Living The Christian Life In An Unchristian World: Part II

1 PETER 1:17-25
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ

For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

FOR "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER" (NASB)

INTRODUCTION
A piano sends forth beautiful melodies when played by a concert pianist. But when a piano is banged on by a child, it can send forth horrible sounds. On the one hand, a Christian is somewhat like a piano. They can have beautifully harmonious lives when controlled by the Master. On the other hand, that life can be one of discord when undisciplined and controlled only by self.

As we wrap up the first chapter of Peter’s first Epistle, I would like to continue from where we left last week when we talked about “Living the Christian Life in an unchristian World. This is the second part of the same topic.

CULTIVATION OF REVERENCE VV. 17-21
Last week, we learn that as the redeemed people of God, we are to cultivate the attitude of hope and holiness, because our Father is holy. Now the Scripture commands us as believers to cultivate reverence toward God. The Christ-filled life is one of reverence toward God. Reverence is the attitude of mind of a Christian who is always aware that he/she is in the presence of God. Since we are strangers or resident aliens in this world, it is reasonable that we live our lives here on earth in reverent fear (v. 17b). The verb “live” translates a word (anastraphēte) that is often rendered “conduct yourselves.” The New Testament uses this term for outward conduct, of life in its relations with others. Since we are strangers or sojourners in this world our life should reflect heaven where our citizenship is (Phil. 3:20). What is reverence? Reverence suggests awe and humility. Reverential fear is not the cringing terror of a slave before an offended master, but the reverential awe of a son toward a beloved and esteemed father. I am aware that some fathers have not lived up to the expectations of their children. Some human fathers have not been responsible to their children therefore, the father image has left a sour note in the minds of their children. However, we are talking about the heavenly Father who is perfect in love and in everything. He is the Father that you can trust because He delivers His promises to all His children. Therefore, cast away the distorted image of all the imperfections of your earthly father and focus on the heavenly Father who loves you unconditionally.

Peter picks three reasons why we must cultivate Christian reverence. First, it is because as Christians we are resident aliens in this world. Life for us is lived in the shadow of eternity. You must think all the time, not only where you are, but also where you are going. Second, as a Christian you are going to God. God is your Father if you are a Christian, but He is also the One who judges with impartiality. He judges with righteousness. Every Christian is a person for whom there is a day of reckoning. There is going to be a time when every believer is going to stand before the presence of God to render accountability to Him. Every Christian is a person with a destiny to win or to lose. I am not saying that you are going to lose your salvation because salvation is a gift from God to you through His Son Jesus Christ. You are going to win or lose based on the way you lived your life for Christ. If you lived your life for self, you are going to lose rewards in heaven. Life in this world becomes of tremendous importance because it is leading to the life beyond. Third, the Christian must live in reverence, because it cost so much, nothing less than the life and death of Jesus Christ. Since life is of such surpassing value, it cannot be wasted or thrown away. No honorable person squanders what is of infinite human worth. The privilege of being God’s people does not entitle you to sin with impunity. Your privilege as a child of God is a powerful motivation for commitment to His will and way. That is the example that Jesus has left for us. Jesus came to do the will of the Father and to walk in His way.

The reason you are to live in reverence for God on earth as a stranger is given in verses 18 and 19. You were “not redeemed of perishable things but with the precious blood of Christ.” A redemption purchased at such a price must never be treated lightly and should provoke not presumption, but a sense of profound gratitude to God. Many Christians do not understand redemption because they do not know how it cost Jesus Christ to redeem us. Let me use this story to illustrate what it means to redeem a person.

The story is told of an orphaned boy who was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, died in the flames. The boy’s cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drainpipe and came down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck.

Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and the town’s wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. As they talked, the lad’s eyes remained focused on the floor.

Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hands from his pockets, revealing scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life and whose hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap, the boy threw his arms around the man’s neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those marred hands had settled the issue.

This is what redemption means. When Jesus went to the cross, He died for you and me. He died in our place. He paid the penalty of our sin with His precious blood. Do you know that when Jesus comes back again to establish His eternal reign, we will see His nail pierced hands? His hands were pierced with nails because of your sins and mine. The word “redeem” means, “to set free” or “liberate.” Peter uses the word redeem not so much for our sin but what he calls “the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers” (v. 18b). “Empty” means worthless, useless, futile, having no goal, no purpose (cf. Eph. 4:17). What Peter is conveying to us is that not only did the forefathers of the primary recipients of his letter live empty lives, but also the recipients were reared or brought up in the same “empty life.” What Peter is telling them and telling us today is that through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, we have received moral transformation. Such redemption was carried out by the payment of a price. That price was not perishable things, such as, silver and gold but rather precious, of great value, costly, great worth, which is the blood of Jesus Christ.

In verse 20, Peter is telling us that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross of Calvary was not afterthought with God. It was not an alternate plan that God chose because things had not turned out as He had hoped. It was rooted in eternity, destined before the beginning of history to be offered in our behalf. Christ was chosen before creation “but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (v. 20b). There are two very significant implications in Peter’s statement. First, there is the thought that with the incarnation (Jesus becoming human), death, and resurrection of Christ the last age of human history has arrived. All of us who have lived since that cluster of divine activity occurred have lived in the last age (cf. Acts 2:16f, Heb. 1:2; 9:26). We only await its consummation. In other words, Jesus can come at any time. We do not have to wait for any event to be fulfilled before He comes. The question is, “Are you ready for the glorious appearing of Christ?” That is the question you need to answer individually. Second, the language assumes the pre-existence of Christ, that is, that He existed prior to His incarnation (cf. John 1:1ff; 1 Peter 1:11).

Verse twenty-one does two things: First, it describes the recipients of Peter’s letter as persons who through Christ “believe in God.” The idea is that their faith in God has been mediated through Christ, that the one who spoke of Himself as the way to the Father is the One through whom Christians have come to know God. Some people claim that they know God but they do not have anything do to or in common with Jesus Christ. Either Jesus is Lord or He is a liar. I have confessed Him as my Lord and personal Savior. It is through the agency of Christ that we believe; it is also through Him and the power He imparts that we are kept loyal to God.

Second, this verse characterizes God, the object of Christian faith, as the One who “raised Him [Jesus] from the dead and glorified Him.” The resurrection and exaltation of Christ, then, are the glorious proofs of God’s having accepted the redemptive work of the Son. The result is that Christians’ faith and hope, the fruits of an accomplished redemption, are in God.

CULTIVATION OF LOVE VV. 22-25
All the preceding verses have made it clear that as Christians we live in a foreign, alien, or strange world. Because we live in alien world, there are countless temptations and dangers to overcome. We are surrounded and bombarded by all kinds of danger, but we are not to yield to them. Rather we are urged to let reverent fear of God characterize our conduct. We are not in complete isolation in this hostile world. There is no lone ranger Christians in the world. We are part of a spiritual community made up of brothers and sisters in Christ. We share a common faith and common interests and are to love each other sincerely and heartily. Our family ties in Christ are even stronger than our biological brothers and sister who are not Christians. We are going to spend eternity with one another when Christ returns. When you become a Christian morally, you experience inward purification (v. 22a); but, more fundamental than that, you enter upon a new life that is a result of the creative activity of God (John 1:12-13). The Christ-filled life is the life of brotherly love. It must issue in a love for the brethren, which is sincere and hearty and steadfast. The Christian is a person who is born from above (born again), not of mortal, but immortal seed. The great characteristic of the life of God is love, and so the Christian must show that divine love for other members of the body of Christ, which is the church. Since we are going to live with one another forever, we need to learn how to live in peace and harmony here and now.

Sincere love involves selfless giving; a self-centered person cannot truly love. God’s love and forgiveness frees you to take your eyes off yourselves and to meet others’ needs. By sacrificing His life, Jesus Christ showed that He truly loves you. Now you can love others by following His example and giving of yourself sacrificially.

Peter expects the churches to be filled with people who love one another in a deeper way, who try to understand one another, who give the other person the benefit of the doubt, and who reach out to others in the same love.

Quoting Isaiah 40:6-8, Peter reminds us that everything in this life—possessions, accomplishments, people will eventually fade away and disappear. Only God’s will, Word, and work are permanent. Therefore, we must stop grasping the temporary and begin focusing our time, money, and energy on the permanent—the Word of God and our eternal life in Christ.

Humans and humanly created things are like grass in that they will perish and vanish away. But the Word of God planted in you as a Christian is eternal and grows in you to give you an eternal existence. This effective seed is, in fact, the sure word of God that you have heard in the gospel that was preached to you.

Peter is echoing what Jesus said would be the primary characteristic that distinguishes His disciples from all others, and that is love for one another. If there is no love in the fellowship of Christians, then something has gone awry. John even says that if we say we love God who is invisible but hate our brother/sister who is visible then, we are liars.

In a boiler room, it is impossible to look into the boiler to see how much water it contains. But running up beside it is a tiny glass tube that serves as a gauge. As the water stands in the little tube, so it stands in the great boiler. When the tube is half-full, the boiler is half-full; if empty, so is the boiler. How do you know you love God? You believe you love Him, but you want to know. Look at the gauge. Your love for your brother is the measure of your love for God.