1 Peter 1:17-22 Bible Teaching

WELCOME
PRAYER
WORD TO MUSIC
SILENCE

Okay we left off last week, with Peter having commended his readers, saying:

1st Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

And our text for today continues at verse 17:

1st Peter 1.22
July 26th 2015
MEAT
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

So back to verse 17.

Peter has commissioned His reader to be holy as God is holy then says:

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

That line, “and if you all on the father, is not saying, “and IF you to call on God but rather SINCE as Christians you call on God pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.”

So in verse 16 Peter has admonished believers to be holy and then in 17 says, “and since you call on God pass the time of your lives walking with Him in fear.”

Now, in describing the God whom we call on Peter adds that He is one who, WITHOUT RESPECT of PERSONS JUDGES ACCORDING TO EVERY MAN’S WORK.

Putting it all together in an amplified sort of fashion I would say that Peter is saying:

“Since you, my reader, are of the sort who calls on God remember that since He is not one who is a respector of persons and therefore judges EVERY man according to his works and you might want to therefore walk in fear.”

Several questions arise out of this passage.

First, “what does it mean that God is NOT a “respecter of persons”

Second, “What does it mean that God will judge every man according to his works,” and third,

“Should Christians fear God?”

Question number one – “what does it mean that God is NOT a “respecter of persons”

First of all, let’s establish the biblical precedence that this is true.

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

Ephesians 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Colossians 3:25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

In Act 10:34 when Peter was sent to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile, he said in that setting:

“Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (LISTEN) but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”

Did you not in this last verse in Acts that relative to God’s NOT having “respect of persons” that FEARING HIM is mentioned and WORKING RIGHTEOUSNESS is mentioned?

Listen again to our verse in 1st Peter (17) and listen for the same key words or phrases

“God is not a respector of persons”
“Those who fear him”
“Works”

Ready?

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

Did you catch the same words there?

Then listen to Paul in Romans 2:10 for the same words:

“But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God.”

We cannot help but note that Paul here, like Peter, mentions works and respect of persons also, saying –

“to everyman that worketh Good – the Jew first and then the rest of the world – glory, honor and peace for God is NO respecter of persons.”

The term “respect of persons,” and also works refers to God having partiality when judging those that men do – and I would suggest this means ALL people.

I’m going to go out on a limb but in my estimation God does not, when it comes to judging the good works humans do, show ANY partiality – no matter who the person is who has done the work in question.

It seems, in what may produce a contradiction, that God, when judging EVERY HUMAN BEINGS WORKS shows no partiality.

An atheist who does a good work will have His good work judge impartially from a believer.

This is what scripture says, not me, and if God is NOT a respecter of persons then He is NOT a respecter of persons – He has no partiality when it comes to judging the works of others.

Apparently, even being His Son’s and Daughters does not grant us any preferential treatment when it comes to His partiality in judging our works.

There are works that are good, there are works that are bad – and we will be judged accordingly and without partiality.

It’s a terrible situation when judges show partiality – especially when you are not someone the judge is being partial toward.

We can rest assured that God will judge rightly – like it or not. Absolutely NO partiality – and again, from what I can tell, not even partiality due to our being believers RELATIVE . . .to our good works.

This is the point – the WORKS we do would undergo an absolutely impartial judgment and if they are of a certain value, produced from a certain attitude, and come out with a certain purity the charateristics of the Works will be judged impartially.

In light of this we can understand how Jesus would say in Matthew 7:22 that many would say to him:

“Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” and He would reply,

“I don’t know who you are, depart from me you that work iniquity.”

The implication in this seems to be that many people would, it seems, expect partiality from the Lord in the judgement of the works they did but Jesus will wind up saying: “I have no idea who you are.”

When we say that God is no respecter of persons it DOES NOT mean that He creates all of us with equal in talent, health, wealth, or privilege.

Nor does it imply that, as Sovereign, He will balance everything out “fairly” in this age.

All of such things, are in fact, due to His sovereign will and again NOT because He is preferential or partial to our persons.

No, the only real biblical application we have relative to God and his NOT being a respecter of persons is He will judge the works of our live impartially.

This brings us to the second question:

“What does it mean that God will judge every man according to his works,”

Romans 14:10 says:

“But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”

2nd Corinthians 5:10 says:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

In Galatians 6:7, speaking mostly between the things we sow in our flesh verses the things we sow to our spirit, Paul says plainly

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

Ephesians 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Speaking of God Romans 2:6 says:

“Who will render to every man according to his deeds.”

1st Corinthians 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Throughout all these passages the references are to reaping what we sow, being rewarded for our labor, God rendering to each of all – to all men – according to their deeds.

And the rewards will be distributed without respect to persons. In my estimation what every single individual person does in this life – Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist, Catholic, Mormon, Baptist – whatever – whatever we do in our lives God WILL judge impartially.

I do NOT subscribe to there being a judgement for Christians and a judgement for non-Christians. I tend to think (and I could be wrong) but I tend to think that the good labors are judged impartially but the bad are judged in relation to the Blood of Christ.

The meaning of this passage seems to be Peter saying:

“You worship a God who will judge every man according to his real character, and you should therefore lead such lives as he can approve.”

The third question we must ask is:

“Should Christians fear God?”

First of all, let’s look at this word fear.

Primarily “phobos” and “phobeo” and it is translated in the King James to both “fear,” and “afraid,” and “awe,” and “reverence” in the New Testament.

There are passages that support the idea that we are, in fact, to fear God.

Solomon, after bewailing the absurdity in life wrote a summary statement in Ecclesiastes, saying:

(Ecclesiastes 12:13) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Later in the New Testament we read Paul in Philippians 2:12 say:

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Phobos means fright, extreme alarm or terror – so while it is translated as “revere” and “reverence” or “awe” – the primary meaning is fright.

So again, are we to fear God?

Conversely Paul writes in 2nd Timothy 1:7 :

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

And in the face of THIS what are we to say?

Many people believe that our fear of God needs to be more reverential than fear itself – after all John does say:

(1st John 4:18)

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

And so we are presented with a whole bunch of factors that play into our answer to this third question.

Because Jesus is our mediator and connection to the Father it seems to me that in order for us to marry all of these factors in together –

“Fear God”
“God has NOT given us the Spirit of Fear”
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” and
“There is no fear in love”

The ONLY way we are going to make sense of all of this is to bring it in to the King, our relationship with Him, our faith and love for Him, and the fruits it produces in our lives.

In other words we OUGHT to fear God if we have NOT both trusted in His Son and worked out our salvation with fear and trembling (meaning allowing God to work through us due to His Son) but by and through our faith and love for His Son our fear will evaporate.

This is what enables us to approach the throne of God boldly and to call God – who is a consuming fire that is terrifying – papa.

The writer of Hebrews says in 12:28

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

The interesting thing about this line –
“with reverence and godly fear” is the fact that the Greek word used for fear here is NOT related to Phobos but is the word, “You la bee A” which means
Deferentially, reverently, devout, carefully, circumspect.”

I think this is getting to the heart of it all.

So, Peter says in verse 17:

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

And adds at verses 18 and 19 –

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Peter has been arguing for holy living and he derives this from the fact that believers are redeemed and not only that but that we have been redeemed NOT by the things of this world – as though we were ransomed by silver and gold – from our vain lives BUT, he says:

WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD of Christ which, he says, is akin to lambs that did not have blemished or spots.

Peter points out that we were NOT redeemed with corruptible things like gold and silver.

I think this is an interesting comparison. If we were held captive and could be ransomed with gold and silver our redemption would be of fallen, corruptible sort.

In other words it would be earthy and connected to the terms of this earth – with bartering and expectations and such tied to our redemption.

But since, Peter seems to say, we were ransomed by the pure undefiled blood of Christ Jesus, God in the flesh, the ransom is eternal, and moves us from captivity to a heavenly rest. Therefore the call to holy living.

If we think about it there is probably not many ways to motivate a person to consecrated living than to remind them that they were not ransomed with money or through corrupt means but with the shed blood of God Himself.

If we were ransomed by corrupt things we might be able to pay it back – but the ONLY way to even try and repay the shed blood of God is to live like God – be like Him – do His will, failing but trying.

The word redeemed here relates to redemption, deliverance, payment, and ransomed.

Peter is reminding them that they were held captive by their sin debt. There was no amount of gold or silver, no articulation from saavy attorneys, no pull that could or would release them from this prison but His blood.

Realize this. Understand this. Let yourselves realize that you were NOT set free or liberated by ANYTHING but His blood.

His life shed for you opened those prison doors, broke the chains, and set you free.

Now with this freedom live and walk as He lived and walked – not with ingratitude toward your liberator, but in accordance to His will and ways.

He says that they (we) have been redeemed or set free from:

“your vain conversation (actions and behaviors) received by tradition from your fathers”

In other words those things we formerly, as captives to sin, embraced – things we received from the tradition from your fathers, referring to the law and traditions to which these believers were once subject.

Set free by the blood of the Lamb (verse 20)

20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

The sense of this line is that the plan was formed and the arrangements were made for His atoning work before the world was created.

Before the first Man, before the foundation of the world was laid, in other words, from eternity, He (Jesus) was established to come and do this work for us.

And though He was foreordained to do this before the world was Peter reminds them that “He was manifest (or revealed) to them.

Paul summarizes the whole thing in 1st Timothy 3:16 saying:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

From this we can clearly see that the redeeming work of Jesus was not an afterthought.

From BEFORE the foundation of the world, before angels, before seas, before Adam took one bit of the fig God foreordained Him to come and perform this liberating and redeeming work on behalf of those who would believe.

It was NOT a back up plan to Adam and Eve and the Fall – it was a concurrent plan, probably better said, it was established before they chose.

God is not surprised.

That being said this does not mean that God desired Man to fall – simply that He knew He would.

Knowing He would – knowing perhaps that darkness is as universal a principle as light – He from the foundation foreordained the Messiah.

We tend to think in such linear ways but perhaps God – the ultimate loving creator – knew full well that in His expression of creating beings in His image – fully capable of choice but failing – would fall and so being love established the saving grace – Himself – well before He moved to establish a single atom.

I say this to possibly offset the idea that God created a perfect systems and that it was thwarted or was defective in some sense but instead to imply that it was only what it could be in a system of dark and light – and that the solution ALWAYS was and was not even established to save it in the first place.

In other words I doubt that God has ever been disappointed – that would imply surprise. I think He has, is, and will continue to work all things amidst the dark and light to His good will – and from the foundation of all things His solution has always been.

We might even go so far as to say the solution (His Word) is what drove Him to create the problem in the first place.

But I’ll stop there.

Okay, now verse 20 is speaking of Jesus, saying:

(20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you) VERSE 21

Then, continuing to speak of Jesus says in verse 21

21 Who by him (Jesus) do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Let me appeal to the Revised translation of this verse to add illumination:

Again, speaking of Jesus, the Revised says:

“Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

In other words, “through Jesus we have confidence in God, who was the one who raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him glory SO THAT OUR FAITH AND HOPE IS IN GOD.”

“Because of our faith in Jesus, whom God raised and glorified, we are able to have faith in God,” is what I believe this is saying.

By raising up the Lord Jesus, and exalting him to heaven, God has given us who look to Jesus in faith confidence in his promises, and of the hope of eternal life.

God so loved us He gave us His only begotten Son. Promised by the prophets for hundreds of years prior to his arrival.

He comes, He lives and loves, he tells us that “no man comes to the Father but by Him.” He says “come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and He will give us rest.” He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” He says that if people don’t believe that He is the “I Am that they will die in their sins.”

Then He gives His life for our sin and God raises Him from the grave and gives Him glory.

“Because of our faith in Jesus His Son, whom God raised and glorified, we are able to have faith in God,”

He has redeemed us, with His incorruptible blood. God has honored Him, raising Him and glorifying Him and His consecrated life, and we, as the result of Him, can and will and do have faith in God.

We are able to trust and look to and believe upon God and His goodness and justice and mercy as a result of our faith In His Son – upon whom we look with faith, and hope and love.

Paul presents the concept to us in another way, saying:

1Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

In other words, Christ Jesus, to whom we look to in faith, is our HOPE before the Father.

1st Timothy 1:1 says:

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.”

Without Him, He condescension BELOW all things, without His consecrated Life, without His shed blood, His selfless death, and the fact that God raised Him up and glorified Him reasonable people who understand the holiness of God would have no hope at all.

But He is OUR hope.

And with this being the case Peter now gets to the Heart of the Matter, saying:

22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls” (the Greek suggests, “Having purified your souls,” which is better) “Having purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Peter brings these readers along now. He has admitted that they were redeemed by the Blood of Christ. That is a foregone conclusion, right.

Now at this point he speaks of sanctification and says:

“Having purified your souls.”

This is what I was talking about last week and is the difference between Milk and Meat.

Redeemed, saved, reconciled, set free, delivered by the pure blood of Jesus Christ (MILK) then washed, purified, pruned, sanctified through the washing of the word to producing fruits of love (MEAT).

So . . .

“Having purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”

We’ve been set free, what’s next?

Imagine a slave 35 years of age who will live until he is 70. He is in shackles, bloody, dungeon pallor, emaciated and suddenly and completely he is liberated – set free without any strings or obligations attached. (that must be made clear).

What does he do with the rest of His life?

Peter here, in my estimation PERFECTLY lays out the plan of God for all whom His son saves.

PERFECTLY. Listen – four points:

Having purified your souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit
unto unfeigned love of the brethren
see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Let’s take these one by one before we wrap it up.

“Having purified your souls in obeying the truth.”

It would be easy to say that the purification comes by obedience to fleshly directives of religion but this is not the case.

I say this based on two supports. First He says in obeying the truth THROUGH THE SPIRIT (second point).

We do not begin in the spirit and then become perfected in the flesh. We begin in the spirit and CONTINUE in the Spirit, allowing it to wash our minds clean of former lusts.

In the remainder of the verses of this chapter Peter articulates clearly how this happens saying:

23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Having purified our souls (mind will and emotion) in obeying the truth THROUGH THE SPIRIT BY THE WORD OF GOD.

This is so important I am going to repeat it:

As His redeemed we have

Purified our souls (mind will and emotion) in obeying the truth THROUGH THE SPIRIT BY THE WORD OF GOD.

“Unto . . .” Peter adds:

unto unfeigned love of the brethren

And an admonition:

“see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”

Peter tells us that we have been redeemed, and that we have purified our minds, and our wills, and our emotions in obeying the truth THROUGH the SPIRIT and BY THE WORD of GOD

Unto . . . for the purpose of . . . to the end of possessing . . .unfeigned love of the brethren.

Which is the fulfillment of both the Law written in stone AND the Law of Christ –
LOVE.

Why and what we do with our freedom.

(beat)

Let’s stop here.