Monthly Archive for March, 1997

1 Peter 1:17e

Published on March 31, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.”

conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here
Christians should view themselves as pilgrims passing through a foreign country (Psalm 30:12; Hebrews 11:13). Our values are under pressure from the foreign culture in which we live. The Christian today lives in changing, relative values. We are strangers to this world because we live according to absolute values.
“For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead,” (1 Peter 4:3-5).
Christian pilgrims are to keep priority on the things of greatest value.
“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation,” (1 Peter 2:11).
The word “conduct” means to turn back, return, to move back to a point or area from which one has previously departed, but with more explicit emphasis upon the return. Hence, it means to move about in a place, to sojourn. The idea is to order one’s conduct. It is also an urgent command.
“Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others,” (Ephesians 2:3).
“For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you,” (2 Corinthians 1:12).
“But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth,” (1 Timothy 3:15)
Principle:
God wants us to keep absolute eternal values in view.
Application:
This world is not our home. We are in Satan’s territory. We must have a clear, genuine, ringing testimony in the face of the pressures of relative values.
“Time” refers to a series of events. How much time do you have left on earth? God wants us to live our lives in view of eternity. Keep eternity always before your life! This will produce a holy life.

1 Peter 1:17d

Published on March 30, 1997 in 1 Peter. 1 Comment
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“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.”

according to each one’s work
“According to” refers to a norm or standard. God judges according to a standard. It is the objective standard of what a believer does in time.
There is a difference between God’s judgment of believers and His condemnation of unbelievers. This is the difference between the judgment seat of Christ (Christians) and the white throne of judgment (non Christians).
God will condemn those who do not believe in the death of Christ to forgive their sins.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,” (John 3:18,19).
God does not condemn Christians.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1).
God, however, does evaluate the production of the believer’s life.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad,” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
The “judgment seat of Christ” is the place of judgment for Christians. At that judgment God will not condemn Christians for rejecting Christ. He will evaluate their production in time.
The primary aim of the judgment seat of Christ is reward. His judgment is not to find fault. God is not critical in His attitude. He does not seek to find fault or defects. God expects to find in the life of each saint upon which He can place His approval–much like a parent who loves to approve the life of his child.
Principle:
God will evaluate our life at the judgment seat of Christ.
Application:
Since you will stand one day at the judgment seat of Christ, have you taken your spiritual stock lately? Are you continuing to advance in your spiritual life? What is your spiritual inventory like? Are you farther along than you were last year?
Do your children detect any spiritual development in your life? Do they observe any trend toward a taller testimony? Is it easier to live with you than it used to be? Have you taken off some of those rough edges of your character? Is your temper more under control? Are you as quick on the verbal draw? Do you retaliate as quickly as you did in former years? Are you developing more and more into his likeness? All of these things are evidence that God is working in your life.
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord,” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

1 Peter 1:17c

Published on March 29, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.”

who without partiality judges
The words “without partiality” mean without respect of persons. Literally these words mean “one who does not receive face.” God operates without prejudice. He is impartial and therefore just. He has no favorites. He does not look at the face of someone and then make His judgment.
God is without partiality in judgment. He judges according to the standard of our true behavior. God does not operate on the basis of favoritism. Wealth, culture, social position, family, education, beauty, intellect make no difference to God.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,‘” (1 Samuel 16:7).
There is an impartial character to God’s judgment, “But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him,” (Acts 10:35). God is consistent in His nature. He doesn’t use different standards of evaluation. God does not disregard evidence. He is honest in His assessments, “For there is no partiality with God,” (Romans 2:11).
“Judges” means evaluation. God is in the business of objective evaluation of our lives. His judgment is not primarily to find fault. God is not a critical person. He is not in the business of seeking defects merely to criticize.
The strictness of God’s judicial process has reward as its primary aim (2 Corinthians 5:10). “What can I give this believer on the basis of his usage of my assets?” God will honestly appraise things. God expects to find in the life of each saint that which He can place His approval. It’s just like a parent who loves to approve the life of His child.
Principle:
God rewards without favoritism.
Application:
God has no partiality toward persons. No one has an “in” with God in prayer. Inevitably people ask clergy if they would pray for them thinking so their prayers have God’s special ear. Any Christian in fellowship can pray as any pastor.
God hears our prayers because of His Son. We can never earn His respect. We approach God on the merits of Christ. God judges all our personal sins on the cross.

1 Peter 1:17b

Published on March 28, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.”

And if you call on the Father
God does not answer prayer for these reasons:
·         lack of faith (Matthew 21:22 compared with Romans 14:23)
·         no relationship with God (not a Christian)
·         carnality (Psalm 66:18)
·         selfishness (James 4:2,3)
·         lack of compassion (Proverbs 21:13)
·         domestic difficulty (1 Peter 3:7)
·         pride (Job 35:12,13)
·         lack of filling of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18)
·         failure to obey God (1 John 3:22)
·         failure to be compatible with the will of God (1 John 5:14)
Effective prayer life comes from understanding who and what God is and who and what we are. It is easy to tangle ourselves in self-pity. When we come to understand that we have nothing to offer God and God has everything to offer us, then we will understand the essence of biblical prayer.
Principle:
We pray effectively when we realize that God answers on the basis of his grace.
Application:
We should not pray, “As the sun rises across the hills and the wind drifts softly through the trees.” God has seen all the scenery anyway! We do not impress God with elocution. He is impressed with the work of His Son and the appeal of His Son for us (Hebrews 7:25).

1 Peter 1:17

Published on March 27, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.”

And if you call on the Father
Peter further develops the personal relationship of verse 16 in this phrase. The Holy Spirit does not base the appeal of verse 16 “Be you holy” – on duty but on relationship. We are holy because our Father is holy. We appeal to God as a child to a parent.
The word “if” assumes that Christians will call on the Father. The “if” in the Greek indicates the reality of their prayer life. The Greek does not suggest an hypothetical but assumes they do in fact pray. If they do, they will live their sojourn here in awe of God. “Call” is a synonym for prayer.
We should address our prayer to the “Father.” We approach the Father through the Son (John 14:13,14) in the power of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). Jesus makes intercession to the Father (He 7:25).
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us (Romans 8:26,27).
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Because the Son intercedes and the Spirit intercedes for us, we should address all prayer to the Father (Matthew 6:6,9).
Principle:
Prayer is a relationship with the Father based on grace.
Application:
Some people say, “I can’t understand why my prayers are not answered. I have not done anything wrong.” That, however, has nothing to do with it. Puffing up what we have done for God does not twist His arm to answer prayer.
Many of us have the idea that God answers prayer because we are good, moral or upright. Just because we may impress people, this does not mean that God is impressed with us.
God, however, does respect His Son. Prayer is a privilege of grace. The reason God hears us is because of His own character. God loves without respect. God respects our prayer solely because of Christ.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16).

1 Peter 1:16

Published on March 26, 1997 in 1 Peter. 1 Comment
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“because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

because it is written
The word “because” indicates the reason why holiness is necessary. God effects our holiness by our participation in His holiness. God is absolute in His holiness.
Our authority for believing in absolutes lies in the written Word of God – “it is written.” We may argue that our society will crumble without absolutes. However, those who do not believe in absolutes will answer, “Who sets the standards? The standards of society are capricious. Why should I live up to random standards?” If there is no ultimate norm for morality, why should they care about the standards of society?
This is where Christians have the answer. When they receive Christ, they have a new motivation for living. They possess an inherent standard that gives them principles for living. Personal faith in Christ appeals to the written Word of God. This is why Peter uses the formula “it is written.”
The Word of God reveals God’s essence. It shows His person and character. It declares that He is set apart from human sin and is therefore absolute.
Spiritual birth gives us an affinity with God. We imitate Him as a child imitates his parents. We cannot imitate our Father unless we know Him. We know Him through the Word of God.
‘Be holy, for I am holy’
God says “I,” in contradistinction to anyone else, “am holy.”"Be holy, for I am holy” is a quote from Leviticus 11:44. “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.” This is to document verse 15.
Principle:
God wants us to be without sin because He is absolute.
Application:
The question of absolutes predominates university campuses today: “Is there any absolute?” “What is right?” “If there are absolutes, who says so?” “Is not sex a normal function of life?” “Who sets up these standards anyway?” That last question is a good question. If our authority rests in human values, then there are no absolutes. Practical questions such as “Will we have a baby?” are all that remain.
Everything is relative to the modern mind. Morality is simply personal preference. If someone thinks that it is good for him or her, then that is fine. That’s why we hear people say, “what difference does it make if no one is getting hurt?”
The Christian answers these questions from information that comes by revelation. There is no other way to own an absolute.

1 Peter 1:15c

Published on March 25, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct”

in all your conduct
“All” means every manner of conduct whether it be work or rest, business or pleasure.
“Conduct” comes from two words “up” and “to turn” meaning “to turn upside down.” “Conduct” is our manner of life. God wants us to turn about or go about from place to place with a holy life. This is a mode of life.
“Conduct” is the whole outward life. God wants us to exhibit His holiness in the grubby business of everyday life. The issue here is general deportment or behavior.
What is the outstanding characteristic of your life? Humanly speaking, what is it? How you answer this question depends on your understanding of the phrase “manner of life.” Most people answer by what they do. That is not accurate. Your manner of life is what you do based on what you think. What you really are is what goes on in your mind. What you do is a result of what you think. Our manner of life is what you think and do. This manner of life consists of acquired characteristics as well as inherent characteristics.
This is no mere pious fantasy. It is more than a nice idea; it is a divine directive. God wants our lives to match the gospel. So often our lives clash with the gospel. God is greatly exercised about how we behave ourselves with the gospel. He is concerned about the quality of our lives because our lives reflect on Him.
“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,” (Philippians 1:27).
God wants us to be holy in all our deportment:
“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints,” (1 Thessalonians 3: 12).
“For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness,” (Hebrews 12:10).
“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord,” (Hebrews 12:14).
Principle:
God is concerned lest we bring his name into disrepute.
Application:
God is concerned about the quality of our lives because our lives reflect Him.
As the centre relates to the circumference, so Christians are to pattern their life after God’s holiness. God’s holiness is the cause of holiness in Christians.
What our children do reflects on us. At times they embarrass us because they act just like their parents! We can see ourselves in our children. This is not the same with God because He is absolutely holy (set apart from humanity).
God wants us to be like Him. God does not have any bad habits, so this is a big order. Human parents have many faults. Their children walk in their footsteps. They learn the bad things easier than the good things.
If we are leaders and our children act badly, it reflects upon us. It will hurt our place in society or ministry. God wants us to be a credit to Christ. He wants us to be an asset rather than a liability. Everything we do reflects upon the Lord.
God saves us by grace, not works. He keeps us saved by grace, not works. However, if our works are shoddy, he will execute family discipline. His discipline is not punitive. He is not in the business of retaliation. God is not vindictive. His discipline is educational, remedial. He is in the business of building lives that will glorify Him (Matthew 5:16). Good works do not save us. They demonstrate that we have come to Christ.
Some non-Christians put Christians to shame when it comes to works. Many non- Christians work with the United Way, March of Dimes or Red Cross. When we try to challenge some people to give a few hours to the ministry of Christ they say, “Well, I don’t have much time. We are busy with our family activities. We are working overtime. We don’t have time for ministry.”

1 Peter 1:15b

Published on March 24, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”

you also be holy
“Holy” means set apart. God wants us to be set apart from sin to God’s righteousness. God does not want us to be ordinary. He wants us to fashion our lives after Himself.
When they sew, women use patterns to fashion clothing. If we are going to be in style spiritually, we must fashion our lives after God. He is our pattern. Christians are not to cover up their characteristics as Christians by assuming an outward masquerade, patterned after the costume of this world.
The root of “holy” is different. The believer is to be different from other people. This is the fashion after which we are to pattern our lives. Holy is the way God is. “Be” means to enter a new state. It means “to become” — “become holy.” This is an imperative. We effect our holiness by participating in God’s holiness.
“Holy” here is experiential holiness. Creed and conduct are inseparable. We cannot have practical conduct without doctrine. Knowledge and action are inseparable. Without the knowledge of God, humans would have no standard or norm for living.
God gives the title “holy” to his children, Hebrews 3:1 — “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.”
“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God,” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Principle:
The Christian is exclusively God’s.
Application:
The basic underlying meaning of “holy” is set apart. This means we are exclusively His. When we came to Christ, God set us apart from the rank and file of humanity. We are now the sons of God.
We are his exclusive property by both the right of creation and the right of redemption. He has the right to curtail our years or lengthen them. He has the right to do with us whatever He pleases. He has the right to subtract from us or add to us. We belong to Him body, soul and spirit.
If we recognize this, then things will go well for us. If not, then He may have to break us like a wild horse. If we rebel against the Lordship of Christ and resent His authority, then He may break our back.
God wants His children to be malleable, given over to His will. He wills nothing but the best for us. He charts a course for our lives. He knows where the booby traps are and leads us around them. That is why His path is not always a straight line between two points. At times He leads us on a zigzag path. Sometimes He leads up and at other times down. Although His leading may appear erratic to us, He guides us past the traps of life (Romans 8:14).

1 Peter 1:15

Published on March 23, 1997 in 1 Peter. 1 Comment
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“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”

We come to the fifth of five directives.
but as He who called you is holy
“But” – conjunction of contrast.”
Called” is the point of our salvation. At that point, we received the characteristics of our Father. We received inherent characteristics from Him. God called; we answered.
“For many are called, but few are chosen,” (Matthew 22:14)
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified,” (Romans 8:28-30).
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord ” (1 Corinthians 1:9).
“But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God,” (1 Corinthians 1:24).
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,” (Galatians 1:6).
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,” (Galatians 1:15).
“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,” (2 Timothy 1:9).
“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,” (Hebrews 3:1).
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light,” (1 Peter 2:9).
“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you,” (1 Peter 5:10).
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble,” (2 Peter 1:10).
God is our pattern of holiness. Although we must imitate Him we cannot equal Him. God is absolute in holiness. As the suit is a reflection of the pattern, so our lives should be a reflection of the one who saved us. God does not conform to a standard; He is the standard. God is immediately holy from all eternity. His holiness is not derived.
Principle:
God calls us to bear family resemblance.
Application:
God is holy and produces holy people. Are you in the process of becoming more like God?

1 Peter 1:14f

Published on March 22, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.”

as in your ignorance
“Ignorance” here is ignorance of God and His norms. Without God, Asia Minor Christians were vulnerable to lust (1:18; cf. Acts 17:30; Ephesians 4:17-18). They owned no purpose for their existence.
Ephesians 4:18 says: “having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
God wants to save us from shipwreck. If in our ignorance we go our own way, disaster will result. God expects us to plan and build a future. It is responsible to have well placed goals. However, to set goals without God is to trivialize Him. When we do this, He may let us make a shipwreck of our future.
“My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me” (Psalm 31:15).
Principle:
We can trust God to work out His will in our lives.
Application:
Can you trust God to work out His will in your life? Younger people have their whole lives in front of them. But if they stubbornly plan without God in the center, God will derail their train. The only place we will find lasting satisfaction is in the center of God’s will.
Ignorance keeps us from discovering God’s plan for our lives. We make plans in ignorance. We chose the university we will attend without consulting God. We plan what we will become without asking the Lord. We dream about the future and do not take God into consideration. Somewhere along the way God will flag us down.
God is interested in saving more than our soul, He wants to save our lives as well (Luke 9:56).