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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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May 29, 2011
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Contents:
1) 1 Peter 5:12 (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
1 Peter 5:12
by Tom Edwards
In 1 Peter 5:12, Peter writes, "Through Silvanus, our faithful brother
(for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and
testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!"
We might be wondering who this person is whom Peter refers to as
"Silvanus." Is he a stranger to us? He shouldn't be because
he is the same as "Silas," and that is the name used in this passage in
the NIV. Silas was a companion of Paul and Timothy. For
there are also 3 other passages in the NT where we find the name
"Silvanus" (2 Cor. 1:19, 1 Thess. 1:1, and 2 Thess. 1:1) and, in each
of
these verses, he is mentioned along with Paul and Timothy.
The very first reference in the NT about Silas also shows what kind of
person he was. Acts 15:22, "Then it seemed good to the apostles and the
elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to
Antioch with Paul and Barnabas--Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas,
leading men among the brethren."
In Acts 15:32, Silas is spoken of as having been a prophet. At
this particular occasion, he had "encouraged and strengthened the
brethren with a lengthy message." It is then in Acts 15:40, where
Paul, for his second missionary journey, chose Silas to accompany him.
In view of the kind of person Silas was, it might seem a little weak in
the KJV, where Peter refers to Silvanus in 1 Peter 5:12 as "...a
faithful brother unto you, AS I SUPPOSE...." Though we might
often use that phrase, "as I suppose," in referring to that which we
are not totally sure about, Peter, no doubt, was sure of the kind of
man Silas was. NIV: "...whom I regard as a faithful
brother." NASB: "...our faithful brother (for so I regard
him)...."
When Peter states in 1 Peter 5:12 that "Through Silvanus...I have
written to you briefly...," that has been interpreted by some to mean
that 1) Peter dictated his message to Silas, who then wrote it down; or
2) Silas was the one who delivered Peter's message; or 3) both (Guy N.
Woods).
Paul would sometimes dictate a message for another to write. One
example of this can be seen in the Roman letter. We know that
epistle was given through Paul (Rom. 1:1), yet Romans 16:22 states, "I,
Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord." One
possible explanation for this is that Paul appears to have had poor
eyesight (Gal. 4:15; 6:11). So it would be helpful for another to
write down for him what he expressed by the Holy Spirit.
Also in 1 Peter 5:12, Peter exhorts the brethren to stand firm in the
"true grace of God." Does that indicate that there could be a
"false grace"? Of course. Many people today are teaching a
false grace, when they teach a false plan of salvation or false
gospel. This was also a problem during the time of the early
church. For instance, after exhorting the brethren in Jude 1:3 to
contend earnestly for the faith, Jude then goes on to say in the next
verse, "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." The RSV speaks of these "ungodly persons" as
those "who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness..." (v.
4). The NIV states, "...They are godless men, who change the
grace of our God into a license for immorality...." How can God's grace
be wrongly changed into "a license for immorality"? This can be
done by teaching people that "once you become a Christian, it doesn't
matter if you sin. For God's grace will cover you
unconditionally." It has been referred to as "once saved, always
saved"; or "once in grace, always in grace." According to this
false teaching, the Christian who sins doesn't need to even repent of
those sins. For from then on, God will see only the righteousness
of Jesus in that person -- rather than that person's sins. But
that, however, is not what the Bible teaches. Actually, it
teaches that to be righteous, we must practice righteousness (1 Jn.
3:7); and to continually be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we must
"walk in the light," which means being obedient to the gospel (1 Jn.
1:7). The NT shows that the Christian is accountable for sins
committed and, therefore, must repent of them, meet God's terms for
pardon, and strive to live faithfully (cf. 2 Pet. 2:20-22; Jms.
5:19,20; Heb. 10:35-39; Rev. 2:10). Acts 8:22 and 1 John 1:9 also
pertain to Christians who have sinned, and these verses show the need
for repentance and prayer to be forgiven.
Since we are saved by grace, many non-Christians wrongly view that as a
passive thing, that there are no conditions that must be met. But
doesn't the very fact that there can be a "false grace" indicate the
need for man to be sure he has that which is true? For rather than
salvation by grace being passive on our part, man does have a
responsibility toward accepting and remaining in that grace. This
is what Peter also instructs in 1 Peter 5:12, concerning the true grace
of God and the Christian's need to "Stand firm in it!" This is
also what Paul and Barnabas had exhorted the brethren when "...urging
them to continue in the grace of God" (Acts 13:43). Wouldn't it
seem silly to urge someone to continue in God's grace if being in grace
were entirely up to God? But God's grace does demand certain
things of us, according to Titus 2:11-13. It demands that we
"deny ungodliness and worldly desires and...live sensibly, righteously
and godly in the present age...." Isn't it by our compliance to
this, that we "stand firm" in the grace of God and "continue" in
it? But if we reject what God's grace requires of us, can we then
be saved by that grace?
Consider also Romans 6:1,2,16-18: "...Are we to continue in sin so that
grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died
to sin still live in it? Do you not know that when you present
yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the
one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience
resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you
were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of
teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin,
you became slaves of righteousness."
If being saved by God's grace were all totally up to God, then how
could that grace ever become a vain thing? Yet, Paul writes in 2
Corinthians 6:1, "And working together with Him, we also urge you not
to receive the grace of God in vain." This verse indicates a need
for the cooperation of the recipient in order to receive and benefit
from the grace of God. The fact that we can make God's grace a
vain thing in our life implies the need for us to live the godly life
so as to avoid that. The Galatians, for example, had actually
"fallen from grace" and had been "severed from Christ" by trying to
keep the Law of Moses, along with the gospel (Gal. 5:4).
In addition, God's grace can be "insulted" -- Hebrews 10:29, "How much
severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under
foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the
covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of
grace?" The Hebrew writer is not talking about atheists or
agnostics who have insulted the Spirit of grace. Rather, he is
referring to those who had been "sanctified." That means "set
apart" or "made holy." So he is talking about Christians who
would become guilty of this. People need to realize that a
Christian can lose his right to the grace of God; and if one doesn't
have that grace in his life, he is lost and will not enter eternal
glory -- Hebrews 12:14-16: "Pursue peace with all men, and the
sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it
that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness
springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be
no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for
a single meal." By virtue of his birthright, Esau would receive a
double portion of inheritance from his father. His birthright
entitled him to certain privileges, but he sold that to his brother
Jacob and could never regain it.
We often hear the expression of people who "sell their souls to the
devil." In a matter of speaking, this is what one does when he
turns his back on God by going into sin. By doing so, he is then
relinquishing the rights, the blessings, the forgiveness, and the
privileges that he once had as being a faithful follower of the Lord;
and until he turns from that backslidden state, he will remain in that
condition. Through unrepented sin, therefore, the Christian will no
longer have the pardon that had previously been his by God's
grace.
This type of forfeiture is also seen back in the OT, in Jonah 2:8
(NIV): "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could
be theirs." This was part of Jonah's prayer to God, from the
stomach of the great fish that had taken Jonah down to the depths of
the sea. It had been a time of distress, a time of realization
for Jonah that he was being "expelled" from God's sight, which would
indicate Jonah's having fallen from God's grace. But as Jonah was
"fainting away," he remembered the Lord and prayed to Him and made this
statement that "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace
that could be theirs"; and then goes on to say, "But I, with a song of
thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will
make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." It was after Jonah
said this, that the Lord commanded the fish to disgorge Jonah upon the
dry land.
Consider also Ephesians 2:8,9: "For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not
as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Saved by grace
-- but grace through faith. We can also say, "Saved by faith" --
but "faith through obedience." For James makes the need for faith
coupled with obedience very clear in James 2:14,17,20-24,26: "...You
see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone....
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without
works is dead." This also coincides with Hebrews 5:9 that Jesus
"became to all those who OBEY HIM the source
of eternal salvation."
Every command in the Scriptures that speaks of something that needs to
be done in order for a person to be saved, indicates that salvation by
the grace of
God cannot be acquired without obedience. The fact that God's
grace demands things of us is plainly seen in Titus 2:11-15.
Note, too, that not only does God's grace demand that we live this new
way; but, according to this passage, Jesus died so that we could live
unto Him. He suffered for us at Calvary so that we could be His
people who are "zealous for good deeds." These were things Paul
wanted Titus to "speak, and exhort...with all authority" (v. 15). Those
who would deny such, Titus would also need to reprove.
So we must strive to continue in God's grace, as 1 John 1:7 also
indicates: "but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son
cleanses us from all sin."
We need to also take heed to Paul's exhortation to Timothy in 2 Timothy
2:1: "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ
Jesus." Strengthening ourselves in God's grace can result as we build
ourselves upon the Scriptures and, thus, make God's word an active part
of our lives. Corresponding to this is what Peter states in 2 Peter
3:18: "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ...." It is not a mere coincidence that we find grace
coupled with the knowledge of God's word. For the gospel itself
is sometimes referred to as grace, such as in Acts 20:32, "And now I
commend you to God and to the WORD OF HIS GRACE, which is able to build
you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are
sanctified." When Paul and Barnabas, on Paul's first missionary
journey, had gone to Iconium, the Bible states in Acts 14:3 that
"...they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the
Lord, who was bearing witness to the WORD OF HIS GRACE, granting that
signs and wonders be done by their hands."
Do you know where we last find "grace" mentioned in the Bible?
It's a very easy verse to remember, for it is the very last verse of
the Bible -- Revelation 22:21. And what a beautiful thought to
close
the Bible with. It states, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with
all. Amen."
As we have seen, if we want God's grace -- and all the benefits of that
grace -- we must submit our lives to the gospel and strive to remain
faithful to it. May that always be our desire and way of life --
for it is the way that leads to heaven above, and that for all
eternity!
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-2-
News & Notes
Bill Barfield (Linda Blevins'
uncle) from Memphis, Tennessee, has been
diagnose with prostate cancer. He is 85. Let those of us
who are Christians be remembering him in prayer.
Let us also be praying for Danny
Holton, who preaches in Greenville,
Mississippi. He was recently told that he has cancer and will see
his doctor this Thursday to hear of the procedure the doctor will
advise.
Agnes Shuff is now in a
nursing home in Winsboro, Louisiana, and is
sharing a room with her sister, who has been there a couple
years.
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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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Park Forest
CHURCH OF CHRIST
9923 Sunny Cline Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 6 PM (worship)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)