So Now—Love! 1 Peter 1:22-25

So Now—Love!  1 Peter 1:22-25            

(Continuing in 1 Peter)

Have you noticed that not everyone is easy to love? … And some of those people live under our own roofs or are in our own church fellowships. They really test our love capabilities. 

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In 1 Peter 1:21, Peter acknowledges that our faith and hope is in God and wants his readers to grasp what has taken place on the inside which helps us love others. He then says: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘all flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever’” (1 Peter 1:22-23).

 

Peter wants his readers to comprehend what has taken place and gives real-life application which reaches the core of God’s great salvation—Love. So now—LOVE! 

He points out that we have seen the truth of the Gospel. We get it—at least we should. We know the truth through God’s Spirit. Thus, our souls have been purified. So now this is the means by which we love the brethren sincerely. 

[“When Peter and other writers of Scripture speak of the brethren, to whom are they referring?” you might ask. The literal meaning is brother, but scripture writers are generally referring to followers of Jesus—members of God’s family—as brothers and sisters.]

Verse 22 begins with the word, since—meaning “by reason of” or “insomuch as.” Peter is showing how our souls have been purified. As always with God, it’s about love.

After all, love is the reason:

> God created Mankind.

> God sent Jesus to earth.

> God offers everlasting life. 

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said, love God and love others (Matthew 22:36-40). By reason of the fact that you have purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, now love one another fervently and with a pure heart. 

Doesn’t that sound lovely? But the reality is, it’s not always easy. People can be very annoying. Bet you have someone pop into your mind right now. 

How do we love others fervently and with a pure heart? 

Fervent means impassioned and intense. It’s heartfelt and zealous. A pure heart is translated, unhypocritical. It’s a heart void of dishonesty and self-seeking motives. That person who popped into your head—imagine loving them enthusiastically and without selfish motives. 

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Now, there’s some incentive!

So, how can love our brethren enthusiastically, without hypocrisy and with sincerity, integrity, and with unselfish motives?

Notice Peter inserts, “through the Spirit.”  <>  That’s it! That’s the key. Only with the help of “the Helper” (John 14:26)—the Spirit of God—can we love in such a God-like way! This is agape love.

So, for those who challenge our love aptitude—through God’s Spirit we can sincerely love them. 

Consider it an act of worship…Ponder that for a moment. 

Peter continued the thought in verse 23: “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”

Here we see the regenerating power of God’s Word. The word, regenerate, is very descriptive regarding what takes place when the Word of God is understood and applied to one’s life. 

In the physical sense—in a living organism, when regeneration occurs, new tissue is regrown to replace lost or injured tissue. Merriam-Webster (online) defines regenerate: 1- formed or created again; 2- spiritually reborn or converted; 3- restored to a better, higher, more worthy state.

Through regeneration a radical transformation takes a person from the physical realm into the spiritual realm. This occurs when a person is born again. It is a supernatural work of the Spirit of God just like salvation is a supernatural work of God.

Jesus said, “I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25). 

We need to be regenerated. “Just as we owe our natural existence to the Creator’s spoken word and life-giving breath, so we owe our New Birth to the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s activation of its power. God’s intent for our created being is only completely fulfilled when our spirits are alive toward Him. As sin has produced spiritual death in people (Ephesian 2:1-3), so salvation in Jesus Christ has provided spiritual life. This text (v.23) tells us that the ‘seed’ that has produced new life in us is the Word of God, which has begotten us again by the Holy Spirit’s power (Titus 3:5) and made us members of God’s new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). The power of God’s Word—the Holy Scriptures—is in no way more manifest than in this: its power to bring spiritual life to all who are open to its truth. “* 

Thank You, God, for the regeneration power of Your Word which has brought us into spiritual rebirth, that we have been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible. It is through Your own Word which lives and abides forever—Jesus, the Word made flesh. Lord God, we’re so grateful. We are indeed gratefully redeemed! So now … we really can LOVE! 

Have you experienced a time when the Holy Spirit helped you have genuine love for a challenging person in your life? Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford

*Spirit Filled Life Bible, NKJV, “Kingdom Dynamics,” Thomas Nelson Publishers, page 1909.

God Had It All Figured Out <> 1 Peter 1:20-21

God Had It All Figured Out   1 Peter 1:20-21      

(Continuing the study of 1 Peter.)

Before the world was even created, God had it all figured out. He knew Adam and Eve would sin, setting into motion the sinful nature we all contend with every single day. And the worst consequence of that sin was that Mankind was then separated from Father God, without the power to be reconciled. 

Therefore, as part of God’s cosmic plan, He designed the one way that Mankind could be restored back to Himself. 

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The Apostle Peter pointed this truth out to the First Century church members, and to us as well. Speaking of Jesus, he said, “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:20-21).

It’s important for us to understand that God is omniscient—He is all knowing. He knows the end before the beginning in every situation. He knew we would need a Savior and that His Son, Jesus, was the only legal and worthy candidate to fill that position for us. Even though we are each created in His image, we’re still not equal to God nor to His Son. As Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 16:6).

As Peter explained, in the times in which they were living, this One who had been foretold was manifest—or revealed—in the flesh to the world. Jesus had come and had fulfilled His mission to bear the burden for the sins of Mankind. 

The writer of Hebrews gave a beautiful description of the incarnation of Jesus and His accomplishment for our benefit. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

Looking back again at verse 21, Peter explained that through Jesus, we have the opportunity to believe in and receive God’s redemption plan. God, who raised Jesus from the dead, gave Him glory. Now our faith and hope can rest in God through Jesus and we can be rescued from the debt requirement of our sins. --- Thank You, God!

We must understand, though, that this is not automatic. Jesus paid the debt which we owed. It is a free gift from God and Jesus. But we must receive the gift in order to activate it in our individual lives. It’s like someone reaches out to hand you a gift—but if you don’t believe it and receive it, you don’t get the gift. 

Imagine that Father God wants to give you a brand-new sports car. There sits the car—in your favorite color. God has the key in His hand and reaches it toward you. If you don’t reach out and take the key, the car does you no good—even though it has been provided for you. Instead you turn and walk away and say, “I don’t believe that key is for the car.” You have turned down the car your Father already had prepared for you and thus you never get to have and enjoy it.

But conversely, let’s say you look at God and see that He’s handing you the key. You believe Him, that that key is for the shiny new sports car. With joy and gratitude, you take the key and drive away in your wonderful new car.

Jesus is the key. The car is eternal life. 

If you have never believed in and received Jesus into your heart, I hope you will do that right this minute. Our Heavenly Father is reaching out with the key, His Son, Jesus. 

You can simply pray this prayer, (no matter where you are and you can do it silently if you need to): Father, I believe that Jesus really is who the Bible says He is and that He is the key to my salvation. I receive Him into my heart right now. Thank you, Father, for loving me so much. Thank You, God, for Jesus.

 

If you have just prayed that prayer, may God richly bless you and lead you to others who sincerely follow Jesus and to a good Bible teaching church. Get a Bible and start by reading the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, starting with John). Learn about Jesus. Pray to God every day. You can tell Him anything. Listen for Him to respond.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford