New Thoughts (01/28/15-02/05/15)
Trial by Fire (01/30/15)
There is something of a crescendo to this section, as Peter drives to a conclusion regarding the matter of suffering. To be sure, the issue of suffering continues to color the remaining chapter, but has effectively made his case. There has been a building sense of difficulty, hasn’t there? He set out the call to holy living, even while noting what the response to this has been. He has reminded us that we are the very temple of God and priests together in it. He has insisted that we recognize this role as priest and temple does not alter our duty to our fellow man as concerns governance, employments or marital relations. In all the arenas of life do good. It’s not a question of responding in kind, it’s a question of responding in spite of kind.
Then, starting back in 1Peter 3:14, the message begins to focus more singularly on the matter of suffering. It’s been the message already, but now we’re locked in on the topic. Always, we get the reminder that suffering is not in itself the point, is not in itself righteous. If we bring suffering upon ourselves by our sins, it’s a call to repent, but it’s no honor. There is a distinction which must be maintained between that suffering which comes to punish sins, and that which comes in response to a commitment to live a holy life, and it the latter which is primarily under discussion.
This is only right. That suffering which comes because we have done wrong is perfectly understandable. We may not like it, but we recognize the right of it. We see that we have brought this on ourselves, and it is perfectly in keeping with a Holy God that He would so punish offenses against Himself. But, when the suffering comes because we have done the right thing? Considered particularly in light of the relative newness of their faith, considered in the pressures of living as a minority, alien religion with past acquaintances pointing out your suffering as proof that the God you serve is no god at all, how shocking and disheartening this would be! How easy, were it not for God being God, it would be to believe their message and fall away.
Now, as we come to the closing of chapter 4, it gets worse. It’s become a fiery trial. I would note that I have come across of few treatments of this passage that suggest this is pointing forward as opposed to describing something already encountered. I note that the verbs are in the present tense, and not the present indicative, so we might at the very least conclude that the situation is ongoing. It would not be hard to accept that it is ongoing and getting worse. Be that as it may, we are given to attend to this fiery ordeal, to recognize that if it is not already upon us it will be.
Attempts to associate this with the fall of Jerusalem seem strained. It’s not out of the question, but it would hardly be a pressing concern for those who didn’t live in the land. I would also question to what degree the prophecy of Jesus was understood in this regard prior to events unfolding. Others take the view that Peter, writing from Rome, had already witnessed some of Nero’s heinous acts against Christians there and sensed it would only spread. But, I do not believe those persecutions had begun at the time the letter was written.
What I find more likely is that Peter simply refers to the smelting process familiar to those to whom he was writing. He has already alluded to that with his reference to faith more precious than gold tested by fire (1Pe 1:7), and those hearing this letter did not, like myself, take a year or so to get through it. It’s short. They would have heard the whole thing in well under a half hour. The connection would be far clearer to them. We are talking about the fire that refines, that fiery ordeal which is the process of purification and sanctification. And have no misconceptions on point. It is an ordeal. If we are not feeling the difficulty, the painfulness of progress then it may be, very likely is, because we are not actually making progress.
Think again on the message from earlier. Gold is tested by fire. It is heated to the point of melting and kept there for a time. It’s hot! It’s boiling off its impurities. Isn’t that a process you’re just itching to undergo? But, rather like the solder with which I’m more familiar, as it boils, junk rises to the surface: Dust, dirt, impurities of every sort. It rises to the surface and the one looking for pure metal scrapes it off and disposes of it. The process repeats. There is that description of the goldsmith’s efforts in this regard that indicates he will keep doing this repeatedly until he can see his face clearly reflected in the molten metal. There is your process of sanctification. There is the goal: That God, our Refiner, can see Himself reflected in us. Needless to say, that’s going to take a lot of boiling and scraping. It’s going to take a lot of heat – a lifetime of being heated to boiling. But, the result!
The result does not change the sensation of undergoing the process. It’s going to hurt. Because we are as yet so far from pure, we are going to react, and we are likely not going to react well. We may lose sight of the purpose at times and that’s only going to make matters worse. We feel the heat. We feel the pressure. But, we’ve forgotten what it’s about and we begin to rail against it, and against the One who is doing this to us – for us.
It is a particular danger in this present time because the Church has by and large fallen into worshiping a God who isn’t. We have become offended or embarrassed by the vengefulness of God against sin. We are so focused on God is Love that we all but ignore God is Holy. We have preachers left and right, with major media enterprises to back them up, telling us how God wants us fat and happy. You should be lacking for nothing. You’re a king’s kid! You shouldn’t be sick. What’s wrong with your faith? You should be abiding in the Garden even here in the midst of this fallen world. What any of that is based on is anybody’s guess, but it certainly isn’t built upon the foundation of Scripture in any reliable fashion. They’ll have their go to verses, but then, so did Satan.
No, the message from Scripture is pretty much exactly what Peter has been driving home. These ordeals are nothing to be surprised about. They come for your testing. They come for your refinement. God is still very actively at work in your renewal, your remaking. The picture is everywhere one of dying daily, of dying in the agony of the Cross. That may come in physical fashion. It certainly does for many even to this day and in a much too literal fashion. But, even if it isn’t physical, there is the spiritual agony. It is there in the oppression of living amongst fallen people of sensual pursuits, like Lot in Sodom (2Pe 2:7). It is there in the ridicule and reviling of those who think God at best a crutch for weak minds, at worst, an active evil. So benighted are the minds of men! But, for those who love Him, that sort of uncomprehending rage against what is Righteous and Good and True is utterly dismaying. Our hearts break for them. Our spirits rise up in offense, even though we know God has no need of us defending His good name. We struggle, in the face of it, to fight the good fight rather than that bad fight we are being drawn into. We struggle to subdue the passions of the flesh so as to continue in doing good, representing Good.
That struggle hurts. The failures hurt. The successes hurt. For one thing, every success only shows us our many failures. But, this is not cause to weaken or give up. It is cause only to make sure our sights are on the right thing, that we are battling the real enemy, and that we are not foolishly trying to prevail in this combat on our own. The gold in the crucible can do nothing about its condition. It cannot strive so as to expel its own impurities. It cannot, when they have risen to the top, do anything to throw them off. The gold needs the goldsmith. The Christian needs Christ. We are of a kind. I could stop there, but you know I won’t, except for this morning.
The Purpose of Suffering (01/31/15-02/01/15)
If we are to discern a purpose to suffering, it must first be recognized that suffering is not pointless. This holds true for the reprobate as much as for the believer. It holds true for the animal as fully as it does for the human. This is something that we have difficulty in accepting however much we profess our faith. It strikes the senses as wrong and as an offense. It is. If there is one thing we shall not find Scripture teaching in regard to suffering, it is that suffering is in itself a good. No. Suffering would not have come about in a world that did not fall. However, as the Fall was part of God’s plan, and through the Fall sin entered into the world bringing suffering and death with it, we must recognize that this, too, is part of God’s plan. Being part of God’s plan, we can be assured that for those who are working according to His purpose even suffering shall be employed for our good.
But, hear the caution together with the encouragement. Suffering is not in itself a good. The fact that we are suffering is not sufficient cause to simply assume we must be progressing well in sanctification. Suffering may indeed come as a result of sin, even for the believer. It’s not as though we achieve perfection in our pursuit of sanctification. Not in this life. We have our struggles and our lapses and sometimes those lapses are so egregious that suffering may be required both as punishment for those sins and as strong encouragement to leave them behind. Therein we find one reason for suffering: The disciplinary action.
Any parent knows the value of such a disciplinary action. Whether you grant such actions as spanking or whether you opt for more psychological approaches like revocation of this privilege or that, the effective impact is much the same. You are causing suffering in hopes of correcting a behavior pattern or a character flaw. We needn’t look very far to see what the result is when all manner of disciplinary action is removed from the task of parenting. Feral children are no boon to society.
We see, then, that even in this limited scope suffering is not pointless. It is meted out for a purpose. This would not be done if it were not a proven, effective tool for the task. In other cases, we may inflict suffering upon ourselves in the name of training. The aphorism, “No pain, no gain,” is known to all. The concept of delayed gratification is familiar to us, whether we practice it or not. We inflict a bit of suffering, even if it is but an inconvenience, upon ourselves in pursuit of some grander goal in future. This may consist in foregoing certain entertainments while saving for a car, for college, or to purchase a house. It may be something far less extravagant towards which we save. But, the principle is the same. This is not pointless suffering. There is a reason. And again, the mere fact of suffering does not automatically grant us to assume progress.
As concerns the lesson at hand, we must consider that in the final balance, even that suffering we construe as self-imposed is not entirely a matter of our will. Calvin writes, “We suffer nothing except according to the permission of God.” This must include our own choices. It does not do so in such a fashion as forces our choice. Note the choice of terms. It is according to His permission. We are constrained insomuch as we could not impose suffering, either on ourselves or on another, apart from His permission, but we are not thereby forced to do so against our will. This is difficult to express without wandering too far in one direction or the other, but there is that concurrence of will involved, at the very least as concerns the one imposing the suffering. I suppose it might go too far to suggest willingness on the part of the one who suffers.
Here, Peter is primarily concerned with that latter relationship to suffering, that of the one who suffers. To them, the reminder is given: This is no freak incident, and it is nothing that should suggest God has failed in any fashion. It could not come about except by His permission and His permission would not be granted where it did not serve His good purpose. Thus, the correct response for you, believer, is not that of railing against the unfairness of what you endure. Indeed, a brief moment of reflection would no doubt turn up any number of incidents in your life that are deserving of God’s punishment. No, the correct response is to ask, what is the test? More to the point, we ought to be asking how we can respond to this situation in a fashion that glorifies God?
It begins, I must suppose, with acknowledging God in the suffering. If we see it only as some jerk imposing upon us, or some particularly ogre-like individual making our life difficult, then we have no cause to seek further reason for what’s happening. He’s a jerk, and that’s all the explanation I need. But, if he is acting under the permission of God such that his actions, whatever his motivation might be, are serving God’s purpose, then I have reason to ask what that purpose is. OK, God. What are You doing? What is it You would have me to do here? How may I serve You? Are we not, after all, His servants? Has He not the right of employing us as He sees fit?
If, then, God has called upon you to endure suffering for a season, and assuming we have assessed our condition and found no immediate sin that presents cause for what is happening, we ought to be pleased that God has chosen to honor us by this privilege. Privilege? Yes! As Calvin explains, you have been granted to suffer as one who is wholly innocent in thus sharing the sufferings of Christ. You know full well that this cannot be said to be the case based on your merits. And yet, there it is. You are not suffering because of some willful, persistent sin you insist on retaining in spite of God’s command to leave it. You are suffering as Christ suffered. Now, don’t get puffed up about that. It’s not like you’ve earned this honor. It is given you in spite of what you have earned. That’s what really makes it an honor.
Rather than fall into what really would be a sin, by contemplating how you’ve apparently arrived, give thanks to God instead. Give thanks, as Matthew Henry says, that He sees you as suited to suffer for His truth and gospel. Give thanks that He counts you as able to stand firm in doctrine and duty. Recall, beloved, that God will not test you beyond your ability to stand (1Co 10:13). This is not, then, punishment, it is honor! It is evidence that God accounts you as able to bear up, and I dare say that if He is confident that you can do so, you can.
It is also training. As the weightlifter does not arrive overnight at the ability to lift so great a weight, so also do we need to train in this matter of resisting temptation and walking in righteousness. What is difficult at the outset becomes easier with practice. I might think of the wonderful lessons of shoveling snow. The first storm of the season finds us out of practice, and even the small amount of snow to be cleared away leads to certain aches and pains. Comes the foot-plus snowfall, though, those early storms have given us the tone to handle the job. Had the first storm come with eighteen inches of snow and found us coming off an indolent period of little physical labor, we should be undone. Just so the testing of God. Just so the sufferings we may need to endure. They do not come to destroy us, and they certainly do not come as matters of which God has lost control. They come to prove our progress, and to improve our progress. They come because He knows we can handle it. As often as not, we don’t. It is we who need the proof of His work, and not the other way around.
What we progress towards is salvation. That sounds wrong on the face of it, for having been called to Christ, we have surely already received salvation. It’s there in the greeting of this very letter (1Pe 1:3 – He has caused us to be born again to a living hope). But the very next verses demonstrate the truth of what I have said. (1Pe 1:5 – You are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.) It is, then, both a present reality and a future consummation. The trials of the present are designed to prepare us for the final event. Meanwhile, the ungodly around us, though they may appear to prosper for the present, pursue that which is fading and fleeting. Their prosperity will give way to an eternal perdition. Their present may seem enviable, but their future is by no means to be desired.
If we will add to this the consideration that as we are called to suffer for Christ, He is with us and His presence sustains us, the magnitude of the goodness shown to us is found to be that much greater. He who upholds the martyrs upholds you in your times of trial, whether your trial is of the same magnitude or something less. Even in sickness or loss, He is there, upholding. Even should your trial result in your death, He is there, upholding. The harder the trial, the more strongly is the Spirit there to give aid. Bearing always in mind that it is unto salvation that these trials lead, we can only conclude, as Barnes does, that, “It is often gain to the believer to suffer.” To the degree that this suffering is for His name and not for our sins, we could state it more strongly and declare that it is always gain to the believer to suffer. Indeed, insomuch as suffering for our sins brings us to repentance, I should think we don’t even need that disclaimer. I should set it this strongly: For the believer, since a good God always has his best interests in view, it is always gain to suffer. That is not to advise us to sin that we might benefit from the suffering. Neither is it to advise that we seek out martyrdom that we might more fully experience the support of the Spirit. God does not call us to seek out suffering. Nor does He call us to deserve it. He calls us to persevere in doing good should suffering come our way, and He gives us good reason to believe it will.
Transitioning to the next thought, I offer this bit of encouragement from Matthew Henry. If we will rejoice in the midst here, we will rejoice in triumph with Him in glory. That is the encouragement we have before us. But, to guard against yet another error, let us not suppose that our perseverance has earned our entrance into that future salvation. By no means! If we persevere, it remains by His power, just as our redemption from sin, our answering of His call, our entrance into this new life we live. It is all achieved by the power of God, and there remains nothing about what we do that can be construed as being in any way meritorious. That doesn’t alter the call to action. That doesn’t remove the necessity of growing in our sanctification. It does establish the proper arrangement of cause and effect. God has done it. Therefore we respond appropriately.
How Shall We Rejoice? (02/01/15)
The appropriate response is to rejoice. Let’s clarify at the outset that this call to rejoice is not a call to find positive enjoyment in our suffering. No! Suffering hurts. Jesus did not rejoice to be hanging from the cross with spikes through hand and foot. The agony was very real, and there is nothing in all of doctrine that suggests we should be delusional. If we are hurting, it is suitable to mourn. If we are under trials, there is no call to put on our happy face as if the reality of our trials somehow gives evidence that we don’t trust God, or worse, that our God is untrustworthy. It’s exactly this tendency that Peter is addressing, isn’t it? Don’t suppose these things come because your faith is weak or your God is weak. They come because He has permitted it, because He knows your faith is strong enough to bear it. They come because He has designs upon the outcome, that by these present difficulties you shall be the more fit for glory. So, don’t think you need to smile at the pain. But, you can rejoice in spite of the pain.
If we arrive at the realization that these trials come, in fact, because God accounts us able to bear them as they shape us for glory, therein is reason to rejoice. These are not punishment for my failure. These are not my God overwhelmed by my enemy. These are evidence that I am come that much nearer to bearing His likeness, and that I am an object of His friendship and love. Yes, I have cause to rejoice. God loves me. God sees me growing. God counts me among His friends. In this suffering, I am given further proof that I shall be welcomed into His presence. Joy unspeakable is mine! Yet, if my joy is great now, how great shall it be when that day of salvation comes.
Herein is a thought to help us maintain in the midst. The day will indeed come when we are welcomed finally into the very presence of God, to stand before His throne along with all who have lived. In that final day, as those who torment us now are faced with judgment, they shall also be present to hear the verdict upon our own account. They shall here God confirm us as His own. This shall happen, as Barnes says, in the presence of all nations. Is our suffering in private? Is it known to but a few just what we deal with? Does it seem like we are forgotten by God and man? Know that the day draws near when all shall be made known, and there we shall stand before the Judge of all Creation. He shall make known our trials and our perseverance. He shall make known to all that these things were come not as punishment but as training, and that He has rendered His judgment upon our efforts and found us pleasing in His sight.
See what lies ahead and exult in the God who brings you through. Yes, it may be that you exult amidst sufferings for a season now. But, there lies an eternity ahead to exult in freedom from all sufferings. In the meantime, let us be reminded of the distinction between happiness and joy. Happiness is a thing of circumstances. If circumstances are pleasant, we are happy. If circumstances are painful, we are sad. But, joy persists regardless of circumstance. Joy doesn’t look to circumstance. Joy looks to God and to His certain, unshakable promises. Joy sees the eternity ahead and counts the trials of the present as being unworthy of any comparison.
There is your answer. Rejoice not because the present hurts. Rejoice because you know what the future holds in store for you. Rejoice that God has your future and your present in hand. Rejoice that He has brought you safe thus far. Rejoice that He shall see you safely home.
The Spirit of God (02/01/15)
As Peter mentions specifically that in these trials that come about because we have set ourselves to obey Christ no matter what we have the Spirit resting upon us, it is fitting to touch briefly upon His Person. Calvin notes in regard to this that the Holy Spirit always has glory connected with Him. He cannot be separated from His glory. This becomes important, in this setting, because it is He who indwells you. That being the case, it must be that in some degree the glory of God indwells us, and if it indwells us, it must surely exude from us.
Now, be careful of this. God does not share His glory with another. You do not have His glory as your possession. He indwells you and His glory, being an integral part of His essential being, is necessarily with Him as He does so. He indwells you to a purpose: That you might daily grow more fully into His image. That being the case, it is to be expected that His glory is more evident in our demeanor, not as some glory that is our own, not as a thing of which we might boast, but as evidence of His very real abiding presence in us.
Will this be made evident by such signs and wonders as we read about in Acts? It may. It may not. While I will gladly maintain that those spectacular gifts which God gave the early church remain active today, I cannot account them as necessary proofs of God’s activity. I cannot set them out as proof of occupancy. For one, the various lists of those things the Spirit empowers the believer to do are hardly to be taken as exhaustive lists. They are lists sufficient to the discussion at hand. For another, Scripture consistently teaches that God distributes them as He sees fit, and never to such a degree as will leave any man free to serve God independent of his brothers. But, that’s another discussion.
For this study, suffice it to say that the Spirit abides in those whom God has called. It is a point beyond question. It is not a matter of some second baptism in the Spirit. It is a matter of God in you, which is a given for those who are called of God, and accounted as His elect. As it bears on this discussion of suffering and perseverance, I find the comment of Matthew Henry particularly worth consideration. He offers the perspective that the one who has the Spirit of God upon him cannot be miserable. Cannot be! If he were writing in Greek, I would expect the ouk-mee phrasing to appear. It is an impossibility. The very idea of being miserable loses all meaning in His presence.
Now, I bring this up because it brings me up short. It causes me to pause and ask: How is it that I am oft-times so miserable? Oh, I could write it off as just moodiness. I could express some world-weary ennui over the rote nature of life. I eat, I sleep, I work. I find myself asking, like the old ballad, “Is that all there is?” But, if I shall consider the answer to that question, instead of just throwing it out there as some sort of defensive bulwark, then I must set that misery aside. No! That is not all there is!
Perhaps that very rote activity of life is exactly the trial God has set me in. Perhaps the long days of wrangling with some insurmountable obstacle at work is exactly where God is waiting patiently for me to recall that even here it is all Him. Hmm. How often have I prayed that He would deal with this pride in me? Is there any question that He would answer such a prayer? No. Is there any question that I might misconstrue the answer when it comes? No.
Life, it seems, is spent in the midst of trials of one sort or another. That does not mean all the fun has gone out of it. We may choose to feel that way, but I would say the operative word there is choose. Choose to feel another way. Choose to recognize what it’s about, that it’s not mere pointless drudgery. It’s training. It’s the building up of the spiritual fortitude to persevere in doing right. That doing right is to be found in myriad forms. It is to be found in the quality of work you do, whether your employer can see it or appreciate it or whether he shows no sign of caring one way or the other. It is to be found in how you treat your coworkers, whether they show respect to you in their turn, or whether they treat you like an idiot. It’s going to be about failing on every front and how you respond to that.
Take it into the home life. The same things apply. Yes, home life can get to be pretty dull or pretty hectic, and neither of those is pleasant to contemplate. It seems we are innately incapable of maintaining any sort of balance. Apart from God, I dare say we are utterly incapable. Even with God, we are inclined to resign to whichever extreme pertains. But, that is not what we are called to do. Yes, there is the call to persevere with the present circumstance so long as it persists, but that doesn’t mean we are called to simply leave things as they are. We are to depend on God, to acknowledge our need of Him, and to heed His direction as it is offered. Where He notes a need for change, it is our part to become willing instruments of change in His hands. Where He says stay the course, far be it from us to insist on change.
But, in all these various arrangements and circumstances of life, the call remains: The Holy Spirit of God and of glory rests upon you, abides in you. What possible excuse can you have for being miserable? How can you not abound in the joy of His very real, very personal presence? God is in love with you. What more do you need for your happiness and joy?
The Overreaction (02/02/15)
Peter has delivered the corrective for our natural response to suffering. We will either wear ourselves out seeking the sin for which we are being punished, like Job’s friends, or we will turn on God for being so unfair, losing sight of our own nature. But, hearing that this is an honor, that we should rejoice to be counted worthy of suffering for Him, what happens? If we are not careful, we will find our sinful flesh has us out seeking opportunity to suffer. The end result is that we make ourselves insufferable, and take the natural result of this as some indication of holiness. But, really, what we have done is stepped directly into violation of Peter’s admonition in verse 15. If you are suffering for being an insufferable jerk, this, too, is nothing that glorifies God.
God’s purpose in suffering is not such as should lead us to seek it out as some badge of honor. The very act of doing so would render the whole thing invalid. No. Repeatedly, the instruction has been to continue doing what is right, to continue treating people well, to reflect the goodness of God however bad the circumstance. We are not to glory in persecution. The glory is not in the pain. The glory is not for us at all. If we are called to endure persecutions, it is for this end: That we might glorify God. How do we glorify God? By demonstrating His very real and abiding presence in us in that we do not respond in kind and do not react as would the ones who persecute us. We do so by leaning so wholly upon His presence to uphold us as leaves no place for doubt in the minds of those who would break us. We do so by refusing to become insufferable in response. All of this requires that we are getting our own fleshly reactions out of the way and this we can only do by maintaining a kingdom focus in the midst. Do you suffer? Glorify God that you have been counted worthy to bear it.
The note I have from the JFB says we glorify God to be counted worthy of suffering, but that does not quite state the case. It is likely I translated the point poorly. Let me explain. You and I are worthy of suffering. Every man, woman or child ever born is worthy of suffering, for there is nobody who is without sin, and sin deserves suffering. There is not glory in that. No, it is true that God is glorified by demonstrations of just punishment. He is Just. When He acts upon His Justice, this glorifies Him. We are unlikely to like the results on our person, but He is glorified. The unrepentant sinner cast into hell glorifies God, though we tend to shy away from that idea.
But, that is not what is in view here. In point of fact, Peter explicitly removes that idea from consideration. No. We are looking at that suffering which comes in spite of our best efforts to do right by all men in all circumstances as we pursue active obedience to God. This, Peter says, also glorifies God in that we bear it for His honor. So, then, our very bearing under persecution glorifies God in that it manifests His power upholding us. The natural man will not respond in such a fashion. But, there is this also: We glorify God on our own part, not that we are undergoing persecution, and not even that we discover we can indeed bear up (for we can’t. He bears it for us and in us.) We glorify God because He has accounted us worthy to share in the treatment He experienced Himself at the hands of sinful men.
Now, there is one other comment from the JFB which I set out for myself under this heading: To love sin is to forget God. In part, I put it here because it had no real home amongst the sundry thoughts I have designed to pursue. But, it does connect to what we are discussing. To the degree that we overreact to this notice about persecution and go off on such tangents as make us an annoyance due to being annoying rather than being righteous, we have indeed forgotten God. We have found a new sin to love. Sin is a sneaky thing. We have not left it behind us. There are any number of ways in which this is made painfully clear to us. There are those sins about which there can be no question. These are sins. We know as we do them that we are doing what we ought not to do. We feel that agony that Paul expressed so well. But, we’ll do them nonetheless, and come back for forgiveness later. Stupid us. But, God continues to work with us, to address our weakness and draw us nearer to His desired goal. Wonderful Him!
There are, however, these other pitfalls, sins disguised as righteousness. These are no more benign. If we become insufferable in the name of holiness, we are no less insufferable for having labelled it thus. Neither are we any more holy. We are just insufferable. Persecutions may come. The same persecutions would likely come were you openly serving the local idol. That is to say, the result has nothing to do with honoring God and everything to do with dishonoring Him. You have forgotten Him and loved this new sin, particularly because it can be polished up so it looks – to your poor eyesight – like you are doing good.
But, the reminder deserves more attention. It is a warning to us in our every shortfall. To love sin is to forget God. It can be no other. It is utterly impossible that we should sin as means of drawing nearer to God. It is impossible that we should find Him drawn closer to us for our persisting in our sinful ways. It is evidence of our deep perversity that we manage to con ourselves into thinking it otherwise. It is not. You may be mindful of God even as you sin. If you are a believer, I dare say you are. How could you not be? He’s right there watching. And yet, even as we know this and more or less ask Him to avert His eyes for a few moments, we are forgetting Him. If we hadn’t forgotten Him already, we would realize how stupid that request is, and how utterly impossible that He should accede to our request. No. We never sin in private, whatever our delusions to the contrary. We forget God constantly. But, praise be to God, He never forgets us! Praise be to God that He chooses, in His mercy, to be merciful, to remain with us, exercising our conscience, pursuing us with righteousness, whispering to us in wisdom, and reminding us always that this is no longer who we are. We are His. We know where this junk leads. We’ve had time enough and more to test our theories in that regard. Now, we have chosen Life. More truly, Life has chosen us. It is time and past time that we set all these things aside, set ourselves purposefully to the task of being of sound mind and sober judgment, to be alert and prayerful lest we enter into temptations new or old. And in all this, as Peter concludes here, entrust your soul to a faithful Creator. Note how Peter tells us we can do this: By doing what is right.
The Church of Christians (02/02/15)
This and the next section reflect a couple of points where I find I need to correct myself. The first point concerns the origins of the term Christian. In my earlier notes, I boldly declared that this began as a derogatory reference. We do, after all, find that believers had other ways by which to identify themselves, of which ‘followers of the Way’ might be the most intriguing. But, the JFB gives me good cause to reconsider that ‘fact’. The term, we are told, first came into use in Antioch (Ac 11:26). How it is that the conclusion has arisen that this was a slur is unclear. I know I am not alone in that conclusion. I did not just invent my certainty out of whole cloth. The fact that the JFB finds need to correct this misconception alone tells me that the view is, or was, widespread.
The most compelling point of their countering this view lies in the term chreematizoo. That is the term we have translated as ‘were called’. This term, they note, is invariably used of divine utterances. But, let me not take their word for it. It is not a terribly common word, so it will not take long to consider the other places it is used. We find it twice in Matthew, where it is translated, ‘being warned of God’, in reference to Joseph (Mt 2:12, Mt 2:22). Luke applies it to Simeon, to whom it was revealed by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen Messiah (Lk 2:26). Cornelius the God-fearing centurion was warned from God to send for Peter (Ac 10:22). Moses was admonished by God (Heb 8:5), Noah was warned of God (Heb 11:7), and we dare note refuse the One who spoke on the earth and now speaks from heaven (Heb 12:25). Indeed, if there is any exception to this sense of divine utterance, it would be Romans 7:3, which speaks of the divorced woman who remarries, saying that if her husband is still alive, she shall be called an adulteress. Insomuch as this is stated as an expression of God’s determination in the case, we could also accept the divine nature of that statement. At the very least we should have to accept that the great preponderance of usage indicates this divine sourcing of the message.
As concerns Peter’s reference to the Church, Barnes clarifies for us that there is no cause to suppose Peter is thinking temple or that he is thinking in particular of the Jews. The phraseology he uses is sufficiently common in the Old Testament to be recognized as a reference to the people of God. They are His household who are His people. It is not, then, Peter indicating the destruction about to befall Jerusalem. It is Peter saying that God always begins the process of correction with His own. Punishment will surely befall those who are outside of His household, but it will not unjustly pass by His household, either. I am put in mind of Hebrews 9:23 with its notice that not only the earthly copies needed cleansing, but the heavenly things themselves. God’s Justice is impartial and perfect. His demand for purity extends to all.
As concerns the Church, though, the household of God, it must be observed that this work starts with us for a good purpose: To prove the nature and the worth of Christian religion. It begins with us that His infinite value might be seen by finite man. It begins with us to glorify Him and to make Him known. It proves and demonstrates His perfectly good character, lest the reprobate think he has found cause for complaint.
The Proverbial Quote (02/02/15)
Regarding verse 18, I need simply to note a correction to my original discussions on this passage. I noted then that this was referenced back to Proverbs 11:31, and commented that if this was Peter’s source, then he was playing rather fast and loose with it. I note, however, that the commentaries explain the divergent reading. It is due to Peter following the Septuagint translation rather than the original Hebrew. Apparently it is that translation which was rather loose in its rendering, and Peter was faithful in presenting it pretty much word for word.
I have to say this could lead me to rethink one of my common observations regarding the use of Scripture in the New Testament. I have said often enough that the Devil seemed far more adept at quoting the passages verbatim, however he twisted the meaning. The Apostles, and even Jesus, appear to be far less concerned with accurately rendering the text and far more concerned with accurately applying it. The case may yet be made. Certainly, there are many occasions where we find multiple passages being applied in something of a mélange. But, it is worth stepping back a moment and checking: Perhaps what seems a loose rendering is merely a close rendering of a different source.
I could put it in terms of my own day. If I quote the NASB verbatim here, but leave it unattributed, a reader who has memorized the passage from the KJV might think I have played loose with the text. I might have a similar reaction to somebody quoting the NIV, even though they have quoted it word for word. I must, at minimum, remain mindful that even in Israel at the day of Christ, there were multiple translations. I cannot simply assume that these men were more concerned with meaning than memorization, or that they were happily paraphrasing things to suit their purpose.
Difficulty of Salvation (02/03/15)
Having considered the sourcing of this quote, we move to the content. “If it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved…” In this instance we are not presented with a hypothetical, as if Peter were saying only that this is possible to think, not that it is actually the case. There are cases where such a, ‘were it possible,’ understanding is clearly in view. This is not one of them. So, then, let us drop the ‘if’, and settle on the fact that it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved.
That in itself presents us with something of a quandary. After all, if it is God who saves, and nothing is impossible to Him, then how can it be difficult? And, if it is difficult, and I should infer from this that it is difficult for me, since it can’t be difficult for God, doesn’t this undermine the security of my salvation? To the latter, more dreadful question, let me offer the answer that Barnes provides. The difficulty is not such as rejects certainty. It will happen: You will be saved. But circumstances along the way may often make the outcome appear doubtful. Indeed, the task of salvation is so difficult that no man can attain it though every man stands in need of it.
Difficult? It is impossible! This is the story of Creation. This is the reason for Creation. Man was created. Man was given dominion. Man threw it away, rebelled against his Creator, and rendered himself wholly and permanently unfit for being in his Creator’s presence. Having fallen, he had nothing in himself by which to stand once more. The Law came, because he had forgotten even what good looked like, who his Creator was. But, the Law only established more fully: You can’t do it. To comply is so far beyond you that even in your very conception, sin takes root and will not be dislodged. You cannot choose otherwise than to sin. But, God did not set you here to suffer in futile abjection. From the outset, the plan was laid out. There will come One who can, and He can do not only so as to save Himself, but so as to save all upon whom I AM chooses to have compassion.
But, don’t suppose this was some cakewalk for Him when He came. No, His suffering was very real, His trials utterly trying. What He suffered no man before or since has experienced. It is not that He was the only man ever to be wrongly accused. It is not that He was the only man ever to be crucified. It is that He alone has felt the full weight of God’s wrath against all sin in all time. It is that He alone has felt the utter and complete separation from the presence of the Father. Think about that. Think of the sorrow we feel at the loss of a loved one, even a parent or spouse. We have known them a lifetime, or so it seems. They are so much a part of our lives that their absence leaves us feeling less than whole. I think of my father who, even a year and more on after losing his second wife, finds himself wanting to talk with her about this thing or that which is going on, to share a comment or observation, to enjoy the joke together. Fellowship is like that, and the longer the relationship has existed, the deeper the bonds and the more painful the rending of those bonds. Take that to what was happening between Father and Son at the cross. They have shared those bonds more deeply than any man or woman has ever shared, and they have done so throughout eternity. Then, in this moment, the bond is broken, the fellowship has turned to rejection and revulsion. I don’t think we can ever hope to fathom the full agony of that loss, momentary though it was. “Father! Why have You forsaken Me?” You can hear it in that cry, but still, even if your own father abandoned you in your time of need, you cannot grasp the full extent of that pain.
But, this is what it took. God knew this is what it would take. As has been commented on somewhere along the way here, God knew this is what it would take before ever He undertook to begin the work of Creation. Creation came about for this very purpose: That this moment of incomprehensible agony to His own person might have its cause and its fruition. Why? Because the result was, in His perfect estimation, so glorious that the pain was worth it. That pain, we should understand is not constrained to those hours on the cross, or even to the few days in the grave. That pain extends across the entirety of history from the moment Adam let his guard down in the garden to the moment of Christ’s triumph over every enemy of God whenever that may come about. And still, He declared it worth every moment of pain to see the eternal glory that would come out of it.
Understand this, then: We are not saved because we have in any way deserved it. Drive any such thought from your mind. You were not a good person surrounded by an evil environment such that your heart and mind were in constant agony for the influence. Nope. You loved every minute of it, for you were every bit the same as they are. Even where knowledge of God has taken hold, the clear message of Scripture remains that if you could, for all your righteousness, save any, it would be only yourself. Moses, had he managed a perfect walk with God, would have saved nobody but himself. Elijah could do no better. Even Enoch, who walked with God and was no more, could not hope to save another, however righteous his own behavior. Perhaps it is this difficulty that the writer of the proverb had in view.
Perhaps, though, it was not the moment of God’s calling, or the dawning awareness of His election of you that was in view at all. Perhaps it is what ensues. That moment, that call of election, has already settled the outcome. God predestined whom He called, justified them and glorified them (Romans 8:30). It is finished (Jn 19:30)! If you retain doubts in that regard, cast them away from you. God has said it. It is done. But, understand that the road ahead is narrow, beset with many trials, many dangers. To the degree that you try to make it on your own, you will assuredly fail. To the degree that you don’t try at all, you will assuredly discover that the call was never yours in the first place. There is a reason that, in spite of the absolute assurance of salvation to the elect, the Apostles everywhere urge upon us the difficulty of attaining to that which we already have, if we are truly His.
It is not the difficulty of attaining it, for we already have it. It is not the difficulty of retaining it, for that is in God’s hands. It is the difficulty of walking worthy of it. It is the difficulty of knowing that trials will come, that tests will be given, that we will find ourselves over and over again needing to entrust ourselves to God in abject desperation. But, let the necessity register! “Let the absolute necessity of salvation balance the difficulty of it,” writes Matthew Henry. Let it sink in. Understand the full and continuing depth of your need. But, then, know that God offers His grace to aid you. But, then, recognize that future happiness when God Himself gives you the crown of life. Yes, we have a foretaste of that life here in the present, but we know it is only a foretaste. It lacks the spice of eternity just yet. That life is free of sickness, struggle and conflict, and we are certainly not experiencing that just yet, are we? Far from it! But, it comes, and in the meantime we have the deposit of eternity in us. We have the grace of God poured out to our aid. We have the Spirit of glory and of God abiding in us to give counsel and support.
I should just comment that this morning’s reading of the passage came from the CJB, where that glory is rendered as Shekinah. As Pastor has been reminding us in recent weeks, that Shekinah is the tabernacling of God with us. It is God dwelling in the tents of Shem. It is God abiding in His children, those whom He has, by His own right arm, fashioned as living temples of the living God.
Know then, that as clearly as we see our life in Christ is a close run thing, as much as it appears to our sight that we are in constant risk of losing that which has been given us, yet what we have entrusted to Him is kept certain. We are brought safely through. Every internal struggle, every outward conflict that we face as we seek to walk righteous in this fallen world, though they demand ‘constant and strenuous effort’ of us, as Barnes says, shall eventually recede from view behind us as we see the hand of God deliver us yet again. It is not that we let go and let God. It is not that we simply lie here waiting for Him to do what He will do. No! He refuses this understanding, and will not allow us to slide into sloth. We cannot do it without Him, but He will not do it without us.
As we seek to take up our part in this heavenward march, we know the soul’s danger. Honestly, we need do little more than connect to the Internet for a few hours alone to know the danger. We need only scan the headlines to recognize the dangers all around. We need only consider where our thoughts wander the moment our guard is down to know that we cannot permit our guard to drop if we would stand fast. The tools are there before us: Be watchful – not as to everybody else’s troubles, but as to your own propensities. Pray. It is our greatest weakness that we so quickly toss aside our greatest tool! Pray. You can’t do it alone. Call on Him Who can. Let your faith stand unshaken by circumstance. Yes the way is narrow and fraught with deadly perils, but you never walk it alone. He is ever with you. He is ever speaking to you, pointing out the way to go, the next step to take. Obey. These are indispensable tools for the believer.
Mr. Clarke gives the following thought. “He who does not walk with God here cannot see or enjoy Him hereafter.” Were he present, we would no doubt clash as to the order of cause and effect in this, but that does not diminish the truth of it. If we do not walk with God here, I would argue, it is because He refuses to be seen walking with us. If we do, it is because He has His arm about us, holding us up. But, to be sure, if we think to have hope of enjoying eternity with Him hereafter, we had best ascertain some evidence of His presence with us here. That’s what this whole business of trials and perseverance is all about: Letting us have such evidence as will encourage our own faith, as will serve to strengthen our assurance that God, who saw us through all that, will see us through all that may yet lie ahead. He is faithful, and the more I come to sense my own unfaithfulness, the more glad I am to know that He is doing this work in me; the more I incline myself, as best I may, to do what I can to make His work easier.
Faithfulness of God (02/04/15)
It must be clear, if we will but consider our own track record, that we are not a faithful people, however much we may have faith. There are certainly those who would hold that we do indeed have faith, and would make of it a power of sorts. But, the greater truth is that faith which we do possess we have from God, He having given it to us. He remains sovereign. He continues to uphold all things by His own power, and that most assuredly includes the redeemed elect. It just as assuredly includes the disposition of the reprobate. The thing we must conclude from this is that our security is not now and will not ever be found in ourselves. Neither, if this is the case, can we suppose that our faith, our power, is sufficient to save another. That whole line of thought is to be rejected.
What does Peter advise here? Yes, there is a call to persevere. But, it is a call to persevere in full understanding that you are not the one who determines the outcome. We persevere not because we expect thereby to save ourselves. We persevere because it is the right thing to do, because it is thus that we know we can please God. And, why should we be concerned with pleasing God? Because He is faithful; because He has care over us to see us through. So, we arrive at the end of this chapter to find Peter offering this instruction to the persecuted: Entrust your souls to your faithful Creator.
Commit to Him. Your body may be buffeted and even broken. Your life on this earth may well be forfeit. We count that as a big matter, but set against eternity it is shown minute. Notice what Peter doesn’t instruct. He does not advise us to commit our health to God. He does not advise us to call upon God to watch over and preserve our material assets. Indeed, as concerns material assets, Scripture more generally warns us against becoming too attached. They are too often a tool to tempt us, to distract us from that kingdom focus which is our greatest asset in persevering.
No, Peter says to commit our souls. That is the eternal bit, and the eternal bit is the bit that ought to have our deepest concern. Why commit this to God? Because He is faithful. He has said He will keep it, and He will. If we must have our slice of free will, we might set it here: He cannot keep what we have not committed. More rightly, He will not. We, on the other hand cannot keep period. It is beyond us to do so. If we would see our soul kept, we really have no viable alternative other than to entrust and commit our soul to God. I would add to that a question. What possible alternative could we want? Here is perfect, faithful preservation. You wanted something else?
Peter is but faithfully teaching what he was taught by Jesus. “Don’t fear those who kill the body, but can’t kill the soul. Rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell” (Mt 10:28). It is so hard for us to hear that we should fear God. It’s at odds with what we understand Him to be, and in large degree rightly so. But, there is also the factor that we being what we are, it takes a certain amount of fear to bring us into compliance with the demands of respect. The laws of man are powerless where there is no fear of repercussions should we ignore those laws. Look around at the usefulness of speed limits. They’re posted everywhere cars are found. But, how many give them any particular notice? Why should we if they are so rarely enforced, and with so little at risk? Around our state, even stop signs and traffic lights are taken more as advice than legal requirement. Why? There’s so little cause to fear the result of ignoring them. We are forever doing these sorts of risk calculations to decide whether or not we need to comply with this rule or that. We do it with each other. We do it with God. To the degree He seems distant and unconcerned, we become unconcerned with Him. It is, in reality, a most awful danger, but we allow ourselves to be convinced otherwise until that moment when His patience runs out and we are called to accounts.
Commit your soul to Him! He is faithful to preserve that which He has chosen. He is the one – the only one – who should be your concern. If He is pleased with you, then those who array against you are as nothing. If He has your soul in hand, then physical discomforts, even should they be so extreme as death by torture, are of little account. Those who do this to you can do no more. Your life is still secure in Him, else it was never secure at all. So commit to Him. He will take charge of it. He already has. He will show Himself faithful and true because He cannot be otherwise. If you are suffering, as Peter has reminded us over and over again, it has come about according to His will. Put those two things together. What you are going through is by His will – He Who will not permit you to be tested beyond your limit. He is your limit! He will keep you, keeping your soul whatever may befall your body. Commit to Him! You cannot stand apart from Him, but with Him you cannot fall.
Matthew Henry urges us to look more to the preservation of our soul than of our body. These are words well to heed. We live in an age where bodily preservation is a big deal and a big business. Look at all the gyms that spring up around the country. Look at the industry that is concerned with nothing so much as preserving our youthful good looks. Look at how much effort goes into life extension, wealth preservation, leaving a legacy. All of that is about the body with total disregard for the soul. And, I have to say, all of that is utterly futile. “Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his life’s span” (Mt 6:27)? “Life is more than food, and the body than clothing” (Lk 12:23). “Sell your possessions and give to charity. Make yourselves purses that don’t wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven where no thief can steal nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Lk 12:33-34).
God is your Provider, and He will see to your physical needs. He is your faithful Creator. He is also your Lord and King. He has set the number of your days as surely as He has set the stars and the planets in their courses. For your part, commit your soul to Him. He will keep that which is entrusted to Him. But, note well how it is we commit our soul to Him: In doing what is right.
Every covenant has its seal, does it not? There is that sign to demonstrate the validity of the contract. Here is our signature on the covenant God has made with us: We do what is right. We persist in doing as He commands however much the world may tell us not to do so. We struggle against our own fleshly tendencies to subdue them under His authority, for He is Lord and we have proclaimed ourselves His servants. How should it be otherwise?
The Conclusion (02/05/15)
The conclusion is much as I have been saying: Commit. This is the call. Whether enjoying pleasant days or suffering persecution, commit. If all about you appears uncertain, commit to Him who is certain. In His certainty we find our own. We are established upon the unchanging righteousness of Christ and the eternal covenant of God. Circumstance does not change Him. Circumstance should not change us. Whatever may come, do what is right. This is not some passive undertaking. It is not a call to act the spiritual doormat. We cannot account ourselves committed to doing right when we effectively ignore what is happening as having nothing to do with us. Rather, the doing of right is an active exercise. Faith must express in works, as James insists. But, the works do not earn our salvation, they become our nature because He has saved us.
Entrust your soul to God, for it is He who can and will keep it. You cannot do it. That is well established. This is no new call. Psalm 37:5 gives us the same instruction: Commit your way to the Lord and trust Him. He will do it. He will do it. Leave it to Him. Barnes brings out a point that is quite similar to the instruction Jesus gave in the parable of the sower and the seed. We do not leave this to God by doing nothing. No. We are called to be faithful to our duty. We persist in doing right. What we leave to Him is the result. We cannot be responsible for that. Whether men will respond in hunger for this gospel or whether they will respond with reviling is not ours to control. To the degree we can predict the outcome, this must not be given power to alter our course. Our business, as Barnes indicates, is to do right in all circumstances, trusting God for the result He desires. We know He is faithful in pursuit of His purposes, and nothing can prevent His obtaining His purposes. If the history of Creation from Adam to the Cross hasn’t established that sufficiently for you, what proof would you ask in addition? The worst efforts of man and devil across thousands of years did not so much as nudge His planning in the slightest.
Now, if you find yourself among the elect, His plan has included you to your eternal gain. That same certainty which brought forth the plan of redemption will just as certainly see you through. The result in you is as much God’s business as the results of your persistence. You will not be abandoned. Over and over again, God assures us. “The Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you” (Dt 11:6). “Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you” (Jos 1:5). “He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished” (1Chr 28:20). “I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Ge 28:15). “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). Where, then, He has appointed us to go, we are assured of His protection. That does not mean we travel a garden path. Far from it! The path is strewn with trials and dangers. But, He is with us. We shall experience many times of pain and anguish, just as our Jesus before us. But, He is with us. He will do it.
See what He has done already. The JFB brings this out for our sight. Way back at the beginning, man walked with God in Eden. Theirs was a relationship of fellowship not unlike that which pertains between the Persons of the Trinity. But, man sinned, and sin broke our spiritual relationship to our Creator. What remained of relationship thereafter was only that of government. That part cannot be escaped. God reigns. Like it or not, rebel against it or not, He reigns. But, where that is the sum-total of relationship to God, man remains doomed by his sin. What has happened, though? God, having planned for this from the outset – from before the outset – set the Gospel in motion, having determined to the moment how this would all unfold. He brought faith to man, implanting that faith in whom He wills, and what results! Faith, you see, restores what was lost in that relationship. Having been called, having been given this marvelous gift of grace which is faith, we remain in that same relationship of government, but we also have our spiritual relationship to God restored. We can commune with Him. He tabernacles with us. Oh, the joy that is ours! What are the trials of this life to compare? What is there that could be more natural than that we commit our all to Him and persevere in doing that which is pleasing to Him?
I conclude, then, with the same prayer that was in my heart when last I passed through these verses: Thy will be done. Period. Even if it demands a present-tense unpleasantness; even if it should demand my life: Thy will be done.
Father, to the degree I am capable of meaning this, I mean it. Even here, though, I am keenly aware that if I do, it is because You do it. You have begun this good work in me. You are even now causing me to grow more fully into Your image. You are even now setting me challenges to increase my strength of will and heart. Knowing this, I entrust myself the more to You, and set myself more fully at Your command. You know I am in a season of wondering where it is You would direct my steps, of considering that You may indeed be calling me in new directions. Again, I say, I am Yours to command, only make my direction clear and grant that my steps may be steadfast in pursuit of Your will. And, if it please Thee to keep me in this place, that, too, I shall endeavor to do so long as You command it. Thy will, Lord, in all things. I put my entire trust in You to keep me faithful to this, for I know, as Abraham before me, that I shall fail utterly without You.
