Peter's Letters
2 - A Great Salvation
Peter wrote his first letter to believers who were suffering various trials because of their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Their faith was receiving a hammering and he wrote to encourage them to stand fast in the grace of God (1 Peter 5 verse 12).
He writes to believers in an area that covers most of modern Turkey and he reminds them that one day they will see Jesus. “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” (1 Peter 1 verse 8).
Peter, of course, had seen Jesus. He was one of the ‘eyewitnesses of His majesty’ on Transfiguration mountain (2 Peter 1:16-18) and he was ‘a witness of Christ’s sufferings’ (1 Peter 5 verse 1). But hadn’t Peter heard the Master say, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”? (John 20 verse 29). Loving Christ brings rejoicing to your heart. Do you love Him? Are you a rejoicing Christian or a believer with a long face as if there’s just been a multiple pile-up on the motorway? Joyless Christians should be sued under the Trade Descriptions Act!
The Old Testament prophets wondered whether Christ would come in their day. ‘They searched intently and with the greatest care’. They spoke of ‘the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow’, but, like the saints Peter is writing to, they did not see Him.
This great salvation, this gospel that has been preached ‘by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven’ is a baffling affair. Peter was there at Pentecost and saw the Holy Spirit fall. 1 Peter 1 verse 12 declares “Even angels long to look into these things.” The picture is of angelic beings looking over the rim of heaven and peering down into this earth. It’s the same word used of Peter and Mary when they ‘bent over’ to look into the empty tomb (John 20).
Angels wonder at grace. There is no redemptive plan of God for fallen angels, so they are more than curious. Just as the cherubim bent down over the mercy seat, the emblem of redemption, in the Holy of Holies, so the angels intently gaze, desiring to fathom the depths of ‘the great mystery of godliness.’ Angels have never experienced such mercy themselves in glory for they have never needed mercy, for they have always lived sinless lives. Paul expressed a similar thought in 1 Corinthians 4 verse 9 “We (apostles) have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.”
Angels would love to come and proclaim salvation to the world. They must wonder why we don’t get busy. I remember hearing Dr. Vernon McGee on his radio programme “Through the Bible” which is still broadcast on every continent. Dr. McGee said he could imagine Gabriel saying to him as he sat in front of the microphone, “Move over, preacher, you’re not putting enough into it.” Although Gabriel would like to come down, God won’t let him. Today He is using human instruments to get the message out. Personal experience and testimony are essential and angels have never been ransomed, they’ve never experienced salvation.
This letter, of course, was written by a forgiven and restored leader, the Apostle Peter. It’s as if he’s writing a travellers’ guide for Christian pilgrims. Trials are unavoidable because the Divine Refiner is going for gold. In verse 13 we read, “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” The Authorised Version says “Gird up the loins of your mind.” We might say “Pull your thoughts together.”
When we conform ourselves according to the will of God – that is obedience. Holiness always results in obedience. We are called to be holy in all we do, because God is holy. Holiness is the possession of the soul by God. The Christless life is marked by ignorance, dominated by evil desires and characterised by futility. It is an ‘empty way of life’ (verse 18).
Once, the people who had been markedly different from others were the Jews, now the people who are called to live differently are the Christians. To be sanctified carries the idea of being ‘different for God’, set apart for Him. The supreme purpose of redemption is to make men holy (verses 15 to 16). Holiness is the property of God alone and to this we are called. To become holy as God is holy is to open one’s entire being to the all- pervading presence of the Holy One. The Christ-filled life is one of obedience and holiness. Holy (hagios) has the root meaning of ‘different’. The Temple is ‘hagios’ because it is different from other buildings. The Sabbath is ‘hagios’ because it is different from other days. The Christian is ‘hagios’ because he is different from other men. The Christian is God’s man, by God’s choice. The Christian is chosen for a task in this world and for a glorious destiny in the world to come throughout eternity.
Peter urges the Christians (verse 17) to ‘live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.’ Because Christians are strangers in the world, they are considered to be strange in the eyes of the world (1Peter 4 verse 4). The first century Christians did not join in the worship of the various Roman gods; they often didn’t want to take advantage of the bargains on offer at the meat market just because it was meat left over after a heathen sacrifice. Christians no longer relished watching the gladiatorial combats and, it was alleged, they worshipped a criminal, executed by crucifixion, who died like a traitor.
All this seemed such a strange life-style to pagans and could attract suffering. Do we, as 21st century Christians, cultivate enough of the spirit of the stranger or are we so at home in this world that no one can see any difference?
The cost of our redemption has been immense. The treasures of heaven could not redeem us, the jewels of its walls or the gold of its pavements would not redeem one soul. As F. B. Meyer has stated, “Anything less than the costliest blood would not have availed. Only Jesus’ blood was adequate to cleanse away the terrible aggregate of sin.” Because of the foreknowledge of God, He knows all the sins that will be committed to the end of time.
As long as the blood of our Lord ‘a lamb without blemish or defect’ (verse 19) coursed through His veins, it had no saving value for us; but when that precious blood was shed, Christ Jesus gave His life. The gospel has not been preached until the meaning of the blood of Christ has been explained. It may offend you aesthetically. As Dr. Vernon McGee said, “The offence of the cross is that He shed His blood. Of course, it is not pretty, but your sin and my sin are not pretty either.”
Nowadays the blood is not mentioned in some religious circles. Hymnals in liberal churches have been sanitised and verses that mention the blood have been omitted. But the vital question remains. “Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?”