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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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November 7, 2010
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Contents:
1) 1 Peter 1:6-12 (Tom Edwards)
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-1-
1 Peter 1:6-12
by Tom Edwards
To those early Christians who had been undergoing persecution and were
as aliens scattered throughout several of the Roman provinces in Asia
Minor, Peter gives this following exhortation in 1 Peter 1:6-9:
"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if
necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof
of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even
though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and
honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen
Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in
Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."
In view of these promises of God, the Christians could rejoice greatly
-- and even when in the midst of very difficult situations, such as
intense persecutions.
When Peter speaks of the possibility of undergoing trials for a "little
while," even if that be a lifetime, it would certainly be a "little
while" compared to eternity. This appears to have been the way
Paul viewed his trials, as well. For even though he did encounter
many different adversities (2 Cor. 11:23-29; 1 Cor. 4:11-13), they were
to him but a "momentary, light affliction," which was "producing...an
eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison," as he looked "not
at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen." So Paul concentrated on the spiritual and eternal, more so
than on the physical and temporary; and, as a result, he was able to
have hope, assurance, and a good positive outlook toward life in
general (2 Cor. 4:17,18).
For as the Bible shows, the Christian can view even the most difficult
things in his life in a positive light, knowing that the adversities
that challenge one's faith can also be for good. As Peter shows
in 1 Peter 1:7, having this right kind of faith is even more valuable
than gold. James also speaks of this in James 1:2-4: "Consider it
all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let
endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing." Verse 12 then says, "Blessed
is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he
will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those
who love Him."
So the Christian's faith is more precious than gold. Therefore,
if faith could be bought, how much gold would you be willing to give
for it? I imagine, all you would have. But faith, rather
than being bought, is acquired through hearing God's word (Rom. 10:17).
So while gold can buy us things of this life, those things would
eventually perish; but saving faith can attain for us blessings in
glory that are eternal. Jesus refers to this type of contrast in
Matthew 6:19-21, where He gives this following instruction: "Do not lay
up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where
thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also."
When Peter speaks of faith as being "tested by fire" (1 Pet. 1:7), it
is an allusion to the trials and sufferings these Christians would
undergo. But just as gold is purified in fire, even so these
trials would also serve to help the Christians develop more of
that Christ-like nature. God also spoke in this manner through
Isaiah, by saying, "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I
have tested you in the furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10).
The faith of those whom Peter addresses is highly commendable.
Though they had not seen the Lord, Peter says, "you love Him,
...believe in Him," and "...greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and
full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8). This is because they had eyes of
faith, which enabled them to see with spiritual clarity. Job also
had eyes like that. As he declares, "I have heard of Thee by the
hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees Thee" (Job 42:5). Job
heard and then believed. This is also how it is to be for all
today. For the word must first be heard, so that faith can
be acquired (Rom. 10:17; John 20:31). In the case of Job, his
faith enabled him to make the following acknowledgment in Job 42:2, "I
know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be
thwarted." Can our faith make that same confession?
Thomas, on the other hand, had been one who first needed that empirical
evidence, before he would believe in the Lord's resurrection -- even
though all the other apostles had testified toward having seen Jesus
alive again. Thomas, therefore, states in John 20:25,
"Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger
into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not
believe." Eight days later, this came to pass. Jesus appeared in
the midst of His apostles and told Thomas to "Reach here your finger,
and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side;
and be not unbelieving, but believing" (Jn. 20:27). Thomas then
exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" And Jesus said to him, "Because
you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see,
and yet believed" (vv. 28,29). This blessing of the Lord includes
all of us who truly believe in Christ today!
In 1 Peter 1:9, in the King James Version, Peter speaks of "Receiving
the end of your faith...." In this verse, the Greek word for
"end" is "telos" and has been defined as "the fulfillment or completion
of any thing...i.e. its end or issue (not its cessation). It
denotes strictly, not the ending of a departed state, but, the arrival
of a complete or perfect one" (A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to
the English and Greek New Testament, E. W. Bullinger, p. 248).
This is why it is rendered
in the New American Standard Bible as "obtaining the OUTCOME of your
faith...."
Again, we are made aware of the need to persevere, to keep in the
faith, so one day we will finally be taken to where that faith will
ultimately lead -- all the way to heaven itself -- and what an outcome
that will be!
Therefore, it is obvious that to reject the faith would be to also
reject the outcome or result of what saving faith will produce.
This is why the Hebrew writer shows the need for endurance, a need for
living by faith instead of shrinking back to destruction. For we
must be doers of God's word in order to receive His promise of eternal
life (Heb. 10:35-39).
In 1 Peter 1:10-12, Peter states, "As to this salvation, the prophets
who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search
and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of
Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of
Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them
that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which
now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to
you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven -- things into which angels
long to look."
God has always had a careful watch upon His creation. Not only
does He see when even one sparrow falls (Matt. 10:29), but he also
"looks from heaven..." and "sees all the sons of men" (Psa.
33:13). But not only does He see them and show His loving care
through the creation (Acts 14:17) and through the sending of His Son
Jesus (Jn. 3:16); but He has also imparted His word through the
prophets and the apostles that everyone might come to have a loving
relationship with God. Peter declares that the "spirit of Christ"
was in the prophets. The prophets, therefore, were as "mouths"
for God to speak through, which is the way Peter expresses it in Acts
1:16, when he says, "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which
the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who
became a guide to those who arrested Jesus."
To see how the Spirit spoke through the prophets in this passage is
helpful in our understanding of 1 Peter 3:18-20, in which we are told
that it was "...in the spirit...in which" Christ "went and made
proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient,
when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the
construction of the ark...."
In putting this all together, we can infer that it was not Christ who
went in the flesh to preach to these people of Noah's day, who were
alive at that time -- and not in the Hadean realm. But, rather,
it was the "spirit of Christ" who was in Noah that preached to those
people of his time. According to 2 Peter 2:5, Noah was a
"preacher of righteousness"; and his message was not from himself, but
from God -- so as if Jesus were speaking through him.
Peter also speaks of prophets in 1 Peter 1:10,11 who wanted to
know the person and time of the Christ who would suffer.
Therefore, the prophets did not always understand the full meaning of
their message; and this can be seen in the case of Peter. For it
appears that he did not realize the total meaning of the inspired word
he spoke in Acts 2:39 that the promise was to be even "for all who are
far off," which is a reference to the Gentiles. For God had
to give Peter a vision before he would really understand his need (and
that it would be all right) to go preach to Cornelius and his household
(Acts 10,11) -- the first case of Gentiles becoming Christians (and
about a decade after the church had been established). It was
while at the house of Cornelius when Peter declared, "...'I most
certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in
every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome
to Him'" (Acts 10:34,35).
Peter speaks of the prophets who "predicted the sufferings of Christ"
(1 Pet. 1:11). This can be seen in Isaiah 53:3-12 and Psalm
22:6-8, 11-18, where prophecy is given concerning the Lord's
crucifixion. Though these sufferings of Jesus were predicted, it
appears that many people did not truly understand them (cf. Luke
24:25,26) -- for many of the Jewish people were looking for a Messiah
who would restore their nation of Israel and be their reigning king --
not a Messiah who would have to suffer and die, which they would view
as a total failure toward His cause (since they were ignorant of the
importance of the cross -- 1 Cor. 1:18,23).
These prophets also predicted "the glories to follow," which would
occur after the Lord's sufferings (1 Pet. 1:11) and pertains to the
time, following the Lord's ascension, when He was exalted at the right
hand of God and glorified (Acts 5:31). Daniel, for instance, was
one of the prophets who spoke of this, several hundred years prior, in
Daniel 7:13,14, and shows that it was then that, after returning to
"the Ancient of Days" in heaven, that Jesus was given "dominion,
glory, and a kingdom."
In view of the fact that even the angels in glory "LONG to look" -- or,
in other words, greatly desire to know more of God's message -- (1 Pet.
1:12) -- how much more should we humans be interested in that?
For God's divine word is from out of this world! It is from God
Himself. The Greek word for "long" is the same one used in
Matthew 13:17, where the Lord speaks of "...many prophets and righteous
men" who "DESIRED to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear
what you hear, and did not hear it." Let us, therefore, not
take this wonderful book for granted. For the gospel has words
that are "spirit and life" (Jn. 6:63); and as we have seen in the case
of those whom Peter is addressing, it is a message that can bring
rejoicing even in the midst of distressing trials. For it is the
gospel, the "good news," that instills and builds faith in the hearer
(along with many other godly qualities) who will submit to its
teachings (Rom. 10:17; Jms. 1:22), and which leads to "the salvation of
your souls" (1 Pet. 1:9).
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel,
for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the
deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins
(Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ
(Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water
for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4;
Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith;
for,
if
not,
salvation
can
be
lost
(Heb.
10:36-39;
Rev.
2:10;
2
Pet.
2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST
201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn), Denham Springs, Louisiana
70726
Sunday services: 9:15 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 4 PM (worship)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
tedwards@onemain.com
tedwards1109@gmail.com
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/audioser.html (audio sermons)
Directions:
Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of
the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing
Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas
stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road,
and go a little less than 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on
the
right. We assemble in its "Meeting Room," which is very close to
the reception counter. Just walk pass the check-in counter; turn
right at the hall. The first and second doors on the left lead to
where we meet.