A Quick Note

I am in the middle of our busiest season of the year on the camp grounds, so I'll get back to this blog in early fall, when things slow down.  I do keep up with a once a week blog entry on my Journal Pie, however.

I Peter 2:1-3 - Growing in Christ

I Peter 2:1-3

Verse 1

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. (NIV)

So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. (NLT)

Peter continues to address the people he was writing with their need of unity amongst themselves. They needed to be a community that displayed Godly love and supported one another after being in exile so long, and under such extreme conditions. They truly needed one another. Any evil activities or attitudes needed to be stopped. By “rid yourselves” he meant “QUIT!”

Any nature that wants to harm others, or envies others, has to be destroyed. Envy will often show itself by slandering another. Deceit and hypocrisy comes out of a person who wants to impress others by pretending to be something he/she is not. Such a person is two-faced and does not have pure motives for what he/she does.

A person who sincerely repents turns away from such ways and turns to a life of truth and love. When one possesses the mind of Christ, he/she seeks the good of others. The closer we walk with Christ, the more our desires become like His.

Verse 2-3

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it your may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (NIV)

You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk; now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. (NLT)

Just as a baby craves milk, new born babes in Christ should crave spiritual milk, which is the Word of God. Babies grow when they are fed, and so do new Christians. The mind must be fed with the pure milk of the truth found in God's Word. It is a source of nourishment that can be trusted.

Once we find out how satisfying the truth of God is, we should long for additional nourishment. We have found God's grace through our redemption, and we know that He is good...all the time. May our spiritual cravings take us into His Word so that we may grow strong and wise through our time with Him.

The Distinctive Marks of a Christian - (I Peter 1:13-25) - Conclusion

When we claim the name of Christ we are identifying whose family we belong to.  God is a holy God and, as we represent Him to our world, we must also bear the family image of holiness.  In a world that is extremely materialistic and self-obsessed and deceitful, there is a cry for someone to be distinctively different, someone who will stand for truth and purity and integrity.  


It must grieve God's heart to look on His children and see how much they mimic the world's lifestyle.  He has called us to live a higher calling, a life that is set apart for His service.  After all He has done for us, and knowing He is our ultimate Judge, dare we live below our calling?  Through yielding to His Spirit's leading in our moment by moment decisions, we can walk as Christ walked and re-echo God's call to all of humanity to be holy and pure.

"Oh, to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer.

Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee!  Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart!

The Distinctive Mark of Brotherly Love - I Peter 1:22-25 - Part B

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  (v. 23)


"Born again", just like "purified" from the previous verse, is a perfect participle in Greek.  This signifies one decisive act in the past that has abiding results in the present.  Because we have been born again is another reason why we should love one another.


Peter gives us a firm foundation to build on in this verse by indicating that God is at work in the life of a believer, through His eternal Word. This is not just a temporary work, but something that will last for all time and eternity.  Through His Word He is continually cleansing us and preparing us for our destination with Him.


For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."   And this is the word that was preached to you.  (v. 24-25)


In these verses Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8.  He reminds us that one day everything in life will pass away.  God alone is eternal.  We need to quit focusing on the temporary things and situations of this life, and begin focusing on God and His Word.  Our life in Christ is all that will last for eternity.


God's Word continues to speak to men down through the ages because it is truth, and truth never changes.  The Word is living and abiding because the Holy Spirit continues to confirm God's truth in us.

The Distinctive Mark of Brotherly Love - I Peter 1:22-25 - Part A

These verses give us the consequences of holy living in that Peter talks about the attitude of Christians toward one another.  After believers have received new life from God, they express this new life in new ways...such as in brotherly love.


Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.  (verse 22)


The truth is what searches out motives.  It comes from God's Word and is the tool that the Spirit uses to bring about God's desired results in our lives.  God produces purification through His Word and His Spirit by our being yielded to the Spirit and not giving is to our own selfish desires and impulses.  Purity in the Old Testament referred to ceremonial purification, but in the New Testament it refers to moral purification, being delivered from the power of sin in our lives.  As we are obedient to truth, which is the living and eternal Word of God, we are purified and the love of Jesus compels us to love others.


As we yield to the Spirit, the fruit of love for our brothers is produced in our hearts.  This happens because we are filled with love for Jesus, which compels us to show love and kindness to others.  If we have little love for Jesus, we also have little love for others.  As we walk close to the Lord, love for Christ overflows towards others.  There is no substitute for love for our brothers in practical, everyday Christianity.  How much we give to the Lord's work, and how much time we spend in personal meditation, is without merit if we do not also love and serve others.  A Christian without love is not fruitful, or even usable, in God's kingdom.


This love must come from the heart and be sincere.  That means it is free from hypocrisy and evil.  When love comes from a heart that has been purified, it is genuine...one does not have to play-act.  Sincere love is selfless, not self-centered.  The love of God sets one free from focusing on one's self and refocuses on meeting the needs of others.  Just as Christ gave of Himself sacrificially, we are to follow His example and sacrifice ourselves by serving others with a love that is fervent.

The Distinctive Mark of Godly Fear - I Peter 1:17-21 - Part C

He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.  (I Peter 1:20)


God made provision for the cross before creation was ordered.  He was not surprised when man fell, but already had a remedy prepared for what He foreknew would happen.  Actually, all of history is based on the cross and Christ's sacrifice at Calvary.  God uniquely gave us history in reverse as the Old Testament retrogresses from the cross.  The New Testament progresses from the cross.  But in both the Old and New Testaments the theme is redemption by blood.


Proof that Christ preexisted comes from the fact that He was revealed.  He will be revealed again soon.  "These last days" refers to the period beginning with the first revelation of Christ, the incarnation, and extends to His second coming, or revelation.  In Peter's time people thought the second coming of Christ was near at hand.  When Peter said Christ was revealed "for your sake", he was giving his readers confidence that they were personally cared for by God.


Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.  (I Peter 1:21)


Peter gives two grounds for coming to God.  First of all we can count on God, have confidence in Him.  What God had done for Jesus by raising Him from the dead, He will also do for His obedient children.  And secondly, we can expect to share in Christ's glory, which gives us hope.  Glory is all that God has done to exalt Christ and give Him great honor.  The same will be ours.

The Distinctive Mark of Godly Fear - I Peter 1:17-21 - Part B

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  (I Peter 1:18-19)


The ransom price that Christ paid was not material, such as silver or gold, but it was His own precious blood, His very life.  He became our sacrificial lamb.  He did not die for His own sin, because He had no sin, but He became the atonement for the sins of others.  A slave could be redeemed through the payment of money, but the only escape we have from sin is through the payment of Christ's blood.  His blood was not called precious until after it was shed at Calvary.  Precious indicates it was of pure quality, of total perfection.


Christ was the perfect fulfillment of all Old Testament sacrifices.  The key phrase here is "a lamb without blemish or defect".  The lamb typifies the innocence, purity, meekness and suffering of Jesus.  Without spot or blemish corresponds to the Passover ritual requirement where the sacrificial lamb had to be perfect without any flaw.  In applying this to Jesus, it meant He was morally perfect.  This sacrificial outpouring of the blood of Jesus should humble us in gratefulness to God for what He has done for us.


to be continued...

The Distinctive Mark of Godly Fear - I Peter 1:17-21 - Part A

Peter reminds the believers that as Christians they are temporary sojourners on this earth and that they ought to live in awe of God.  After all, who are we that we should have an intimate family relationship with the Judge and King of all earth?


Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.   (I Peter 1:17)


It is an awesome privilege to call God, who is the Judge over all, our Father.  It means we cannot ignore God or treat Him casually, or live as spoiled children.  Rather, we are to be grateful and show respect to our heavenly Father.  God does not play favorites and therefore judges impartially according to each one's deeds.  However, His judgement is ultimate, and because of this there should be a holy reverence for God by living in obedience, and shunning evil.


Sojourners, or strangers in a foreign land, do not have the rights of citizenship, but are only temporary residents, such as Israel was in Egypt.  In that same manner, Christians are only temporary residents on this earth, and must live as though they do not belong here...nor do they plan to stay.


to be continued...

The Distinctive Mark of Holiness - I Peter 1:13-16 - Part B

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  (I Peter 1:14)


Peter goes on to stress that just as the Hebrews had to abandon their Egyptian habits of life after the Exodus, baptized Christians must also abandon their pagan past.  There must be a complete break with the old way of living.  Passions and desires that lead one to self-indulgence of natural appetites keep one separated from God.  If one is controlled by having his drives satisfied, he will easily slip back into his old way of living, following after worldly and evil impulses.  Once they are delivered from their ignorance of God, Christians should no longer be conformed to the mindset of this day, which is characterized by lust, but they should be controlled by the Spirit of God...not the spirit of self.  They should forsake anything that displeases Christ.


But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written:  "Be holy, because I am holy."  (I Peter 1:15-16)


God is holy in that He is "set apart" from sin.  His nature of holiness emphasizes His moral perfection and perfect goodness.  Basically holiness is a separation from anything that is evil.  When believers are consecrated to a holy God, they take on His character, living in obedience to His will by practicing moral integrity and shunning evil.  As members of God's family, we are to reproduce the family likeness and pattern our behavior after God's holy standards.  His priorities now become ours.


Only through the Holy Spirit are we able to overcome sin and live obediently before God.  God has called us to holiness and as we yield to the Spirit's leading moment by moment, He works His holiness out in us.  It is our love for Christ that compels us to live holy lives.  The more we love Him, the more we desire to please Him.  The inward holiness produced by the indwelling of the Spirit expresses itself outwardly in honorable actions that are pleasing to God.


God's call to holiness is an imperative and cannot be ignored.  It involves our total life-style, and calls for a separation from this world's values.  It is more than just refraining from evil, it is also living a life of service for God.  We have fellowship with God when we are obedient.  We live victoriously when we forsake sin.  But it is only as we live holy lives that others are convinced of the reality of a holy God.  If we want to attract others to Christ, we cannot live a carnal and worldly life-style.  People want to see what kind of difference God can make in their lives.  What kind of statement does our life-style make?


Again, I state that the only way one can live this life of holiness, separated from sin and evil, is by being filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us to conform to the character and likeness of Christ.  It is the Holy Spirit who produces the holy fruit in our lives.

The Distinctive Mark of Holiness - I Peter 1:13-16 - Part A

God has a twofold purpose for His people:  first, that they practice obedience and do His will; and second, that they become like Him, growing in holiness.  Prior to conversion a person is dominated by his own desires, but after his adoption into the family of God, he must seek to bear the family resemblance of holiness.  Our text starts out by giving us the practical consequences of regeneration and results that follow receiving the Gospel.


Therefore, prepare your minds for action, be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  (v. 13)


The KJV and the RSV render "prepare your minds for action" as "gird up your mind".  What is being said here is to be alert and ready in spiritual and mental attitude.  In antiquity people wore long robes, but when participating in strenuous activity the robe was tied up, or "girded up", to make sure it would not be in the way.  Peter's use of this metaphor may also have referred back to the night the Israelites were to start on their journey from Egypt to Canaan.  They were prepared to leave  even as they ate their lamb, with the loins girded, shoes on their feet, and staff in their hand.  Here, however, Peter is concerned about the mind rather than the body.  The active response of the mind is to forsake evil, not only in deed and word, but also in thought.  Our thoughts must come from the Lord and not from the media and secular publications, for those are rarely pure.


Peter goes on to exhort us to be self-controlled.  A contrast to self-control is self-indulgence.  It is obvious that self-indulgence, or a lack of discipline, leads to deterioration, but self-control leads to a calm and steady life that is well-balanced and able to make clear judgments.


Our hope stems from the grace God has given us.  We have salvation only in part in the present, but when Jesus comes back our salvation will be fully accomplished.  Therefore our hope is not in the insignificant rewards of this life, but in the rewards at the return of Christ.  We enjoy salvation and sanctification now, but when Jesus returns we will be transformed and glorified, even as He was.  This hope is the lighthouse in the darkness of the night.  When we anticipate the return of Christ, we are motivated to live holy lives and follow the example of Christ in our behavior by forsaking sin and obeying God.


to be continued

The Distinctive Marks of a Christian - (I Peter 1:13-25) - Background and Context

Introduction Notes:
When I was in seminary I wrote a paper for a class on I Peter 1:13-25 titled, "The Distinctive Marks of a Christian".  For the next several blog posts I will be using that paper, broken down into sections.  The first one is:


Background and Context


First Peter was written during a time of great persecution throughout the Roman empire under Emperor Nero.  The church in Jerusalem was scattered throughout the Mediterranean world, and Christians were facing torture and death on account of their faith.  Peter himself, the author of this epistle, was probably a victim of this persecution, being executed in Rome.  However, Peter had been persecuted many times since his proclamation on the day of Pentecost.  It was to encourage the suffering Christians that Peter penned this letter sometime around A.D. 63, no doubt from Rome, to the believers, but particularly to the Jewish Christians that had been drive out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Asia Minor.  


In the midst of persecution and suffering it is easy to lose hope.  Once hope is gone, despair sets in, and it becomes easier to surrender one's faith and give in to the pressures of the surrounding forces of evil.  The followers of Christ were being abused for their belief in and obedience to Jesus.  But Peter had an unshakable faith in his risen Lord, and he wrote to his fellow Christians to urge them to continue to be loyal to Jesus.  He had a message of comfort and hope that they needed to hear as a lifeline to hold on to their faith.  God had called them to live lives distinctively set apart from the pagan world, for which He would reward them at the return of Christ.


Peter starts his letter with thanksgiving to God for salvation (1:2-6). He then explains how faith is refined through various trials (1:7-9).  He urged the Christians to look beyond their present circumstances and recall what Christ had done for them, bringing to them the salvation that the prophets had wrote about (1:10-12).  In response to what Christ had done for them, Peter exhorts the believers about their distinctive call and the marks they should bear as baptized Christians.  These marks are:

1. Holiness (1:13-16)
2. Godly Fear (1:17-21)
3. Brotherly Love (1:22-25)

It is this message of Peter that we need to hear again today.  Perhaps we are not currently suffering persecution or trials such as the early Christians faced, but there is a subtle world view that seems to be overtaking the church world in vast numbers.  Soldiers, weary from the battle and waiting, are surrendering to the enemy, willing to trade eternal life for immediate gratification and momentary pleasures.  We will not survive in this battle for the Kingdom if we are not fully committed to God's call on our life to be holy.  Let's take a closer look at the message from Peter.

(to be continued in the next blog)

Even Angels Stand in Awe - I Peter 1:12

I Peter 1:12 – Even Angels Stand in Awe

They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours. And now this Good News has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen . (NLT)

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (NIV)

The one thing the prophets did know is that it would not happen in their life time. They knew it was a future event. Peter says it was an event which happened during the life time of his readers (the Christian communities, mostly Gentiles living in Pontius, Galatia, Capadocia, Asia, and Bythinia.) The Good News/Gospel of Jesus Christ was announced and preached to these believers. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets to foretell the events of Christ's life has now prompted Peter and Paul and many others to proclaim that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has made it possible for everyone alike (Jews and Gentiles) to have eternal life in heaven with Jesus. Even the angels stand amazed as they watch these events unfold. Like a heavenly choir watching the drama unfold, and then lifting their voices in praise and adoration to God. (CDC)

In this verse Peter continues to refer to the prophets. They knew that the coming of the Messiah would not happen in their life time, but they were faithful to speak forth the messages that were given to them by God's Holy Spirit. The messages they spoke never became outdated, like our news of today. They foretold of the good news that would make an eternal difference. It was a message for all generations...the salvation of God.

Peter reminds us in this verse that even the heavenly hosts...the angels themselves are not able to experience the results of the messages that the prophets spoke. The angels want to gain insight into salvation, for they stand in awe at the wonder of God's redemptive purpose.

I guess the best way to describe what this verse is saying to us is to listen to the words and music of the song, “A Song Holy Angels Cannot Sing.” I posted it on my blog before I actually began blogging about the individual verses. I was studying these first 12 verses of I Peter, and that song came to mind, but I couldn't recall the exact words, nor the title. Then somehow my husband was able to research it on the web and found it recorded by the North Valley Baptist Church (I don't know where the church is located). So with delight I again post the web site for you to listen to the song. I will write the words below so you can sing along:

“Angels never knew the joy that is mine,
For the blood has never washed their sins away;
Though they sing in heaven, there will come a time
When silently they'll listen to me sing "Amazing Grace".

Chorus:
It's a song holy angels cannot sing,
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!
It's a song holy angels cannot sing,
I once was lost, but now I'm found!

Holy is the LORD, the angels sing,
All around the throne of GOD continually;
For me to join their song will be a natural thing,
But they just won't know the words to "Love Lifted Me".

Chorus:
It's a song holy angels cannot sing,
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!
It's a song holy angels cannot sing,
I once was lost, but now I'm found!”


There's a button here to listen to it...http://north-valley-baptist-church-a-song-holy--mp3-download.kohit.net/_/417713/mp3player.php?single=1&tellafriend=http://North-Valley-Baptist-Church-A-Song-Holy--mp3-download.kohit.net/_/417713&id=417713.  

The Prophets Didn't Understand

I Peter 1: 10-11 – The Prophets Didn't Understand

This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean. They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would happen. (NLT)

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. (NIV)

Even the prophets who foretold of God's salvation didn't understand what it meant. They wanted to know more...they spoke as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, but they didn't have all the answers. They foretold of the great sorrow and suffering the Son of God would go through...and His victory over sin and death...but they didn't know when it would happen, how it would happen, and to whom it would happen. (CDC)

The prophets of the Old Testament were inspired by the same Spirit of Christ that Peter refers to in these verses. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead who was also present at creation. He prompted the prophets to write of the sufferings that Jesus would go through, and the ultimate glory that Christ would receive. They didn't understand all that they predicted, but they were faithful to deliver God's message. God spoke through His Spirit in their day, but it wasn't until the death of Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit would actually dwell within man...the Gift that Jesus sent on the day of Pentecost...the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Although the prophets spoke about the salvation of Christ, it was not for them to witness the life and death of Jesus. This is sometimes too mysterious for us to understand, even though we live on this side of the cross, and the prophets lived before the cross. Isaiah wrote “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Isaiah 53:3-5 predicts the suffering of Jesus Christ:

He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. (NLT)

The prophets were very diligent in their search to understand the message of the grace of God. However, they lived in the day of predictions, not the day of fulfillment. The sufferings of Christ which Isaiah foretold climaxed at the cross, but His glories climaxed at His resurrection. What seems to be true is that neither Jesus, nor His followers, receive a crown of glory without first wearing the crown of thorns.

What the prophets foretold in the Old Testament became the message of the Gospels in the New Testament. The preachers of the New Testament had the power of the Holy Spirit within them...the same Spirit who inspired the prophets of the Old Testament. Therefore the preachers of the New Testament understood the Old Testament teachings of Jesus Christ, such as Isaiah 53, because of the witness of the same Spirit dwelling in them. No doubt the prophets would have aspired to be the apostles if they had understood everything clearly. How they would have loved to have walked with God's Son and seen the miracles that He performed. However, God had a time and a place and a purpose for the prophets; and He had a time and a place and a purpose for the apostles...the preachers of the New Testament.

God also has a reason for our existence and the times we are living in. We have been born for such a time as this. We must be like the prophets of old, having faith in God, even when we don't understand the outcome. All He asks is that we trust Him. I plan to do just that...how about you? There are a lot of things I don't understand...why evil seems to prevail, why the saints of God have to suffer, and innocent children are abused. We are living in vile times...but we are not out of God's control. He is sovereign, and one day He will reveal Himself to the whole world, and He will reign forever and ever. I plan to join Him...so I am content to allow Him to be in charge. I wait on Him, and trust Him all the while. Join me.

Our Final Salvation - Verse 9

I Peter 1:9 – Our Final Salvation

Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. (NLT)

...for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (NIV)

Our prize, our great reward, for trusting and believing in One we have not seen or touched is the final salvation of our souls...the final glorification into perfection...the end result of a perfect life that will last forever and will never face another trial, will never experience another rejection, will never feel another pain, will never shed another tear. (CDC)

“All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore, What a day, glorious day that will be.” (“What A Day That Will Be”)

We can rejoice because we know that one day we will be delivered from limitations of this life. We have a guaranteed deliverance which will result in the perfection and glorification of our bodies. Our salvation is a very present reality, but the fullness of that salvation...the goal of our faith...will occur when we are set free from this earth and these bodies.

Our trials here will all be ended as our souls are transported to the great reward ceremony in heaven. The Hebraic meaning of “souls” includes the whole person. We will join our loved ones at the greatest banquet of them all.

Paul was referring to the final salvation...the glorification of our souls when he reminded the Romans:

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. (Rom 5:3-4)

No matter what we are going through in this body, on this earth, if we will allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and develop endurance and strength of character, we will build our confidence and our faith in knowing what is sure, what is to come...our final salvation, our glorification, our entrance into our heavenly home. And this is not the end, but only the beginning of a perfect life, an eternal life, a life without strife. We will see our Hope revealed.

“Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning!” (Bill Gaither)

Joy in the Midst of Trials - I Peter 1:8

I Peter 1:8 – Joy in the Midst of Trials

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. (NLT)

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, (NIV)

Faith is believing in things not seen. It is because of our faith, our belief in Jesus Christ, that we love Him, even though we have never seen Him. Faith...Belief...Trust...they all bring us into a relationship that fills us with joy unspeakable and full of glory. (CDC)

Peter was with Jesus for three intense years. He remembers many things that Jesus said, things he could not always understand. Some of the words recorded by John have made their way into this letter by Peter: Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:29 NLT) We don't see Jesus, but our faith tells us He is with us. He stands with us in our fiery trials just as He did for the three Hebrew boys when they were thrown in the furnace. (see Daniel 3:19-27)

This letter was written to believers who had not been eyewitnesses to the miracles and ministry of Jesus Christ. Even though they had not see Him, they still believed in Jesus and loved Him deeply. They were living in a right relationship with Him, and therefore they were able to find joy even in the middle of their sufferings.

The “joy” Peter talks about in this verse is a fruit of the Spirit. It doesn't come from having everything we want, or everything going well in our lives...it comes from being in a right relationship with Jesus and having His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, guiding us, encouraging us.

Purified by Trials - I Peter 1:7

I Peter 1:7 – Purified by Trials

These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (NLT)

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (NIV)

In order for our faith to grow, we must face trials. Only as we trust God to see us through our tribulations is our faith made stronger. Through fiery trials we are purified, becoming more and more like the Son of God, Jesus Christ. (CDC)

There are three reasons we go through trials: 1) to keep us humble; 2) to help our faith grow; and 3) to teach us compassion. We are being refined as we go through the firey trials of life, for God is in the business of purifying us. The purpose of purification is so we begin to have a glowing likeness to Jesus Christ.

Sometimes in our times of troubles we feel like we are being pulled downstream by a rapid current. However, God knows exactly where we are. When He delivers us out of the raging waters, in His timing, we are turned back around to face the river. As we see others going through their distresses and disappointments, God gives us compassion to reach out to them. When we do, we bring glory and honor to Him.  Somehow He uses these experiences to make us stronger...to make us more in the image of His Son.

Other New Testament authors have written letters that reinforce what Peter has written:

• Paul writes in Romans 5:3: We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. (NIV)

• James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (NLT)

Our faith is much more precious to God than gold. Gold is purified by fire, but our faith is refined and made pure by going through fiery trials and tests. When we come through those times in our our lives, we are made stronger in our faith, and our character is shaped more into the character of Christ. God loves us so much He wants to make us in the image of His Son...He wants to perfect us.

I don't know about you, but I am one who needs perfecting. God is the only One I can trust with that process. I don't need to fear, because He is going through this process of life with me. Meanwhile, He is preparing a place for me in heaven where there will be no more testing, no more trials, no tears, no heartaches, no sorrow. All will be peace forever more! (John 14:1-3).