Tag: Holy Spirit

Purified by Obedience

On By TimIn 1 Peter 01, Daily Walk, SinLeave a comment

Since your souls have been purified by obedience to the truth through the Spirit unto a genuine brotherly love, love one another deeply with a pure heart, for you have been born again, not from perishable seed, but imperishable, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

1 Peter 1:22–23 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Since your souls have been purified… You’ve already believed and it is accounted to you for righteousness. This is the message of faith that was demonstrated for us by the patriarchs. They are the ones who fell far short of the mark but believed God and He made up the difference.

Obedience to the truth.

There are times that we want to conflate this idea of obedience with law-keeping and morality. That is not what Peter is speaking of, clearly. He uses the phrase and places the objective of obedience to truth. He spoke of that immediately preceding this: “Through Him you believe in God who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1 Peter 1:21)

Obedience to the truth is believing in God.

It comes through the witness of the Holy Spirit. Seriously, without His working even before we believed, there is no real hope for us. It is the Holy Spirit Who has orchestrated the events in our lives to reveal Jesus to each of us in a real way. And can I say… In these last times?

It’s like how Peter expressed it at the beginning of the epistle. Even though his intended audience is Jewish people who are scattered throughout the world at that time, there are important things we can glean. Especially in the very season we find ourselves.

It is this work of the Holy Spirit that reveals Jesus to us and continues to lead us toward sanctification. He leads us to Jesus and once we believe, He patiently works to sanctify us.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the refugees scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification by the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

1 Peter 1:1–2 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

There is a purpose for sanctification. It is purposed for you. That is why the word elect (or chosen) is used. It is purpose.

The objective is obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus. These two ideas go together. Just as I offered before, this obedience isn’t to the law or even good morals. But it is to the truth. By being obedient to that truth, your sins are covered by the sprinkling of Jesus’ blood.

Because of these truths, it leads us to holy living. That we may be used to be a witness for others.

Brotherly love.

This will be expanded upon a bit later in the epistle. For now, understand that our salvation has brought us adaption into the family of God. You and I have a brother, Jesus. He is the perfect example of brotherly love.

He asks us to love others with a pure heart. Remember, if you’re saved your souls are already purified. And because you know brotherly love from Jesus, it isn’t difficult to extend that love to other brothers and sisters in the faith.

Listen, our hearts separate from God seek to alleviate our own discomfort and seek our own comfort. With a pure heart, we esteem others before ourselves putting their needs before our own. Just as Jesus did for us.

You have been born again.

There is a reason certain analogies are used. This idea of being born again may seem old-fashioned. I certainly hope it isn’t. It’s a very clear way to teach the truth.

Peter is saying we’ve been born again with imperishable seed. He contrasts that idea with our natural birth into the human being we are. He notes that birth comes from perishable seed. That means it is will not last. We know that, as we are born dying.

But unlike our natural birth, our new birth is from imperishable seed. That means there is no corruption. There is no death in that birth. Praise Jesus!

There is another truth that undergirds all of this. A person, once born can never become unborn. One born from perishable seed can never have that birth undone. Such may perish, but that doesn’t undo the birth. The same is true for our new birth. It cannot be undone. Because that birth comes from imperishable seed, there is no corruption or death.

If you think I am saying you cannot lose your salvation. I am not. Peter is, in holy writ revealed to him by the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God lives and abides forever.

Does it live in you?

If it does… It lives forever! It abides forever!

For
“All flesh is as grass,
and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and its flower falls away,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
This is the word that was preached to you.

1 Peter 1:24–25 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

The temptation is to think of the flesh as Gnostics do… But this is vitally different. It’s not that the flesh is made bad. It has been made corrupt, having inherited that from the disobedience of Adam. Death is passed on.

Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death has spread to all men, because all have sinned.

Romans 5:12 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

This flesh will pass away. Everything that we do here and in that capacity is going to pass away. It’s the word of the Lord that abides forever.

That is precisely why Peter is calling us to holy living. We know that our Father will judge impartially. We are just passing through this world. It has many snares for us, all of which are vain and lead to perishable rewards.

It’s this higher calling that has everlasting benefit. Holy living doesn’t earn you much in itself, but it points others to Jesus. In that is much benefit.

A Parable for You Today

On By TimIn Church, Daily Walk, Eternal Security, Last Days, Matthew 25, ProphecyLeave a comment

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took jars of oil with their lamps. While the bridegroom delayed, they all rested and slept.
“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out.’
“The wise answered, ‘No, lest there not be enough for us and you. Go rather to those who sell it, and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they went to buy some, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us.’
“But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Matthew 25:1–13 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Sometimes these parables can be hard to understand. People will apply this for those to be ready when Jesus comes again. That is true, but it is specifically regarding His coming in the clouds for believers. It is addressing salvation. Given the signs of the times… It is a message for today.

Perhaps this is for you. You’ve gone to church, heard the preaching and know your Bible. But you’ve never made the decision for yourself to believe that Jesus is God and that He died personally for you and your sins. And that He rose again.

Listen to the promise explained in a similar fashion, near the time Jesus spoke that parable.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, that He may be with you forever: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, for it does not see Him, neither does it know Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you fatherless. I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see Me no more. But you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.

John 14:15–19 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Interestingly, He says He won’t leave us Fatherless. It’s a hint to a greater truth. That’s a different discussion.

There is another. It is this Counselor, or better, Comforter. He is for believers only. The world can’t receive Him. Jesus did use a personal pronoun… Him. Jesus promises to come to those who receive this Person.

How does this work with the other you ask?

The wise virgins in Jesus’ story had oil for their lamps. They had the Spirit of the Living God to light their testimony. Oil is a typification of the Holy Spirit. The five wise virgins were saved. They had received the gift of the Comforter.

The foolish virgins had a testimony, but no oil for it. That is, they weren’t saved. They attend church and participate in all the things, but never receive the Gift because they don’t really believe it for themselves. They’re Christians because their parents were.

Being a Christian isn’t something that’s inherited or conferred by birthright. It’s something you must decide for yourself. You must count the cost. Believing Jesus is God.

Read that passage from John again. Jesus explicitly states He wasn’t leaving the disciples fatherless.

Jesus is going to come. Next… It will be in the twinkling of an eye. When He keeps His promise to retrieve His bride, there won’t be time to decide for salvation for yourself. You will be left behind. The door to the feast will be shut.

Don’t wait. Don’t be foolish. There won’t be time. But you have time now.

It is Impossible

On By TimIn Eternal Security, Hebrews 06, Holy Spirit, SalvationLeave a comment

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to be renewed once more to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and subject Him to public shame.

Hebrews 6:4–6 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Do not be deceived, there are those who will tell you that this verse says that a Christian can lose his salvation. It doesn’t say that.

In fact, it says the opposite. A person that once believed cannot fall away. Look at the construction of the sentence.

“those who were once enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come”

There is a list of qualifications given; once enlightened, tastes the heavenly gift, shared the Holy Spirit. That last bit is most important. Those who’ve been given the Holy Spirit clearly understand. He doesn’t just go away. Nor does He leave us. Therefore we cannot leave Him.

If one were to fall away, it is impossible to restore them to fellowship. One cannot again crucify Jesus to themselves, that was done once for all. It cannot be done again.

By trying to do something again, one cannot be restored to fellowship. This is speaking specifically to those who were returning to the working of the law, and sacrifices for sin. The writer is saying there is no other sacrifice available for sin. His is in the greater context leading to this statement.

We are being encouraged of a greater Way, One we can wholly rely upon to maintain fellowship.

That is why the Bible calls the Holy Spirit the seal of guarantee of one’s salvation (Ephesians 1:13.) None of us can order Jesus to do something, nor can we order God to do something, therefore we cannot order the Holy Spirit to leave. We cannot break His power that keeps us. Fellowship can’t be restored to a believer, because it really cannot be lost.

What of those who do leave the faith, calling themselves ex-Christians?

That has also been anticipated by God. He even gave us a way to measure the passing of time by them. Those who claim to have been a part of us, having left… Demonstrate they never were really a part of us.

Little children, it is the last hour. As you have heard that the antichrist will come, even now there are many antichrists. By this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us. But they went out, revealing that none of them were of us.

1 John 2:18–19 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

He even calls those who leave… antichrists.

Whoa!