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1 Peter: Inexpressible and Glorious Joy

September 5, 2009

1Peter 1:8-9 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

What a difference it would make if Christians really understood what they have been given through the grace of our merciful God! We don’t deserve the salvation we have been given. We would have no grounds for complaint against God if instead he decided to punish us according to our deeds. Yet God granted us an immeasurably great favor.

1) He has given us a new birth, a fresh start with a clean slate, forgiven of all of our sins, through the resurrection of Jesus. (1 Peter 1:3)

2) He has given us an unimaginably wonderful inheritance, safely reserved for us in heaven. (1 Peter 1:4)

3) He protects us as we wait to receive the inheritance. (1 Peter 1:5)

However that does not mean we are without challenges. We face trials which test the genuineness of our faith. But if we have genuine faith, there is nothing to fear. Genuine faith will stand up under fire. Even as gold is proven pure by fire, so our faith will be proven genuine by our trials. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

As a result, we love God and are filled with “an inexpressible and glorious joy” (“joy unspeakable and full of glory” as the KJV phrases it.) Or, at least, we could be so filled, if only we fully recognised what we have been given.

Too many Christians wonder whether they actually do possess these blessings. We may doubt our salvation because we see our own sinfulness too clearly. When we aren’t sure we’ve received the blessings, we don’t experience the joy. Many things can block that joy, such as: loving this present world; failure to repent and to make Jesus Lord; loving the things of the world; becoming entangled in worldly pursuits; false doctrines about works salvation; false doctrines about the nature of God; a lack of faith.

But it is clear that God intends for Christians to be filled with joy. God wants us to receive the inheritance, and he knows what we are made of. So he has promised to protect us as we wait for our inheritance (1 Peter 1:5.) We are responsible to remain in the vine (John 15). When we do so, God will produce fruit in us, to make us into what we need to become. So we can have great security in our salvation. And with that security, we can experience the inexpressible and glorious joy of our salvation.

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1 Peter: Paul, Silas, and Peter

August 25, 2009

1 Peter 5:12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it

Peter did not write this letter alone.

Many have remarked at the striking similarity between 1 Peter and some of Paul’s letters. A quick comparison of certain verses demonstrates that similarity:

Eph 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 1Pe 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Col 3:8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 1Pe 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 1Pe 3:1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands
1Th 5:6 …let us be alert and self-controlled. 1Pe 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert.
1Co 16:20 …Greet one another with a holy kiss. 1Pe 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Rom 8:18 … the glory that will be revealed in us. 1Pe 5:1 … the glory to be revealed:
Rom 4:24 …for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 1Pe 1:21 … you believe in God, who raised him from the dead …
Rom 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities… Pe 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men
Rom 12:6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
Rom 12:7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;		 1Pe 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
1Pe 4:11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides
1Ti 2:9 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 1Pe 3:3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

Beyond the similarity of many verses of Paul and Peter, the overall structure of his plea is the same. Peter introduced the letter by identifying himself as an apostle. He proceeded to identify his intended audience by their location and by the blessings they have received from God. He extends grace and peace. Next he describes in more detail the great blessings they have received from God. Then he proceeds to call for an appropriate response to those blessings. This is all very “Pauline” — compare to Ephesians, Colossians, and Romans. However, Peter seems to go back and forth several times — lavish description of blessings, then calling for a response, then revisiting the blessings, and calling for a response again, etc.

Overall, the similarity to Paul’s letters is unmistakable. And there is a good reason for that similarity. 1 Pet 5:12 tells us that Peter wrote this letter with the help of Silas (Gk Silvanus). There is virtually unanimous agreement that this is the same Silas who accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey (approximately AD 51-54.) Silas was a leading brother in Jerusalem (Acts 15:22) and a prophet (Acts 15:32). He joined Paul first in Jerusalem as one selected to deliver the decision of the council to Antioch and other churches. After visiting Antioch with the letter, he accompanied Paul to Syria, Cilisia, Derbe, Lystra, Phrygia, Galatia, Troas, Macedonia, Philippi (where he was jailed along with Paul), Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth. While on that journey, he assisted Paul in writing both letters to the Thessalonians. Silas had extensive exposure to Paul’s teaching as well as his writing. He was undoubtedly familiar with at least most of Paul’s letters by the time 1 Peter was written (approximately AD 60-64). It is no surprise, therefore, that we see many similarities between 1 Peter and the letters of Paul.

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1 Peter: Authorship, Audience, and Purpose

August 18, 2009

That the apostle Simon Peter is the author of the letter we call 1 Peter has been overwhelmingly supported from the earliest times. Irenaeus, Clement, Origen, Cyprian, and Tertullian all not only quoted from the book, but also explicitly attributed it to Peter.

The author of the book we call 2 Peter, on the other hand, has been questioned by some, almost exclusively because of the differences in the style of Greek between 1 Peter and 2 Peter. 1 Peter is written in a polished, well structured, almost formal style. 2 Peter, on the other hand, is rougher and more unsophisticated. This naturally raises the question as to whether the two books were written by the same author.

However, this objections can be easily overcome.

1Pe 5:12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

Silas (Gk Silvanus) has always been widely accepted to be the same person as the Silas who traveled with Paul and who assisted him in writing 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Silas was not merely an amanuensis but also a prophet (Acts 15:32). If he truly did participate in the composition of 1 Peter as well as the two Thessalonian letters of Paul, is no surprise that the organization and style of 1 Peter resembles Paul’s letters. I will say a bit more about this similarity later.

2 Peter, on the other hand, mentions no amanuensis. It therefore is not surprising that an unschooled, ordinary man such as Peter (Acts 4:13) would write in that style.

It should also be noted that a portion of 2 Peter 3:8 is clearly quoted (but not attributed) by Irenaeus in Against Heresies, book V: “a day of the Lord is as a thousand years.” Irenaeus used the same phrasing as in Peter’s letter, and not the phrasing from the similar OT passage. He quoted this passage in proof of his argument, implying that he assumed his readers would know and accept the validity of the reference. So it is evident from this reference that 2 Peter was well known and accepted before the end of the 2nd century. (Justin Martyr makes a similar reference in his Dialogue with Trypho. There are other alleged references to 2 Peter by Polycarp, Clement, Ignatius, and others, though some of these are less certain.)

Internal evidence for Peter’s authorship of 2 Peter is strong. First of all, the author claims to be “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:1). He claims to have been an eyewitness, present on the Mount of Transfiguration (2 Pet 1:16-18) He claims to have written a previous letter (2 Pet 3:1). Even the fact that this author refers to the flood of Noah (2 Pet 3:6) as a “type” or parallel of future events, just as Peter did in 1 Pet 3:20, weighs in favor of the same author writing both books.

It is impossible to determine the precise place and time when 1 Peter was written. 1 Pet 5:13 refers to the church in Babylon sending greetings, but there are multiple theories about what “Babylon” refers to, and no real evidence to use in choosing which theory is best. Of course 1 Peter was written before Peter was martyred (traditionally believed to be around AD 64), and obviously before he wrote his second letter. Most scholars seem to place the time in the late 50’s or early 60’s of the first century. It was written to Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. While it is apparent that there were elders in at least some of these churches (1 Pet 5:1-4), he addresses all members of the churches in a general sense, rather than directly addressing the letter to their leaders.

Peter wrote this letter for the purpose of “encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.” (2 Pet 5:12) We should study the letter and teach it with that same purpose.

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Three New Topics

August 17, 2009

I try to post an article on this blog at least once a week. That is easier some weeks than others. Sometimes it is hard to find the time, due to other pressing issues. At other times, writers’ block gets in the way, as I struggle to think of new and relevant material.

Today, writers’ block is not a problem. Right now I have three topics screaming at me to write.

1) A group in the ICOC has developed a new, much shorter Cooperation Plan proposal. Long time readers will remember that I objected to the original Plan For United Cooperation. The new proposal is much shorter (one page rather than twelve) and appears to have eliminated some of the more objectionable aspects. I will be studying this and discussing with the other leaders in my congregation. Once I have done that, I intend to write an article with my observations about the proposal.

2) This past weekend I attended a seminar produced by Douglas Jacoby and Steve Staten, titled “WHY DO THE NATIONS RAGE? Gospel Solutions to Prejudice and Separation.” This seminar directly confronted the racial issues facing our churches today. These important issues are clearly relevant to our Lord’s plea for unity among Christians.

3) In a few weeks I will begin teaching a four-week series on the book of 1 Peter. As is my custom, I will be blogging on the topic as I prepare for the classes. Due to the fact that I have an actual deadline to be ready for this class, the other topics may have to wait. But I’ll try to work them in.

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Grace Conversation ends

August 9, 2009

Mac Deaver and Phil Sanders have withdrawn from the conversation between progressives and conservatives at graceconversation.com. Earlier, Greg Tidwell withdrew from the conversation. With the withdrawal of all of those representing the conservative side of the question, the conversation has now come to an end.

The stated goal of the conversation was to discuss “the disagreements that separate the conservative and progressive branches of the churches of Christ.” The primary two topics that they set out to discuss include whether all doctrinal error leads to damnation (and if not, which do and which do not); and the proper effect of doctrinal error on the boundaries of fellowship.

I have followed this conversation with great interest. I appreciate the willingness and the efforts of all of the five participants to participate in the discussion to the extent that they did. Of course it is unfortunate that some of the men felt it necessary to stop the conversation, especially since the second topic was never addressed. However, I think things went far enough to draw a few conclusions.

1) There is great interest in this topic. A significant community of readers participated in lively discussions in the comments. The range of views in the comments went farther in both extremes than the actual five principle conversation participants. While the comment threads ranged far and wide, and emotions sometimes showed, the commentors added life to the conversation.

2) Neither side persuaded the other. To some that may seem to have been a foregone conclusion, but I hoped for more.

3) Both conservatives and progressives agreed that certain doctrinal errors lead to apostasy. They also agreed that not every instance of doctrinal error leads to apostasy. However, the conservatives were persistently unwilling to state exactly which scenarios lead to apostasy, nor exactly how they determine whom to fellowship and whom not to fellowship. Progressives kept asking the question in various ways but it seemed to be an unanswerable question.

It was interesting to observe how difficult communication was between these two groups. They use the same words but mean different things. They read the same passages but come to entirely different conclusions from them. I think there must be a fundamental set of basic assumptions on which the two groups have radical differences, which lead them to read the scriptures differently. It is unfortunate that this discussion did not discover and illuminate these basic assumptions. Instead, the conversation was on a different level, focusing on the different conclusions they hold due to those different foundational assumptions.

There is a danger in staking out your beliefs publicly. Once you have done that, it becomes much more difficult to change them. Maybe conversations like this have a better chance of success if the principle participants have not previously tied their reputation publicly to one side of the question.

I believe God will resolve this disagreement at some point. I don’t know whether it will be in short time or long, whether in this life or the next. But I am confident that God cares about this question, and he wants us to understand.

Jesus prayed that the church would be one so that the world will believe. The importance of the world believing cannot be overstated. What a tragedy that, as of today, we are not one, and therefore the world does not believe. I am sure that God cares more about that than he does about many of the points on which conservatives and progressives disagree. May God help us to stop straining out gnats and swallowing camels.

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Forgiveness

August 6, 2009

1Ti 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.

God wants to forgive.

He had a choice. He could give us what we deserve for our sins, or he could send his Son to suffer and to die on the cross so that we could be forgiven. Because he chose the cross, we know beyond any doubt that God wants to forgive. He intensely wants to forgive.

There was no other way but the cross.

Before going to the cross, Jesus prayed in the garden, “If you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” If forgiveness of sins were possible without sending Christ to the cross, surely God would have been willing, and Jesus would not have gone to the cross. But God knew from the beginning that there was no other way. So Jesus humbly submitted to God’s will.

As he was being crucified, Jesus uttered some amazing words, words that take our breath away. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” He had already been unjustly condemned, mocked, beaten, and scourged. Now his hands and feet were nailed to the cross and he was dying a slow, torturous death. Yet Jesus still wanted to forgive — and to forgive even those who drove the nails into his hands and feet.

Yes, God wants to forgive. He *really* wants to forgive.

Mic 7:18 Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.

How about us?

Mat 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Mat 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus warns us that if we do not forgive those who sin against us, neither will God forgive us. There is no more sobering passage in all the scripture. Even though God intensely desires to forgive, he will not forgive if we do not forgive. God must find our refusal to forgive highly offensive–so offensive, in fact, that it outweighs his tremendous desire to forgive. Unforgiveness is an ugly, ugly thing. Like God, we should also find our unforgiveness offensive. After all, failure to forgive would cost us our salvation. We simply must forgive.

How many of us will forfeit the forgiveness that could have been ours, because we refuse to forgive others?

Forgiveness is hard. We see the evil in the other person and we want justice, not mercy. We feel violated and betrayed. It’s not fair! We don’t think the other person deserves forgiveness. We just don’t want to forgive. How unlike God we are!

But we are never more like Jesus than when we forgive someone who has hurt us. Jesus even forgave those who drove the nails into his hands. We, too, need to forgive those who don’t deserve forgiveness. If there are people who have wronged you, whom you have not yet forgiven, take care of that before the sun goes down. Be urgent, and forgive!

Thank God for his mercy! May we learn to be more like him.

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Doing What I Hate

July 27, 2009

Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do

Why do we keep doing what we hate?

Churches of Christ have a long history of quarrelling and dividing over virtually any disagreement. Disagreements have been with us throughout history, but division over those disagreements came to churches of Christ in a big way in 1889, at Sand Creek. The issues of that day included instrumental music, choirs, missionary societies, preaching colleges, hired preacher-pastors, and church fund raisers. Since then, further divisions have occurred over communion cups, Sunday Schools, premillennialism, the Holy Spirit, church organization, qualifications for elders, marriage / divorce / remarriage, the role of women in the church, discipling practices, and more.

Churches of Christ continue to repeat the mistakes of our forefathers. The spirit of Sand Creek is alive and well. We keep doing what we hate — which the Lord also hates:

Proverbs 6:16-19
16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

I am writing this because I recently heard a report that one of the former ICOC congregations was “blacklisted” by leaders at another congregation. Having personal knowledge of the supposedly blacklisted congregation, I find that appalling. What kind of mindset would conclude that it is right to make such a judgment about a church they have not visited, about leaders they have not approached, about a group of penitent baptized believers who have made Jesus their Lord? What scripture gives anyone that right?

Divisiveness is deep in our DNA. It permeates our history, and we have so far failed to learn from that history. If we fear God, we would be wise to learn those lessons. The judgment we use on others will be applied to ourselves as well. Those who create divisions in the church do so at their own peril.

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Children and Self Control

July 20, 2009

My daughter shares some blog postings from her Google Reader from time to time. Recently she shared this article which offers some great insight and practical advice for teaching self control to your children.

If we want our children to grow up with reverence for God, then that reverence is best instilled in the earliest years, which means church is not a place to eat or be amused, but a place to be still and listen and experience God on whatever level possible.

I like the idea in the above blog link of training a toddler to control his or her own body, as an early exercise in developing self control. “You are boss of your body. You can decide to sit still.”

Long time readers will remember that my congregation includes the children (except the smallest toddlers) in the adult worship service with their parents. Of course this creates a couple of challenges: managing the child’s behavior, and making the worship experience a constructive time for the child. I have blogged about this before. Following are a few more blog articles my daughter has sent me in the past, which offer more practical advice for making the worship experience constructive for children:

Children in Public Spaces
Children in Church
Children in Church, part 2
Babbling Babies in Church

I’m sure you noticed that all of these blogs are written by women. Maybe that’s because my daughter tends to send me articles from blogs written by women. But I suspect there is more to it than that. Usually women are much more focused on the challenges of raising small children than men are. That is unfortunate, since the scriptures challenge fathers to bring up their children in the Lord. This is a topic that should be of interest to fathers and church leaders alike, as we carry out our God-given responsibilities to the next generation.

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Leaders Need One Another

July 13, 2009

I am registered to attend the 2009 International Leadership Conference in Denver on September 3-6. This will be my third time attending (having also attended in Chicago in 2004 and Los Angeles in 2007). These conferences bring together ministers, elders, and others from ICOC congregations for fellowship and inspiration. As one who is committed to pursuing unity with other Christians, I am glad to be able to attend this year and am hopeful that the time will lead toward greater unity among these churches.

A few days ago I received an emailed article promoting the event, titled “Leaders Need One Another.” The article reminded us of our responsibility to counsel one another (Rom 15:14) . It spoke of how much we need each other, as different parts of the same body (1 Cor 12:21-26). The writer then said,

Boy, do we need one another. We need one another for the encouragement to persevere in an increasingly lost world. We need each other for direction and perspective when the work of ministering gets heavy and disorienting. We need each other for counsel and advice. And perhaps most important, we need each other as reminders of God’s miraculous devotion to the salvation of souls, including our own! We need to be together.

I heartily “amen” all of that. We need more communication, not less. We need to show the world that believers in Christ can be united, so the world will believe (John 17:20-23). We need the love and support of other believers. To the extent that we isolate ourselves from other parts of the body of Christ, we deprive ourselves of the benefits God intended for us to share.

But I wish that the organizers of this event didn’t stop there. This event is focused only on the congregations tracing their roots back to the International Churches of Christ. What about our brothers and sisters in the traditional churches of Christ? What about the independent Christian churches? What about others who have made Jesus Lord and have been baptized into Christ (Gal 3:26-29)? Are we not therefore one in Christ? Do we not need them, and do they not need us? We desperately need those brothers and sisters. And now more than ever, I think we might have something to offer to them also.

In the Chicago ILC of 2004, we had a guest speaker from Abilene Christian University who was the highlight of the conference in my opinion. There have been other interactions between the ICOC and ACU, but I don’t hear much about that any more. There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of interest in those things. With the approaching 200th anniversary of the Declaration and Address, the ICOC should re-examine its roots, and reconcile with the rest of the family.

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A Witness Between Us

July 4, 2009

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

The Israelites had taken possession of the Promised Land. Two-and-a-half tribes inherited land on the east side of the Jordan, and the remaining tribes inherited on the west side. By prior arrangement, the fighting men from the “trans-Jordan tribes” — those on the east — crossed over to the west side to help their brothers defeat the inhabitants of the land before returning to their families on the east.

After returning to their inheritance, the trans-Jordan tribes set up an altar as a reminder to future generations that living on the other side of the Jordan did not make them any less a part of God’s people. But the remaining tribes reacted angrily to the building of the altar:

Jos 22:11-12 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

The Israelites presumed that the trans-Jordan tribes would offer sacrifices on the altar in violation of the Law. The Israelites were prepared to go to war, and surely to destroy the trans-Jordan brothers over this matter. Fortunately, before starting a war they sent a delegation to talk things over:

Jos 22:13-14 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead–to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

The trans-Jordan tribes indignantly denied that they had built an altar for sacrifices in violation of the Law, insisting that they built the altar as a memorial, not as a place to make burnt offerings:

Jos 22:26-27 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar–but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’

After understanding better what their brothers had done, the Israelites were pleased:

Jos 22:30-31 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community–the heads of the clans of the Israelites–heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD’s hand.”

Had they failed to talk things over first, the Israelites would have incurred the wrath of God for destroying the trans-Jordan tribes. They were rescued from that fate by a few days of communication.

Maybe we could benefit in similar ways by communicating more.

I’m not aware of any congregations in our area who are prepared to go to war with each other. But the longer we go without communicating, the more distant we become; the more likely we become to mistrust one another; the more likely that rumors, gossip, and slander will create divisions in the church. Communication can stop those things. By communicating we can gain a better understanding of the challenges our brothers face and the motives for their decisions. We can put unfounded rumors to rest. We can learn how much we have in common. We can come to realize how much we could learn from each other. We can build trust.

So our congregation’s leadership is embarking on an experiment. We are planning a Saturday meeting between our elders, ministers, along with our wives. and those of another local congregation. We plan to have some structured discussion and some unstructured, just to share what each congregation is doing, how we are doing it, what is working well and what is not. We will share a meal or two together. We hope to give and to receive some practical advice, to build deeper relationships, and to grow in our trust and love for one another.

We did something similar with a congregation in NC about three years ago, but have never done this locally. The NC experience was a delightful time and one that has definitely helped us feel more connected with a church in another state. Now we want to do the same thing in our own area. If this first round goes well, we hope to schedule a similar event with other congregations, maybe one each quarter. And we hope to inspire these other congregations to do likewise.

This probably won’t bring world peace or cure cancer. But it’s not complicated. Anyone can do it. We hope it will have visible and lasting benefits to the church.

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