Ecclesiastes Lesson Sixteen: Ecclesiastes 8:10-13 – Reverence for God
In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they did so. This too is futile. 11 Because the sentence against a criminal act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit crime. 12 Although a sinner commits crime a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before Him. 13 However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God. (HCSB)
Let’s take a deeper look at this short passage.
Verse 10
This is one of the most puzzling verses in Ecclesiastes, and it would be foolish for anyone to claim they fully understand it.
The primary theme seems to be the author saying the wicked don’t get what they deserve, even in death.
Scripture states that even criminals and enemies should have a dignified and honorable burial.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, 23 you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Joshua 8:29 He hung the body of the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.
The next question is, what is the location of the holy place?
It could refer to the burial service, the body being carried from the place of worship to the gravesite.
It could be interpreted as an expression of satisfaction that the wicked have departed from God’s presence. They will now await the fate they deserve. However, this interpretation is unlikely since the verse ends with“futile.”
The most likely interpretation is that the holy place refers to Jerusalem, where the injustice occurred. Going deeper, the author may be referring to those engaged in religious activity, yet they are empty of true religion as they deal with others.
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Matthew 23:27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity.
The author points out that even the wicked are praised by some in the very location where they committed their atrocities.
We are often taught not to speak ill of those who die. Yet, it can be hard to sit and listen to praise for those whose lives don’t deserve it.
Maybe we attend a Christian funeral for a person who displayed no interest in the things of God.
However, we shouldn’t pass judgment.
Instead, we should hope that the person has come to peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Verse 11
When we look at this verse, we see it playing out in modern society. This is especially true of what is occurring in the United States today.
Many people never look beyond today; they live for immediacy.
When we consider the question of law and order, we must ask, “What makes a person obey laws?”
In many cases, it’s not the moral aspect of the law.
Instead, it’s the threat of being punished for breaking the law.
If punishment is not given for breaking the law, or if it’s delayed, laws have little to no effect on society.
Companies and individuals act illegally simply because they know they will either get away with it or the consequences will be so minor that there is no deterrent.
The root of the matter is contained in the second half of the verse, “the heart of the people is filled with the desire to commit crime.”
The delay or lack of punishment only encourages the wicked to commit crimes.
The modern-day fact is why I referenced what is occurring in the US now.
We constantly hear of crimes being committed, often brazenly, yet nothing is being done about it.
The legal system in some locations has weakened the authority of those charged with keeping and enforcing laws.
Additionally, some judges are making decisions that fly in the face of what the law says.
The very idea that a holy and righteous God allows the wicked to prosper and, seemingly, get away with the behavior has perplexed people for generations.
Peter captures the essence of the reason behind this apparent delay.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
God extends grace to all people, hoping they will repent and believe the Gospel of Christ.
2 Peter 3:10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.
We now also need to go back to another theme in Ecclesiastes: the idea of “under the sun” thinking.
When viewed through “under the sun” lenses, there is no justice, and life is not fair.
However, when wicked behavior is viewed through the lenses of eternal consequences, judgment will be meted out, and the wicked will not escape.
Verse 12
The beginning of verse twelve presents a challenge when the author says that a sinner commits hundreds of crimes yet prolongs his life.
At the same time, the author says it will go well with God-fearing people.
We look around the world today, either from a global perspective or a local one, and we constantly observe injustice.
The injustices we observe can challenge us in many different ways.
Do we lose faith that God will eventually judge the wicked and they’ll receive what they deserve?
Are we tempted to take matters into our own hands against the wicked?
Are we tempted to join those committing wicked acts since we see nothing of consequence happening to them, and they seem to get ahead in society?
Each of those reactions indicates a lack of faith and trust in God.
Verse 13
Instead, we must stand firm on the promise of God that sin and evil will be vanquished.
Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplished triumph over sin.
Ultimately, evil will be punished, and the righteous will be rewarded.
This thought is the timeless principle to carry from the Old Testament to our present age, where we live under the New Covenant.
The wicked are not reverent. Their actions spit in the face of an infinitely holy God.
On the other hand, the reverent will be rewarded for their faith.
So how are New Covenant people reverent?
By placing their faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ command was to “repent and believe.”
We are to turn away from our sinful behavior and follow God’s commands contained in Scripture.
We are to believe what Scripture says about Jesus.
The Father sent him.
He was fully God and fully man.
He was born of a virgin.
He lived a sinless life.
He was crucified, died, buried, and on the third day, rose again and sits at the right hand of the Father.
He will one day judge each of us.
Applications
Respect each person who dies. They will spend eternity in one of two places: heaven or hell. Respecting them doesn’t mean we condone or applaud the actions of evil people.
Don’t lose faith when we don’t see justice carried out in the manner or timeline we’d like. God has a purpose, and we display our faith by trusting He is in control.
Don’t try to take justice into your hands or be tempted to join the wicked in their actions.
Justice is the purview of God.
The wicked will eventually receive their condemning judgment. If we join them in their wicked pursuits, we will also face condemning judgment in the future.
Ecclesiastes Lesson Fourteen: Ecclesiastes 7:23-29 – The Limitations of Wisdom
I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, “I will be wise,” but it was beyond me. 24 What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it? 25 I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and seek wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. 26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, her heart a net, and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, 28 which my soul continually searches for but does not find: among a thousand people I have found one true man, but among all these I have not found a true woman. 29 Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.” (HCSB)
I’m going to split this lesson into two parts.
Our inability to grasp God’s actions – verses 23-25.
The sinfulness of humanity – verses 26-29.
Our Inability to Grasp God’s Actions
The author explains that he set out on a challenge to discover the depths of wisdom.
He found that no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to have wisdom that revealed all the answers to what was observed in the world.
Even the statement “I have tested all this” is misleading since it’s impossible to test everything found in nature.
Understanding the how and why of God and His creation is impossible.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 9 “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Micah 4:12a But they do not know the Lord’s intentions or understand His plan.
Psalm 147:5 Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite.
The author then gets to the crux of the problem and reaches a fitting conclusion.
He sought to explore what he could and understand those areas that he did explore.
He never said that he did or intended to discover all the answers.
It is in coming to this conclusion that the author has discovered wisdom.
First, by acknowledging it’s impossible to discover the answers to everything.
Second, by acknowledging that God is sovereign.
God is the answer.
Only God knows and understands His creation.
We begin to discover wisdom when we submit to God as His created beings.
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
By submitting to and following an infinitely holy and righteous God, we gain wisdom and turn from wickedness, which is better understood as stupidity and folly.
The Sinfulness of Humanity
This is a challenging section of the passage, and it’s easy to focus on the woman mentioned here. However, doing that leads us away from the bigger picture being presented here. The idea the author is trying to convey is the pervasive sinfulness of humanity.
This section begins with the saying that a woman who is a trap is more bitter than death. The question that begs to ask is who or what type of woman is being described.
Some scholars believe the author is talking about a prostitute, and Scripture is ripe with passages that depict the trap of prostitutes.
Proverbs 2:16-19 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman, from a stranger with her flattering talk, 17 who abandons the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits. 19 None return who go to her; none reach the paths of life.
Proverbs 5:3-6 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her words are smoother than oil, 4 in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps head straight for Sheol. 6 She doesn’t consider the path of life; she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable.
Other scholars believe this passage discusses the strife between a husband and wife.
Genesis 3:16b Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you.
Because of sin, married life will be a battle instead of a relationship filled with joy.
Women will try to ensnare and control men.
Most men, sometimes through force, will seek to dominate their wives.
In the end, both are miserable.
A third group believes the author was talking about foreign wives who would lead the man away from God.
1 Kings 11:3-8 He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines, and they turned his heart away from the Lord. 4 When Solomon was old, his wives seduced him to follow other gods. He was not completely devoted to Yahweh his God, as his father David had been. 5 Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, and unlike his father David, he did not completely follow Yahweh. 7 At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the detestable idol of Moab, and for Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites, on the hill across from Jerusalem. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who were burning incense and offering sacrifices to their gods.
A modern understanding of this is being married to an unbeliever. It doesn’t matter if they are an atheist, agnostic, or follow a false religion. In each case, the unbeliever can pressure the Christian to turn away from a pure relationship with Christ.
It would be an incorrect understanding to think the author felt that 100% of women were inherently evil.
At this point, we need to remember the coherence of Scripture and the fact it can’t contradict itself.
Proverbs 12:4 A capable wife is her husband’s crown, but a wife who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
Since Scripture mentions capable and wise wives, it is evidence they exist.
Now, let’s move on to an understanding of the bigger picture being painted here: the overall sinfulness of humanity.
When God originally created man and woman, there wasn’t any sin in the world.
Adam and Eve were originally “upright,” meaning they were sinless and righteous.
Once sin entered into the world, each person was capable of sinful behavior.
Humanity chased after their desires instead of chasing after God and following His will.
Romans 3:10b-12 There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; all alike have become useless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.
So, what is the solution? It’s contained in verse 26b The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her.
Let’s understand “her” to mean sin and sinful behavior.
When we obey God, walk according to His commands, and surrender to Christ, we will escape the penalty of sin.
When we don’t surrender to Christ and follow God, we are ensnared by sin and will eventually pay the penalty.
Applications
Don’t pursue knowledge and wisdom as the end all of your life’s pursuits. Accept that you’ll never understand everything, maybe most things, and place your trust in the sovereignty of God. Only He has all the knowledge and answers to the riddles of life. Pursue a relationship with Him as the most important pursuit in life.
Although we can’t, and shouldn’t, avoid engagement with the world and those who don’t follow Christ, we need to be careful. It is easy to be led astray, regardless of how strong you think your relationship with Him might be. Many who came before us were led astray, and there will be many after us. We must set boundaries to protect ourselves and have strong Christian brothers and sisters to walk alongside us.
1 John Lesson Twelve: 1 John 5:14-21 – Prayer and Three Christian Certainties
14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (HCSB)
I’ll be dividing this lesson into four parts.
Verses 14-15 – Effective prayer.
Verses 16-17 – Confronting sin.
Verses 18-19 – How Christians act.
Verses 20-21 – We know the truth.
Effective Prayer
As we dig deeper into the first two verses in this passage, talking about prayer, we need to focus on the idea that godly prayer is prayer that aligns with God’s will, not our wants. Let’s look at some points John is talking about regarding prayer.
We have confidence when we bring our prayers before God.
In the original Greek, confidence means “freedom of speech.”
We have the freedom to bring our petitions before God and tell Him our needs and the needs of others.
First, there are some conditions that must be met before our prayers are heard by God.
We need a heart that doesn’t condemn. 1 John 3:21-22 – Dear friends, if our conscience doesn’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and can receive whatever we ask from Him because we keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight.
Unconfessed sin is an obstacle to prayer. Psalms 66:18 – If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Husbands must honor their wives. 1 Peter 3:7 – Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with an understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
We must settle our differences with other believers. Matthew 5:23-25 – So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.
We must abide in Christ, demonstrating love and obedience. John 15:7 – If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
Second, we must pray in alignment with God’s will.
Matthew 6:10b – Your will be done.
George Muller, who ran several orphanages in England during the 1800s housing thousands of orphans, said: “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of God’s willingness.”
There are times we can only pray, “Not my will, but yours be done.” (from Luke 22:42)
If we are immersed in God’s Word, we can determine His will by reading Scripture and listening to the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26-27 – In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
God wants to supply our needs, not our greed. Philippians 4:19 – And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.
If we walk with God, obey His commands, and pray for things that glorify God and build His kingdom, those requests will be answered.
James warns about praying with the wrong motive. James 4:3 – You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.
We also need to remember that God may answer the request in a way that is different from what we anticipated. Also, God will answer the request in His time, not ours. We may have to wait longer than we’d like to get the answer.
As we mature in our prayer life, we must learn to see things from God’s point of view, not from ours.
We study Scripture to learn about God’s will in a general sense.
As we face circumstances in life, we take these general principles and apply them to specific circumstances.
We pray for what God wants, not what we want.
When we do that, our prayers will be answered.
John Stott wrote – “Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or for bending His will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to His. It is by prayer that we seek God’s will, embrace it and align ourselves with it. Every true prayer is a variation of the theme ‘Your will be done’”.
Confronting Sin
John now talks about sins that don’t lead to death and sins that do lead to death. What could John be talking about when he mentions “sin that brings death?” Scholars and theologians have wrestled with this question and have come up with four possibilities, although none are clear-cut. Here are the four.
A terrible sin that God will not pardon. There isn’t anything in the New Testament that fits the definition of this kind of sin. Peter cursed and denied Jesus three times. That’s about as bad a sin as we could imagine. Yet, a short period of time later, Peter was eating a meal with Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
It’s talking about some type of apostasy, to deliberately turn from being a follower of Christ. However, 1 John 3:9 appears to teach that a true Christian can’t fall away from the faith. If some do, it’s an indication they were never a follower in the first place.
John is talking about blaspheming the Holy Spirit, a sin Matthew says will not be forgiven (Matthew 12:31-32) But how could John call someone like that a “brother?”
John is talking about a physical death. Some Christians in Scripture sinned so badly that God took their lives; Ananias and Sapphire (Acts 5:1-11), the man sinning with his stepmother in 1 Corinthians 5, the people who “fell asleep” in 1 Corinthians 11 because they were abusing the Lord’s supper.
Although we don’t know the correct interpretation, we can focus on a positive point from John’s message. We need to be praying for our brothers and sisters who are in sin. This type of request would align with God’s will. Jesus prayed for Peter on the night he was betrayed, and we should do the same for others.
One final point here. John is not being soft on sin. He writes that “all unrighteousness is sin.”
How Christians Act
John is not talking about the occasional or accidental sins that believers commit. John is talking about habitual and deliberate sins. Because a believer has a new nature, their desires should change from the realm of darkness to the kingdom of light. Let’s dig into this deeper.
A Christian faces three enemies, all of which want to lead them into sin.
Satan.
The whole world is under the sway of the evil one – 1 John 5:19.
Satan is the god of this age, meaning this world. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 – But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Satan is the ruler of this world. John 14:30 – I will not talk with you much longer, because the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over Me.
Satan is the spirit who works in the children of disobedience. Ephesians 2:2 – in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient.
Satan tells lies. Genesis 3 and 2 Corinthians 11:1-3. When people listen, they turn from and disobey God’s truth.
Satan may inflict physical suffering.
Job.
Paul: 2 Corinthians 12:7b-9 – Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. 8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
David: 1 Chronicles 21.
The flesh.
The old nature still lies within us even after we are born again.
We have a new nature, but we don’t always yield to the new nature.
The world.
The world is our enemy. 1 John 2:15-17 – Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.
A believer faces three very formidable foes. How does a believer keep from sinning? The answer is in verse eighteen.
Jesus keeps us. The word “keep” has two meanings here.
One is to “watch over.” Jesus watches over us, so the evil one doesn’t touch us.
Because Jesus “watches over” us, we are able to obey His instructions.
We see an illustration of this in Luke 22:31-32 – “Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Satan can’t touch a believer without God’s permission.
If God gives permission to Satan to attack us, it also means He has given us the ability to resist the attack through His power. God will never allow us to be tested beyond the capability of our strength in Him. 1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.
We Know the Truth
The truth John is talking about here is that the Son of God has come to redeem us, and He’s a reflection of the Father. Let’s take a deeper look at these last two verses,
Jesus is God the Son.
Jesus, in human form but fully divine, was a reflection of the Father.
The characteristics that Jesus displayed are the same that make up the Father.
When we study and understand who Jesus was, how He acted toward others, and how He acted in situations, we see the Father on display, and we see how we should act as followers of Christ.
Because we know, worship, and serve the true God, we are connected with reality.
The “true One” means the original as opposed to a copy or the authentic as opposed to an imitation.
Jesus is the true light. John 1:9 – The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
Jesus is the true bread. John 6:32 – Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven.
Jesus is the true vine. John 15:1 – “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper.”
Jesus is truth. John 14:6 – Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus came into the world to give us an understanding of the truth.
The truth of Jesus repudiates the false teaching in the world.
Some of the false teachers claimed to have a special knowledge of God and salvation apart from Jesus.
God can only be known in one way, through Jesus.
Truth can only be known in one way, through Jesus.
Anything that claims something different from what Jesus taught is false and a work of Satan.
Christians live in an atmosphere of reality or truth, while unbelievers live in an atmosphere of lies and falsehood.
Followers of Christ have been given spiritual discernment to know the truth from lies.
Unbelievers don’t have this understanding.
Christians don’t choose between good and bad; they choose between true and false.
John doesn’t end Colossians with a typical farewell. Instead, he delivers a stern warning.
By using the phrase “little children,” John is indicating a deep love for the recipients of the letter.
It may seem out of place for John to be addressing the issue of idols here. But, a theme of the entire epistle was the idea of truth versus lies. John is warning them to reject idols and cling to Christ; reject the false and embrace the real.
What idols was John warning against?
The best interpretation is that John was warning against anything that would take the place of God.
1 Thessalonians 1:9 – For they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
Ephesians 5:5 – For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah and of God.
Colossians 3:5 – Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.
In the context of this letter, John was most likely referring to the “idols” of the false teachers who were saying Jesus was less than God.
The god of the false teachers was not just less than a perfect god; it was an idol.
The god of the false teachers was not true but a god of men’s imaginations.
For believers today, it is essential that they guard against any God-substitute. What are some of the idols that control people today?
Covetousness. A person may “worship” their bankbook or stock portfolio.
Adultery. A person may be addicted to pornography.
The thing we “serve” is the thing we worship. Whatever controls our lives is our god.
Applications
Be active in prayers that align with God’s will. All believers should have an active prayer life. But being active in prayer is not enough. Our prayers must align with God’s will. As we mature in our spiritual walk, we will grow in our understanding of God’s will for any given situation. One question to ask ourselves as we pray is, “Does this request bring glory to God?” If the prayer is answered, will God be glorified? Or is it a selfish prayer that benefits the person praying or another individual?
When we see a fellow believer involved in sin, we are instructed to pray for them. Are you praying for those around you who are involved in the sinful activity? Everyone sins, and we all need the prayers of others to help us in this life.
Guard yourself against false teachers. There are many false teachers who preach an “attractive” message. We should always compare what a preacher/pastor/Bible teacher says against what Scripture says. If the message and Scripture don’t agree, it’s a red flag for false teaching. If you find yourself in that situation, you need to discuss it gracefully with the teacher. It’s possible they made an honest mistake, and they’ll correct it with the group who received the false message. If they don’t accept the charge of false teaching, you need to warn others who heard the message. Everyone in that group is in danger of being led astray.
Guard yourself against the idols of this world. In today’s modern world, there are too many potential idols to list. Some examples are jobs, positions, social media, pornography, drugs, or alcohol. The bottom line is that anything that takes a primary place in our lives and pulls us away from God is an idol.
1 John Lesson Eight: 1 John 4:7-12 – An Appeal for Love
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the •propitiation for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us. (HCSB)
In this short section of Scripture, John outlines how to discern a couple of things regarding love.
True agape love can only come from God.
The demonstration of agape love is an indicator of whether or not a person is a genuine believer, someone who struggles with unconditionally loving others, or a false believer.
Before we dig into this passage, let’s consider the main theme John is conveying to the reader.
Love comes from God, so if we are born of God, we will also love. God loved us first, so we must love one another.
Now, let’s break apart this passage.
First, let’s consider that in John’s writings, he uses three expressions to help us understand the nature of God.
God is spirit – John 4:24.
This addresses the essence of God.
God is not flesh and blood.
God is not limited in time and space the way His creations are.
God is light – 1 John 1:5.
This refers to God’s holy nature.
In Scripture, light is symbolic of holiness, and darkness is symbolic of sin – John 3:18-21.
God can’t sin because He is holy.
When we are born again, we receive this holy nature – 1 Peter 1:14-16.
God is love.
This doesn’t mean that “love is God.”
Just because two people “love” each other doesn’t mean their love is holy.
A well-known expression is “love doesn’t define God, but God defines love.”
God is both light and love. Therefore, God’s love is holy love.
God’s holiness is expressed in love.
All that God does expresses all that God is. His judgments are measured out in love and mercy – Lamentations 3:22-23.
Much of what the world defines as “love” bears little resemblance to the holy love that God demonstrates.
The letter now returns to a subject John previously talked about, love, which comes from God.
Extending love, primarily to fellow believers and also to unbelievers, is another test for a follower of Christ.
Only those who have been spiritually born again can understand and extend agape love to others.
Since God is the only source of genuine love, only a believer can understand love and extend it to others.
At the same time, it’s possible to see occasional acts of sacrificial love demonstrated by unbelievers.
We need to remember that each person is made in the image of God and is capable of these sporadic acts of love. It is part of our divine creation.
However, these individuals are not able to sustain this lifestyle and aren’t doing it with an understanding of agape love.
Additionally, true love that includes loving God and a full expression of love to others, predominately in the area of evangelism and the Gospel, is only a characteristic of genuine Christians.
A proper understanding of the word “know” is required to fully understand what John is talking about.
“Know” doesn’t refer to intellectual understanding.
The word “know” is used in many translations to refer to the intimate union between a husband and a wife – Genesis 4:1.
To “know” God means to be in a deep, personal relationship with God.
We share life with Him and enjoy His love.
Knowing God is a matter of understanding truth – 1 John 2:3-5.
John then flips the discussion, talking about those who don’t extend or demonstrate love to others.
Those who don’t extend love are demonstrating they don’t know God.
What evidence does John reveal to support this statement?
John is referencing the very nature of God.
God’s essence is love.
When we look at John’s argument, we can see that the test for lack of love is easier to understand. Think of the changes that occur when a person is spiritually reborn.
They receive eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
They have the Holy Spirit dwelling in their body.
They have been saved by love and are indwelled with love.
A believer may not love perfectly, but there is a significant difference between not loving perfectly and not loving at all.
John now switches the focus of the letter from an understanding of what love is and isn’t to a discussion of how God revealed His love for us.
The clear answer appears in John 3:16 – Jesus sacrificed His life for us.
It also appears in parallel in 1 John 4:9 – God sent Jesus to us to sacrifice His life for us.
God the Father knew how Jesus would be treated and the horrible death He would experience.
God sacrifice Jesus so we might live through Him.
It was through Jesus’ sacrificial atonement for our sins that our relationship with God can and is restored.
The sacrificial gift was not a response to humanity’s love for God.
It was the exact opposite. God initiated this sacrifice in spite of our sinful and hateful attitude toward God.
The main urge for people is to sin.
The natural condition for people is to pursue sin.
Man doesn’t naturally love God or Jesus’s sacrifice.
God’s nature was to show His love and provide a way to restore our broken fellowship.
Love is always demonstrated by action.
To take away our sins.
To destroy the works of the devil.
Our love is a reflection of His love and a response to it.
God has set the gold standard for love.
Believers are part of God’s spiritual family; we are His children.
Believers are to extend love to others, especially fellow believers but also unbelievers.
God’s love for us is made visible and complete as we love others.
God’s love is completed as we reach out to the lost.
John also points out that we can fail in demonstrating love; he uses the phrase “if we love one another.”
John is pointing out we have a choice in this matter.
Not everyone who says they are a believer actually is one.
Applications
Do you extend unconditional love to fellow believers? Admittedly, this can be very challenging. As people, we are difficult and messy, and some are easier to love than others. In fact, some believers may be very difficult to love. Still, God calls us to extend love to others. If you have a hard time in this area or there are one or more people, in particular, you find it difficult to love, pray for a softened spirit. Maybe there is an issue between you and that person or persons. If so, go to them and resolve it.
Do you extend unconditional love to unbelievers? We never know when our selfless acts of love for the lost may result in their resistance to God being broken. Think back to the events that led to you becoming a Christian or maybe someone you know. Was there a selfless act leading up to their salvation? Pray for opportunities to extend acts of selfless love to others.
If we see fellow believers acting in a way that is contrary to what this passage is telling us, gently interact with that individual in the spirit of Galatians 6:1. Also, remember to remove the log in your eye before mentioning the speck in their eye.
1 John Lesson Five: 1 John 2:28-3:10 – Another Demand for Right Action
So now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of Him. 3 Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him. 2 Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.
4 Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law. 5 You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, and there is no sin in Him. 6 Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. 9 Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because His seed remains in him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how God’s children—and the Devil’s children—are made evident. (HCSB)
I’ll be dividing this passage into two sections.
God’s great love for us – verses 2:28-3:3.
God’s children do not live in sin – verses 3:4-10.
God’s Great Love for Us
The end of chapter two, verses twenty-eight and twenty-nine, serve as a bridge from the previous section and chapter three. If we begin our Christian life by believing and trusting in Jesus, what comes next? It’s in this “what’s next” phase that many churches today fail to follow Jesus’ command in Matthew 28, “make disciples.” Although it may appear on the surface that John isn’t addressing the issue of discipleship, when you look at this passage in a “macro sense,” you will see that John is talking about discipleship. Now, let’s take a closer look at this passage.
John begins with the phrase “little children.” John is talking about fellow believers.
However, there has been much debate in scholarly circles regarding the understanding of the phrases “remain in Him” and “have boldness and not be ashamed.” There are three main interpretations of this verse.
John is talking about unsaved individuals being ashamed when Jesus returns. The drawback with this interpretation is that John begins the verse by addressing Christians.
If we don’t remain in fellowship with Jesus, we’ll lose our salvation and be ashamed when Jesus returns. This is a main divergent point in the centuries-old debate between the schools of Calvin and Armenius.
Armenians teach that a believer can lose their salvation.
Calvinists teach that once a person is elected and saved, they can never lose salvation.
If we don’t remain in fellowship with Jesus, we’ll retain our salvation but be ashamed of our actions.
Each believer will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
There, our works will be evaluated, and eternal rewards handed out.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 – our work will be revealed as either perishable or imperishable.
1 Corinthians 4:5 – the intentions of our heart will be revealed.
2 Corinthians 5:10 – we will be repaid for what we have done, whether good or worthless.
The judgment seat of Christ will not be a completely joyful experience for those who have squandered the spiritual gifts they were given or walked in disobedience.
However, the shame will be relatively short-lived. Revelation 21:4 – God will wipe away every tear.
It will not be a perpetual experience, but still something to avoid.
The end of verse twenty-nine presents a challenge if we read it and ignore the context of the surrounding verses and the totality of Scripture.
An example of someone who lived a sacrificial life and met the needs of others would be Gandhi. However, Gandhi rejected Jesus, meaning he couldn’t be born of God.
The context of this letter was to address the false teachings of the Gnostics, who claimed to know God through some special inner knowledge.
The Gnostics taught that the spirit was good and untouched by the actions of the physical body.
They believed they could sin without remorse or consequence since the spirit was untouched by sin.
They claimed to be Christians, to know God, but they hated real Christians and lived sinful lives.
The intent behind the ending of this verse is that if someone claims to be a Christian but doesn’t do what is right, they aren’t a Christian.
John now shifts gears and talks about God’s amazing love for us.
Those who decide to follow Jesus become God’s children.
While every person is “wondrously made,” there is a distinction between believers and unbelievers.
Believers become a member of God’s spiritual family.
In verse one, the term “know” is better understood as “accept.”
Unbelievers don’t accept God.
Therefore, they don’t accept believers.
Even though believers are children of God, on this side of eternity, we won’t fully grasp what this means.
The full extent “has not yet been revealed” to us.
Each believer has a different level of understanding regarding our relationship with God and our transformation through submission to Jesus and empowerment by the Holy Spirit.
The transformation, which is incomplete in our physical body, will be instantaneous and complete once we see Jesus.
When we begin to grasp the unbelievable wonder of this fact, this will motivate us to live pure and holy lives.
We will want to live holy lives because Jesus is holy.
Often, our weak commitment to holiness is due to our dim perception of who Jesus is and who we have become through Him.
When we gain a fuller understanding of Romans 8:17 (coheirs with Christ), we’ll understand that we are destined to rule and reign with Jesus in heaven.
One of our resources for holy living is to ponder and meditate on who Jesus is, who we have become through Him, and what our eternal existence will be like when we meet Him.
God’s Children Do Not Live in Sin
The next section of John’s letter has generated much debate among scholars and theologians. It’s difficult to find much common ground, even in well-respected commentaries. Therefore, we shouldn’t be alarmed if the average believer struggles with understanding this passage. Now, let’s start to dig into this section.
Verse four shouldn’t cause any misunderstanding. When we sin, we break God’s law. Sin is lawlessness. There are several other biblical definitions of sin.
Proverbs 24:9 – A foolish scheme is sin.
Romans 14:23 – Everything that is not from a conviction is sin.
James 4:17 – So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it.
1 John 5:17 – All unrighteousness is sin.
There isn’t a single overarching biblical definition of sin.
Each of the preceding examples is part of the whole sin.
Verse four states that sin is lawlessness.
Lawlessness is a characteristic of the spirit of the antichrist.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God.
The man of lawlessness doesn’t reign; he has no power except what we give to him.
Jesus is the one who reigns and takes away the sins of the world.
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are the remedy for sin.
Jesus lived a life free from sin.
His was a once and for all perfect sacrifice to restore our fellowship with God.
Verse six is where it becomes quite challenging, and there is quite a bit of disagreement on the interpretation. This is especially true when the end of verse nine is considered with verse six.
Consider the phrases “Everyone who remains in Him does not sin: everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him,” “The one who commits sin is of the Devil,” “Everyone who has been born of God does not sin…he is not able to sin.”
These phrases can be quite unsettling to the believer.
We know that we sin. We may be wrestling with some type of sin bondage in our lives.
These phrases do anything but comfort us with the assurance of salvation.
There are numerous passages of Scripture that tell us that we will sin until we enter heaven.
There are several scholarly interpretations of this section.
The willful-sin position: The sins are willful and deliberate, not involuntary or unintentional sins. However, even believers can commit major, premeditated sins.
The habitual-sin position: A believer can’t live a lifestyle of willful, unrepentant sin. We may sin badly, and we may go through periods of backsliding, but we will never settle into a lifestyle that is characterized by sin. To a certain extent, the Gnostics followed this example.
The ideal-character position: A believer should strive for the ideal of living a sinless life, with the understanding that it is unreachable in the flesh. It is better to try and fail than never to try.
The new-man position: The “new man” is a perfect creation. The new or inner man is regenerated, and there is no condemnation for him (or her). Until we enter heaven, our inner man will battle our fleshly desires.
There are other positions, but they are mostly variations of the ones presented.
Although there is much debate on what is said, there is general agreement on what is not being said.
John is not saying a Christian will never commit sin.
When a Christian commits sin, they will not lose salvation.
Verse seven warns the believer not to be deceived. This deception can come from several sources.
False teachers who knowingly distort Scripture.
Those who don’t understand what Scripture is saying lead others astray without realizing it.
The spirits of darkness, often working through others, to lead us astray.
The reader also needs to link 3:7 back to 2:29.
Doing what is right does not make a person righteous.
If a person is righteous, they will do what is right.
Righteousness comes from an obedient relationship with Jesus.
John makes it clear in verse eight that those who deliberately live in sin, deny the truth in Scripture, and deliberately lead others astray are followers of the antichrist.
At the same time, believers need to hear what John is saying.
When believers sin, they are temporarily siding with the devil, and they shouldn’t do that.
Sin originated with the devil. Sin opposes Jesus.
When believers realize they have sinned, they need to confess and repent.
Verse nine presents the same challenges as verse six. The same options for understanding verse six equally apply here.
What does John mean by the word “seed?”
It could refer to the Word of God.
It could refer to the Holy Spirit.
It could refer to the regenerated spirit when a believer is born again.
All three are true statements and are taught in other places in Scripture.
John is teaching that sin and salvation are opposites.
Wanting to sin is not being led by the Spirit.
Wanting to sin is not having a relationship with Christ.
If a believer finds themselves in this situation, they need to reexamine their commitment to Christ.
Christians make themselves known as God’s children by doing what is right and loving others.
Children of the devil make themselves known by refusing to do what is right and refusing to love others.
Applications
Be careful of false teachings and false teachers. John was addressing a specific problem, Gnostics, the readers were facing. The church today still faces false teachers and teachings; the prosperity gospel, acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex marriage, and more than male and female genders. These are just a few of the challenges the modern church faces, but they are legitimate threats that must be faced and addressed.
If you are a believer and you are deliberately living in sin, you need to reexamine your relationship with Christ. Scripture is clearly warning believers that when believers live in this manner, they are living in opposition to Jesus and aligning themselves with the devil.
When believers sin, they need to confess and repent quickly. It’s too easy to slip into a sin cycle. We should also watch out for our brothers and sisters if they are struggling with sin. We need to come alongside of them, pray for them, and support them.
1 John Lesson Two: 1 John 1:5-2:6 – The Necessity of Obedience
Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We don’t have any sin,” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
3 This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” yet doesn’t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him: 6 The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.(HCSB)
I’ll divide this lesson into two parts.
Fellowship with God – verses 1:5-2:2.
Walking in Obedience – verses 2:3-6.
Fellowship with God
As we begin our study of this passage, I’d like us to consider a theme that John likely implied in his message; the foundation of fellowship is repentance and obedience. Now, let’s take a closer look at this section.
God is light. What does John mean when he makes this declaration?
First off, John switches his focus from Jesus to the Father in this section.
It would seem that verse six holds the key to understanding the connection between the first four verses of the letter and this section.
Since God is light, there is no darkness in His character.
Only those who walk in the light have fellowship with God.
What does it mean to walk in the light?
To follow the instructions of God.
Although all of us will sin, the prevalent pattern is one of obedience to the Word.
What is meant by the use of the metaphors “light” and “dark?”
Light. We’ll look at what scholars and theologians believe is meant by the term.
It implies life.
It means to be ethical.
It means to be morally good.
There is no place for evil in the light.
It contains absolute truth.
It contains absolute righteousness.
It goes all the way back to Genesis 1:3.
It became incarnate in the birth of Jesus as the light of the world.
Jesus is the light and the source of life.
Darkness.
It implies death.
It is a picture of falsehood.
It signifies ignorance of the truth.
It describes a life controlled by sin.
Since God is light and only those who walk in the light have fellowship with Him, the idea of walking in darkness would be a barrier to fellowship.
Those walking in darkness are in a spiritual state of death since eternal life is only found in fellowship with Jesus.
People who say they are followers of Christ yet who habitually walk a path of sin don’t have fellowship with God. These people are false believers and are deceiving themselves.
When we do walk in the light, two things occur.
We have fellowship with other believers and with God.
Our sins are forgiven.
It doesn’t mean we are freed from our sinful nature.
The verb is in the present tense, meaning forgiveness is a continuous and progressive action.
Our sins are continually being removed.
We experience a progressive sanctification, a transformation into the likeness of Jesus.
All sins are forgiven. Even the most heinous will be forgiven if a person genuinely repents and follows Jesus.
In verse eight, John moves to the theme of a false understanding of sin. John may have felt this was necessary because either the recipients of the letter had fallen under the spell of false teachers or they somehow began to believe the idea themselves.
Let’s remember there are two kinds of sin.
Doing things we shouldn’t be doing.
Not doing the things we should be doing.
The longer we are a believer, the more likely it is that a believer will turn from sinful behavior and engage in edifying behavior.
At the same time, because of our sinful nature, we will never be able always to act as Jesus would act.
None of us are capable of perfect love.
Because we are incapable of perfect love, we have sin.
However, if we acknowledge and confess our sins, Jesus will forgive and cleanse us.
This is a key point. Even though we will always struggle with and commit sin, we can live in a state of forgiveness by confessing and repenting, being cleansed through the blood of Jesus.
At the same time, we shouldn’t abuse this grace by continuing to commit sin.
Scholars have two positions in the interpretation of verse nine.
The first one is that it refers to the confession of sins at the time of salvation.
This is a once-for-all confession that solves the problem of judgment for sin.
This would cover sins we commit after salvation but before we are able to confess them.
The second is that a Christian doesn’t have to confess their sins after becoming a Christian since they already have forgiveness in Christ.
We don’t have to keep a track record of our sins and confess them.
We live with the understanding that our sins are already forgiven, and we have freedom in Christ.
The problem with the second position is that Jesus taught His disciples to pray “forgive us our trespasses” in the Disciples’ Prayer.
When we think about healthy, loving relationships, the norm is to ask for forgiveness when you offend someone. The same should be true of our relationship with God. We should confess our sins and not just “assume” we are forgiven.
As we look at verse ten, we should remember there are numerous verses that tell us we continue to sin after our conversion.
Philippians 3:12.
James 2:10, 3:2, 3:8, and 4:17.
Because Christians do sin after conversion, we shouldn’t deny our sin.
When we do that, we are saying that God is a liar.
Instead, we confess our sins and receive restoration.
As chapter two begins, we see John adopting a tone reserved for people he would have had a fond connection with. The first two verses are a continuation of the end of chapter one, dealing with the theme of sin.
John encourages the readers not to sin, but knowing they will sin in some manner, is encouraging them in the knowledge that Jesus is our advocate before the Father.
Jesus has already paid the price for our sins and intercedes with the Father on our behalf.
We also see the limitless nature of His sacrifice. His atoning blood is sufficient to cover every individual who has ever lived. There are several facts regarding this statement.
Scripture is clear that not everyone will be saved – Matthew 7:14, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and Galatians 5:21. However, Scripture is also clear that everyone who desires can be saved – Revelation 22:17.
It also means that we, as believers, should be sowing seeds wherever we go. We never know who will respond to the Gospel. Our role isn’t to decide who gets to hear the message. Our role is to share the message whenever and wherever.
Walking in Obedience
In 1 John 2:3, John drives home a critical point all of us should remember, both for ourselves as well as fellow believers we interact with. Following the commands of Jesus and walking in obedience is a key litmus test. John was addressing an issue that was facing Christians in the region of Ephesus. Let’s take a closer look at this.
It appears that Gnosticism was the main threat to the faith of the believers around Ephesus.
Gnosticism prided itself on knowing God through mystical enlightenment.
However, this knowledge didn’t necessarily have an impact on their moral behavior.
Gnostics didn’t understand that sin was a barrier to their relationship with God.
John was making a direct rebuke to this false belief.
At the same time, we need to remember that John didn’t say we would never sin.
We may not even have a consistent desire not to sin.
But the bottom line is that believers won’t live in complete disregard to God’s commands.
The Gnostics weren’t even trying to keep God’s commands.
If, as believers, we say we know God but completely disregard His commands, we are lying to ourselves and to others. We are not being truthful. We should also remember the devil is a liar.
However, if we do follow God’s commands, then the love of God is in us.
Scholars struggle with the meaning of “the love of God” in verse five.
Does it mean the love of God for the Christian?
Or does it mean the Christian’s love for God?
Actually, either is possible, and both are theologically sound.
This section concludes with 5b-6.
The understanding is similar to what James wrote; a believer is identified by his works.
John is saying we will identify believers by their walk. If they are genuine believers, they will walk as Jesus walked.
Works never save us, but they are a badge of identification that someone truly knows and follows Christ.
Applications
What is your attitude towards sin and confession of sin? Conceivably, we could lie from one end of the spectrum to the other, believing we no longer need to confess our sins to trying to laundry list every little thing we do wrong. One is a flippant attitude towards sin, and the other borders on legalism. The best practice to follow is to try and confess as soon as we commit a sin, especially those we know we committed. However, there may be times when we sin against someone and do not even realize it. I believe Scripture is clear, an example being the disciples’ prayer, that “general confession” will cover those sins we’ve forgotten the specifics of and the sins we are unaware we’ve committed.
If you think you don’t sin and are a “good person,” you are deceiving yourself. All of us will stumble at some point, and confessing our sins provides restoration in our relationship with God.
If we see a fellow believer clearly not walking in the light, we need to bring it to their attention. We need to do it with a gentle spirit, as in Galatians 6:1. There may be times when we need to ask our Christian friends to evaluate us. This is never an easy or comfortable practice, but it can keep us on the narrow path. Scripture commands us to correct disobedience and to walk alongside our brothers and sister, just as they should walk alongside us.
2 Peter 2:1-22 Lesson Three – A Warning on False Teachers
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and the way of truth will be blasphemed because of them. 3 They will exploit you in their greed with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
4 For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but threw them down into Tartarus and delivered them to be kept in chains of darkness until judgment; 5 and if He didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when He brought a flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to ruin, making them an example to those who were going to be ungodly; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the unrestrained behavior of the immoral 8 (for as he lived among them, that righteous man tormented himself day by day with the lawless deeds he saw and heard )— 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority.
Bold, arrogant people! They do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones; 11 however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord. 12 But these people, like irrational animals—creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed—speak blasphemies about things they don’t understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed, 13 suffering harm as the payment for unrighteousness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions as they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery and are always looking for sin. They seduce unstable people and have hearts trained in greed. Children under a curse! 15 They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness 16 but received a rebuke for his transgression: A donkey that could not talk spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s irrationality.
17 These people are springs without water, mists driven by a whirlwind. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them. 18 For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them. 20 For if, having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “a sow, after washing itself, wallows in the mud.” (HCSB)
Although this is a long passage, it’s important to tackle it in its entirety. Peter now addresses one of the main themes, if not the main theme, of the letter…false teachers. These false teachers had emerged within the church teaching that there was no second coming of Christ and, therefore, there wasn’t a need to live godly lives. This message was timely for Peter’s audience, as well as for us today, with many false teachers arising and with teachings contrary to what is contained within Scripture.
Verse 1
There are three characteristics of false teachers (prophets):
They lack divine authority.
They promise peace with God talks about judgment for disobedience.
They will be judged harshly by God.
The phrase “even denying the Master who bought them” indicates that these are not pagans from outside the church. These were individuals within the church who claimed faith in Jesus. They may very well have been faithful Christians at one point, but they had now turned away from the truth. There are two theological issues in interpreting this verse:
Can genuine believers commit apostasy and lose their salvation?
Was Peter teaching unlimited atonement, Christ died for all but only those who believe receive the benefit of atonement?
Let’s tackle the first question through the use of Scripture.
1 Peter 1:5 – You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Romans 8:28-39 – We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified. 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, 39 height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
1 Corinthians 1:8-9 – He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by Him into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Philippians 1:6 – I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to the completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
Scripture confirms that those who genuinely belong to Jesus are secure in their salvation. Peter is describing those within the church who professed faith but never really submitted to the lordship of Jesus. They may have appeared to be Christians, but there was never a heart change. As challenges occur, they will be revealed as wolves within the flock, those whom Jesus never knew.
Acts 20:29-30 – 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 And men will rise up from your own number with deviant doctrines to lure the disciples into following them.
Matthew 7:21-23 – 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’
Matthew 13:20-22 – 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
The second question will be addressed later in this study.
Verse 2
Despite the false teachers speaking heresy, many will be attracted to the message that they speak. The phrase “unrestrained ways” refers to reckless sexual behavior that was being taught by the false teachers. In Greek culture, sexual activity outside of covenant marriage was acceptable, which is in direct conflict with Scripture. However, the false teachers had brought what was acceptable in their surrounding culture into the culture of the church. We need to ask ourselves if we see the same thing happening in our churches today. The church should help to shape our surrounding culture and not culture shape the church.
Verse 3
Peter now identifies the main focus of the false teachers, personal gain at the expense of the flock they were supposed to shepherd. These false teachers were only concerned about using religion as a means to make money. They commercialized Christianity for their own gain. We need to be careful about the churches and ministries that we support with our time, skills, and finances. Are they genuine, or is it a way for the leaders to fill their own pockets? The prosperity gospel is an especially dangerous false teaching, which, unfortunately, many have fallen into their trap. The promise of good health and financial gain does not align with what Jesus taught in Scripture. It doesn’t mean that God won’t bless some of us, so that we can bless others, but that we shouldn’t expect it. Many of the prosperity gospel “preachers” are living lavish lifestyles, well beyond expectations. What would Jesus, Paul, or any of the Apostles say about how they live?
Verses 4-6
In these verses, there are three illustrations that prove God’s judgment in the past. They get progressively smaller in scale.
Cosmic – against the angels for their pride and rebellion.
Worldwide – the flood for their apathy and disobedience.
Local – against Sodom and Gomorrah for the uncontrolled lust of the men of the cities.
The third illustration appears in various places in Scripture, and each time they represent sin and rebellion at its highest level. The illustrations describe a pattern of events; sin that is not confessed will lead eventually to judgment and destruction. The God of the Bible is the God of justice, His character is just, and He will not allow the scales of justice to remain out of balance as that would compromise His integrity, and that is something he will not and cannot do.
Verses 7-8
Peter points out that grace is always available to us. God’s judgment on sin is inevitable, but it is not inescapable. Let’s dig a little deeper into the reference to Lot. On a surface level, we may not consider Lot as a righteous individual. When it came to which land to settle and Abraham gave him a choice, it is easy to conclude that Lot was selfish in choosing what appeared as “prime real estate.”
But God knows our heart, including Lot’s, while we live in a sinful environment. Peter’s letter stated that Lot “tormented himself day by day” by what he observed around him. The Greek word can also be translated as “tortured.” It is not hard to imagine that Lot was worn out by the depravity that he observed on a daily basis.
Verse 9
Yet despite all Lot went through, God rescued a godly man from the trials he was experiencing. Although God can and does rescue believers from trials, it is not the norm, nor is it a biblical promise.
James 1:2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials.
Verse 10a
The first part of verse 10 concludes this section of the passage. It makes it clear that the unrighteous, including the false teachers, will be included in God’s judgment. They are so self-centered that they exalt in their sinful behavior, and they “despise authority.” This is a telling statement as “despise” means to look down upon someone. In the case of the false teachers, they are looking down upon the rule of Jesus and denying His power and majesty.
Verse 10b
Peter is describing the attitude of the false teachers in two very strong words.
Bold – someone who tramples on the rights, opinions, and interests of others…both human and divine.
Arrogant – someone who can’t be reasoned with, no amount of conversation with them will change their behavior, they will go on doing or teaching what they want, they believe they are correct, and everyone else is wrong.
Verse 11
God’s angels, superior to human beings, don’t criticize the fallen angels, even though it would be deserved, as God has already passed judgment on them. However, the false teachers knew no bounds, slandering both angels and God demonstrating their utter lack of reverence.
Verse 12
Although the false teachers have a disproportionally inflated image of their intellect, their understanding of spiritual matters is no different than irrational animals. Just like animals repeat their actions, these false teachers will do the same, and at some point, they will be caught and punished.
Peter also implies two deaths (destruction/destroyed). The first is their physical death, and the second is their eternal spiritual death being separated from God.
Verses 13-14
Peter reinforces the concept that they will face judgment and eternal torment for their actions. Although the pagan world had many sinful practices, they were normally conducted after sunset. However, these false teachers were even worse than the pagans. Not only did they start their activities before sunset, but it also appears that they turned the church’s fellowship meals and communion celebrations into a drunken celebration.
The phrase “eyes full of adultery” should be interpreted as lusting after every woman they saw and being unable to look upon a woman without some sexual fantasy being visualized. It seems that they had some measure of success as Peter says, “they seduce unstable people” as well as being skilled in the ways of greed, never satisfied with what they had.
Verse 15-16
Peter now used an illustration from the Old Testament, the story of Balaam. Balaam was supposed to be a prophet of God, yet he loved money more than he loved God. This drove him to pursue fame and fortune and not obedience to God. He also taught immoral behavior. Because of this, he was rebuked by a donkey. Although we may chuckle at the idea of a donkey rebuking Balaam, the deeper meaning here is that a simple animal rebuked someone who had been intended to be a prophet for God and instead turned away from God.
Verse 17
These false teachers are unable to provide anything of lasting substance because their teaching has no foundation and is based upon falsehood. Their fate awaits them, the “gloom of darkness” for all eternity, a thick, fierce, and comfortless isolation without end.
Verses 18-19
We now see that the false teachers were at least partially successful with their empty words as they caused some to fall back into old habits that should have been left behind. The pagan world was ripe with sexual immorality. The false teachers, understanding how attractive these behaviors were, twisted the concept of Christian freedom to be understood as the freedom to pursue whatever activity they desired without consequences. They were able to seduce the weak by teaching that religious freedom was the freedom from all authority and moral demands of the Christian faith. However, Christian freedom is the ability to do what is right, based upon God’s Word.
Verses 20-22
As we consider these verses, we need to remember that two categories of people who are in the church; true followers of Jesus and those who are false Christians. The false teachers Peter is warning about in this passage clearly fall into the second category. The knowledge referenced in verse 20 is head knowledge and not heart knowledge. They could speak the language, but they really didn’t understand its meaning or embrace it. Being able to “speak the language” allowed them to lead some astray with their false teaching.
The last two verses in the passage indicate that they had become so consumed in their pursuit of greed and sexual immorality that they had lost the ability even to enjoy the sin that they had been pursuing. They were worse off because they had deliberately rejected the truth they had learned, rejecting the way of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, and the path to heaven. They chose hell over heaven, confirming the judgment Peter pronounced in verse 17.
Applications
Have you examined the teaching at the church you attend? Does it align with Scripture, or are there things that raise questions or don’t make sense? I’ve said it before in lessons, and I’ll say it again, we should always check what we are being taught. Peter is very clear, as is Paul in his writings that there were and still are false teachers that will lead believers away from the faith. That is why it is critical that we feed continuously on Scripture. The more we know what Scripture says, the easier it is to spot false teachers.
If we are one of those false teachers or false Christians, we need to repent and submit to the Lordship of Jesus. Forgiveness is always available if we humble ourselves and are repentant.
When we see or hear false teaching, or if another believer passes along teaching that is false, do we challenge it? We should never tolerate false teaching or teachers, and we need to warn others when this occurs.
If you currently are part of a congregation that contains false teaching and your challenges meet with resistance, or you are ignored, it is time to find a new church and warn others in the congregation of the danger they are in.
One cautionary note. None of the previous application points gives us a license to act in an unChristlike manner. We also need to make sure that it is clearly false teaching. If you are a Calvinist and the church follows Arminianism, if they teach pre-tribulation rapture and you believe in pre-wrath or any similar doctrinal disagreement points, these are not false teachings. We must agree on the basics of the Christian faith and salvation but extend grace on those points where theologians have different positions.
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, equip yourselves also with the same resolve —because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin — 2 in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God’s will. 3 For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the pagans choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4 So they are surprised that you don’t plunge with them into the same flood of wild living—and they slander you. 5 They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged by men in the fleshly realm, they might live by God in the spiritual realm. (HCSB)
The majority of this passage is relatively straightforward and easy to understand. It is only the last verse that presents a challenge, but more on that later. By starting this passage with the word “therefore” Peter is tying this section into what was discussed in 3:18–22, that Christ’s suffering was the road to victory. Since Jesus suffered in the flesh, believers should prepare themselves to suffer as this indicates that they are no longer letting sin have control over them.
Verse 1
Peter’s point is for believers to prepare themselves for suffering. The term “equip yourselves” is related to military preparation and its use in other passages compares the life of a believer to the life of a warrior.
Romans 6:13b – But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.
Romans 13:12b – So let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 – But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation.
The military language implies that discipline and perseverance are needed to live as a Christian, with an attitude that suffering will come at some point. Just like soldiers prepare and train for battle, Christians must prepare for suffering.
The challenging part of this verse is the reference to “finished with sin.” The logical question is who this is referring to. There are three possible interpretations.
Jesus – The most apparent reason to reject this interpretation is that Jesus never sinned. Those who support this interpretation do so on the grounds that Jesus took on the sins of the world as He went to the cross. Still, this interpretation should be rejected.
Christians – Any believer who has died is freed from sin. Romans 6 says that believers have died with Jesus, via baptism, to the power of sin. However, this interpretation should also be rejected.
Christians who accept and embrace their suffering – These believers have finished with sin because they cease to participate in those activities and they endure the persecution that accompanies that decision. This commitment reveals a passion for a new way of life that is not yet perfect but is still different from the unbelievers around them. This is the correct interpretation.
Verse 2
Believers prepare themselves to suffer so that the remainder of their lives are a reflection of pursuing God’s will and not the desires of their flesh. However long they live, believers are to live with passion pursuing God. Pursuing God invests the remainder of our life in activity that is lasting and satisfying. However, following the world leads us to waste the remainder of life and face regret when we stand before Jesus.
Verse 3
For the person who has submitted to the lordship of Jesus, they’ve already spent enough time chasing the desires of the flesh. They are not to participate in those activities anymore. Peter gives a list of actions to be avoided.
Unrestrained behavior – Behavior completely lacking in moral restraint, often pertaining promiscuous sexual behavior.
Evil desires – To strongly desire what belongs to someone else, to covet or lust after the possessions of others.
Drunkenness – Means what it says, to be drunk.
Orgies – Out of control drinking parties with associated immoral behavior.
Carousing – Also describes out of control social drinking parties.
Lawless idolatry – Unholy and profane lifestyles.
The activities in this list were uncommon in religiously devout Jews, but were common place in the practice of Gentiles.
Verse 4
Because of the difference in behavior between the pagans and the Christians, they are now facing persecution for their faith. However, the persecution at this point is from individuals and not from any government or groups. The activities listed under verse three were normal and expected in the Greco-Roman culture and when people choose not to participate it was seen as going against societal norms. In the culture at the time of this letter public festivals, where the “gods” were celebrated was considered a civic duty of citizens, as well as worship of the emperor. Those who chose not to participate would be viewed as social outcasts. It is easy to envision that believers would be discriminated against and the object of abuse.
Verse 5
As he does throughout this letter, Peter focuses the readers on the last days and judgment. At the present time for the recipients of this letter the pagans may have enjoyed the upper hand in society, with the perks of advancement and recognition. However, that was a temporal state that would be turned on its head on the day of judgment. Whatever advantages the pagans enjoyed at the moment was not to be desired by believers. By holding fast to the faith and pursuing the will of God they would be vindicated at the time of judgment. No matter how difficult the circumstances they must not fall back into old practices.
Verse 6
We now get to what I referenced in the introduction as the most difficult verse in the passage.
The first thing to note is that the word “for” links this verse to the preceding verses. At the same time “for this reason” points ahead to the purpose “so that.” But before moving on we need to determine what Peter meant by “the gospel was preached to those who are now dead.” Here are some possibilities.
Peter is referring to the spiritually dead.
Avoids an interpretive problem of the Gospel being preached to those who are physically dead and agrees with Paul’s position that unbelievers are spiritually dead.
However Peter never used the word “dead” (nekros) to talk about spiritual death. Plus, the word “dead” in the previous verse is clearly talking about physical death.
Context doesn’t support this possibility.
Peter is talking about the physically dead.
Those who support this possibility often refer to 1 Peter 3:19. However, if you remember from the last lesson this verse talks about Jesus proclaiming His victory over sin and death, and not a proclamation of the Gospel message.
The verb “was also preached” talks about the preaching of Christ, not the preaching by Christ. This preaching was done by believers.
This view implies that the Gospel was preached to all the dead after their physical death. This would suggest a second chance for everyone. However, Scripture is clear that there is no second chance. Hebrews 9:27a And just as it is appointed for people to die once–and after this, judgment.
Peter is talking about believers who have experienced physical death.
Unbelievers viewed the physical death of believers as proof that there was no advantage to being a Christian, as everyone dies.
However, the unbeliever’s viewpoint misses the understanding of the Gospel. A believer experiences physical death but receives eternal spiritual life in heaven.
Physical death is not the last word. Rather, it is a new and eternal beginning.
We should embrace this interpretation as the correct understanding of the verse.
Applications.
Prepare yourself daily to live as a follower of Jesus. Every day the world slips further into depravity and sinful behavior. As a believer, we must spend time reading Scripture, praying, gathering with other believers, and sharing the Gospel with the lost. This won’t happen by itself, it takes preparation and dedication on our part.
Turn away from sinful desires and practices. Find an accountability partner or group to meet with and share your struggles. Don’t wait to ask for help as you might find yourself mired in sinful practices before you realize it. Challenge fellow believers if you see them participating in or even condoning sinful behavior.
We must never lose sight of the fact that we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Will we stand in assurance of salvation, or despair in eternal separation from God? Will we be rewarded for living fruitful lives, or will be ashamed of all the wasted opportunities? Regardless of what you’ve done before you can make a decision right now to living fruitful life, glorifying God in the process and resting in the full assurance of your salvation.
Today’s lesson begins a study on 1 Peter. Before digging into the first passage to discuss, let’s set the stage with some background information.
Destination and Situation of the Readers: Written to the churches in Asia Minor who were faced with suffering and persecution for their faith.
Date: Likely around A.D. 62-63 before Nero’s persecution begins.
Author: The author claims to be Peter, and there is no evidence in the writer’s letter to disagree with his authorship.
Theme: To encourage believers to hold fast while they endure the suffering and persecution of the present evil age, knowing that they will receive a great reward on the day of salvation.
Theology: The author presents three theological lessons in this book.
Hope in the midst of suffering.
Christians belong to the ancestral people of God.
The blessings that believers enjoy now or hope to enjoy in the future, Christ’s death and resurrection, and Christ’s victory over all evil spiritual beings.
Now, let’s look at today’s lesson.
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ:
To the temporary residents dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
A Living Hope
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 5 You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things. (HCSB)
Verses 1-2
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To the temporary residents dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Some things to note about these first two verses.
The introduction is not in a standard format for letters of the period.
Peter introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus.
This should not be interpreted as being merely a messenger of Christ.
Jesus designated Peter as an authoritative messenger and interpreter of the Gospel.
This means that the letter is not just good advice; it is a binding apostolic word for the church.
The letter is addressed to “the temporary residents.” Other translations may say “pilgrims.”
Because they are “chosen” by God, they are residing temporarily on earth.
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.
Their true home is in heaven.
They are “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God.” This is a challenging concept to wrap our brains around, and there is much discussion and debate on the ideas of predestination and foreknowledge. The two main camps are the Calvinists and the Arminians, and what makes it even more challenging is that Scripture can support both of their positions. I won’t get into a lengthy and detailed discussion of the two camps, as that would be an entire lesson. The important point to reflect on here is that the recipients of the letter are believers of the Gospel.
Romans 8:29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we must always thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
This is a cyclical letter intended for each of the churches listed, located in modern-day Turkey.
The believers are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Conversion is not just an intellectual understanding of the Gospel.
It involves obedience and submission to the Gospel.
They have been cleansed by the sacrificial blood of Jesus.
Entrance into the New Covenant has two parts.
Obedience to the Gospel.
Cleansing through the sacrificial blood of Jesus.
The Trinity is contained in the introduction, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It closes with a prayer that grace and peace be multiplied in their lives.
Verses 3-5
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 5 You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Peter begins this section with the theme for the entire passage, praise for God.
Because He has given us a new birth.
None of us can take credit for the new birth.
It is entirely through God’s grace and mercy.
He has given us a living hope.
The resurrection of Jesus.
Victory over death.
Everything they could suffer in this world is insignificant compared with the future blessings of resurrection and eternity with God.
He has given us an inheritance.
In the Old Testament, the land was the inheritance.
In the New Covenant, Peter understands that the inheritance is the end-time hope that all believers have.
Our eternal home is in heaven.
It is still a physical hope: a new heaven and a new earth.
2 Peter 3:13 But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell.
Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth has passed away, and the sea no longer existed.
However, the focus on salvation should be on our future glory.
Inheritance is another way of looking at our salvation. Our full and final inheritance will be received in the new heaven and new earth.
It will be revealed in the last time; our salvation is a future event.
Believers can rest in the assurance that God’s power will protect them through their trials here and bring them to salvation.
This doesn’t mean we won’t’ experience trials.
But God will preserve us so that we will receive our final inheritance.
This requires faith on our part.
God’s protection works in conjunction with our believing.
The root of sin is unbelief.
If we are faithful, God’s power protects us from unbelief and sin.
Verses 6-9
6 You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
In verses 3-5, the focus was on praise to God. Now, in verses 6-9, the focus shifts to joy and love, even as they face various trials.
There are two types of trials.
Those brought on by our own poor choices.
Those that God allows us to experience to shape and mold us for greater works and keep us on the narrow path.
Acts 14:22 Strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God.”
Romans 5:3-4 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.
James 1:2-4 Consider it great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
These trials are never enjoyable, but God is working out His plan through them.
The persecutions of Christians under the rule of Nero were starting at the time this letter was written.
Nero’s persecution was the first of nine conducted by the Roman Empire.
The persecutions lasted for about 250 years.
Peter’s death was likely during this first persecution.
Verse 7
Why does God allow us to suffer?
Suffering functions as the test for faith.
Those with genuine faith will persevere through the trials.
They will continue to trust God even in the deepest valleys of suffering.
Their faith will be strengthened and purified through the sufferings.
Their transformation into Christ-likeness includes the ability to undergo suffering to glorify God.
Those who have a shallow or false faith will not persevere through the sufferings. In the end, they will be seen as false Christians.
The trials of life test our faith to prove its sincerity. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. A person who abandons their faith when the going gets tough is only proving that they had no faith at all.
We also suffer because our “new life” values are in direct conflict with a fallen and sinful world. In our current world, this has led to secularism and pluralism negatively affecting the church-many hot topics in the world clash with the truth of Scripture.
Same-sex marriage.
All religions lead to the same God and heaven.
Relative truth, each of us has our own set of truth values, and we must accept and respect the truths of others.
The idea that some portions of Scripture are a fairy tale.
The lack of personal responsibility and accountability. I can do anything I want. I’m not at fault for my actions.
There are more, but in each case, the values of a follower of Jesus are in direct conflict with the world.
Verse 8
What is our hope based on?
The end of verse 7 answers that, the revelation of Jesus, and verse 8 expounds on it.
Our sufferings should not make us miserable.
Our lives should be filled with love for Jesus.
Jesus is precious to those who believe in Him.
The recipients of the letter, and us, have never seen Him, yet we believe in Him.
Believing is not based on seeing. John 20:29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”
Peter’s main point here is that the hope of believers is not destroyed by the trials they undergo. Their lives are characterized by a hope that fills the present with love and joy while they wait for the eternal joy in anticipation. If we trust Jesus with our present salvation, we can also trust Him with our future salvation.
Verse 9
This expounds on the previous verse be defining the reward awaiting those who believe in Jesus.
The reason for the believer’s love and joy is the promise of future salvation.
We see from verse 5 that it will be completed “in the last time.”
This doesn’t mean that salvation isn’t a present-tense idea.
As in many places in the Bible, this is an “already, not yet” concept that will not reach its completion until Jesus returns.
Believers enjoy salvation now but will experience its fullness at a future date.
Verses 10-12
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things.
Verse 10
This verse builds upon the previous verse in expanding upon the idea of salvation.
The salvation that was prophesied in the past, the recipients of the letter were now experiencing.
Believers in Jesus are the fulfillment of prophecy.
The prophecy was intended for Peter’s readers.
This salvation was not experienced in the same way by the Old Testament prophets.
God’s grace through the New Covenant.
The prophets carefully investigated the salvation they prophesied about.
Verse 11
The prophets didn’t live in the time of fulfillment.
Their prophecies were inspired by the Spirit of Christ, indicating authority and accuracy.
The prophets predicted these events but didn’t know when they would occur.
They hoped to experience the fulfillment of their prophecies.
The recipients of the letter do live in the time of fulfillment.
The prophets discovered that Jesus would first suffer and only after that would glory follow.
Often, this is a pattern in our lives.
Suffering is not a sign that Jesus has forsaken us.
Suffering is a sign of our fellowship with Jesus.
Suffering does not reduce the living hope given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Verse 12
Although the prophets desired to live in the time of fulfillment, God revealed to them that they would not experience it.
The Old Testament prophecies do not apply to the recipients but were intended for them.
The prophets were guided by the Spirit of Christ, but those who evangelize the Gospel message do so through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel fulfills what is contained in the Old Testament.
Believers are blessed to live in the time of prophetic fulfillment. Matthew 13:16-17 “But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear! For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.”
Angels don’t experience the Gospel in the same way that humans do since they are not the recipients of redemption.
Angels marvel at what God has done through the sacrifice of Jesus.
The recipients of the letter actually experience it.
Applications.
Do we consider ourselves “temporary residents” of the earth? As a follower of Christ, our identity is in Him and not our country, ethnicity, the school we attended, job, etc. This may be hard for some to come to grips with, but our true identity is not defined by anything on this earth.
As a follower of Christ, our future hope is secure. Do you really believe that, or do you struggle with the assurance of your salvation? If you believe in the infallible truth of Scripture, you should never doubt your salvation if you have placed your trust in Jesus. Doubting is the ploy of the enemy to hamper your work for God.
All of us will suffer trials as we go through life. Some of us will suffer more than others. Do you focus on the present trial, or do you focus on the future assurance?
Understand that biblical salvation is offensive to the culture we live in. As we share the Gospel message, we will face opposition. Some opposition may be minor, but some could be quite violent. Our task, both individually and corporately as the church, is to faithfully and boldly preach the true Gospel message whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself.
Diggin' in the Word 