1 Peter 1:18-19—Redeemed
…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19
Peter had just written that our Father judges according to each one’s work, and because of that, we should conduct our lives in fear—the fear of the Lord.
And just in case anyone still thought they could treat their salvation as a “gimme”, Peter stressed his point further with a sobering reminder of the price of their redemption.
…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold… but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
Back in the days of the early church, Roman citizenship was highly valued. It was so prized that many non-citizens would save up for a lifetime to purchase it, qualifying them to all the privileges that accompanied citizenship. Even Paul the apostle avoided a lashing by asserting his natural-born Roman citizenship; the commander in charge of Paul’s punishment admitted that he had purchased his citizenship with a large sum of money (see Acts 22).
This well-known method of attaining privileged status was nothing like redemption from God. Unlike Roman citizenship, you can’t buy your redemption. No amount of silver or gold will ever be able to purchase your soul from hell. How could it? Your soul is eternal; silver and gold are perishable.
Only one commodity exists which can redeem your soul from eternal destruction—the precious blood of Jesus the unblemished, spotless Lamb of God. And that blood did not just magically appear before the throne of God in exchange for your sins—no, Jesus had to allow His body to be broken first—marred more than any man, according to Isaiah—before His blood could be presented as the purchase price for your redemption.
… you were… redeemed… from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers…
Jesus redeemed you from something—a futile way of life. No matter how talented, gifted, skilled, intelligent, or charismatic you may have been, your days were spent in futility before God’s intervention.
You were redeemed from constantly having to measure up to the unattainable mandates placed on you by others who themselves live in futility. You were redeemed from sin, hopelessness, and destruction…and your redemption was paid in full by the Savior of your soul.
Think about this: If you were kidnapped, tied and duct-taped by evil souls, and a ransom was paid and lives were lost to attain your release—would you consider your rescue to be no big deal once it was behind you and in the annals of history? Would you seek to return to the lifestyle that brought you into captivity in the first place? Would that be attractive to you? When Peter contrasts the depths of futility to the immeasurable value of redemption, he exposes the folly of such attraction.
That which man could not do for himself, and that which gold and silver could not purchase, God settled, once for all, in the redemptive death of His Son Jesus Christ.
Everything else pales in comparison.
Dorothy
For thus says the LORD, “You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed without money.” Isaiah 52:3
© 2015, Dorothy Frick
Read More1 Peter 1:17, Part 2—Facing the Father on that Day
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth… 1 Peter 1:17
Our Father will one day judge each one’s work impartially. As Peter wrote about that sober event awaiting every believer, he admonished each one of us to conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.
Peter was not commanding Christians to live lives of paranoia or terror; he was, however, calling our attention to the gravity of that moment when each one of us will stand before our Father and our works will be judged. In light of that sober time to come, Peter urged all of us to conduct our lives with fear—the fear of God. This kind of fear kicks in when temptations arise; this is the type of fear which convicts you when self-control, charity, or faith start to waver.
Conducting yourself in fear—in the fear of the Lord—is the wisest and safest thing you can do in your allotted timespan here on the earth.
I can’t help but be sobered when I look back at wasted opportunities or trysts with sin and self-centeredness in my life. If you, like me, have had a spotty batting average, here are two Scriptures which I have found to be extremely powerful and recharging. They remind me of His mercy which endures forever.
1. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
First, I believe firmly that all those missteps, missed chances, and downright mean or malicious thoughts, words, or behaviors in which I’ve partaken were nailed to the cross of Christ, judged as despicable, and the punishment I deserved, Jesus bore. If I catch myself sliding into any of those things again for which Jesus was crucified, I have the right and the responsibility to stop, step away, and run to Him for forgiveness and cleansing. And according to John, those things are washed away when I confess them. That means that they—once confessed—will not re-appear on that Day. I praise God for that!
2. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
The sacrifice of Jesus was for all of my sins, and yet the Word is clear in 1 John 1:9—you and I will need to continue to confess our sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing when, as believers, we miss the mark and fall short of the glory of God.
Peter also made it very clear—the Father will impartially judge according to each one’s work. I don’t know about you, but I am seriously sobered by this fact.
Enter mercy.
You and I were born again as sons and daughters of God because of His great mercy, and fittingly enough, mercy will be the common denominator at the judgment seat of Christ.
You see, His mercy was poured out upon you when you professed your faith in Christ. This has made you His own treasured possession (see Malachi 3:17) and will usher you into your eternal home.
And there you will be—born-again you, who experienced struggles and failures at times—maybe often—standing before the Father, the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work.
But that’s not where it ends—the mercy that you have shown others throughout your life will be a key component on that Day—and according to James 2:13, perhaps your mercy will be the most important work in your life!
If, in your life, you were quick to show mercy to others, here’s what God will see on that Day: You were one who walked in mercy toward others, even through the struggles. You strove to bless people, to help them, to smile and give a good word when others ignored them—and you purposed to believe the best of those God placed in your path. Even when your dreams seemed to shatter and all that you had hoped for seemed to wither away, you showed mercy to others. You chose kindness over backbiting and forgiveness over grudges. In small ways and large, mercy not only followed you, but you allowed it to express itself freely in your character.
And because you were merciful as a believer, the impartial Judge—your Father, who is Love—will cause you to triumph over judgment on that Day.
When you are disappointed with yourself—perhaps you messed up with your behaviors, attitudes, words, or thoughts—you have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ Himself (1 John 2:1). Turn to Him with your whole heart and allow His love and forgiveness to wash you. But remember, freely you’ve received His mercy; now freely extend it to others as well (Matthew 10:8).
And as you do, when you arrive before His throne, the mercy you have shown toward others will cause you to triumph over judgment.
Dorothy
© 2015, Dorothy Frick
Read More1 Peter 1:17—The impartial Judge, your Father
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth… 1 Peter 1:17
If you address as Father…
Father. What a glorious privilege to call God, the Creator of the universe, our Father! It was extremely rare prior to Jesus’ life for anyone to call God Father; in the Old Testament, only about a half dozen Scriptures refer to Him as Father. In these cases, the references spoke of His relationship to all of Israel, not to individual people.
But Jesus changed that paradigm. He came for this very purpose—to forge the way for you and me to be sons and daughters of God. His selfless act of redemption on the cross resulted in this: You have the right to call God your Father through faith in Jesus Christ.
I may be mistaken, but I’ve never heard a Muslim call Allah Father. I’ve never heard Buddhists or Hindus or other non-Christian faiths call their deities Father. But you and I? We are sons and daughters of the Most High God. He is our Father.
… the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work…
Remember, this impartial Judge is our Father…and He has our best interests at heart.
And because you have trusted in His Son for salvation, as you stand before the impartial Judge, He will view you through the shed blood of Jesus—cleansed, whole, and justified.
But despite the wonderful, redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ, your Father and Judge will also look at your work…all that you have done in your time on the earth. And according to Peter, that is what He will judge—without partiality.
What will He consider when He judges your work? The Greek word for “work” is ergon, and according to Strong’s it means:
- your business
- your employment
- that by which you are occupied
- that which you undertake to do
- your enterprise
- your undertakings
- any product whatever that you produce
- anything accomplished by your hands
- your art
- your industry
- the activity of your mind
- any act you do
- any deed you do
- anything you do
The Father will actually judge all that you and I do or try to do.
… conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.
Because everything you and I do, attempt to do, or leave undone will be judged impartially by our Father on that Day, Peter adjured all of us to conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth. In other words, live your life on purpose, with one primary goal in mind—to know God, to make Him known, and to live for His purposes and good pleasure by faith in Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Shockingly, the Greek word for “fear” in this verse is phobos, from which we derive our words phobia and phobic. Why would Peter charge believers to conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth when other Scriptures penned by the apostle Paul declare boldly, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). Both men use the word phobos to express their thoughts. What gives here?
To me, it is clear. You are compelled to face life fearlessly as you pursue the upward call of God in Christ Jesus—no matter what life throws your way. You need not fear these things because you belong to the God of the universe!
But your fearlessness in the Lord does not negate the truth that Peter reveals: You are called to take hold of one fear—the fear that will effectively prevent you from living merely for yourself and not the Lord; the fear that will help to keep you from letting go of the Word of God to drift downstream along with the rest of the world.
You are not called to become paranoid that you will drift away from the Lord; no—the fear by which you are to conduct your life is a sober recognition of the adverse consequences that inevitably catch up with the Christian who loses interest in living for Jesus as His disciple.
This is a sober thought, indeed. Tomorrow, I will share two verses which have brought me great hope and comfort in light of all this as I prepare myself to face Him on that Day. I believe these Scriptures will bless you, too.
Dorothy
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
© 2015, Dorothy Frick
Read More1 Peter 1:14-16—Conformity
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16
As obedient children…
In our age, obedience, whether to parents, the law, or any other authority, is not highly valued (unless, of course, someone decides to go against a certain Supreme Court ruling—then all bets are off, and their detractors become Bible scholars, pulling out the Romans 13 card). In contrast, rebellion and lawlessness are exalted in popular media and movements. Obedience, especially to God and His Word, is ridiculed in many circles and considered tedious or restrictive in others—including in the church world.
And yet, to God, obedience in His children is of immeasurable value. The prophet Samuel once said, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).
… do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance…
Have you ever messed up? Were there things in your life before you met Christ that might cause you shame or concern if they were splashed all over newsfeeds or headlines? Most of us can answer “Yes” to one or both of these questions; the rest of you would probably fail a lie detector test! 🙂
Peter states very bluntly, “Don’t jump back in there!” concerning all the stuff you messed around with in your past. “Don’t conform yourself! You who have made a public profession of Jesus as Lord—why start mixing it up with the very stuff that was suffocating the life out of you before you were saved?”
Once upon a time, you were ignorant of the spiritual realm around you. You were ignorant of the forces to which you yielded when you pursued that stuff. And if you were anything like me, the reason you turned to Christ was because you realized that you were no longer in control of your desires—they controlled you; and you longed to be released from their cold grip.
With me, one of my main lusts was alcohol. And as I realized the stronghold it had upon my mind and behavior, I spiraled down into gloomy resignation that nothing would ever change; it was downhill from here—I had already witnessed what it had done to my dad.
But thank God! Jesus had other ideas and set me free as He came into my life. I felt the change; I literally felt something leave my body. The craving for alcohol was gone.
But years later, I decided that it wasn’t that big of a deal to have a little wine now and then. And it wouldn’t have been except for one small thing….I liked it every bit as much as before, and I soon began drinking a little more and a little more each time. I learned something: Alcoholism doesn’t forget its kids—even though one of them once kicked it to the curb.
What was happening to me? I was conforming myself to my former lust. The only difference was this: I was no longer ignorant of the spiritual realm and the implication of my choices.
Thank God for His mercy. After nearly five years of flirting with the very thing God had rescued me from, I was fully sickened by my hypocrisy. I confessed to a trusted individual on staff at my church. Instead of hoping to hear, “Oh, that’s OK; we all stumble,” I told her that the next time I ever bought liquor, I was honor-bound to tell her—and then she could tell my pastor or his wife or just get on the microphone some Sunday morning at church and tell the entire congregation, “Dorothy is drinking again.”
And you want to know something? It worked. I quit. Yes, the liquor bottles at the grocery store still sang to me for a few years after that, “We’re on sale! Just come on by and get a deal!” as I walked past their aisle. And I would sing back, “No. I’ll have to tell Nancy!” and I walked on by.
As believers, you and I have a choice in the matter. We can be conformed to our former lusts, or we can resist carnal conformity. But none of us who knows Christ can claim in our carnality, “I didn’t know!”
Peter offers a far better choice:
… but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
As formidable as this command sounds, it simply offers the alternative to living for yourself—live for God. Live for His glory.
The Lord alone is holy. The beauty of the new birth, however, is that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
And the new that has been birthed into you is saturated with the grace of God—not so you can sin now without ever having to face eternal consequences—NO! The grace of God that dwells within you is there to empower you to obey God and to conform to Him alone.
As you yield to Him and make choices consistent with the new birth, you are holy in your behavior. You may not be perfect, but you are holy, i.e., determined to spend the rest of your life, not for the dead-end, life-sucking pursuits of the flesh, but for the purposes of God.
Godspeed as you choose to conform to Him and not to past lusts!
Dorothy
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
© 2015, Dorothy Frick
Read More1 Peter 1:13—Stances of the heart
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13
Therefore…
When you see the word therefore in the Bible, you need to learn what it’s there for. Numerous Bible teachers recommend doing this—and it’s a great help. Therefore is a clue that what you are about to read is strongly connected to what you’ve just read. Having that little tool in your Bible-reading belt will open up all kinds of insight as you study the Word.
Therefore, since prophets carefully searched and inquired into the rumblings of the Spirit concerning the salvation to come; therefore, since angels yearned to peer into the coming grace that would be extended to the human race; therefore, since now, for a little while the believers experienced distressing tests despite their glorious inheritance in Christ, Peter listed three stances of the heart which would bolster them as they sought to live in a manner worthy of their calling.
1. Prepare your minds for action.
Peter wrote to believers in the first generation, A.D., to take charge over their minds. Twenty-one centuries later, this instruction is all the more relevant. This is what I mean:
You’ve just plopped down to read the Bible, and suddenly, everything that you usually never notice leaps out at you: a smudge on the refrigerator. Dust on the blinds. A piece of junk mail you haven’t looked at. A picture on the wall hanging a little crooked.
You settle down to pray, and like clockwork, random thoughts flood in: Is my hair appointment in four weeks or five? Why did Brother Whatsit look at me like that yesterday? Did I empty the dishwasher? What did Sister Whosit mean when she said that? Whatever happened to the guy who played Boom Boom Washington on “Welcome Back Kotter”? My yard could use some watering. Wonder if I have any notifications on Facebook? Wait a minute—I’m supposed to be praying! What time is it, anyway?
If you’re anything like me, more often than not you have to determine to set aside time for the Lord…and then you have to fight your wandering thoughts to stay on task! That’s why Peter admonished us, “Prepare your minds for action.” Ask the Lord for wisdom about your focus, and He’ll show you what will work for you and your unique set of distractions. Then it’s your job to follow through.
In fact, when you apply the anti-distraction strategies you receive from the Lord to your daily quiet times, you will begin to notice pay off in other areas of your life as well. Just like bringing the first fruits of all your income to the Lord causes you to experience blessing in your finances, (see Proverbs 3:9-10), giving the Lord your attention in prayer and the Word on a daily basis will cause wisdom and stability to grow and prosper in other areas. Because you have prepared your mind for action when you seek the Lord, discernment and clarity will begin to direct you in the rest of your life, as well.
2. Keep sober in spirit
I know a little bit about this stance; I used to avoid sobriety as much as I could before I was saved—and I would have paid a high price for it if Jesus hadn’t intervened quickly!
Sober people—as opposed to drunks—are typically alert and in control of themselves. A sober person will likely realize that his words and behaviors matter. A sober person will probably consider the consequences before he acts.
A believer who is sober in spirit—as opposed to one who lives frivolously and flippantly, placing little value on his relationship with Christ—will be alert to both those around him and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. A sober Christian will operate in the fruits of the Spirit, including the fruit of self-control. A sober Christian will use his words to bring help, health, and healing to those he encounters and will refrain from reckless boasts or judgments. A believer who is sober in spirit will avoid carelessly behaving like the world around him.
A believer who is sober is far less likely to stumble into the enemy’s snare.
3. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
You have hopes, and if you’re like me, they come and go. But this third stance prescribed by Peter is that you keep your hope fixed—immovable—on the grace of God in Christ Jesus. You walk in that grace now; you anchor your hope upon receiving ever-increasing grace as you come to know Jesus more and more.
First John 3:3 declares, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” The hope birthed in your heart through faith in Christ is potent—this hope purifies you as you fix it resolutely upon Him.
Despite the difficulties, tests, and trials that tend to bombard believers, we share in an amazing inheritance through our faith in Jesus Christ—the very stuff into which prophets earnestly searched and angels longingly desired to look.
The battle for our attention and affections rages; yet our inheritance in Christ is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away (verse 4). And though our Savior be strong and our inheritance eternal, Peter’s admonishment stands firm—each one of us has a part to play while we remain on this earth:
Three stances—prepare your minds for action; keep sober in spirit; and fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
You will never regret it.
Dorothy
Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Luke 12:35
© 2015, Dorothy Frick
Read More