THE NEW TESTAMENT
BIBLE STORY
First Epistle from Peter #4
Chapter Four and Five
CHAPTER FOUR Peter is pretty straight-forward in the first number of verses, to admonish Christians to put away sin. The NKJV translates it thus: "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 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 regards 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 five an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was preached to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." Jesus died to save sinners, to forgive sin, and to be raised to sinless immortal life. And those who belong to Christ are then to not live as they did before, in any manner they wanted to, but should now live according to the will of God. And the will of God is found in reading His word, as written in the Holy Bible. The world at large may think your new life and way of living is crazy, and speak of you with evil intent. But God will eventually judge all, those still living and those who have died. The Gospel was preached to those now dead, so they could change their way of life to be in accord with God. The unconverted world judged them as religious nuts when they accepted Christ as their personal Savior, but that did not matter, for they knew God judged them as His children, and eternal life through the Holy Spirit will belong to them when it is all said and done. Anyone reading the New Testament should be able to see quite easily that being with God, being on God's team, means putting away the conduct of life that is not approved by God, that is unrighteousness, that is sin. And the books of the apostles John and James make it clear to see that sin or unrighteousness is that which is breaking the laws, commands, and teachings of the Most High. Those on God's side know that they do not have to be concerned with what and how man judges them. They know they need to be concerned about how God judged, for eternal life can only come from Him (verses 1-6). Peter at this time of the first century believed the end of all things, the prophecies of old and the new age to come, was AT HAND. So his warning that Christians should be serious and watchful in prayer (verse 7). I suppose this is a living verses for all ages, as the end of all things is as close as our death. Most of us never know when our time is up on this earth in the physical flesh, so indeed we need to be sober, serious in our faith, and watchful in our prayers. Peter now relates some nuts and bolts of what our active faith should consist of. "Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks let him speak as the oracles (margin - utterances) of God. If anyone ministers (serves) let him do it as the with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion (margin - sovereignty) forever and ever. Amen" (verses 8-11). Love will overlook wrongs and sins of people that may be done to us. There are some sins that people do to us that just need to slide off us like water off a ducks back. Yes there maybe times also that we need to apply the instruction of Jesus as in Matthew 18:15-17. Then there are times that the wrong or sins done towards us need to be ignored, they are not going to hurt anyone else, they are not going to effect anyone else, they will just effect our ego, and we need to cover our ego with love. Of course we need to have wisdom (and we have seen James cover the topic of asking for wisdom) as to when to apply Matthew 18:15, and when to let love cover sins. Also, if we are a merciful person, willing at times, to let love cover sins, we shall also be shown mercy from our Heavenly Father. The love and mercy we show others will be in measure the love and mercy God will show us. It is as Jesus taught, "If you do not forgive men their sins, neither will God forgive you your sins." It is the principle that we receive what we give, we reap what we sow, we harvest what we plant. We are to be a hospitable, kind, giving, people to each other, and to do it all without grumbling, the attitude of mind is important to God. We can have an outwards conduct of being hospitable, kind, a serving person to others, but inside our mind and heart we are doing it all with resentment, a "gritting our teeth" in a wrong attitude while we are trying to be hospitable. God sees the heart and mind, we may fool others, but the Lord can never be fooled. If we have a gift, an ability, a talent, we are to use it to serve others, as being a good steward of the grace of God who gave us that gift. If could be a "natural" gift, one that we were born with, or an ability that we acquired sometime during our life time. Either way, we need to be using that gift to help and serve others. I acquired the skill and ability to be an Orthopaedic Shoemaker and Orthotic maker (Arch-support maker in common language) as a young man in my early 20s. I have used that skill to serve people with foot problems. I was musically inclined from birth, and started to learn to play the Guitar from age 11. I went on to play the Steel Guitar, the Banjo, Mandolin, Bass guitar, Classical guitar, and have been using that skill now for 32 years (as I write this in May 2007) to teach others to play those instruments. I have a natural ability with horses, training and riding, both English and Western style, so I have used (still am at this point in my life) that ability to serve others (young and old) in their quest to enjoy horses and ponies. Whatever your gift or gifts are, God through the apostle Peter, says you are to minister or serve others with that gift. You hear about skilled doctors or surgeons donating their time and talent to go and help people in poor nations, who could never afford to buy their service. That type of giving is very pleasing in God's sight. Maybe not all of are in the position to give ex number of weeks or months to serve as those doctors can, but in one way or another we can all figure out how to serve with our gifts and acquired abilities. If we speak, as most of us can and do, we should speak all things as with the mind-set that we speak words that are pleasing to God, as if God is giving the utterances. We are back to what James wrote about the tongue, which we have studied when going through the book of James. We need to watch what comes out of our mouth in the words we speak. We need to put our mind in gear before our tongue rattles off, going at a mile a minute down the road. Whatever way we can minister or serve in, we need to be doing it harnessed with the power and mind of God, that in all of our serving, it is God, through Jesus Christ, that is getting the glory. Peter now shifts back to the subject of the Christian doing through various sufferings (verses 12-19). We Christians are not to thinks it a strange things that we may have to suffer or go through trials and hardships, as even through fire at times. We are to rejoice, knowing that Christ also suffered. Living and doing that which is right and is the way and will of God, sometimes will bring hardships, trials, and persecutions from the world at large. Some of us suffer these things more than others. We really do not fully know how the deck of cards will be handed out to us. It is only a relatively few, like the apostle Paul, who are told in advance the hardships and sufferings they will go through as they serve the Lord and preach and teach the Gospel. Very few of us are called to be an apostle Paul. But if fiery trials do come upon us for being a Christian and doing God's will, we are to remember our Lord and Savior also went through fiery trials, so it should not be that strange to us that we may also face such trails. We are to remember that Jesus stuck with it and was glorified with immortal life, and if we also stick with it, we shall also share in glorified immortal life. If we are insulted or reviled (margin of NKJV) for being a Christian, we are to count it a blessing, for the Spirit of glory rests upon us. They may blaspheme God, but He is glorified through us remaining faithful to His calling and way of life. We are certainly not to suffer as evil doers, as murderers, as a thief, as a busybody in other people's matters. There is no glory in suffering for the wrongs, sins, evils, that our human nature can possibly do. On the other hand, if we suffer for simply being a Christian, and doing God's will, we are not to be ashamed, but we should glorify God that we can suffer for Him. We, the children of God, are being watched all the time by our Father in heaven. We are then in that sense, being judged how we are living as a Christian, as a child of God. We are expected to live and act and think differently than the rest of the un-called world. The standard is held very high, you cannot have a standard any higher than the Most High One. Peter say the same claim Jesus made in the Gospels. When one came to Him and asked if many would be saved, Jesus said, the way was straight and narrow to eternal life, but broad was the way to destruction, and few there would be that would keep on the straight and narrow. Jesus said that many would say "Have we not done this in your name, have we not worked miracles in your name, were you not preached in our local community?" Jesus will say to them, "I never knew you, depart from me, you that work lawlessness." Notice the sobering words, "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear" (NKJV). It does not mean that sin cannot be forgiven, of course not. It is written, "God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish, but have eternal life." All can be forgiven their sins through Jesus Christ. What Peter is bringing out is the other side of the coin, the side Jesus also brought out during His ministry. Being saved means living the way and will of God, having the mind-set to OBEY God, having the mind that will be teachable, be corrected, be willing to grow in grace and knowledge. It is the willingness to STAY on the straight and narrow RIGHT TO THE END! Being a true child of God, does not mean you can now fall asleep, coast along, put up your feet and snooze away, saying, "Oh hummmm, it's all done for me, I can rest and sail along, live as I please, think as I like, speak as I want .... Oh hummmmm, I'll sigh .... oh hummmm." No, remaining faithful to God's calling, takes some effort, it really is the straight and narrow, it really is obeying God to the end, and for Peter to get this across to his readers (and as Peter was inspired, it is really God getting it across to His children) he put it as "If the RIGHTEOUS one is SCARCELY SAVED, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" These words should be sobering to all Christians. Remaining faithful as a true follower of Christ takes some effort, some fortitude. Now God gives us all the power of the Holy Spirit to serve us in remaining faithful to the end. He gives us all the armor (Ephesians 6) 10-18) we need to fight the good fight, but we have our part to do, we must take the armor and make use of it. Paul said to Timothy (as we have seen going through those epistles) "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness ..." It is in that sense that the righteous one is scarcely saved. Peter ends chapter 4 with, "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God, commit their lives to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator." I want you to notice a very important phrase here. It is "suffer according to the WILL of God." Some mistakingly believe and teach that suffering for a Christian is AUTOMATIC. And if you never suffer or never have persecution, and whatever else people may think is suffering, you are not really a true Christian. That is NOT TRUE! It is according to the WILL of God. There are and have been, many a true Christian down through the ages who have gone through living a godly life, who have had VERY LITTLE, some would even say, NO suffering (sure the word "suffering" can have different meanings for different people). The apostle Paul went through many sufferings as the book of Acts brings out, but the apostle John it would seem had little "sufferings" as the like of Paul, and lived to a ripe old age, falling asleep in death, from what we can gather from history, of natural causes. Suffering for the sake of Christ is for the WILL of God to decide, IF and WHEN and WHAT it will be. CHAPTER FIVE Peter now talks to the Elders of the Church of God, as one himself, and also one of those who were witness to the sufferings of Christ, and one who will partake in the glory to be revealed. Elders are to SHEPHERD the flock of God, as an OVERSEER. A shepherd loves his sheep, he cares for them, serves and protects them, he guides them into good pasture, lets them feed by still waters. Elders are to do this work for the flock of God, not because they feel forced to, not because of the wages they may get paid, but they are to do it, because they know it is their calling from God, to guide and care for and love the Church of God. Elders are not to be acting like little (or big) BULLIES or TYRANT or HITLERS. They are not to be a domineering hard-nosed price-fighter who is going to show he is the world champion in the boxing ring of the Church of God. They are to be EXAMPLES to the flock of God. Examples of HOW a Christian should live and act and speak. And when THE CHIEF SHEPHERD appears they will receive their crown of gory that fades not away. They should not be trying in this life time to acquire some sort of crown of glory from people in the body of Christ. The praise of men they should not seek. The praise of God is all they need. In glorious eternal life they will have their crown, and all will see then, at that time, how well they did their job as an Elder in the Church of God. The younger Elders are to respect and submit to the older Elder. Those who have served long and well in the Eldership, should be respected by those who have served for much less time in the Eldership. Then on the other hand Peter says, all should be submissive one to the other. All should be clothed with HUMILITY. The key to every persons praise from God is HUMILITY. You may have all kinds of gifts, all kinds of knowledge, all sorts of power over words and oratory, all kinds of good works, great righteousness as Job had, you may spend long hours in prayer, long hours in Bible study, you may fast often, BUT if you do not have HUMILITY, it will be of no avail. I cannot over-state this aspect of what makes a true child and true Elder in the body of Christ - HUMILITY, HUMILITY. I have written an in-depth article on humility called "Humility - the precious Gem of the Christian crown." You can find it on this Website. God will RESIST the PROUD! He will fight against the proud, the vain, those who will not be humble. All Elders and all children of the Lord are to be humble under the mighty hand of God, and He in due time, will exact you. We are to cast all our care on Him, not on men. We are to care for the things of God, and not worry or care about what men think. As we care for God and His way of living and working as His child or His Elder in the body of Christ, then He will care for us. He does care for us, and wants us to be the very best we can be in the Church of God, whatever our function is. Elders (and of course all members in the Church of Christ) are to be SOBER (margin - self-controlled), VIGILANT (margin - watchful), because the adversary, the Devil, is walking about like a roaring lion, trying to destroy whoever he can. We are to RESIST him, be steadfast in the faith, knowing the same spiritual battle is being experienced by the whole brotherhood of saints everywhere in the world. We are all in the same army of the Lord waging war on the Devil, human nature and the pulls of this world in all of its varying ways. Peter ends his first epistle with: "May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered for a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" It was through Silvanus that Peter wrote, he being the scribe, testifying and exhorting that this was the true grace of God in which they all stood. The church (she) in Babylon sent greetings, as did Mark. They were to greet each other with affection - in their custom of the day, it was a kiss of love. Peter's last words in this epistle are: "Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen" .................. Written May 2007 |
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