1 Peter 1:17-21
17Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18For 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, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. (NIV)
Lots of interesting stuff in these five verses we can discuss - understanding that God is both Father and impartial Judge; the biblical concept of fear-of-the-Lord; Jesus' death ransomed us from empty/futile 'conduct'; Jesus was 'chosen' before the foundation of the world; Jesus has been revealed in these 'last times'; Jesus is the means of real belief in God, and therefore our hope.
Your Reflections...
" Live your lives as strangers here ...."
ReplyDeleteI spent many years unchurched and did not know the way church folks talk and interrelate .Over the last few years I have learned the language and felt a common bond with other Christians . Recently , I find myself back " in the world " more than I have been and I really feel like a " stranger " .
Our kids must feel like strangers in their world ,the school and the street .How do we teach them to live in reverent fear ? How do we get them to grasp the concept that the precious blood of Jesus was/is a reality and so much more precious than silver or gold ( or in their case status and peer acceptance ) ? How do I teach myself to remember those things?
Well, is there a space in between? Not that we compromise, or ask our kids to do so. The concept I focus on is that we are in this world, but not of this world. Evangelism depends on us building trust and friendships outside the church body. Else we are preaching to the choir, and we all know how good Christians are at that.
ReplyDeleteStill, I agree that inside ourselves (and we hope our children) we have to hold onto and live by this mysterious dichotomy. No wonder we are strangers. More to the point: no wonder we are strange. Not helping address your questions much. This is tough stuff.
It is tough stuff, yet meant to be a source of enormous hope. Dave, Doc, you have been 'redeemed'...bought/freed/ransomed with the currency of Jesus' own self-given life-blood. I think the best way we reveal this gospel to our kids is with a love for them and all the one-others out there. A love shaped by Jesus' love...self-giving, serving, real, and I agree Dave, 'strange' is a great word. Doesn't mean we compromise the truth, but we don't camp on it proving how right we are at the expense of love. We love with truth, especially the truth of Jesus. Reverent fear keeps this in check because though God is Father (loving, intimate, close, committed) He is also Judge. It should strike a bit of trembling in us. It's a healthy kind of fear. This is big stuff. We slumber in the face of it too much but I think maybe Peter is trying to keep/shake us awake with this.
ReplyDeleteDon't compromise the truth but don't camp on it proving how right we are at the expense of love .I love that .
ReplyDeleteShort story : Three years ago I was seeing little or no fruit coming from anything I was doing .I was frustrated , burned out and praying for a break through with the teens , in my relationships ,something , anything to let me know where to go ; what to do .In the middle of a seminar that I did not want to attend but knew I should , ( with pen and paper in hand )I received this : " Just be like Me , simple , easy , just be like Me " .
Now it dawns on me , if I did " be like Him " , I would be strange , but folks of the world ( and the kids ) might want a part of that strangeness for themselves .
He said " Be holy for I am holy " .
Holy means set apart , no ? That would be strange .
Good stuff. I'll post a few closing thoughts on this section and we'll move on:
ReplyDelete(1) redemption (v. 18) is a metaphor from slavery and in Greek culture involved the purchasing of a slave's freedom by depositing over time enough money into one of the pagan temples to buy a freedom from slavery to one master into slavery to the god of that particular temple; Peter may be drawing on this idea. Maybe moreso Peter is drawing on the Exodus image of Israel being freedom from slavery to Egypt into a relationship with God as their new master. But unlike Egypt, God is loving, gracious, has Israel's best in mind, etc. Peter coupled this with other OT stuff like Isaiah 52:3 and understood Jesus' death to be the purchasing and freeing process for all our old/former/useless living. See also Psalm 34.
(2) I know there is lots of talk about the 'last times,' but we've been in the 'last times' since the death and resurrection of Jesus (v. 20). We're just waiting for the last 'day' when He returns which no one is meant to know. It is as surprising as a theif in the night. So live each day ready for Him.
(3) All of this is meant to flood us with hope in God. Notice how Peter puts it: 'so that your faith and hope are in God.' No one else is meant to be our hope...not a president, a pastor, a band, an author, a church, a movement, a financial recovery, etc. Jesus was raised so that our faith and hope would be squarely set in God...who is Father and Judge - so, as Dave and Doc reminded us, that means as His children we can't simply live as we please. That's why Peter reminds us to live holy lives as we waith for Jesus' return.
This leads us into the next section...