chosen and special people?
"A royal priesthood."
Our priesthood under the law of Christ is a greater priesthood than that
which belonged to the law. Christ is our
high priest, and we can approach God directly through Christ. Back there they had to approach God through
the Leviticus priesthood during the period of the law. In the first few chapters of Leviticus, we
read about how that they were to carry the animal as specified by the law to
the place where the tabernacle was, and the sinner was to lay his hand upon the
animal and kill the animal, and then the priest was to take over and perform
the things that the law required in regard to offering up the animal in the
proper way as the sacrifice. In other
words, they had to approach God through the medium of an earthly priesthood.
Every child of God today is a
priest, and as this passage plainly states, you
are a royal priesthood which means that every Christian is a priest and
can approach God directly through Christ.
When a child of God has learned that he has sinned, he does not have to
wait until the church meets in order to get forgiveness of sin. But just as soon as he learns that he has
sinned and repents and prays to God for forgiveness, he receives forgiveness (I
John 1:8-9).
So you are a royal priesthood, a holy nation. The church is a holy nation in the sense that
we have a heavenly citizenship. In
Philippians 3:20-21 Paul said to the
Philippians that, "Our
citizenship is from heaven; from whence we look for a Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall fashion anew, the body of our humiliation, that it may be
conformed to the body of his glory." So every child of God is a citizen of the
heavenly country, and we have a heavenly citizenship! And in this sense, Christians of each
generation constitute a holy nation.
"A people for Gods own
possession that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who call you out of
darkness into his marvelous light: Who in times past were no people, but now are
the people of God:
Who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." Verse ten shows in a very good way that most
of these brethren were Gentile brethren because it says, "Who in times past were no people, but now
are the people of God." This
could not properly be said of the Jewish people as a people, because they were
under the law, the chosen people of God.
And so this letter is directed to some Jewish believers in this great
area of territory but most of them were Gentile people as shown by this passage
and several others in the book.
Verse eleven, "Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners
and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul."
Peter is beseeching and pleading with them to turn away from all the
lusts and passions of the flesh and abstain
from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Any time a person gives way to the lust of
the flesh, then that is a way of warfare against the soul. Most of these brethren living in these areas
were Gentiles, living in such an environment where it was the common thing to
live according to all fleshly lusts. But
Peter wants them to turn away from them.
"I beseech you as
sojourners and pilgrims." Now, remember the book is written to the
sojourners of the dispersion, but I think here he is speaking of it especially
from the standpoint of how that we as Christians are to count that we are just
sojourners and pilgrims here. As the
Hebrew writer said in Hebrews chapter thirteen, "For we have not here an abiding city, but we seek one to come." In Hebrews eleven, you remember how it talks
about how that the patriarchs confessed that they were sojourners and pilgrims
on the earth, for they looked for a better city, whose builder and maker is
God. So we are to confess that we are
sojourners and pilgrims that we are just journeying toward a better
country. And in our journey, we need to
abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. "Having
your behavior seemly among the Gentiles:
That, wherein they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your
good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation."
The day of visitation would be
that day when Christ comes again, the Second Advent, and the resurrection of
the dead and eternal judgment. Peter is
telling them to live in such a way that your influence on these Gentile people
that they will obey the gospel and be prepared for the coming of Christ and glorify
God in the day of visitation.
Verse thirteen, In this paragraph
Peter talks about several relationships, and this is another area which this
book has several things very much like Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. In Ephesians Paul discusses several
relationships, and here Peter discusses several relationships. He first discusses our relationship to civil
government. And he said, "Be subject to every ordinance of man
for the Lord's sake:
Whether to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as sent by him for
vengeance on evildoers, and for praise to them that do well." So we are to be subject to all of the laws
that are passed, and all of the requirements of civil authority, and notice that Peter says, for the Lord's
sake. Why does he say it is for the
Lord's sake? Because God has ordained
civil authorities, and especially he has ordained them for the punishment of
the evil doers. Do you remember how that
in Romans 13:1-7, Paul teaches in his letter
to the Romans the same thing that Peter teaches? Paul said, "Let
every soul be in subjection to the higher powers:
For there is no power but of God:
And the powers that be are ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power,
withstandeth the ordinance of God: And they that withstand shall receive to
themselves judgment." So God
has ordained that under the New Testament, the civil authorities are to take
care of the criminals, and we are to obey civil authority, civil law. The only exception would be if we are
commanded by civil law or authority to do that which is contrary to what God
has commanded. Do you remember when
Peter and John were commanded not to teach any more in the name of Christ, they
said Whether it is right to hearken
unto you than unto God judge ye, for we cannot but speak the things which we
saw and heard (Acts 4:19-20). The second time they said, we must obey God rather than man.
So if God's law is contrary to the civil ordinance or civil law, then we
are to obey God's law because His law is supreme. Under all other circumstances, whether we
think the civil ordinance or requirement is good or not, we are to go ahead and
obey the law of the land.
Peter says, "Whether to the king, as supreme; or unto
governors, sent by him for vengeance on evil doers, and for praise of them that
do well." Governments in the
main take vengeance on evil doers and praise those that do well. Sometimes we may have bad men in government,
and there may be exceptions to the over riding rule of things, but regardless
of what land you go to in the main, the governments take vengeance on evil
doers and praise them that do well. "For so is the will of God, that by
well doing ye shall put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As
free (In Christ) and not using your freedom for a cloak of
wickedness, but as bondservants of God."
This statement in verse sixteen is much like Paul's statements in
Galatians chapter five and verse thirteen where he talks about that they were
free, "But only use not your
freedom for an occasion of the flesh; but through love be servants one to
another." We are not to use
our freedom in the wrong way, but we are to use our freedom in service to one
another, and we are not to use it as stated here in well doing, that we may put
to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
We are not to use our freedom in Christ as a cloak of wickedness, but as
bondservants of God, as slaves of God. "Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.
Honor the king." All
men possess an immortal soul and are made in the image of God and likeness of
God, and we are to honor all men.
God is no respecter of persons,
the Bible says a number of times, and that in every nation, he that fears God
is acceptable with him. So honor all
men. Love the brotherhood. It is very important that we know something
about what is happening in the brotherhood.
We need good fellowship between congregations, and we need those
religious journals that tell us about what is happening in the brotherhood and
keep us informed. We need to love
brethren everywhere. "Fear God.
Honor the king." And,
of course, to us that would mean honor the president, honor the governor of our
state, honor whoever is in authority in all areas of civil authority. Even if
the person in office may not be the proper one to be in office, we are to
respect the office. We are to honor the
office, and think what would happen if we did not. Anarchy would soon prevail if we do not
respect established government. We are
in a very dangerous time in respect to some people not having proper respect
for civil authorities. Think of the O.
J. Simpson case, so many bad statements were made about the police officers
until I am afraid more and more people are frowning upon the police instead of
having proper respect for the police, but what would happen if we didn't have
police officers. As Paul stated in
Romans 13:4, a police officer is a minister of God to thee for good, and we need to respect them always as
such. So our relationship with civil
authority as stated by Peter is in perfect accord with what Paul had to say in
Romans 13:1-7.
Verse eighteen, the second
relationship that he discusses is, "Servants
be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and
gentle, but also to the froward."
When the New Testament law went into effect, slavery was the economic
system of the day. And instead of the
Holy Spirit, giving instruction that the servants were to leave their masters,
they were taught to be in subjection to their masters, and that their masters
were to treat them well. Peter does not
deal with the master's part, but he does deal with the servants. He says to be in subjection to your masters with fear, meaning, have proper
respect and obey them, and not only to the good and gentle, but also to the
froward. And the froward would be those
contrary to the good and gentle. They
would be those masters that were harsh and cruel and maybe crooked along with
it, but they were still to be in subjection to them.
There are a number of New
Testament passages that have given instructions about how that the servants
were to serve their masters, and the masters were to serve their servants
well. We do not have a slave‑master
relationship today, but we have an employer‑employee relationship, and
the instruction given in the New Testament about the slave and master
relationship, these principles are to be heeded on the part of employees and of
employers today. In Ephesians, Paul
talks about this relationship. Ephesians
6:5-9 he says, "Servants,
be obedient unto them that according to the flesh are your masters, with fear
and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not in the way of
eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God
from the heart, That applies today to all Christian employees, they are
not to serve their employer with eyeservice
as menpleasers, but they are to be good workers, a good servant of the
company, or the employer, as the case may be.
"With good will doing
service, as unto the Lord, and not to men:
Knowing that whatsoever good thing each one doeth, the same shall he
receive again from the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto
them, forbearing threatening: Knowing that your Master also is in heaven;
neither is there respect of persons with him." So you masters, do not threaten your
servants. You be good to your
servants. God is your master and your servant's
master, and there is no respect of persons with him. And in the Colossian letter, he speaks of the
servant‑slave relationship.
In Colossians 4:1
he says, "Masters, render unto
your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master
in heaven." That would mean
that if the crops were plentiful, then the servants would have more, right? You
masters remember render unto your servants that which is just and equal, and so
in regard to companies and employers, if the business is doing well, then the
employees are to receive more benefits.
"Knowing that ye also
have a Master in heaven."
But coming back to Colossians 3:22, he
has already talked about servants. "Servants obey in all things them
that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as
menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
And whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men;
knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: Ye
serve the Lord Christ. For he that doeth
wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done:
And there is no respect of persons."
In I Timothy 6:1-3
reads, "Let as many as are
servants under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name
of God and the doctrine be not blasphemed.
And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because
they are brethren; but let them serve them the rather, because they that
partake of the benefit, are believing and beloved. These things teach and exhort." So when we take everything that is said by
the inspired writers about the master‑servant relationship, we can see
that if those instructions were followed, it would just very naturally do away
with those harsh things that were sometimes true of a master‑servant
relationship and would come near to being just an employer‑employee
relationship much like we have today.
But back to I Peter 2:19. And so here the instruction is a little bit
different from those passages that we read from the epistles of Paul. Servants were not only be in subjection to
good masters, but to those old, cruel, harsh, mean masters. Verse nineteen, "For this is acceptable, if for conscience toward God a
man endures grief, suffering wrongfully." Well, today a person can
change places of employment. If an
employee cannot endure the forward employer properly, then the thing he needs
to do is find another place of employment.
But as long as he is employed to a company or to another person, he is
to serve according to a good conscience, doing everything that the employers
are trying to require of him as long as it meets the proper standards according
to God's law. "For what glory is it, if, when ye sin
and are buffeted for it, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when we do well, and suffer for it,
ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." Surely there would be no glory in being
buffeted for doing the wrong thing, but when we do well, suffer for it, this is
acceptable or this is ‑‑ the footnote says this is grace. In other words, this is the thing that makes
us, very favorable with God that we take it patiently.
Verse twenty-one, "For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye
should follow in his steps:
who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Now, some are ready to reason that Christ as
the Son of God could not have sinned, but the Bible teaches that he was subject
to sin. In Hebrews 4:15 reads, "For we have not high priests that
cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin." That is verse fifteen. So the writer says that Christ was tempted as
we are tempted but without sin. And then
he says, "Let us come therefore
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace to
help us in time of need." So
Christ was tempted in all points like we are.
And when we turn and read how that Satan tempted Christ after he fasted
forty days and forty nights, he tested Christ through the three avenues through
which temptation comes, as stated in I John 2:15‑16,
"Love not the world, neither
things that are in the world. If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of
the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vain glory of life,
is not of the Father, but of the world."
Satan tempted Christ in all three
of those areas after he had hungered for forty days and forty nights, Jesus surely
must have been hungry, and Satan wanted him to turn the stones into bread to
prove that he was the Son of God. You
remember how Jesus said each time that it is written. In that case, man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God. So Christ was
subject to temptation, he was
tempted in all points like we are yet without sin. And here Peter is emphasizing that just as
Christ suffered, we may expect to suffer.
He says, "Leaving you as
an example, that ye may follow in his steps:
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered,
threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." I think surely Peter must be thinking about
what Isaiah said of Christ in Isaiah fifty‑three. And let us turn to Isaiah fifty‑three
and look at what the writer said relative to the death of Christ. Isaiah fifty‑three beginning with verse
one, "Who hath believed our
message? And to whom hath the arm of
Jehovah revealed? For he grew up before
him as a tender plant, and as a root out of the dry ground: He
hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we
should desire him. He was despised and
rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
And one from whom men hide their face; he was despised, and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of
God and afflicted. But he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed. All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him
the iniquity of us all. He was
oppressed, and yet when he was afflicted, he opened not his mouth: As
a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her shearers is
dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. By
oppression and judgment he was taken away?
And as for his generation who among them considered that he was cut off
out of the land of the living: For the transgression of my people was he
stricken." Notice the number
of things that was fulfilled in respect to Christ. "And
they made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich man in his death;
although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him;
he hath put him to grief:
When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see
his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper
in his hand. He shall see the travail
of his soul, and shall be satisfied. (Christ being a proper atonement for
sin) By the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; for
he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto
death:
And was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors."
The gospel accounts, show very
plainly that when Jesus was reviled, he reviled not again, when he suffered he
threatened not but committed himself to him that judgest righteously. "Who
in his own self bare our sins in his own body upon the tree, that we,
having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness: By
whose stripes we are healed." Both Paul (Acts 13:29; Galatians 3:13) and
Peter speak of Christ being crucified on a tree rather than a cross as in the
King James Version and The American Standard Version. "Bare our sins in his own body on the tree." I really think that that gives a better
meaning than on the cross, although it does mean the cross too. Why do I say
that? Because from Deuteronomy 21:22-23 we
learn that there were certain criminals that they hanged instead of stoning
them to death according to the law (Deuteronomy 13:8-11). From the reading of those two verses we learn
that they hanged them on a tree, and instructions were given that their bodies
were to be taken down from the tree. I
guess we need to turn and read that passage, Deuteronomy 21:22‑23,
"And if a man have committed a
sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou shalt hang him on a tree:
His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely
bury him the same day; (for a hanged man is accursed by God;) you shall not
defile your land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance." So the criminal was to be taken down from the
tree before the sun went down. He was
counted as a criminal in a very special way, it looks like, of being cursed of
God. Paul refers to this in Galatians 3:13 that all
that were under the law were under a curse, the law says, "For it is written, Cursed is every
one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law
to do them."
(Deuteronomy 27:26) And then he says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." It is significant that Peter and Paul as
given in the King James Version and
American Standard Version use the word tree instead of the cross. In Acts 5:30
Peter was talking about the death of Christ and said, that they hanged him on the tree. And, again, in Acts 10:39, when he was
preaching to Cornelius and his household, he said that the people had hanged
him on the tree. In Acts 13:29,
Paul when he was preaching in the Jewish synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia was
talking about the death of Christ, said that they hanged him on a tree.
When we consider those passages,
they give us a little better understanding than bare
our sins in his body upon the cross.
On a tree emphasizes that
Christ has become the curse for us as stated in II Corinthians 5:21,
"For him who knew no sin; he
hath made to be sin in our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of
God through him." In other
words, Christ died as a sinner. Do you
remember one of those seven statements that Jesus made while he was on the
cross, my God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me? So Jesus died
with the sins of the world upon him.
Verse twenty‑four again, "Who
in his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, have died to
sins might live unto righteousness: By
whose stripes were healed. For we were
going astray." Peters words
are like Isaiah 53:5-6. "For we were going astray like sheep; but
now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls."
So Christ is the chief shepherd and bishop of our souls.
Chapter Three
The next relationship that Peter
talks about is the relationship of wives to their husbands and husbands to
their wives. "In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection
to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they may without the word
be gained by the behavior of their wives;
as they behold your chaste behavior coupled with fear." Now, when he says may without the word,
of course, we know that no one is saved apart from obedience, but the primary
thing that would be leading them to give proper respect to God's word would be
seeing what it had done for their wives and seeing the good behavior of their
wives they would be led to obedience of the gospel. Next, he talks about the
adorning of godly women. "Whose adorning let not be the outward
adorning of the braiding of the hair, and the wearing of jewels, and gold, or
of putting on of apparel."
Now, Peter is not saying here, and Paul is not saying in I Timothy 2:9-10
that women are not to adorn themselves, but both references emphasize the fact
that there is something more important than the outward adornment. Some of the
rich women of that day would adorn themselves with the braiding of silver or
gold in their hair, and adorn themselves with jewels of gold and expensive
apparel, much like some movie stars do today.
And the New Testament writers emphasize that that adorning is not the
proper adorning for Christian women, that there is something much more
important than that.
Now, if they are not supposed to
do any adorning at all, then look at the latter part of verse three, they would
not be supposed to put on any apparel either if they are not supposed to do
some adorning. "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the
incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God
of great price." So there is
nothing that will take the place of that inward adorning of the meek and quiet
spirit. And what man would not want to
live ‑‑ especially, a Christian man would not want to live with a
Christian woman who manifests the meek
and quiet spirit in daily Christian living. Peter says, which is in the sight of God of great
price. Verse five, For after this manner aforetime the holy
woman, who hoped in God, adorned themselves: as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: In that day and time, that was a way of
just showing proper respect and being in subjection to her husband,
Abraham. "Whose children ye now
are, if ye do well, and are not put in fear by any terror." All of us as Christians are not put in fear
by any terror and punish. That kind of fear causes people to do the wrong thing
rather than the right thing (Matthew 10:28). I Timothy 2:9-10
is a parallel to I Peter 3:3-4. It reads, In like manner, that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel."
Modest apparel would not be very expensive and costly
apparel. "But with shame facedness and sobriety; not with braided hair."
And, again, that would have to do with braiding gold and silver in their
hair. "And gold, or pearls, or costly raiment; but (which becometh women professing godliness) through good works. Let a woman learn in quietness with all
subjection.
I Peter 3:7,
Back to chapter three and verse seven, "Ye
husbands, in like manner, dwell with your wives, according to knowledge, giving
honor unto the woman, as unto the weaker vessel, as being also joint
heirs of the grace of life; to the end that your prayers be not hindered." And so husbands are to give honor unto their
wives as unto the weaker vessel. The
primary way in which women are to be regarded as weaker is physically. In our society today more and more husbands
may, unless they are very careful, follow the pattern of the day. A husband and wife are both working, and then
so many husbands expect the wife, when they get home, to do everything in
regard to preparing the meals and keeping the house while they sit and watch
TV. That is contrary to this
passage. "Give honor unto the woman as unto the weaker
vessel." Surely, he ought to be
ready to take all of the harder things to do off of his wife that he can. "And as joint heirs for the grace of
life." In other words, they
are on equal footing with you before God, they are joint heirs of the grace of
life. "To the end that your prayers be not hindered."
Well, if husbands are not treating their wives properly, first the fact
that they do not have that proper consideration for one another would cause
their prayers to be hindered, and further they just would not pray as much;
plus it might be that when they pray that their prayers will not be answered
because they are not treating their wives properly. So Peter is saying every husband who is able
to do so, give honor to your wife as the weaker vessel and take those harder
jobs off of her. Now, there are some women that are stronger than some
men, but the overriding rule is that men
are stronger physically than women.
Verse eight, "Finally, be all like minded,
compassionate, loving as brethren, tender‑hearted, humble minded, not
rendering evil for evil or reviling for reviling." You see when Christ was reviled, he reviled
not again, and when he suffered, he threatened not, so we are to follow in his
steps. He left us an example, going back
to 2:21
that we should follow in his steps.
"Not rendering evil for
evil, or reviling for reviling: but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were
ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing." And then it gives a quotation from the book
of Psalms about the person who will be blessed.
"For he that will love
life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips
that they speak no guile:
Let him turn from evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and pursue
it." So a righteous man
refrains his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile, and turns
away from evil. That is the negative
side, the positive side would be he does good.
Even the Old Testament writers emphasize turn away from the wrong way
and do good. Let a man learn to do
what's just and right. "Let him seek peace, and pursue
it." So it is not enough
just to turn away from evil, but the positive side of Christian living is to
seek peace and pursue it. In Romans 12:19 the
writer says, "Follow after the
things which make for peace, and the things by which we may edify one
another." In I Thessalonians
5:22
it says, abstain from every form of
evil. The King James Version, abstain from all appearance of evil. So we are to stay away from evil doing. It is very dangerous to try to see how close
we can get to evil without doing evil. The Bible, the Old Testament and the New
Testament, admonishes us to turn away from evil and do good. Another good Old Testament passage is
Proverbs 16:17 which says that the highway of the upright is to depart
from evil. So we need to travel
the highway of the upright, departing from evil and doing good.
"For the eyes of the
Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are unto their supplication:
But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil."
And here I think I need to call
attention to how that some few of our brethren still try to teach something
about alien sinners that the Bible does not teach. They teach that an alien sinner does not have
the right of prayer. And I have heard
some of our preachers of past days say that if you are not a Christian and you
pray to God, your prayer would not get any higher than the ceiling of this
building. About sixty years ago a number
of good brethren sincerely came to such a conclusion! Why? Because that was a
day when the mourners bench religion was very popular in many of the
denominational churches, when people would go up to be prayed through or to
be saved by prayer only. This tenet is still a popular tenet, but it had more
drama back there. Our brethren knew that such teaching was false, but they went
to a bad extreme. They joined John 9:31 and
Ephesians 1:3 and I Peter 3:12,
and came with the false teaching that an alien sinners prayer will not be
heard. No one is saved by prayer only but the Bible teaches that God may see
to it that they will have opportunity to hear the truth. He did this for
Cornelius (Acts 10:31)
and for Lydia
and her household (Acts 16:8-15) and neither
Jesus or Ananias rebuked Saul because of his praying (Acts 9:10-11, 9: 15-17, 22:16).
The Bible teaches that God will
hear a man who is humble and trembles at his word. Isaiah 66:2
reads, "but to this man will I
look. Even to him that is poor and of contrite spirit and that
trembleth at my word."
Please find a place to write all of these references close to I Peter 3:12.
Proverbs 28:9 and 28:13,
Psalms 32: 1-5, 66:18,
Acts 9:10-11,
Acts 9:15-17,
10:31,
22:16. Proverbs 28:9
says, "He that turneth away his
ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination unto the
Lord." And that holds
whether a man is a Christian or one who is not a Christian. A child of God that will not hear the word of
the Lord, the Lord will not answer his prayer, the writer says it is an
abomination unto the Lord. Proverbs 28:13
says, "He that covereth his
transgression shall not prosper: But whosoever confesseth and forsaketh
them shall obtain mercy." So
a child of God that tries to cover his transgression shall not prosper. But if he confesses
and forsaketh them, he will obtain mercy. From Psalms 32:1-5
we learn that Gods hand was heavy on David until he confessed his
transgression and then God forgave him, verse five. Psalms 66:18
reads, "If I regard iniquity in
my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Meaning that a child of God regards iniquity
in his heart, or he wants to hold on to
the way of wrong doing rather than repent and do right, then God will not hear
him.
Please remember there is always a
danger of going from one extreme to another extreme, and let us not let the
pendulum swing too far. Always take time to study all of the references on the
subject before you try to answer false doctrine. If we answer false doctrine
with false doctrine our false doctrine
in some cases may be worse than the doctrine that we are trying to
answer. Do not be ashamed to say that you do not know an tell the person that I
need to study more on this subject.
Christian parents teach their
children how to pray, and then when they get to the age of accountability are
they to tell them you should not pray any more until you have obeyed the
gospel? Does not nearly every person, if not every person, do some praying
before they become Christians?
Now, back to I Peter 3:13,
"And who is he that will harm
you if ye be zealous of that which is good?" The overriding rule is that those who are
zealous for that which is good receive praise from the government, but
sometimes there may be exceptions to the rule, and a Christian may have to
suffer for well doing. And thus Peter
said, "But even if you should
suffer for righteousness' sake, blessed are ye and fear not their fear, neither
be troubled." Peter must
have been remembering the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:10, "Blessed are they that are persecuted
for righteousness' sake:
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." So blessed are ye. Fear not their fear, neither be
troubled. Jesus also said," Fear not him that can destroy the body,
not able to destroy the soul: But fear him rather who can destroy both soul
and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).." We are to
trust in God and be ready to give the right kind of answer. "But
sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord:
Being ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a
reason concerning the hope that is in you yet with meekness and fear." We need therefore to be prepared to give a
right answer with a kind and gentle spirit. A harsh answer may do more harm
than good. . We need to know the will of
the Lord well enough that we can go with a straight course to answer questions
on all of the major subjects of the Bible.
Verse sixteen, "Having a good conscience; that wherein
you are
spoken against, they may be put to shame who revile your good manner of
life in Christ." This may
have been one of the primary ways in which some were being persecuted at this
time, reviling them for their good manner of life. And later he talks about that further. They thought it was strange that those
Gentile Christians would no longer revel
with them in that old lustful way that they had been accustomed to before they
became Christians. "For it is better, if the will of God
should so will, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. Because Christ also suffered for sins, once
the righteous for the unrighteous."
Please write down in the margin of your Bible by verse eighteen II
Corinthians 5:21, "Him who knew no sin; him he made to be sin in our
behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God through him." "Because
Christ also suffered for sins once, 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." Now, the New King
James version reads, "Made
alive by the Spirit." And
spirit is capitalized, which would mean that the translators think that Christ
was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit or made alive by the
Spirit. The New International Version, I
think it reads about the same way. STUDENT: "By
the Spirit." BROTHER TURNER: "By
the Spirit made alive," and spirit is capitalized. And I think that that must be the meaning of
it.
Somebody might say, how could it
be right that Christ was made alive by the Spirit when several passages say
that he was raised from the dead by the power of God. Actually, the three persons of the godhead
are given credit for the resurrection of Christ. A number of passages state that he is raised
from the dead by the power of God. And
this passage, if we can go according to the reading, "Made alive by the Spirit,"
that Christ was made alive by the Holy Spirit, the third person of the
godhead. We need to turn and read Romans
8:11.
It reads, "But if the
Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead." Spirit is
capitalized, which means the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of
Christ. "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead
dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life
also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
So that passage is saying that the Spirit raised up Jesus from the
dead. In John the tenth chapter, "My Father loves me, because I lay down my
life for the sheep." And he
goes ahead to say in John 10:18,
that no one taketh it from me, I have the power to lay it down,
and I have the power to take it up again." So Christ is affirming that I have the power
to raise myself from the dead. Romans 8:11
reads, But the Spirit that raised
up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised Jesus from the dead
shall give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit that dwelleth in
you.
I Peter 3:18-20.
this passage has been used by the Mormons and other religious people to get a
false doctrine of a second chance after death. Some Mormons are baptized for
dead relatives. This passage and I Corinthians 15:29
are the two primary references they use to support their false claims. These verses,
I Peter 3:18-20 in the American Standard
Version read, Because Christ also
suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous; being put to death
in the flesh,, but made alive in the spirit; in which also he went and preached
unto the spirits in prison that a foretime were disobedient, when the longsuffering
of God waited in days of Noah while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is eight
souls were saved through water: According
to the proponents of the doctrine of a second chance Christ during the three
the three days that he was in the grave went and preached to that great host of
people who were destroyed by the flood and gave them a second chance. Brother
Moss is that not a Bible based, wholesome doctrine, and full of a lot of comfort?
Does not this sound good and
right on the surface? But this interpretation violates a basic rule of proper
interpretation of the scriptures. When a passage of scripture is properly
interpreted it is in harmony with all other passages for God is not the
author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33).
He does not say one thing in one passage and then contradict what it says in
another. There are many, many, passages that teach that there is no second
chance after the soul leaves the body. A few of the passages are:
Daniel 12:2; John 5:
28-29; II Thessalonians 2: 7-10; Matthew 13:40-43,
13:49-50, 25:31-32,
25:45-46; Luke 16:19-31;
Romans 2:4-10, 14:11-12;
II Corinthians 5:10-11; Hebrews 10:26-31;
Revelations 6:15-16, 20:11-15,
21:6-8. You should write some of these
references in a margin of your Bible to help you to explain I Peter 3:18-20.
But
made alive in spirit in
verse eighteen spirit is capitalized in the King James Version and in The New
King James Version which means that the translators thought that is the Holy
Spirit. The New International Version also has it Spirit and the New American
Version has it Spirit in a footnote.
What is the meaning of this
difficult passage? Is it not logical to conclude that Christ through the
Spirit, through Noah during the one hundred and twenty years when he was
building the ark, and preaching righteousness? That great host of people were
disobedient to the preaching of Noah, when
the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a
preparing. II Peter 2:4-5 reads, For if God spared not angels when they
sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness,
to be reserved unto judgment; and preserved not the ancient world, but preserved Noah
with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood
upon the world of the ungodly.
The spirits of those ungodly people are still in prison like the devil
and his angels as stated in II Peter 2:4.
Verse six of Jude reads, And angels
that kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation,
he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day.
Now back to the latter part of I
Peter 3:20, wherein
few, that is, eight souls were saved through water: which also after a true likeness doth
now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh,
but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ; having gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers
being made subject unto him.
So evidently for a hundred and twenty years, Noah was a preacher of
righteousness and successful in saving only himself and his wife and his three
sons and their wives, eight souls.
Sometimes my brethren need to turn and read about Noah. Some seem to think that unless a child of God
has converted a lot of people, there is no way he can get to heaven. Well, Noah preached for one hundred and
twenty years and was not successful in saving anyone except members of his own
household, and we may do well if we do that.
"Who is on the right
hand of God, gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made
subject unto him." The Bible
teaches that everything has been made subject to Christ, as given in Matthew 16:18,
all authority has been given unto
me in heaven and on earth. Go ye
therefore and teach all nations. As
recorded in Ephesians 1:19-23, Paul wanted the
Ephesians to understand the greatness of God's power, that he wrought in Christ
when he raised him from the dead and set him at his right hand, far above all rule and authority, and
power, and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world but
that which is also to come. So
Christ is now reigning at the right hand of God, and over everything.
Chapter Four
In
this chapter Peter gives more details about how those brethren needed to be
prepared to suffer for the name of Christ.
He says, "For
as much then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the
same mind: For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath
ceased from sin."
When a man loves the Lord well enough to suffer for his cause and suffer
for being a Christian, that man can put away the way of sin. There is no stumbling block in his way. And so Peter is saying that just as you know
that Christ suffered, prepare yourself to suffer. Jesus told his apostles in the last long
discourse that he gave to them how that if the world hates you, remember that
it hated me before it hated you, and the disciples not above his Lord, and if
they hated me, they will hate you. If
they would believe me, they would believe you. So the Bible teaches that the
children of God are going to suffer. And
you might want to write down II Timothy 3:12,
"Yea, all of those that live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution."
Not maybe, but shall. Now, our
persecution today may be a little different from what others in previous
generations have suffered. But the Bible
plainly teaches that we need to be prepared to suffer.
In
Acts 14:22‑23
when Paul and Barnabas on that first missionary journey among the Gentiles,
they returned back and revisited the churches that they had established and
appointed elders in all the churches.
And Luke says that they exhorted them ‑‑ that may not be the
right word, but, anyway, that through many tribulations they would enter into
the kingdom
of God,
talking about the eternal kingdom
of God. In Revelation chapter seven after the
numbering of those saved from the tribes of Israel
as set forth in that chapter, John in the vision saw a great multitude which no
man could number out of every nation tribe and tongue. And they were wearing white garments with
garlands in their hands. And one of the
elders said to John, who are these, and whence came they? And John responded, My Lord thou
knowest. And then the
elder answered, these are they that have come out of the great tribulation, and
they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. So the faithful are going in some way to
suffer for the cause of Christ, and Peter is saying that just as surely as
Christ suffered you are going to suffer. You need to arm yourselves also with
the same mind, with the same attitude that he had, and be ready to suffer. He has already talked about in 2:21
that he suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in
his steps, who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth, when he was
reviled, he reviled not again, when he
suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.
Verse
three, is another passage that indicates strongly that most of these people
that Peter is writing to are Gentile people. "For
the time passed may suffice to wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have
walked in lasciviousness, lusts, wine bibings, revelings, carousing, and
abominable idolatries." In
other words, sex was very much a part of the idolaters' religion, and they
practiced various forms of sex in the worship to their idol gods. And some of them would pray that their god would
give them more prostitutes, and I get the idea that just about all forms of
unnatural sex they practiced back there; and that was an abomination to the
Lord. They offered up their children
like they were offering up an animal in sacrifice to the idol gods. One of the primary things that caused the
carrying away of Judah into Babylonian captivity was the blood of the
innocents which polluted the land
(Psalms 106:37-41)
and that included the matter of their offering up their children as sacrifices
to their idol gods. Is abortion
polluting the land
of America?
When some of those Gentiles obeyed the gospel, the idolatrous Gentiles thought
it very strange that they would not continue to run with them in that way of
wrong doing.
Verse
four, "Wherein
think they it strange that ye run not with them and to the same excess of riot,
speaking evil of you." And
those who are opposed to the way of right are going to find some way to try to
speak evil of those who go the way of right, because the way of right always
reproves their wrong doing (John 3:19-21). "Who shall give an
account to him (Christ) that is ready to judge the living and the
dead." God has committed all
judgment to Christ (John 5:22). Verse six, "For
unto this end was the g