Our Conduct in Christ
November 1, 2009
Lesson: 1 Peter 1:13-25
Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:15-16
Introduction
Peter has been instructing the saints in Asia Minor about the genuineness of their faith, which is more precious than gold, being tested by fire to the praise and glory of Christ Jesus. He went on to say that the revelation of Jesus Christ, his gospel and salvation, was given by the Holy Spirit. The glory of heaven is seen in Christ Jesus in whom the fullness and the holiness of the Godhead are seen. ‘Therefore’ the elect of God are to be holy, as God himself is holy. In other words, we are to manifest the truth that we are made in the image of the holy God. Moses received the same admonition that Peter received: “Speak unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:2-3)
The term ‘holy’ (Gr. ‘hagios’), means to be sanctified, set apart; i.e., living as God would have us live, as his image: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Abstaining from the sin and pollution of this world, from which we were delivered through the blood, we are to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). An example of this holy life is seen in Paul’s words, which teaches us that we are not to live in Christ: “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:8). We are to flee from the immorality of this world, to live as those resurrected in Christ Jesus. We are to understand that we are now God’s people, that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit who is in us, “whom we have from God.” Therefore, we are not our own. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:17-20). John Calvin [Institutes] wrote that “we are God’s: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God’s: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God’s: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal. (Rom. 14:8; 1 Cor. 6:19).”
Obedient Children -1 Peter 1:13-16
Because of the death and resurrection of Christ on our behalf, for that great salvation revealed to the elect of God by the Holy Spirit, we are to, therefore, “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (your conduct): because it is written, ‘Be ye holy, for I am holy’.”
Because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, revealed to us by the Holy Spirit; because of our new birth in Christ Jesus, we are enabled to be true children of our Father in heaven. We are empowered to “gird up the loins” of our mind. As in the time of Peter, so at the time when I living in North Africa. Many of the people wore flowing garments. In order to move faster, or do the task at hand, they had to gather up the cloth so that it would not get in the way of their work. We are to gather together the loins of this world so that they will not impede our growth and work in the Word of our Lord. Peter “intimates that our minds are held entangled by the passing cares of the world and by vain desires, so that they rise not upward to God. Whosoever, then, really wishes to have this hope, let him learn in the first place to disentangle himself from the world, and gird up his mind that it may not turn aside to vain affections” (Calvin). We are to be spiritually sober in our walk and growth in the Lord, not inebriated with the lusts and affections of the world around us. After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua these encouraging words, to “be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Josh. 1:7-8).
Upon the promises and word of God we rest our hope, as “obedient children;” our desire us to please our Father in heaven in all things. We show appreciation and gratitude in our obedience to our Father, and to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are no longer ignorant, as the world is ignorant, knowing that our lives rest in God our Father. We desire to be like him who is our Creator and Savior, to be holy as he is holy. We want to be righteous and just in our thoughts and relationships, to know the truth revealed to us in Christ Jesus through his Word. For this is what our Father in heaven wants for us. For we belong to him.
Discussion: What does it mean to be an obedient child of God?
Redeemed Children -1 Peter 1:17-19
Peter continues to encourage God’s elect to be holy. Because of our new relationship with our Father in heaven in Christ, we are emboldened to call upon him: “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons, judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
We call upon our Father in heaven as his adopted children, as obedient children toward a Father who has manifested himself as one who loves unconditionally, with loving-kindness and tender mercies. He is not like man who judges the outward appearance, but judges the heart, knowing its faithfulness or unfaithfulness. He judges, in Christ his Son, the children whom he has chosen to be his very own. He develops within us that character which reveals his very own holy character. Calvin wrote that “from the character of the Father himself, he shews what sort of obedience ought to be rendered. He judges, he says, without looking on the person, that is, no outward mask is of any account with him, as the case is with men, but he sees the heart, (1 Sam. l 16:7;) and his eyes look on faithfulness (Jer. 5:3.) This also is what Paul means when he says that God’s judgment is according to truth, (Rom. 2:2 ;) for he there inveighs against hypocrites, who think that they deceive God by a vain pretense.”
God our Father judges us according to our works, according to the sincerity of our hearts. It is not that he is demanding for us to be something we cannot be, but to enable us to be holy, set apart in his righteousness, truth, and justice. Therefore we call upon our Father in heaven who alone is able to judge our hearts, receive our repentance, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, forgiving our sins, and claiming us as his obedient children. We come to our Father in heaven knowing that we have not been redeemed with the corruptible traditions and thoughts of this world, but we have been redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
We gird up the loins of our minds to be taught the righteousness of Christ as befitting those who are called children of God. We desire to be holy in our conduct, each and every day, because we have a Savior who redeemed us with his own precious blood. When John, the forerunner of Christ, was born, his father, Zacharias, a priest of God’s temple, saw, not only his son, but the coming promise of the Messiah, prophesying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:68-69). The outcome of this promise was “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life” (1:72-75). We serve the Lord our King, who, by his own blood, brought us into the most holy place, to be called children of God; “having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Heb. 10:19-20); “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Rom. 3:23-25).
Discussion: What does it mean to be redeemed by Christ our Savior?
Believing Children -1 Peter 1:20-21
It is by Christ our Savior that we “do believe in God, (who) raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” Christ, by his death and resurrection, claimed complete victory over sin and death for us. Christ now reigns supreme over his Church and over nations. He reigns at the right hand of God the Father, “in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:20-23). Believing in Christ, being convinced that is both Savior and Lord, we have great assurance of hope in Christ, “who was “foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” This hope is expressed by Christ by the beloved apostle: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).
Discussion: What does it mean to believe in Christ as our Lord and King?
A Holy Nation: God’s People
November 8, 2009
Lesson: 1 Peter 2:1-10
Key Verse: 1 Peter 2:9
Introduction
God’s peculiar people, a nation, a royal priesthood, a chosen generation! Our existence as a church, a gathering of people in every generation, in every nation on earth, is given many names, and each tells us of the saving grace of God and that we belong to God our Father. The apostle Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, said that we are no longer strangers, “but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). We are being “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-22). We are a temple of the Holy Spirit, being built upon the revealed Word of God, both individually and collectively as his people. The purpose of our being saved is to be a tabernacle of God. We are his and no other god or authority shall be our lord. This moral relationship with our Lord is revealed in God’s moral law: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. … Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Ex. 20). Therefore we worship and serve the Lord who alone has granted us the ability to do so.
Peter had, in the first chapter of his Epistle, taught us that our souls are being cleansed “in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren.” Having our hearts made new by the redemptive work of Christ and his shed blood, the covenant relationship of love was established between us and our heavenly Father, and our love for one another. Having such a love within us, and having been born again “through the word of God which lives and abides forever,” we are to “love one another with a pure heart.” Therefore, said Peter, we are to “desire the milk of the word,” that we might thereby grow; having “tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
Living Stones – Acceptable to God -1 Peter 2:4-5
When we look at pictures of loved ones who have gone on before us to the Lord, of the places they walked and talked, our emotions are kindled. But, the greatest desire of the heart is not just to remember, but to be with that loved one. We, as children of God, have this greatest hope in Christ Jesus. We are not satisfied with just a walk where Jesus walked, but we want to have fellowship with him. Peter says that we come to him as a living stone. Christ was rejected by men. He is rejected today as the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, whose name was Joshua, the one who took upon himself the sins of his people. Men place him upon the cross to get rid of Him. However, he rose again, for he accomplished salvation upon his cross. We come to Christ, not as the Moslems who see him as a lowly prophet, but as the Christ, alive, the Son of the living God. We come to him who was “chosen by God and precious.”
Not only is Christ our living Lord, but we are his living people. We come to Jesus “as living stones,” being “built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” We are first and foremost spiritual beings. In other words we are in fellowship with our Creator, having been given a soul, which has been redeemed, actually and spiritually by Christ our Redeemer. And, we are a house. As Calvin wrote, “For though every one of us is said to be the temple of God, yet all are united together in one, and must be joined together by mutual love, so that one temple may be made of us all. Then, as it is true that each one is a temple in which God dwells by his Spirit, so all ought to be so fitted together, that they may form one universal temple.”
This spiritual house is called “a holy priesthood.” As the priests went to the temple to offer up sacrifices to God, so also, as God’s temple, we offer up sacrifices to God. Paul writes to the Roman Christians, beseeching them, and us, by the mercies of God, “that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2). We sacrifice ourselves by placing ourselves before God in humble obedience and worship before God. This position before God is followed by prayer, Bible study, deeds of love and mercy, etc. We are thereby being sanctified, being made holy in our priestly duties before out Creator and Redeemer.
Discussion: What is the character of the Church, the fellowship of those who believe in Christ?
The Precious and Chief Cornerstone -1 Peter 2:6-8
Peter turns our thoughts to the Chief Cornerstone of God’s building, Christ the Son. The words of God the Father are quoted: “Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” We will not be put to shame as Christ is victorious foundation stone upon which God will build his church, a Living Stone by which the whole building will be tested and tried. As there is no other person whereby we must be saved, there is no other Christ by which we must live. He is the only elect Savior of God. And, as he is most precious of the Father, he ought to be most precious to us.
“Unto you therefore,” writes Peter, “which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head if the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” Calvin wrote that “We ought, then, carefully to notice this inference: Christ is a precious stone in the sight of God; then he is such to the faithful. It is faith alone which reveals to us the value and excellency of Christ.” It is Christ alone who is the object of our faith.
Discussion: How is Christ the strength of his Church?
God’s Chosen Generation Praise Christ -1 Peter 2:9-10
We are not like those who stumble, who see Christ as a rock of offense, because we have been elect and chosen of God the Father, in Christ. We have been chosen to be a certain kind of people. We have chosen for a very special purpose. And we have been changed from being dead stones to being living stones. Listen to God’s view of us, who have placed our faith in Him alone: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
In our worship, praise, prayer, Bible study, witness, and everyday activities, we must know these three things: 1. that we do not belong to ourselves, but to God. He has chosen us. Our royalty is seen in our priestly functions, our love for one another and God. We are a sanctified nation, set apart to Christ our King. We are his own special people because of his electing love and mercy. 2. That our major or principle goal is to glorify God, to proclaim his praises. To tell others by deed and word, as God continues to reveal himself in his Scriptures; and what he has done; as the Savior who has delivered out of the darkness of this world into his marvelous light. 3. That we are not to take glory to ourselves. We are now a people who have received mercy; who once had not obtained mercy; nor did we deserve it. For by grace we are saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves it is a gift of God. Paul wrote it this way, “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God” (Rom. 9:23-26).
Discussion: How would you explain the nature and character of the Church in light of Holy Scripture?
Our Faithful Creator
November 15, 2009
Lesson: 1 Peter 4:12-19
Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:19
Introduction
Justin Martyr was born in Flavia Neapolis, a city of Samaria, A.D. 114. In the reign of Marcus Aurelius, Justin’s was killed for his faith in Christ Jesus in the year 165 A.D. His early apologetic for the Christian faith began, “To the Emperor Titus Aelius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar, and to his son Verissimus the Philosopher, and to Lucius the Philosopher, the natural son of Caesar, and the adopted son of Pius, a lover of learning, and to the sacred Senate, with the whole People of the Romans, I, Justin, the son of Priscus and grandson of Bacchius, natives of Flavia Neapolis in Palestine, present this address and petition in behalf of those of all nations who are unjustly hated and wantonly abused, myself being one of them.”
The Christians were being punished by Rome for bearing the name of their Master, Christ Jesus. Justin writes, “For we are accused of being Christians, and to hate what is excellent is unjust. Again, if any of the accused deny the name, and say that he is not a Christian, you acquit him, as having no evidence against him as a wrong-doer; but if any one acknowledge that he is a Christian, you punish him on account of this acknowledgment.” To paraphrase the thought of Justin’s apologetic; the Christians were being accused of being atheists. This is what we are being accused of today, of being atheists, of not worshiping the gods of this world. Justin, who came to know Christ as Savior in Ephesus, started a school in Rome. His witness is this, “But both (the Father), and the Son (who came forth from Him and taught us these things, and the host of the other good angels who follow and are made like to Him), and the prophetic Spirit, we worship and adore, knowing them in reason and truth, and declaring without grudging to every one who wishes to learn, as we have been taught.”
As with Justin, we understand the gods of this world, and stand firm that there is only one true God. Paul testifies by the Spirit: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20). It is in this world and its gods that we bear fruit as disciples of Jesus Christ. It is Christ who teaches us: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit: so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). We also understand that God is the Creator who faithfully and providentially cares for his Creation.
Trial and Reproach -1 Peter 4:12-17
We think it not strange that there are Christians who may have to face “the fiery trial.” It is not a strange thing, in this world, to face these trials. When we bear the cross of Christ, carry His banner unashamedly in this world, we expect some kind of persecution or ridicule. We are to rejoice in these times of persecution and trials. The rejoicing comes when we realize that in these times of torment we are partaking of “Christ’s suffering.” We rejoice also because our eyes are set, not on this world, but on that which is to come, “when His glory is revealed,” that we may “be glad with exceeding joy.” Calvin wrote, “It is, indeed, a cause of joy, when God tries our faith by persecution; but the other joy far surpasses it, that is, when the Son of God allots to us the same course of life with himself, that he might lead us with himself to a blessed participation of heavenly glory.”
The teaching of the blessedness of the child of God is a precious truth of God’s Word. Peter tells us that if we are rebuked “for the name of Christ,” then we reveal a blessedness which no other person on this earth can attain. This word blessed is the same word used of our Lord when He spoke to the multitude on the mountain side, saying, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matt. 5:11). The word ‘blessed’ speaks of the character of the Christian. It tells us ‘how inwardly happy is the child of God.’ The Greek word, ‘Makarios,’ tells us that the child of the true God possesses the characteristics of deity. We are truly created and redeemed to be the image of our Creator. Because of Christ, we are indwelt by the Spirit of God. It is the kingdom of God within us. “Neither shall they say, lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Therefore, “Blessed (how inwardly happy) are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).
Thus we are compared with the wicked who suffer as murderers, thieves, evildoers, or busybodies. We are not to suffer as they do, but as followers of Christ and his gospel; for the glory of the Holy Spirit is upon us. For our sake Christ was blasphemed. For our sake Christ is glorified, both in heaven and on earth. Calvin sums these verses, writing that Peter shows, “that it is no hindrance to the happiness of the godly, that they sustain reproach for the name of Christ, because they nevertheless retain a complete glory in the sight of God, while the Spirit, who has glory ever connected with him, dwells in them.”
If we do suffer as Christians, we are not to act ashamed of our testimony, as if we are the cause of the conflict. We are to glorify God in our thoughts and actions; “And truly it is no common kindness from God, that he calls us, freed and exempted from the common punishment of our sins, to so honorable a warfare as to undergo for the testimony of his Gospel either exiles, or prisons, or reproaches, or even death itself” (Calvin). We pray for the saints of Christ in all the nations who are being reproached because of their faithful testimony to Christ and his gospel. We pray for revival within our own nation as well as others. However, we must know that revival, the cleansing of our nation; begin with us, the Body or Church of Christ Jesus. Peter reminds us that “the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” If we become as those who disobey the gospel or word of God, then we receive a just punishment. Therefore, let us Glorify God as those who desire that judgment which will cleanse us and make us strong before the wicked of this world. We begin with our communion with God, in prayer and study of His Word. We are like those who put on the whole armor of God ready in combat and witness for His glory.
Discussion: Why is there joy in suffering for Christ?
Commit our Souls -1 Peter 4:18-19
Again Peter compares the Christian with the wicked. “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear.” The righteous, being those who are “scarcely be saved;” then what will be the state of the sinner or the ungodly ones? Solomon’s proverb reads, “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner?” (11:31). In other words, the Christian, the redeemed child of God, finds the way through this life on earth filled with thorns and thistles. The path is not an easy one to follow. We continually testify that the Lord is our Shepherd leading us through the valleys of death. For the Christian who seeks the easy way out, he finds a slippery slope. Therefore we always need to rest firmly upon him who is our strength and hope. We rest always upon the mercy of God. We don’t take that salvation wrought in Christ and His dying for our sins, for granted. We are ever on the alert with the word of God in our hearts and on our lips.
Why do we suffer as Christians? Peter tells us that we who suffer for Christ “suffer according to the will of God.” Therefore, because our suffering is in the hands of God to do his will to his glory, then we must commit the keeping our souls “to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” We “suffer nothing except according to the permission of God, which tends much to comfort us; when he says, Let them commit themselves to God, it is the same as though he had said, “Let them deliver themselves and their life to the safe keeping of God” (Calvin).
We commit our souls, our very lives to our faithful Creator, our faithful Father in heaven; for “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9). Christ was faithful in taking upon Himself our sins that we may know the Father’s forgiveness, and the promise of an eternal inheritance kept in heaven for us. Christ our Lord is also faithful in keeping us each and every day, “who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3).
Discussion: How are we may strong in Christ Jesus?
By God’s Power
November 22, 2009
Lesson: 2 Peter 1:1-15
Key Verse: 2 Peter 1:3
Introduction
The Apostle Peter gives us, in the so-called nutshell, what is the true character of the child of God, writing to “them that have obtained like precious faith with us, through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Calvin clearly understands this teaching: “This is a commendation of the grace which God had indiscriminately showed to all his elect people; for it was no common gift, that they had all been called to one and the same faith, since faith is the special and chief good of man.”
Our faith is a precious faith, a like faith declared by Abraham and Daniel, of Paul and Peter, of the saints who are the elect of God the Father. This measure of faith is that “divine power” given to us, enabling every chosen saint, whatever their station in life, to know Christ in his death and resurrection, to know his righteousness by which we are clothed, to know that salvation is ours in the Son of God. We are, with all the saints, to look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
Gifts and Promises -2 Peter 1:1-4
Simon Peter, by using the term “servant,” presents himself to the church as one among many ministers of the Word of Christ. This apostle of Christ Jesus sees himself as one who is a servant, a slave, whose will is absorbed in the will of the Master. Peter is that one of whom Christ spoke in a parable, saying, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Matt. 24:45-46). However, he comes also as one who has been set before them as an apostle appointed by Christ Jesus. He is one whom the Lord has sent to be an ambassador of the mysteries of heaven. Peter comes in the name and authority of his Master, Christ Jesus the risen Son of God. Paul designates the office of an apostle, writing that he is “a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1).
It is to this gospel that Simon Peter refers when he writes “To them who obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” They had rejoiced in the gospel preaches, of whom it is spoken, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things” (Rom. 10:15). Peter adds the words, “through the righteousness of … Christ,” to remind us that faith is not something which we bestow upon ourselves. The saints of God “did not obtain faith through their own efforts or strength, but through God's favor alone” (Calvin). God’s Word attests to this truth, saying that ‘the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:21-24).
Peter assigns this benediction to the saints, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Grace acknowledges the loving favor God bestows upon His people. “Peace is added; for as the beginning of our happiness is when God receives us into favor; so the more he confirms his love in our hearts, the richer blessing he confers on us, so that we become happy and prosperous in all things” (Calvin).
It is through the knowledge of God our Father, and the one who sent his Son to us, “as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” It is through the knowledge of God who has “called us to glory and virtue,” by which we have been given “exceeding great and precious promises.” And it is through these precious promises that we may partake “of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” The saints of Peter’s time, and the saints of today, have been delivered out of the darkness of the sin of this world, into the light of life in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.
Discussion: Why is the faith which is of Christ called precious?
Faith and Growth -2 Peter 1:5-15
Because we now possess a divine nature, we acknowledge that we are still at war with the old nature; that we must continually die to sin and purposely live to Christ, we are now able to grow in the grace and faith afforded us in Christ. Therefore, Peter admonishes the saints, that for the very reason that they enjoy a new and divine nature, they are able, and so must, with all diligence, “add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” We are to adorn our faith with good morals, wisdom, and acts of righteousness, and that love which comes from God our Father; that we may have our faith shine forth in the works of kindness and love toward one another. Therefore, build your faith on truth as revealed in the Word of God.
Fruitfulness is the work of the Spirit in and through us. Faith is exercised as we bear the fruit of the Spirit in Christ Jesus. Faith without works is dead. Faith without fruit is not true faith. Faith unites us to the Savior. Faith is a precious gift of God. By grace we have been saved through faith in the Son of God; for “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore, these things, that of faith and virtue, of knowledge and self-control, of love and kindness and godliness, these are ours in Christ. We will abound in these things and be fruitful in Christ. These things prove that Christ is in us, and we in him. We, therefore, diligently seek these things, that we might not be like those who are “shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” We are those who take seriously the words of our Lord, who says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Our calling and election by the Father in Christ are made sure in the doing of these things. Not that we are saved by our fruits or works, but that they make mature what God has given us in Christ. “For our entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This is your pilgrimage on earth as you look forward to the coming of your King and Savior. “God, by ever supplying you abundantly with new graces, will lead you to his own kingdom” (Calvin).
Discussion: How does the Scripture guide us in our faith and growth?
The Lord keeps his Promise
November 29, 2009
Lesson: 2 Peter 3:1-18
Key Verse: 2 Peter 3:9
Introduction
Peter closes his letter to those of like precious faith with these words of encouragement to mature in the grace and knowledge of their Savior: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen” (3:18). In the words of John Calvin, “He also exhorts us to make progress; for it is the only way of persevering, to make continual advances, and not to stand still in the middle of our journey; as though he had said, that they only would be safe who labored to make progress daily.”
The Bible Song, Psalm 92, begins “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most high.” Verses twelve through fourteen give us reason to give thanks to God, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (fresh) and flourishing.” The assurance comes from God that there will surely be blessings. God’s children are compared to the tree that grows like a cedar of Lebanon. Though we may seem to be weak and burdened at times, in this world of dark wickedness, the church of our Lord and Savior will become as stately and strong as these Lebanon trees. We are planted in the very household of God; in the very courts of the Triune and majestic LORD. It is in the fellowship of believers that we, even in our old age, shall know the freshness of life, flourishing in the word and communion of our Lord. Verse fifteen gives the intent or objective of this growth, “To show that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” We declare, in our growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord, the wonder and beauty of righteousness which is Christ’s alone. This is that righteousness which is imputed to us, justifying us before our Father in heaven that we are his.
God’s Words are Faithful -2 Peter 3:1-7
As with the first epistle of God’s apostle, Peter, encourages us to stir up our pure minds by way of reminder, in order that we “may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour.” Peter is speaking to those who have a “pure”—sincere, genuine—faith faith in Christ, who have tasted of the righteousness of their Savior, who have been taught by the word of God. Christians ought to care for their faith as they do their bodies, understanding the need to exercise faith and body. Our faith-exercise has to with our hunger and thirst after righteousness, desiring the meat of God’s Word, that we may be able to deal with the scoffers who are among us, and not “walking according to their own lusts.”
These are the scoffers can be found within the church. There are those who ridicule the faith, questioning the Word of God, saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?” They make mockery of the prophets who have long died, saying, “for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” The scoffers look for any excuse that will rationalize their behavior. They come with their heads high with self importance, “walking after their own lusts.”
The scoffers, teaching doctrine which accord to their own desires, have willfully forgotten the truth according to the Word of God. They are willfully being “ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. Wicked men are willfully ignorant of the Creator and Redeemer. It is God who keeps his promises that they have chosen to ignore. The world and its rivers and oceans exist by the very word of God. They are maintained by the same word of God. Therefore, his promise to bring judgment upon the earth comes by his word. By the word of God the world exists, even through his bringing upon it the great flood. We must not forget the promises and work of the Sovereign Lord. For they give us confidence in the promises to be kept.
Peter continues, for in the same manner today, “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” Christ has come and is reigning over his Creation and his Church now. Christ will come at the time of the final judgment. The water of the day of Noah, and the promise of the fire to come, indicates the judgment upon the wicked. The scoffers are to take note. Even today “we see many such at this day who being slightly imbued with the rudiments of philosophy, only hunt after profane speculations, in order that they may pass themselves off as great philosophers” (Calvin). These scoffers of the world are like “raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom are reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13).
Discussion: What is power and nature of the Word of God?
The Day of the Lord -2 Peter 3:8-13
We, as the beloved of God in Christ Jesus, are not to “be ignorant of this one thing, one day is with the Lord one day as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” We are not to forget that our Sovereign Lord is working all things together for his glory and the good of those for whom he shed his precious blood. As he is with us today, he has in mind his present and eternal promises, and how his will is to be accomplished in each generation. God works out the future, the days to come, by accomplishing his will for today. As he has set the winds in motion that will bring the rains and storms and sunshine of the tomorrow, so he is working in us to carry out his purpose in eternity. Calvin reminds us: “For waiting seems very long on this account, because we have our eyes fixed on the shortness of the present life, and we also increase weariness by computing days, hours, and minutes. But when the eternity of God's kingdom comes to our minds, many ages vanish away like so many moments.”
Let us be patient, not anticipating God’s work; for “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be carried out for the salvation of all those for whom he paid a ransom price. The one who holds us in his hands has promised that his Father in heaven has “so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”; and, “whosoever believes in (the Son) should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:15-16).
Verses ten through thirteen teaches us about the coming of the Day of the Lord. This Day of the Lord “will come as a thief in the night.” We know by the times that there will be a coming of the Lord in judgment, but we will not be able to tell just when this will be. What will happen before the very eyes of those who have gone on before, and those who are on the earth, is this: “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” How does this match up with the statement that we are to look for that day of God when the “the elements will melt with fervent heat”?—“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” Therefore, looking “for a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness,” we ought to “be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”
There is, in the passing away of the old, a cleansing work of God in giving to his people a new life after that of the righteousness of Christ that gives us a taste of the new heavens and a new earth. A process of renovation is taking place to get rid of all of the pollution which man has brought upon this world. We are taught in Scripture that “the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). The new heavens and new earth will be like that of today, except, it will be a place where true righteousness dwells.
Discussion: What manner of persons ought we to be in holy conduct and godliness?
Consider Christ! -2 Peter 3:14-18
Our holy conduct begins by being diligent to be like Christ in truth and righteousness; and ‘in peace, without spot and blameless.” We are to be diligent to be like Christ; for Christ made peace between us and the Father through his redeeming work on the cross of Calvary. We read in Colossians 1:19-20 that it pleased our heavenly Father that by “him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross.” A mark of a Christian is peace. The Christian has peace within himself through fellowship with Christ and his Word.
We are encouraged to be blameless before a wicked world by thinking upon “the longsuffering of our Lord,” which is for the salvation of his people. So also, we are not tossed to and fro by the philosophies of the wicked, allowing the situation to make us frenzy with anger, but act accordingly, with the strength of knowing that we are at peace with God in Christ, to the salvation and help toward those around us. Surely, as Peter refers us to Paul’s wisdom given to him by God, there are “some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction.” This is the confrontation of the people of God in all ages.
Let us, therefore, beware of the traps of the scoffers and wicked teachers, lest we fall from our “own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked.” We are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” GRACE referring to “those spiritual gifts we obtain through Christ. But as we become partakers of these blessings according to the measure of our faith,” KNOWLEDGE “is added to grace; as though he had said, that as faith increases, so would follow the increase of grace” (Calvin). Let us go to the Word of God, in prayer and in worship, one with another, that to Christ “be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
Discussion: How should we consider Christ in our worship, home, and work?
November 1, 2009
Lesson: 1 Peter 1:13-25
Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:15-16
Introduction
Peter has been instructing the saints in Asia Minor about the genuineness of their faith, which is more precious than gold, being tested by fire to the praise and glory of Christ Jesus. He went on to say that the revelation of Jesus Christ, his gospel and salvation, was given by the Holy Spirit. The glory of heaven is seen in Christ Jesus in whom the fullness and the holiness of the Godhead are seen. ‘Therefore’ the elect of God are to be holy, as God himself is holy. In other words, we are to manifest the truth that we are made in the image of the holy God. Moses received the same admonition that Peter received: “Speak unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:2-3)
The term ‘holy’ (Gr. ‘hagios’), means to be sanctified, set apart; i.e., living as God would have us live, as his image: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Abstaining from the sin and pollution of this world, from which we were delivered through the blood, we are to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). An example of this holy life is seen in Paul’s words, which teaches us that we are not to live in Christ: “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:8). We are to flee from the immorality of this world, to live as those resurrected in Christ Jesus. We are to understand that we are now God’s people, that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit who is in us, “whom we have from God.” Therefore, we are not our own. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:17-20). John Calvin [Institutes] wrote that “we are God’s: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God’s: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God’s: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal. (Rom. 14:8; 1 Cor. 6:19).”
Obedient Children -1 Peter 1:13-16
Because of the death and resurrection of Christ on our behalf, for that great salvation revealed to the elect of God by the Holy Spirit, we are to, therefore, “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (your conduct): because it is written, ‘Be ye holy, for I am holy’.”
Because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, revealed to us by the Holy Spirit; because of our new birth in Christ Jesus, we are enabled to be true children of our Father in heaven. We are empowered to “gird up the loins” of our mind. As in the time of Peter, so at the time when I living in North Africa. Many of the people wore flowing garments. In order to move faster, or do the task at hand, they had to gather up the cloth so that it would not get in the way of their work. We are to gather together the loins of this world so that they will not impede our growth and work in the Word of our Lord. Peter “intimates that our minds are held entangled by the passing cares of the world and by vain desires, so that they rise not upward to God. Whosoever, then, really wishes to have this hope, let him learn in the first place to disentangle himself from the world, and gird up his mind that it may not turn aside to vain affections” (Calvin). We are to be spiritually sober in our walk and growth in the Lord, not inebriated with the lusts and affections of the world around us. After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua these encouraging words, to “be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Josh. 1:7-8).
Upon the promises and word of God we rest our hope, as “obedient children;” our desire us to please our Father in heaven in all things. We show appreciation and gratitude in our obedience to our Father, and to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are no longer ignorant, as the world is ignorant, knowing that our lives rest in God our Father. We desire to be like him who is our Creator and Savior, to be holy as he is holy. We want to be righteous and just in our thoughts and relationships, to know the truth revealed to us in Christ Jesus through his Word. For this is what our Father in heaven wants for us. For we belong to him.
Discussion: What does it mean to be an obedient child of God?
Redeemed Children -1 Peter 1:17-19
Peter continues to encourage God’s elect to be holy. Because of our new relationship with our Father in heaven in Christ, we are emboldened to call upon him: “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons, judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
We call upon our Father in heaven as his adopted children, as obedient children toward a Father who has manifested himself as one who loves unconditionally, with loving-kindness and tender mercies. He is not like man who judges the outward appearance, but judges the heart, knowing its faithfulness or unfaithfulness. He judges, in Christ his Son, the children whom he has chosen to be his very own. He develops within us that character which reveals his very own holy character. Calvin wrote that “from the character of the Father himself, he shews what sort of obedience ought to be rendered. He judges, he says, without looking on the person, that is, no outward mask is of any account with him, as the case is with men, but he sees the heart, (1 Sam. l 16:7;) and his eyes look on faithfulness (Jer. 5:3.) This also is what Paul means when he says that God’s judgment is according to truth, (Rom. 2:2 ;) for he there inveighs against hypocrites, who think that they deceive God by a vain pretense.”
God our Father judges us according to our works, according to the sincerity of our hearts. It is not that he is demanding for us to be something we cannot be, but to enable us to be holy, set apart in his righteousness, truth, and justice. Therefore we call upon our Father in heaven who alone is able to judge our hearts, receive our repentance, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, forgiving our sins, and claiming us as his obedient children. We come to our Father in heaven knowing that we have not been redeemed with the corruptible traditions and thoughts of this world, but we have been redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
We gird up the loins of our minds to be taught the righteousness of Christ as befitting those who are called children of God. We desire to be holy in our conduct, each and every day, because we have a Savior who redeemed us with his own precious blood. When John, the forerunner of Christ, was born, his father, Zacharias, a priest of God’s temple, saw, not only his son, but the coming promise of the Messiah, prophesying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:68-69). The outcome of this promise was “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life” (1:72-75). We serve the Lord our King, who, by his own blood, brought us into the most holy place, to be called children of God; “having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Heb. 10:19-20); “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Rom. 3:23-25).
Discussion: What does it mean to be redeemed by Christ our Savior?
Believing Children -1 Peter 1:20-21
It is by Christ our Savior that we “do believe in God, (who) raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” Christ, by his death and resurrection, claimed complete victory over sin and death for us. Christ now reigns supreme over his Church and over nations. He reigns at the right hand of God the Father, “in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:20-23). Believing in Christ, being convinced that is both Savior and Lord, we have great assurance of hope in Christ, “who was “foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” This hope is expressed by Christ by the beloved apostle: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).
Discussion: What does it mean to believe in Christ as our Lord and King?
A Holy Nation: God’s People
November 8, 2009
Lesson: 1 Peter 2:1-10
Key Verse: 1 Peter 2:9
Introduction
God’s peculiar people, a nation, a royal priesthood, a chosen generation! Our existence as a church, a gathering of people in every generation, in every nation on earth, is given many names, and each tells us of the saving grace of God and that we belong to God our Father. The apostle Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, said that we are no longer strangers, “but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). We are being “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-22). We are a temple of the Holy Spirit, being built upon the revealed Word of God, both individually and collectively as his people. The purpose of our being saved is to be a tabernacle of God. We are his and no other god or authority shall be our lord. This moral relationship with our Lord is revealed in God’s moral law: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. … Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Ex. 20). Therefore we worship and serve the Lord who alone has granted us the ability to do so.
Peter had, in the first chapter of his Epistle, taught us that our souls are being cleansed “in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren.” Having our hearts made new by the redemptive work of Christ and his shed blood, the covenant relationship of love was established between us and our heavenly Father, and our love for one another. Having such a love within us, and having been born again “through the word of God which lives and abides forever,” we are to “love one another with a pure heart.” Therefore, said Peter, we are to “desire the milk of the word,” that we might thereby grow; having “tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
Living Stones – Acceptable to God -1 Peter 2:4-5
When we look at pictures of loved ones who have gone on before us to the Lord, of the places they walked and talked, our emotions are kindled. But, the greatest desire of the heart is not just to remember, but to be with that loved one. We, as children of God, have this greatest hope in Christ Jesus. We are not satisfied with just a walk where Jesus walked, but we want to have fellowship with him. Peter says that we come to him as a living stone. Christ was rejected by men. He is rejected today as the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, whose name was Joshua, the one who took upon himself the sins of his people. Men place him upon the cross to get rid of Him. However, he rose again, for he accomplished salvation upon his cross. We come to Christ, not as the Moslems who see him as a lowly prophet, but as the Christ, alive, the Son of the living God. We come to him who was “chosen by God and precious.”
Not only is Christ our living Lord, but we are his living people. We come to Jesus “as living stones,” being “built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” We are first and foremost spiritual beings. In other words we are in fellowship with our Creator, having been given a soul, which has been redeemed, actually and spiritually by Christ our Redeemer. And, we are a house. As Calvin wrote, “For though every one of us is said to be the temple of God, yet all are united together in one, and must be joined together by mutual love, so that one temple may be made of us all. Then, as it is true that each one is a temple in which God dwells by his Spirit, so all ought to be so fitted together, that they may form one universal temple.”
This spiritual house is called “a holy priesthood.” As the priests went to the temple to offer up sacrifices to God, so also, as God’s temple, we offer up sacrifices to God. Paul writes to the Roman Christians, beseeching them, and us, by the mercies of God, “that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2). We sacrifice ourselves by placing ourselves before God in humble obedience and worship before God. This position before God is followed by prayer, Bible study, deeds of love and mercy, etc. We are thereby being sanctified, being made holy in our priestly duties before out Creator and Redeemer.
Discussion: What is the character of the Church, the fellowship of those who believe in Christ?
The Precious and Chief Cornerstone -1 Peter 2:6-8
Peter turns our thoughts to the Chief Cornerstone of God’s building, Christ the Son. The words of God the Father are quoted: “Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” We will not be put to shame as Christ is victorious foundation stone upon which God will build his church, a Living Stone by which the whole building will be tested and tried. As there is no other person whereby we must be saved, there is no other Christ by which we must live. He is the only elect Savior of God. And, as he is most precious of the Father, he ought to be most precious to us.
“Unto you therefore,” writes Peter, “which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head if the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” Calvin wrote that “We ought, then, carefully to notice this inference: Christ is a precious stone in the sight of God; then he is such to the faithful. It is faith alone which reveals to us the value and excellency of Christ.” It is Christ alone who is the object of our faith.
Discussion: How is Christ the strength of his Church?
God’s Chosen Generation Praise Christ -1 Peter 2:9-10
We are not like those who stumble, who see Christ as a rock of offense, because we have been elect and chosen of God the Father, in Christ. We have been chosen to be a certain kind of people. We have chosen for a very special purpose. And we have been changed from being dead stones to being living stones. Listen to God’s view of us, who have placed our faith in Him alone: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
In our worship, praise, prayer, Bible study, witness, and everyday activities, we must know these three things: 1. that we do not belong to ourselves, but to God. He has chosen us. Our royalty is seen in our priestly functions, our love for one another and God. We are a sanctified nation, set apart to Christ our King. We are his own special people because of his electing love and mercy. 2. That our major or principle goal is to glorify God, to proclaim his praises. To tell others by deed and word, as God continues to reveal himself in his Scriptures; and what he has done; as the Savior who has delivered out of the darkness of this world into his marvelous light. 3. That we are not to take glory to ourselves. We are now a people who have received mercy; who once had not obtained mercy; nor did we deserve it. For by grace we are saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves it is a gift of God. Paul wrote it this way, “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God” (Rom. 9:23-26).
Discussion: How would you explain the nature and character of the Church in light of Holy Scripture?
Our Faithful Creator
November 15, 2009
Lesson: 1 Peter 4:12-19
Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:19
Introduction
Justin Martyr was born in Flavia Neapolis, a city of Samaria, A.D. 114. In the reign of Marcus Aurelius, Justin’s was killed for his faith in Christ Jesus in the year 165 A.D. His early apologetic for the Christian faith began, “To the Emperor Titus Aelius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar, and to his son Verissimus the Philosopher, and to Lucius the Philosopher, the natural son of Caesar, and the adopted son of Pius, a lover of learning, and to the sacred Senate, with the whole People of the Romans, I, Justin, the son of Priscus and grandson of Bacchius, natives of Flavia Neapolis in Palestine, present this address and petition in behalf of those of all nations who are unjustly hated and wantonly abused, myself being one of them.”
The Christians were being punished by Rome for bearing the name of their Master, Christ Jesus. Justin writes, “For we are accused of being Christians, and to hate what is excellent is unjust. Again, if any of the accused deny the name, and say that he is not a Christian, you acquit him, as having no evidence against him as a wrong-doer; but if any one acknowledge that he is a Christian, you punish him on account of this acknowledgment.” To paraphrase the thought of Justin’s apologetic; the Christians were being accused of being atheists. This is what we are being accused of today, of being atheists, of not worshiping the gods of this world. Justin, who came to know Christ as Savior in Ephesus, started a school in Rome. His witness is this, “But both (the Father), and the Son (who came forth from Him and taught us these things, and the host of the other good angels who follow and are made like to Him), and the prophetic Spirit, we worship and adore, knowing them in reason and truth, and declaring without grudging to every one who wishes to learn, as we have been taught.”
As with Justin, we understand the gods of this world, and stand firm that there is only one true God. Paul testifies by the Spirit: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20). It is in this world and its gods that we bear fruit as disciples of Jesus Christ. It is Christ who teaches us: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit: so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). We also understand that God is the Creator who faithfully and providentially cares for his Creation.
Trial and Reproach -1 Peter 4:12-17
We think it not strange that there are Christians who may have to face “the fiery trial.” It is not a strange thing, in this world, to face these trials. When we bear the cross of Christ, carry His banner unashamedly in this world, we expect some kind of persecution or ridicule. We are to rejoice in these times of persecution and trials. The rejoicing comes when we realize that in these times of torment we are partaking of “Christ’s suffering.” We rejoice also because our eyes are set, not on this world, but on that which is to come, “when His glory is revealed,” that we may “be glad with exceeding joy.” Calvin wrote, “It is, indeed, a cause of joy, when God tries our faith by persecution; but the other joy far surpasses it, that is, when the Son of God allots to us the same course of life with himself, that he might lead us with himself to a blessed participation of heavenly glory.”
The teaching of the blessedness of the child of God is a precious truth of God’s Word. Peter tells us that if we are rebuked “for the name of Christ,” then we reveal a blessedness which no other person on this earth can attain. This word blessed is the same word used of our Lord when He spoke to the multitude on the mountain side, saying, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matt. 5:11). The word ‘blessed’ speaks of the character of the Christian. It tells us ‘how inwardly happy is the child of God.’ The Greek word, ‘Makarios,’ tells us that the child of the true God possesses the characteristics of deity. We are truly created and redeemed to be the image of our Creator. Because of Christ, we are indwelt by the Spirit of God. It is the kingdom of God within us. “Neither shall they say, lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Therefore, “Blessed (how inwardly happy) are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).
Thus we are compared with the wicked who suffer as murderers, thieves, evildoers, or busybodies. We are not to suffer as they do, but as followers of Christ and his gospel; for the glory of the Holy Spirit is upon us. For our sake Christ was blasphemed. For our sake Christ is glorified, both in heaven and on earth. Calvin sums these verses, writing that Peter shows, “that it is no hindrance to the happiness of the godly, that they sustain reproach for the name of Christ, because they nevertheless retain a complete glory in the sight of God, while the Spirit, who has glory ever connected with him, dwells in them.”
If we do suffer as Christians, we are not to act ashamed of our testimony, as if we are the cause of the conflict. We are to glorify God in our thoughts and actions; “And truly it is no common kindness from God, that he calls us, freed and exempted from the common punishment of our sins, to so honorable a warfare as to undergo for the testimony of his Gospel either exiles, or prisons, or reproaches, or even death itself” (Calvin). We pray for the saints of Christ in all the nations who are being reproached because of their faithful testimony to Christ and his gospel. We pray for revival within our own nation as well as others. However, we must know that revival, the cleansing of our nation; begin with us, the Body or Church of Christ Jesus. Peter reminds us that “the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” If we become as those who disobey the gospel or word of God, then we receive a just punishment. Therefore, let us Glorify God as those who desire that judgment which will cleanse us and make us strong before the wicked of this world. We begin with our communion with God, in prayer and study of His Word. We are like those who put on the whole armor of God ready in combat and witness for His glory.
Discussion: Why is there joy in suffering for Christ?
Commit our Souls -1 Peter 4:18-19
Again Peter compares the Christian with the wicked. “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear.” The righteous, being those who are “scarcely be saved;” then what will be the state of the sinner or the ungodly ones? Solomon’s proverb reads, “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner?” (11:31). In other words, the Christian, the redeemed child of God, finds the way through this life on earth filled with thorns and thistles. The path is not an easy one to follow. We continually testify that the Lord is our Shepherd leading us through the valleys of death. For the Christian who seeks the easy way out, he finds a slippery slope. Therefore we always need to rest firmly upon him who is our strength and hope. We rest always upon the mercy of God. We don’t take that salvation wrought in Christ and His dying for our sins, for granted. We are ever on the alert with the word of God in our hearts and on our lips.
Why do we suffer as Christians? Peter tells us that we who suffer for Christ “suffer according to the will of God.” Therefore, because our suffering is in the hands of God to do his will to his glory, then we must commit the keeping our souls “to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” We “suffer nothing except according to the permission of God, which tends much to comfort us; when he says, Let them commit themselves to God, it is the same as though he had said, “Let them deliver themselves and their life to the safe keeping of God” (Calvin).
We commit our souls, our very lives to our faithful Creator, our faithful Father in heaven; for “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9). Christ was faithful in taking upon Himself our sins that we may know the Father’s forgiveness, and the promise of an eternal inheritance kept in heaven for us. Christ our Lord is also faithful in keeping us each and every day, “who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3).
Discussion: How are we may strong in Christ Jesus?
By God’s Power
November 22, 2009
Lesson: 2 Peter 1:1-15
Key Verse: 2 Peter 1:3
Introduction
The Apostle Peter gives us, in the so-called nutshell, what is the true character of the child of God, writing to “them that have obtained like precious faith with us, through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Calvin clearly understands this teaching: “This is a commendation of the grace which God had indiscriminately showed to all his elect people; for it was no common gift, that they had all been called to one and the same faith, since faith is the special and chief good of man.”
Our faith is a precious faith, a like faith declared by Abraham and Daniel, of Paul and Peter, of the saints who are the elect of God the Father. This measure of faith is that “divine power” given to us, enabling every chosen saint, whatever their station in life, to know Christ in his death and resurrection, to know his righteousness by which we are clothed, to know that salvation is ours in the Son of God. We are, with all the saints, to look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
Gifts and Promises -2 Peter 1:1-4
Simon Peter, by using the term “servant,” presents himself to the church as one among many ministers of the Word of Christ. This apostle of Christ Jesus sees himself as one who is a servant, a slave, whose will is absorbed in the will of the Master. Peter is that one of whom Christ spoke in a parable, saying, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Matt. 24:45-46). However, he comes also as one who has been set before them as an apostle appointed by Christ Jesus. He is one whom the Lord has sent to be an ambassador of the mysteries of heaven. Peter comes in the name and authority of his Master, Christ Jesus the risen Son of God. Paul designates the office of an apostle, writing that he is “a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1).
It is to this gospel that Simon Peter refers when he writes “To them who obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” They had rejoiced in the gospel preaches, of whom it is spoken, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things” (Rom. 10:15). Peter adds the words, “through the righteousness of … Christ,” to remind us that faith is not something which we bestow upon ourselves. The saints of God “did not obtain faith through their own efforts or strength, but through God's favor alone” (Calvin). God’s Word attests to this truth, saying that ‘the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:21-24).
Peter assigns this benediction to the saints, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Grace acknowledges the loving favor God bestows upon His people. “Peace is added; for as the beginning of our happiness is when God receives us into favor; so the more he confirms his love in our hearts, the richer blessing he confers on us, so that we become happy and prosperous in all things” (Calvin).
It is through the knowledge of God our Father, and the one who sent his Son to us, “as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” It is through the knowledge of God who has “called us to glory and virtue,” by which we have been given “exceeding great and precious promises.” And it is through these precious promises that we may partake “of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” The saints of Peter’s time, and the saints of today, have been delivered out of the darkness of the sin of this world, into the light of life in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.
Discussion: Why is the faith which is of Christ called precious?
Faith and Growth -2 Peter 1:5-15
Because we now possess a divine nature, we acknowledge that we are still at war with the old nature; that we must continually die to sin and purposely live to Christ, we are now able to grow in the grace and faith afforded us in Christ. Therefore, Peter admonishes the saints, that for the very reason that they enjoy a new and divine nature, they are able, and so must, with all diligence, “add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” We are to adorn our faith with good morals, wisdom, and acts of righteousness, and that love which comes from God our Father; that we may have our faith shine forth in the works of kindness and love toward one another. Therefore, build your faith on truth as revealed in the Word of God.
Fruitfulness is the work of the Spirit in and through us. Faith is exercised as we bear the fruit of the Spirit in Christ Jesus. Faith without works is dead. Faith without fruit is not true faith. Faith unites us to the Savior. Faith is a precious gift of God. By grace we have been saved through faith in the Son of God; for “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore, these things, that of faith and virtue, of knowledge and self-control, of love and kindness and godliness, these are ours in Christ. We will abound in these things and be fruitful in Christ. These things prove that Christ is in us, and we in him. We, therefore, diligently seek these things, that we might not be like those who are “shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” We are those who take seriously the words of our Lord, who says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Our calling and election by the Father in Christ are made sure in the doing of these things. Not that we are saved by our fruits or works, but that they make mature what God has given us in Christ. “For our entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This is your pilgrimage on earth as you look forward to the coming of your King and Savior. “God, by ever supplying you abundantly with new graces, will lead you to his own kingdom” (Calvin).
Discussion: How does the Scripture guide us in our faith and growth?
The Lord keeps his Promise
November 29, 2009
Lesson: 2 Peter 3:1-18
Key Verse: 2 Peter 3:9
Introduction
Peter closes his letter to those of like precious faith with these words of encouragement to mature in the grace and knowledge of their Savior: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen” (3:18). In the words of John Calvin, “He also exhorts us to make progress; for it is the only way of persevering, to make continual advances, and not to stand still in the middle of our journey; as though he had said, that they only would be safe who labored to make progress daily.”
The Bible Song, Psalm 92, begins “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most high.” Verses twelve through fourteen give us reason to give thanks to God, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (fresh) and flourishing.” The assurance comes from God that there will surely be blessings. God’s children are compared to the tree that grows like a cedar of Lebanon. Though we may seem to be weak and burdened at times, in this world of dark wickedness, the church of our Lord and Savior will become as stately and strong as these Lebanon trees. We are planted in the very household of God; in the very courts of the Triune and majestic LORD. It is in the fellowship of believers that we, even in our old age, shall know the freshness of life, flourishing in the word and communion of our Lord. Verse fifteen gives the intent or objective of this growth, “To show that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” We declare, in our growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord, the wonder and beauty of righteousness which is Christ’s alone. This is that righteousness which is imputed to us, justifying us before our Father in heaven that we are his.
God’s Words are Faithful -2 Peter 3:1-7
As with the first epistle of God’s apostle, Peter, encourages us to stir up our pure minds by way of reminder, in order that we “may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour.” Peter is speaking to those who have a “pure”—sincere, genuine—faith faith in Christ, who have tasted of the righteousness of their Savior, who have been taught by the word of God. Christians ought to care for their faith as they do their bodies, understanding the need to exercise faith and body. Our faith-exercise has to with our hunger and thirst after righteousness, desiring the meat of God’s Word, that we may be able to deal with the scoffers who are among us, and not “walking according to their own lusts.”
These are the scoffers can be found within the church. There are those who ridicule the faith, questioning the Word of God, saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?” They make mockery of the prophets who have long died, saying, “for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” The scoffers look for any excuse that will rationalize their behavior. They come with their heads high with self importance, “walking after their own lusts.”
The scoffers, teaching doctrine which accord to their own desires, have willfully forgotten the truth according to the Word of God. They are willfully being “ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. Wicked men are willfully ignorant of the Creator and Redeemer. It is God who keeps his promises that they have chosen to ignore. The world and its rivers and oceans exist by the very word of God. They are maintained by the same word of God. Therefore, his promise to bring judgment upon the earth comes by his word. By the word of God the world exists, even through his bringing upon it the great flood. We must not forget the promises and work of the Sovereign Lord. For they give us confidence in the promises to be kept.
Peter continues, for in the same manner today, “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” Christ has come and is reigning over his Creation and his Church now. Christ will come at the time of the final judgment. The water of the day of Noah, and the promise of the fire to come, indicates the judgment upon the wicked. The scoffers are to take note. Even today “we see many such at this day who being slightly imbued with the rudiments of philosophy, only hunt after profane speculations, in order that they may pass themselves off as great philosophers” (Calvin). These scoffers of the world are like “raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom are reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13).
Discussion: What is power and nature of the Word of God?
The Day of the Lord -2 Peter 3:8-13
We, as the beloved of God in Christ Jesus, are not to “be ignorant of this one thing, one day is with the Lord one day as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” We are not to forget that our Sovereign Lord is working all things together for his glory and the good of those for whom he shed his precious blood. As he is with us today, he has in mind his present and eternal promises, and how his will is to be accomplished in each generation. God works out the future, the days to come, by accomplishing his will for today. As he has set the winds in motion that will bring the rains and storms and sunshine of the tomorrow, so he is working in us to carry out his purpose in eternity. Calvin reminds us: “For waiting seems very long on this account, because we have our eyes fixed on the shortness of the present life, and we also increase weariness by computing days, hours, and minutes. But when the eternity of God's kingdom comes to our minds, many ages vanish away like so many moments.”
Let us be patient, not anticipating God’s work; for “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be carried out for the salvation of all those for whom he paid a ransom price. The one who holds us in his hands has promised that his Father in heaven has “so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”; and, “whosoever believes in (the Son) should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:15-16).
Verses ten through thirteen teaches us about the coming of the Day of the Lord. This Day of the Lord “will come as a thief in the night.” We know by the times that there will be a coming of the Lord in judgment, but we will not be able to tell just when this will be. What will happen before the very eyes of those who have gone on before, and those who are on the earth, is this: “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” How does this match up with the statement that we are to look for that day of God when the “the elements will melt with fervent heat”?—“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” Therefore, looking “for a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness,” we ought to “be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”
There is, in the passing away of the old, a cleansing work of God in giving to his people a new life after that of the righteousness of Christ that gives us a taste of the new heavens and a new earth. A process of renovation is taking place to get rid of all of the pollution which man has brought upon this world. We are taught in Scripture that “the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). The new heavens and new earth will be like that of today, except, it will be a place where true righteousness dwells.
Discussion: What manner of persons ought we to be in holy conduct and godliness?
Consider Christ! -2 Peter 3:14-18
Our holy conduct begins by being diligent to be like Christ in truth and righteousness; and ‘in peace, without spot and blameless.” We are to be diligent to be like Christ; for Christ made peace between us and the Father through his redeeming work on the cross of Calvary. We read in Colossians 1:19-20 that it pleased our heavenly Father that by “him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross.” A mark of a Christian is peace. The Christian has peace within himself through fellowship with Christ and his Word.
We are encouraged to be blameless before a wicked world by thinking upon “the longsuffering of our Lord,” which is for the salvation of his people. So also, we are not tossed to and fro by the philosophies of the wicked, allowing the situation to make us frenzy with anger, but act accordingly, with the strength of knowing that we are at peace with God in Christ, to the salvation and help toward those around us. Surely, as Peter refers us to Paul’s wisdom given to him by God, there are “some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction.” This is the confrontation of the people of God in all ages.
Let us, therefore, beware of the traps of the scoffers and wicked teachers, lest we fall from our “own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked.” We are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” GRACE referring to “those spiritual gifts we obtain through Christ. But as we become partakers of these blessings according to the measure of our faith,” KNOWLEDGE “is added to grace; as though he had said, that as faith increases, so would follow the increase of grace” (Calvin). Let us go to the Word of God, in prayer and in worship, one with another, that to Christ “be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
Discussion: How should we consider Christ in our worship, home, and work?
