Living a Holy life – summary thoughts on 1st Peter 1:13-25
From what I’ve gathered from the reading, here’s a “short” outline/summary along some verses that came to mind for further referencing of those requirements that the Apostle Peter laid out in 1st Peter 1 verses 13-25 for Christians to live a holy life.
REQUIREMENTS FOR LIVING A HOLY LIFE
- Have a mind prepared for action
- Being self controlled v13
See Galatians 5:22-26, 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 - Having hope in the grace given by God through Christ Jesus our Lord & Savior v13
See John 3:16-20,Romans 3:23-25, Romans 5:20-21 - Do not continue to live as though you are still a sinner v14
See 1st Peter 2:11, Ephesians 2:11-22, John 15:18-19 - Live in Christ and with the knowledge of knowing Christ through God’s Word v14
See John 5:36-40,John 15:3-5, 2nd Corinthians 4:6 - Be obedient and submit to God and His will v14
See Deuteronomy 11:12-14, Matthew 22:35-37,Luke 10:26-28, John 14:21-25- In heart
- In mind
- In body
- In deeds
- In word(s)
- Being self controlled v13
- Live as aliens of the world, not as it’s citizens do v17
See John 15:18-19, 1st Thessalonians 5:1-5 - Fear the Lord out of reverence v17
See Deuteronomy 6:23-25, Psalm 19:8-10, Psalm 33:17-19, Psalm 111:9-10 - Be eternally minded v18
See Isaiah 26:3-5, Matthew 25:31-46, John 3:15-17,2nd Corinthians 4:16-18 - Cherish the new life given to you by the blood of Christ v18-20
See 2nd Corinthians 5:16-21, Galatians 6:12-15 & 1st Peter 1:23 - Remember that you are saved and why you are saved v21
- By God’s mercy & grace
See 2nd Corinthians 4:6 - By and through Christ’s blood, and atoning sacrifice to appease God’s coming wrath against sinner
See Romans 6:19-25
- By God’s mercy & grace
- Abide (continue) in the love of God v22
See 1st Corinthians 13:7-9, John 14:22-24, 1st John 2:4-6, 1st John 5:2-4- Deeply
- Unconditionally
- Sacrificially
- Selflessly
- Remember God’s promises v24
See Ephesians 2:11-13, Psalm 33:17-19, Daniel 9:4
Grace and peace be with you.
Skin Therapy for the Christian
Filed under: Bible Study, Commentary, Devotionals, Scripture
1st Thessalonians 2:1-2
1You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.
One of the challenges a Christian will face is to remain faithful to Christ when their pride or feelings come under attack. Had Paul, Silas & Timothy lived by their natural sinful desires, they would have most likely lashed out at those hurling insults at them while in Philippi. Their actions would/could have undermined their God ordained efforts to effectively preach the gospel to the Thessalonians.
Thin-skinned Christianity will always fail to show Christ as evident in your life as it is a selfish attitude at work instead of the Holy Spirit being front and center in your life. When the Christian responds to objections with hateful words versus a Biblical response to an unbeliever’s objection(s) it serves to undermine Christ. Angered or spiteful remarks (stemming from the flesh) are in direct contradiction to the working of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:19-21
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The next time you’re challenged to lash out at rejection and objections, recall how a family member friend, neighbor or perhaps a stranger at the time, took the time to share with you the good news of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of your sins. Recall how you were shown to be a sinner in God’s eyes, yet in spite of that condemnation hanging over your head, Christ died for you, for all the sins you committed and will continue to commit. Remember the relief you found in Christ.
Galatians 5:16-18
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The Apostle Paul says in verse 1, “You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.”; the visit (to proclaim the gospel of Christ) was a success! The important point as to why the visit was a success is that they relied upon God to strengthen them (v2) in those times of adversity, hostility and opposition at Philippi. That lifting up by the Lord allowed Paul, Silas & Timothy to overlook those previous transgressions and to focus on the ministry at hand in Thessalonica . What mattered mostly was not the insults received; precedence for the calling from God became priority. Though the Lord tells us to go out and preach the good news we would be wise like Paul to not assume that we ever have to go at it alone.
Suggested readings: Mark 8:31-38; 2nd Corinthians 9; Romans 6; 1st Corinthians 15;
Grace and peace be with you.
Embracing the Truth – MacArthur devotional (20100119)
Filed under: Bible Study, Devotionals, Inspirational
"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed" (Ephesians 1:13).
After stating salvation from God’s perspective in verse 12, Paul here states it from man’s perspective. Faith in Christ is your response to God’s elective purpose in your life. Those two truths–God’s initiative and man’s response–co-exist throughout Scripture.
Paul rightly called the gospel "the message of truth" because truth is its predominant characteristic. Salvation was conceived by the God of truth (Psalm 31:5); purchased by the Son, who is the truth (John 14:6); and is applied by the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). To know it is to know the truth that sets men free (John 8:32). Believers are people of the truth (John 18:37), who worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and who obey the Word of truth (John 17:17).
Yet as profound and powerful as God’s truth is, people have rejected, neglected, redefined, and opposed it for centuries. Some, like Pilate, cynically deny that truth even exists or that it can be known by men (John 18:38). Others foolishly think that denying truth will somehow make it go away.
Perhaps you’ve heard someone say, "Jesus may be true for you but that doesn’t mean He has to be true for me." That view assumes that belief somehow determines truth. But just the opposite is the case. Truth determines the validity of one’s belief. Believing a lie doesn’t make it true. Conversely, failing to believe the truth doesn’t make it a lie.
The gospel is true because Jesus is true, not simply because Christians believe in Him. His resurrection proved the truth of His claims and constitutes the objective basis of our faith (Romans 1:4; 1st Peter 1:3).
You enter this day armed with the message of truth and empowered by the Spirit of truth. Truth is your protection and strength (Ephesians 6:14). Lost souls desperately need to hear that truth. Represent it well and proclaim it with boldness.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Thank the Lord that by His Spirit He has enabled you to understand His truth (1st Corinthians 2:14-16).
Ask for wisdom and boldness to speak His truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
For Further Study:
Read 1st Corinthians 15:1-11 and Acts 17:30-31.
What key elements of the gospel does Paul list?
What is the relationship between Christ’s resurrection and God’s judgment on sinners?
From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
Declaration or Distraction?
A journalist I am not! I lack the ability to digest the latest “story” and then quickly organize my own thoughts in time for it to be “hot”. That’s Ok though, because one of the pros with web based content is that it is persistent. Enough on that however…
I’ve been listening in and reading comments regarding the Manhattan Declaration for the past week or so; the equivalence of grabbing TV sound-bites I guess you could say? Yesterday, I listened to the perspective held by Apologetics.com, a resource that I’m usually in agreeance with. Yesterday was not however one of those usual moments. On the principle of Christian integrity, specifically to the message of the gospel, I have to disagree with Apologetics.com’s position here. I realize that it probably gets old hearing that same old song about “the gospel”, and I may even come off as being dogmatic and narrow minded, so be it. Fell free to disagree and to weigh in with reasons why you may think that I’m off-base.
The MD addresses 3 specific concerns: Life, Marriage & Religious Liberty. It is a gathering/declaration of Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians as individuals on those 3 principles.
We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities. We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image. We call upon all people of goodwill, believers and non-believers alike, to consider carefully and reflect critically on the issues we here address as we, with St. Paul, commend this appeal to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
It’s not my intention to critique and dissect the entire MD. This post is merely me expressing views and concerns as to why I think the MD is flawed and thus a bad idea for one professing to be a Christian to sign. To be clear, by “sign”, I mean to put your personal stamp of approval on; which in my opinion is not a separate act from being a Christian. Then again, my argument is that there’s nothing in the life of a Christian that does not carry spiritual implications. As I see it, and it is hopefully through biblical lenses… what’s at stake is Christian integrity, specifically to the gospel of Christ. The reasoning for this view is that for all of the MD’s poetic flair for words; the MD is in essence another spin on “gather round the camp fire and sing Kumbaya”.
Problem #1 is the opening sentence. The sections of text in bold are meant to highlight a backtracking of ideas and premises. I don’t mean to insinuate that this structure was a deliberate, I do have to “ask” myself though.. Who is “we”, what exactly, is being said here? The statement continues with “which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities.” Does anyone else see a problem here? The MD is saying “we” or “us” two times to establish a unity (of something) and then erases the entire statement with “not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities.”
OK, well if “it” really is a case of “speaking to and from our communities”, here’s a question… “What then, is the need to rally around the declaration (as individuals)?” I pose these thought and questions for the reader:
- Couldn’t these individuals continue to declare these principles individually to their communities?
- What “power”, authority and authenticity does this declaration manifest?
- Does signing the declaration somehow make “the message” (sarcasm) louder and easier to understand?
Warning, now shifting into Uber-sarcasm mode. Follow up those questions with this… “Where in the Bible does Jesus Christ, His disciples or Paul the Apostle put their stamp of approval ie; shook hands in agreement in a like manner”. Picture if you will the first segment of the Manhattan Declaration reading…
We, as Saduccees, Pharisees, and a small band of dudes and dudettes following this Carpenter guy around, have gathered, beginning in Temple on this day of 31 A.D., to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities.
Problem #2 and 2.5, located sentence 2 is another one of those pesky “we” statements, followed by what? A Social gospel?
We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image.
Am I off on identifying that latter section as such? I appreciate the sentiment in that last section however, I believe a question that needs to be asked is.. “Is that what Christianity(emphasis) is about; hath God really said “to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image.”? Consider the following passages…
James 1:19-27
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Here’s where I see Problem #3.
We call upon all people of goodwill, believers and non-believers alike, to consider carefully and reflect critically on the issues we here address as we, with St. Paul, commend this appeal to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
“We” to these ears is starting to sound alot like “Yeah, God’s got some good ideas going on, but “we” 
want to stress the issues that “we” think are pressing.” “We think that if we appeal to the moral goodness and kindness within all people, we can make some headway in society; that’s all we’re sayin’”. Hmm… “appeal to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God!?!?”, I wonder since even believers sin, how one is expected to appeal to the conscience of a non-believer in the sight of God?
Problem #4 from the same section of text from the MD concerns conscience and “critical” reflection. Conscience?? What conscience might that be? Are we talking about the same conscience that can deny God’s existence?
Romans 1:28-31
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
As for critical reflection, I see problem even defining what the outcome of that might be since it’s a group of “individuals” that are also appealing to non-believers. I think it’s a big leap of faith here by the MD to assume that believers and non-believers alike are going to agree on any or all of the 3 points. Then again, as a Christian, does one really think that coming together to agree on any of these principles has implication of salvation? How for example does the believer and non-believer dialog, on these matters. Will the non-believer readily accept the believer’s Biblical worldview on marriage? Maybe the believer “backs off” on the marriage issue? More food for thought.
1st Corinthians 2:6-16
6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"— 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
16"For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.James 4:4
4You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."
This post has run longer than anticipated. I want to close by saying that the ideas that the MD “proposes” are not “bad”. The issue is not the ideas, but rather the fact that under the pretense that others are called to “sign” on, it leaves in my opinion ambiguity, and leaves out the gospel of Christ which is as Paul says… “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved,…” .
A final thought from 1st Thessalonians, which speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel, and conversion within a society.
1st Thessalonians 1:4-10
4For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
Grace and peace be with you.
Tiger who!?!?
I’ve been mulling over the Tiger Woods "situation" for a few days now and am perplexed.
The coverage of the Tiger Woods affair and alleged affair(s) has for me run it’s course. Certainly what Tiger Woods has done is wrong, and that he is wrong for doing it. What’s really gotten under my skin though; and this may be just my faulty perception of things, is that the news outlets seem to be making a bigger huff over this than need be. It seems that popularity vs position (authority) dictates how long the media will drive the bus that’s running a person over. Maybe I’m a cynic?
It is not my intentions to trivialize Tiger Woods’ sin of adultery nor to be his apologetic voice. The truth is tough that I don’t care. I am concerned for his spiritual welfare, his salvation; what I don’t care about is the latest bit of gossip.. err “speculation” as to what he did. I view the coverage of Tiger Woods’ “affairs” (includes personal and adulterous) in the same manner as beating a dead horse; or to bring it to a more personal level, equating it to spanking your child daily for an incident that occurred 2 weeks prior.
It just seems as though a disproportionate amount of effort is spent "persecuting" pop icons in our society, when as an example it’s politicians whom carry more responsibility, that need to be scrutinized more. I realize, or at least believe that politics is a secular matter that Christians ought not try to enforce Biblical morality upon ie; stick to proclaiming the gospel. Is there not however, some level of expectation by Christians for upright morals and accountability of God ordained authority in light of Romans 13?
Romans 13:1
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
The point is… as Christians perhaps we should spend less time indicting pop-icons,divas and Doe-Does, and more time praying for those agents that God has allowed to be in their positions. Ah, but Satan is the master of deception and distractions now isn’t he? (Ephesians 6:10-12) Perhaps some final and hopefully, fitting words to meditate upon concerning
Luke 12:47-48
47"That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Grace and peace be with you
