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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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January 2, 2011
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Contents:
1) 1 Peter 2:11-17 (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
1 Peter 2:11-17
by Tom Edwards
In 1 Peter 2:11-17, Peter writes: "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and
strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the
soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in
the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of
your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of
visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human
institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to
governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise
of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing
right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free
men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as
bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear
God, honor the king."
Peter addresses these brethren as "aliens and strangers" in view of --
and contrast to -- their glorious citizenship in heaven, as Philippians
3:20 teaches; and they are, therefore, to live in such a way as to not
violate that citizenship, such as by being led by fleshly lusts into a
behavior that would be unfitting for the child of God. Thayer
defines this Greek word for "fleshly" as "Under the control of the
animal appetites; governed by mere human nature and not by the Spirit
of God." One example of this can be seen in 1 Corinthians
3:1-3 in pertaining to that divisive spirit among many of the
Corinthians that was the cause of their disunity and a manifestation of
their carnality and spiritual immaturity. As a result, Paul could
not speak to them "as to spiritual men," for they were "still fleshly,"
as he goes on to say: "For since there is jealousy and strife among
you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?"
Peter speaks of these fleshly lusts as that which "wage war against
the soul." This is also what we have seen Paul to teach in Romans
8:5-9, where he points out that "the mind set on the flesh is
hostile toward God" and "does not subject itself to the law of God, for
it is not even able to do so." But he also shows that men do not
have to be driven by fleshly impulses. For men can choose to be
led by the Spirit by submitting to God's word and "putting to death the
deeds of the body" (vv. 12-14).
Peter then goes on to say in 1 Peter 2:12, "Keep your behavior
excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they
slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they
observe them glorify God in the day of visitation." Here, the
King James Version uses the term "conversation." But this meant
much more in 1611 than merely pertaining to one's speech. Rather,
as Thayer shows, it meant one's "manner of life, conduct, behavior,
deportment." So one's speech, would be but a part of that.
The KJV, however, also uses the term "honest" to modify that in
the phrase "Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles...,"
which might tend to cause the reader to think that the "conversation"
is simply one's speech -- instead of his entire way of life. But this
word "honest" comes from the Greek word "kalos," which is translated in
the New American Standard Bible as "beautiful," "commendable manner,"
"excellent," "honorable," and several other ways; but the most common
translation is simply as "good." So we can see that one's
behavior is to be in connection with "good deeds." That's what
should be manifest in our manner of life.
As we think about the importance of behavior, going beyond merely one's
speech, consider what Peter also writes in 1 Peter 3:1,2: "In the same
way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any
of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by
the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful
behavior." The KJV translates this last part as "they also may
without the word be won by the conversation of the wives." The
focus here is on the wife's behavior. When she is living
according to the Scriptures, she will then have a positive impact upon
her husband. Her very conduct can be influential for
good. This also reminds us of the cliche, "Actions speak louder
than words." Much can be demonstrated through one's manner of
life -- even without speech. Going along with this is James 2:18:
"...show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith
by my works."
In 1 Peter 2:12, Peter also shows that living a godly life can have a
good influence on the lost. He says, that "...they may because of
your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of
visitation." Jesus also taught a similar thing in Matthew
5:14-16: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill
cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the
peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are
in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in
heaven." Christians are to maintain that light by proving
themselves "blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear
as lights in the world," which is done by "holding fast the word of
life" (Phil. 2:14-16).
Setting forth the right example by living a holy life is often stressed
in the Bible. To Titus, for example, Paul writes, "Likewise urge
the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an
example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in
speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put
to shame, having nothing bad to say about us" (Titus 2:6-8).
Though this particular exhortation was directed to the young men,
everything said is just as needful for each Christian to take heed to
as well.
Peter than exhorts the Christians to be obedient to the civil
government in 1 Peter 2:13-l4. Paul also gave God's commandment
on this in Roman 13:1-7. Therefore, to disobey the civil government is
to disobey God, which will lead to condemnation (v. 2 ) -- unless the
civil government would want us to violate God's word. If that
would be the case, we would then need to be as the apostles who state
in Acts 5:29, "...'We must obey God rather than men.'" Paul shows
that the Lord has even given the civil government the right to carry
out capital punishment: "...But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for
it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an
avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil" (Rom.
13:4). Paul declares in Acts 25:11, "If, then, I am a wrongdoer
and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die;
but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no
one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar." Of all
people, the Christians should make the best citizens. For they
know that they are not merely obeying man, but they are obeying the
Lord by obeying the civil authorities. It is, therefore, a way we
show love to God.
After exhorting the brethren in 1 Peter 2:12 to keep their
behavior excellent among the Gentiles, and to submit to the civil
authorities in verses 13,14, Peter than goes on to say in verse 15,
"For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the
ignorance of foolish men." Though we might think of "doing right"
as being a general application, it can certainly be seen with specific
regard to what Peter had just instructed about their behavior and
submission to the civil government. Christ and His followers were
sometimes falsely accused of being rebels toward the civil authorities,
rather than being law-abiding citizens (cf. Luke 23:2; Jn. 19:12; Acts
17:5-7). Had all of these accusers understood the nature of
Christ and His followers, it would have been obvious that they were not
rebellious, law-breakers; but, rather, they sought to uphold the law,
providing it did not clash with the laws of God. Jesus, for
example, paid the two-drachma tax (Matt. 17:24-27) and taught the need
to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the
things that are God's" (Matt. 22:21). As we have seen from Peter
(1 Peter 2:13,14) and from Paul (Rom. 13:1-7), we are not to revolt
against the secular authorities; but rather obey them.
Peter says in 1 Peter 2:16, "Act as free men, and do not use your
freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God."
As we think of those whom Peter is addressing as being "free men," it
evokes from us the realization that they were formerly not free; but,
rather, enslaved to sin. For all who have reached an age of
accountability -- with the exception of Jesus Christ -- "...have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). And it is sin
that brings a person into bondage: For instance,
after some Jews had claimed that they had never been enslaved to
anyone, Jesus states in John 8:34, "...'Truly, truly, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin." We can also point
out that it takes only one sin in order for this to be so. For
example, Peter could see that by Simon's transgression -- soon after
his conversion -- he had gone back into "the bondage of iniquity" (Acts
8:23). So these whom Peter is addressing are "free men" in the
sense of having been liberated from their sins. In John 8:31,32,
Jesus shows that this type of freedom is obtained by abiding in His
word. It is by living according to the gospel. So there is
a reversal in the life of the Christian. Formerly, as a
non-Christian, he was a servant of sin, with no commitment toward
God. But now he is a servant of the Lord, and striving to serve
sin no more. Paul also speaks of this in Romans 6:22, by saying,
"But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive
your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal
life."
Peter warns the brethren to not use their freedom as a covering for
evil (in 1 Peter 2:16). Some, in Peter's day, actually did have a
major misconception as to how freedom in Christ was to be
maintained. The antinomians, for instance, were a branch of the
Gnostics who focused on their souls being free in Christ, without any
necessity of faithfulness toward the laws of the Lord. We
notice right away in the very term "antinomian" of the prefix "anti"
("against or "opposed to") and the suffix "ian" ("of, pertaining to,
having qualities of"). The root is from the Greek "nomos,"
which means "law." So an "antinomian" is one who is "against the
law." He actually sees no need for submission to it, for he mistakenly
believes that freedom in Christ (since that is of the Spirit) cannot be
hindered by any sin committed in the flesh. These, therefore, are
the ones whom Jude has in mind when he states in Jude 1:4, "For certain
persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked
out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our
God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus
Christ." According to the International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, "The entire Epistle of Jude is directed against this
antinomian and licentious development of Gnosticism, and against its
terrible permission of an unholy life." This was because they saw
a separation between spirit and matter, and believed that whatever they
did in the flesh could not harm their spirit or soul.
Peter's statement in 1 Peter 2:16 is very similar to what Paul
admonished the Galatians in Galatians 5:13, "For you were called to
freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity
for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
In 1 Peter 2:17, Peter instructs, "Honor all people, love the
brotherhood, fear God, honor the king." Paul teaches a similar
thing with regard to honoring all people in Romans 13:7, but there he
qualifies it with the phrase, "Render to all what is due them"; and
then goes on to say, "tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom;
fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor." Should not the
Christian have the highest regard for his fellow man than any other
person would? For the Christian recognizes that all men have been
created in the image of God. This is one of the Bible's
explanations for capital punishment in Genesis 9:6, "Whoever sheds
man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He
made man." Man must have the proper respect for human life.
God shows that when that was violated through murder, the murderer
would then forego his life. There is certainly no honor that the
murderer has for those whom he murders. We can often find various
other reasons for honoring people, too. Sometimes it is because
of the position of authority they have. Maybe he is a police
officer, or a judge in a court of law, who isn't living the righteous
kind of life the Bible sets forth; but still he is to be respected in
that position of power he has. We need to remind ourselves that 1
Peter was written about A.D. 64 or 65; and about 10 years prior, Nero
began his reign in A.D. 54 (at just 17). But by July of A.D. 64,
after the fire in Rome (which he blamed on the Christians) his
treatment toward God's people had radically changed. By that
time, Nero was bringing persecution upon the church -- though not as
extensive as later on during Domitian's reign. Yet, here we find
Peter exhorting the brethren to "honor the king"; and as he had stated
earlier in 1 Peter 2:13,14 to obey the civil authorities. We can
liken this to David's attitude toward King Saul. Though Saul had
personally made attempts on taking David's life, David would never lay
a hand on Saul to harm him; for David recognized Saul as having been
"the Lord's anointed" (1 Sam. 24:6,10). David, therefore,
respected the position of authority that the Lord had given to Saul --
regardless of how wicked Saul had become to David.
Peter also teaches in 1 Peter 2:17 to "...love the
brotherhood...." Earlier, in 1 Peter 1:22, he had instructed the
brethren to "fervently love one another from the heart" with "a sincere
love of the brethren." We saw examples, too, of this type of love
being demonstrated in the early church -- especially in the matters of
benevolence to the needy saints. Something else we can include
about the attitude that we should have for each other is that which
Paul sets forth in Philippians 2:3,4: "Do nothing from selfishness or
empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one
another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your
own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."
Paul goes on to show that this was the same attitude that Jesus had
when He was willing to leave the glories of heaven in order to come to
the rescue of lost sinners. It can also be said that Christ's
attitude toward others was without partiality; and this, too, should be
true of us in our regard for one another, which James teaches in James
2:1-9, where he shows how wrong it is for brethren to give special
attention to the wealthy man who comes to their assembly, while they
dishonor the poor man in dirty clothes who also comes. James
speaks of this as their having "made distinctions" among themselves and
becoming "judges with evil motives" (v. 4).
Grouped within these instructions to "honor all men, love the
brotherhood...and honor the king," is the command to "fear God."
By far, fearing God is the motivational bases for obeying these other
commands. For when we think of the "whole duty of man," is it to
"honor all men"? Is it to "love the brotherhood"? Is it to
"honor the king"? Solomon answers that for us in Ecclesiastes
12:13, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and
keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." If one
truly fears God and keeps His commandments, then one will honor all
men, love the brotherhood, and honor the king, along with any other
command, as well, that the Lord has given. For all of our
obedience becomes centered around this main commitment to love God
above any other person or any thing. Pleasing Him becomes the top
priority in our lives. Going along with this is a
principle we can see in a command Paul gave to slaves in Colossians
3:22-24, but which can be applied to every person: "Slaves, in all
things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external
service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart,
fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the
Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive
the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you
serve." So no matter what our occupation in life, our chief
priority is simply to live for God, keeping Him first in our lives, and
striving to maintain a faithful relationship with Him. For that
will not only result in our own benefit, but also for the good of
others.
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News & Notes
We can be thankful unto the Lord for this New Year He has allowed us to
have. May it truly be a good one for you!
For those of us who are Christians, let us be remembering in our
prayers Sue Stutzman of the
Southside church of Christ in
Gonzales. While she and her family were visiting in Texas, she
had to be taken to the hospital last Tuesday, due to the blockages of
two arteries (100% and 75%). She underwent a stint procedure that
went well.
Let us also continue in our prayers for Agnes Shuff who has been on
hospice care.
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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.