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Okay, we left off last week talking about trials and how they serve to refine us as believers.
We touched on this due to verses 6-7.
The last verse (7) has Peter saying:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
And speaking of Jesus he adds:
1st Peter 1.12
Meat
July 12th 2015
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
Okay back to verse eight. Speaking of Jesus Peter says:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
We remember that this epistle was written to those who were “strangers scattered abroad,” and by this we might assume most if not all of them were not personal witnesses of Jesus.
Nevertheless, having heard of Him and/or having been taught of Him by the Apostles or others, they NOT only believed on Him, but Peter says, though having not seen, ye LOVE.
It is obvious that in the human make-up we have the capacity to love people or things that we have not seen or known personally.
We fall in love – actually quite readily – with the image, the myth, the romantic elements of others – fictional and real.
The interesting thing about loving Jesus is that, unlike falling in love with others whom we have never met and will always be disappointed at some point in them when we actually do meet them, Jesus is ALWAYS better than we can imagine – because He IS love.
Others will prove themselves selfish, self-indulgent, impatient, failing in some manner or another but not the King – and this is not romanticized ideation either.
I say this because upon meeting the Lord we would have to note that His allegiance is to God and therefore He is NOT adverse to calling us out on our junk.
This removes Him from the romantic ideal and places Him squarely in reality – where genuine love thrives.
In other words we love Him not only because He is good and kind and easy to associate with in terms of love but His love is corrective and therefore genuinely for our eternal good.
Imagine how many have loved Him who have never seen Him with physical eyes – but I would suggest know Him through spiritual eyes.
So addressing these believers Peter first describes them as, though never seeing Him, they LOVE Him.
By what means or measure would Peter assess this? By the LOVE they exhibit toward each other as believers.
Of course we recall Jesus teaching this when He said:
“A new commandment I give you to Love one another.” And then . . .
“If you love me, you will obey my (new) commandment.”
And then . . .
“By THIS men will KNOW that you ARE my disciples IF you have LOVE one for another.”
That is a full-circle cycle circuit!
He gives the New Command to LOVE – He says if we love Him we will obey His new command, and by this love will all people know we are His!
I’ve gotta personally submit that this is truly the way we know those who are His.
Doesn’t matter where the people worship, doesn’t matter which doctrinal positions they accept – when we meet those who love as Jesus loved we are meeting those who are His.
I am frankly quite proud of the people who attend CAMPUS (both in Milk and even at Meat – ?) all due to the love they have for God AND . . . for each other.
So Peter is writing to these who not having seen LOVE (these are folks just like you and me). Then He says, in a reiteration:
“in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
At the time of Peter’s writing (just like with us) the Lord is reigning from on high completely invisible to these converts.
Granted, the apostles (and others) who were eyewitnesses of Him are around and testifying of Him but those who have believed “on their report” believe without seeing.
Peter describes this state as “though we have not seen they yet believed and says that in the face of this state they:
“rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
And Peter presents us with a fact to which we often don’t give to much thought – the unspeakable Joy we have in walking by faith.
Huh? Isn’t faith a trial as compared to knowledge? I’m NOT so sure about that – when applied to the human realm.
In this fallen world it seems to me that faith is far, far, far more comforting and powerful then knowing.
In fact, I would go so far as saying that belief (or faith) has a tendency to trump facts – just look at what people will do and believe in the cause of faith when confronted with fact!
Which wins? That’s right – typically faith or belief.
We cling to what we want to be true therefore knowing things is often a disability to a comfortable existence.
I think God knew this – in other words I think He knew that in this fallen world SEEING HIM and KNOWING HIM would be an inferior form of motivation for human beings.
Maybe, because we are sinful and in flesh we would take His presence for granted, or get bored with Him, or challenge Him more than obey – and more than we do living by faith.
And so He has us live by faith – something that is understood internally and spiritually and brings with it a constant tension – one that says, “I’m clinging to this or that, but I don’t know.”
Do you get what I am trying to say? We THINK that in this life we would prefer to know things – but I’m not so sure that we would, when everything is said and done, and knowing this, God has arranged for the majority of those who are his to walk by faith.
All who lived and died before Jesus walked by faith and all who lived, died and continue to live today do the same.
The ONLY people who haven’t been required to walk by AS MUCH faith were those relative few who saw Him AND His miracles and/or His Resurrection.
I am therefore of the opinion that as humans the greatest source of joy in this fallen world is to possess the faith we possess even when compared to knowledge.
I think the presence of genuine abiding faith somehow comforts us in an unseen way that knowing cannot do while we are human.
There is certainly something to the Words of Jesus to Thomas when He said to Him:
“Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed (happy) are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
The Father of Cartesian philosophy sort of validated the importance of faith (in my opinion) when he decided that he could not trust material proofs.
And so he decided the only way to know what he could trust was to first doubt everything.
He said something to the effect – I will doubt that the chair I am sitting at exists.
I will challenge what my bodily senses say to me – they can lie.
I will reject what my eye tell me because the eyes and ears can deceive – we know this in the face of optical illusions like mirages, etc?
He knew the ears deceive. People mistake sounds all the time. And he went down down down – even challenging the reality of his dreams by allowing for the fact that a demon or trickster could sneak in and trick him through this means.
But at the end of the road of doubt he came to that famous realization – I am having thoughts. I am considering and challenging all of these things. I am contemplating their existence and reality. I think, therefore I am.
And from there he built Cartesian philosophy.
In many ways what Decarte realized may be why faith is so magnificently powerful because while it can be encouraged and promoted by others around us, our faith is our faith.
We possess it, therefore we are. In some ways it gives us our identity in the world that stands outside of the influences of the other.
Only we know to what we individually subscribe to and believe – it really doesn’t even matter what we SAY we believe – our faith is entirely personal and subjective – which is why possessing it creates in us SO MUCH darn joy.
“Blessedness,” Jesus said to Thomas.
Karl Marx was not far off when he called “Religion the Opiate of the Masses.”
Both in the negative and the positive. Certainly there are those who drug themselves up on bad faith, believing on things which, while getting high on them, are absolute lies.
But this should not in any way pollute the joy believers experience when tapped into faith in Him.
And in this positive light, I have no sham in admitting that Jesus is my heroin, and the faith I place in Him obviates the pains that come with being human.
I think the parallels are interesting when you ask a true believer in Jesus to describe what its like (or what it feels like) to walk with Him and how opiate addicts respond to the same question.
We often hear: “It’s difficult to describe.” It’s doubly interesting when people in both sectors are given time think and that they will both come back and suggest that the word that comes to mind is “total unadulterated peace.”
Peter also says that this faith and love by which we walk is also “full of glory.”
When I read the word glory in scripture I tend to think of light and bright but these words escape the definition.
Glory comes from the Greek word Doxa and it can mean a number of things. Vines says “doxa” means worship, honor, dignity, praise, and glory.
For some reason I always think of glowing light when I think of glory but that doesn’t exactly support the best definitions of the word.
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WHAT DOES THE WORD GLORY MEAN IN THE BIBLE? Christian stack.
(STOP)
Peter continues –
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The line, “receiving the end of your faith,” is disputed in terms of meaning.
First let’s look at how other versions write this. I’m going to cite only those that differ with each other:
The (RSV) says “As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.”
The (WNT) says “while you are securing as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”
The (TCNT) says, “as you receive the reward of your faith in the Salvation of your souls!
And the (MNT) says, “as you continually receive the reward of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
The obvious question this line creates is whether Peter is suggesting that
We receive the reward of our faith at the moment we believe, OR
If we receive the reward of our faith only after it has been tried over the course of our lives, OR
If we are continually receiving the reward of our faith as we apply it and live by it.
And the various opinions are promoted depending on the scholar.
I personally believe that all are true. That we receive the reward of our faith at the moment we believe, AND we receive the reward of our faith after it has been tried over the course of our lives, AND we are continually receiving the reward of our faith as we apply it and live by it here and now.
There are plenty of passages to support every position therefore every position has merit.
I would teach Christian faith in the following way –
Christian faith is very much like marital love. First, we are rewarded with a spouse when we fall in love. The love we experience is real and exciting but it has not been tested or tried.
That marital love is reaffirmed to exist when it is exercised over the life of the marriage – and every time it presents itself it rewards the lover and the beloved.
Finally, that love, for those who go to the grave married, is validated as being authentic in the lives of those stick it out.
If there was a reward or crown in heaven for people who stick their marriages out in this life the illustration would work better.
But with faith there must be – hence all the appeals to abide in the vine and continue on in faith.
Because Peter in verse three was speaking of his readers faith being tried like gold I have to suppose that what he says here in verse 9 relates to faith that endures and is therefore rewarded hereafter.
But this does NOT mean that salvation is not granted the moment we believe or that it is not enhanced over the course of our walk.
Paul similarly seems to speak of stages of faith and their rewards in Romans 6:22, saying to believers:
“But now . . .
Being made free from sin, (the immediate result of faith)
and become servants to God, (what we enter into by faith as a result of being made free from sin)
ye have your fruit unto holiness, (our fruit of faith)
and the end everlasting life.” (the final prize).
Returning to our text Peter says at verse 10 and speaking of our salvation:
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
In other words, the salvation that you have obtained and will receive as we walk and die and go to God was searched for diligently and enquired after by the prophets – who had also actually prophesied of the graceful salvation these believers had received.
Is this true? Did “the Prophets” both teach and diligently search to understand the salvation these believers possessed?
All the way back in Genesis we read this prophecy given by Jacob as he blessed his Son Judah:
(Genesis 49:10) “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”
In Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream he said:
(Daniel 2:44) “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
The Lord said to Zechariah (6:12):
“And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”
Can you imagine, in an age of people who truly sought God, who studied His word, who lacked social media and audio or visual forms of entertainment diversions, can you imagine how much they wondered when these promises would be revealed and established?
And now Peter is reminding those who were the recipients of this salvation that the prophets who came before them had long looked to understand this salvation they possessed.
Peter adds, speaking of these prophets, and says
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
The King James is harder to understand at this verse, but Peter seems to be saying (verse 9)
“This salvation you possess,”
(verse 10)
“which the prophets, who prophesied of it coming to you have also themselves wondered and searched diligently to understand it”
(verse 11)
And in searching have wondered what the Spirit of Christ (which was in them) was telling them about the time the Messiah would suffer and then receive glory.
There are several interesting things that Peter brings to the forefront of our minds in verse 11.
First, he says that the Prophets of Old had, “the Spirit of Christ which was in them.”
Did you catch that?
What is the Spirit of Christ? (which was in them?)
In Acts 16:7 we currently read in the King James:
“After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.”
Where it says “the Spirit suffered them not,” most of the older and better mss, like the Syriac, Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Vulgate and several of the fathers suggest that this should read, “the Spirit of Jesus.”
Is there a difference between the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Jesus?
I don’t think so. In fact, I would suggest that the Spirit of Jesus is in fact, the Holy Spirit.
Here in verse 11 Peter just said that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets of Old speaking to them.
But then in 2nd Peter 1:21, He wrote this:
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Paul too uses the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Spirit interchangeably in Romans 8:9, when he says:
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
Later Paul wrote in Philippians 1:19:
“For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”
In relation to this passage in Peter related to the Spirit in the Prophets early church Father JUSTIN MARTYR says,
“Jesus was He who appeared and communed with Moses, Abraham, and the other patriarchs.”
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA calls Him “the Prophet of prophets, and Lord of all the prophetical spirit.”
This statement is backed up by John’s words in Revelation 19:10, where he writes:
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, “See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The second thing we note about verse 11 is that Peter said that the Prophets wondered when the Messiah would “suffer and receive glory.”
It’s really quite amazing to think that the Jews and the prophets sent to them appeared to be very well aware of what scripture said about the Messiah – in the fact that there would be one and even that he would suffer and then be glorified.
I guess its not so amazing when we consider that it was the prophets who were prophesying of these things.
Like in Psalm 22:6 where David Messianically said:
“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.”
Or Isaiah 53:3 which says:
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Or Daniel 9:26 which says
“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”
So Peter here is saying that these prophets examined their own predictions with care in an attempt to ascertain what they meant – even though they came out of them.
Okay. Let’s hit verses 9-11 again to prepare out understanding of verse 12:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
Okay, Peter can be a clumsy writer and when translated in Kings English he is like a cat on ice skates . . . lit on fire.
We might rephrase him to be saying:
“And it was revealed to them (the Prophets) that it (salvation) was not for themselves, but for you, that they were acting as Ministers of the truths which have now been told to you, by those (apostles and teachers of the faith) who, with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven, have brought you the Good News–truths into which even angels long to look.”
In other words the prophets were not permitted to fully understand the predictions which they made –
but it was shown them that what they had revealed was not for themselves but for Peter’s audience of believers . . . and that they were acting as Ministrers of the Truths they had received.
These truth, Peter adds, was shared with his readers by teachers and apostles who, with the help of the Holy Spirit that was sent from heaven, brought them the Gospel.
Then Peter adds a curious line:
“Truths into which even angels long to look.”
The reason Peter mentions “curious angels” seems to be the same as his mentioning the prophets – to show his reader that what they possessed – salvation through a Gospel accepted on faith – was valuable – so valuable that neither the prophets before them nor the angels on high ever had a full sense of it.
Of course we would see the value of the Gospel in our lives in the same manner.
Where Peter tells the Saints of His day that the Prophets and Angels on high were very curious about what they possessed I’m sure the same could be same to us as possessors of salvation by the Good News that Jesus came, lived, died and resurrected on our behalf.
In regard to angels, Peter implies that they (at least at that time) had an interest in how the Gospel worked or applied to the salvation of human beings.
The word which is translated “to look” is (parakuqai in the Greek and means to stoop or stooping down – as in closely examining something.
From this maybe we could surmise that:
Heavenly angels are curious creatures, and are interested in things they don’t know or understand.
That its not unreasonable to believe that they acquire knowledge of God in means similar to us.
That they are not omniscient nor, though they are in his presence or realm, do they comprehend all God’s doings completely.
Additionally, while they are far more informed on matters than us it is not unreasonable to think that there are all sorts of things in relation to God and His plans that they do not yet understand.
Also, it seems that they are concerned with what concerns us. I think that is really interesting. There is nothing to suggest we ought to worry ourselves about their welfare but they seem to be concerned with ours.
Speaking of Angels the writer of Hebrews said (Hebrews 1:14)
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
A very interesting subject, these curious and ministering spirits God uses to assist those who are heirs of salvation.
Let’s stop there.
Q and A
