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23 Since you have been born again not of perishable [corruptible – KJV] seed but of imperishable [incorruptible – KJV], through the living and abiding word of God;
24 For, “all men are like grass, and their Glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flower fall, 25 but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word [gospel – KJV or good news – ESV] that was preached to you. NIV
“3) In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world’s life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man’s salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds.” Blue Letter Bible Lexicon
The rest of this will be posted soon….
“My brother and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need.”
-James 1:2-4
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. He comforts us everytime we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ. If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, and if we have comfort, you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings we have. Our hope for you is strong, knowing that you share in our sufferings and also in the comfort we receive. Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the trouble we suffered in Asia. We had great burdens there that were beyond our own strength. We even gave up hope of living. Truly , in our own hearts we believed we would die. But this happened so we would not trust ourselves but in God, who raises people from the dead.”
-2 Corintheans 1:3-9
Praise God!
1 Peter 1:22 ” Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth [through the Spirit - KJV] for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly [deeply - NIV] from a pure heart,” ESV
First some observations about a few words:
Obedience – This is the same word used in verses 2 & 14
Truth – Used 110x in the New Testament!
Through – Some of the definitions that caught my eye: 1c) by means of ;
2a) the ground or reason by which something is or is not done
Sincere – “unfeigned” in KJV - without hypocrisy
Brotherly Love – Philadelphia
Love one another – Agapao; used in v. 8 of our love for God
Earnestly – “fervently” – KJV - Comes from a root word that means “stretch out the hand” – to be stretched out – earnest, resolute, tense
After purifying ourselves by obedience (that is obedience to Christ), which is mentioned in verses 2 and 14, we should have a sincere love for our brothers (in Christ). So it seems that the result, or rather one result, of our obedience to Christ (truth) is the development of a sincere love. Not just superficial “I love you” type love, but an unfeigned or non hypocritical love, a love that can only come from the Spirit. This love his only the first step. Apparently there is a progression of love pictured here, a progression from sincere brotherly love, to an earnest, deep, love that comes from a pure heart. It seems that all has come before is a prerequisite for this love. You first must be chosen by God, sanctified by the Spirit, and obey Christ. Then a sincere brotherly love will grow, and eventually a Godly or Agape love will come from a pure heart. The fact that we are commanded to love seems to indicate that we have a choice in the matter. So this love is a choice, not merely a feeling.
Application
- Purify ourselves by obeying Christ, who is THE TRUTH.
- Choose to love one another sincerely through the Spirit, not quenching the spirit in our lives.
- Choose love earnestly and deeply realizing that it is only by God’s grace and power that we are able to do so.
- Rely on God: ask for His help and His love.
Just a little background on the book of Hosea and a little commentary:
Hosea was a prophet of Israel during the kingdom reign of Jeroboam. Unlike Amos who prophesied in Israel but was a native of Judah, Hosea was a native of the 10-tribes of Israel. Jeroboam was the king of Israel during Hosea’s tenure as a prophet, and led the nation during a period of peace. Unfortunately, peace brought with it a sense of self-security, complacency, and national arrogance that would ultimately bring them down as a nation. After the six-month reign of Jeroboam’s son, the kingship would pass from one ungodly man to another, none to be anointed to the position by a prophet of God. After six such kingdoms, Israel would be overrun by the Assyrians and as a nation, Israel would be destroyed.
Hosea’s prophesy is probably best known by his marriage to the prostitute, Gomer. God called Hosea to marry a prostitute as an illustration of Israel’s act of unfaithfulness to Him that is similar in every way to the act of unfaithfulness to Him that is similar in every way to the act of prostitution. Through Gomer, God would reveal to Hosea and to the nation of Israel the sinful faithlessness of the nation. Hosea makes no reference to this marriage after Chapter 3, as his attention turns to the purpose of this illustration, the exposure of Israel’s sin, and a call to repentence.
Note that the prophesy of Hosea refers to the judgment of God upon sin-sick Israel, God’s chosen people, and not against the pagan nations of the land. We should keep this in mind as we study the book, and focus the judgment of God on the sin of His people, not of the pagan nations in which we live, including our own. As we look at the sins of Israel we cannot help but see the same sin in our national culture today, but unlike the national motto “In God We Trust,” we, as a nation, do not trust in God. On the political scene the predominate platform is to actively banish God from the nation, and promote endless moral decay.
Our first line of defense within the church is to say that those who are leading his nation to decay are not members of the church. However, it would not take much research to find out that many are.
Many members of the church have turned from God, ignoring His Word and His Spirit, and are more a part of the hedonistic culture in which we live than they are a part of the family of Christ. Many members of the church are suffering from spiritual schizophrenia, attempting to carry two personalities, and by doing so, are bringing upon themselves the rebuke of God. They are missing the blessing and peace that comes from knowing one is in God’s will, and are exchanging it for hoped-for gain in this world. Many of these people call themselves Christians and attend meetings of Christian churches, but have not had the life-changing experience that comes with accepting Christ, remaining a Christian in name only, and subject to the same eternal separation from God that the rest of the Godless world will find. Consequently, we can gain from this prophesy as we look at the attitude of the modern church and identify areas where repentance is needed.
Hosea 4:1 (finally)-
“Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,
because there is no truth,
nor mercy, nor knowledge of
God in the land.”
Again, God’s words of rebuke are not directed towards the pagan nations, but to those who, “live in the land.” The land represents God’s promise to them through Abraham that He would provide them a land, that they would be His people, and He their God, and that through them the whole world would be blessed. However, all throughout the Old Testament we find that the obedience that God requires in order to realize that blessing is difficult to maintain. Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for such obedience, and the people of Israel had turned so far from God that His Spirit was working in a very small remnant of the nation.
What is lacking in the people, according to this verse? God has searched over the land and found that there is no truth, love, or knowledge of Him. The first lack, translated “truth” or “faithfulness” refers to the truth of God’s Word. When one would visit the marketplace and in the homes, God’s word is not heard in a way that reflects the truth. Certainly, people quoted scriptures in their daily activities and in their religious ceremonies. However, the word they were reciting was simply recited out of the text and did not penetrate their hearts. Religion had become filled with legalistic rite and ceremony, driven by a church dogma that entirely overshadowed the truths of the words they were reciting. The authority for religion rested in the church (or the nation) and not in God.
Consequently, the people had wandered so far from God that His Love was not found in them. The word love, hesed, refers to that love that God has for man, and empowers man to share with each other. The closest Greek equivalent is the word, agape. The church had become a social order, devoid of any of the true love of God. The church was the social canter of their lives, defining who they were, and became opposite from God’s purpose for the Israelites to be a nation of priests who would share the goodness of God with the rest of the world.
Finally, we see that the church no longer taught the truth of God’s Word. It was required that young men memorize many of the words of scripture, but they completely denied its power. Consequently, over generations, the knowledge of God’s purpose in man was lost. It was necessary for God to raise up Prophets who would support and maintain the small remnant of the faithful through this very dark period of religious history.
We see a church that no longer teaches the truth, no longer demonstrates God’s love, and no longer a place of learning about the Kingdom of God.
v. 20 “He was chosen [foreknown] before the creation of the world, but was revealed [made manifest] in these last times for your sake.”
I started out my time looking up a few of the words that caught my eye. Not neccessarily because I don’t know what they mean, but because I want to understand more their meaning in context with the rest of the chapter. Also, because words we use so often become less meaningful or come to mean something completely different over time. Many times I find that I know what a word means, but cannot easily put the meaning into words. Sometimes simply looking at other places where the word is used can help us understand.
Chosen – “Elect”- [or as the KJV uses foreknown] – This word is also used in Romans 8:29; 11:2 in reference to God’s elect
Creation- [foundation in the KJV] – Used the same way in the in 10 other verses “…creation [foundation of the world]…”
Last – Same word used in 1 Peter 1:5
Times – Same word used in 1 Peter 1:17
v. 21 “Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”
Hope – This is the same word used in 1 Peter 1:3 when Peter refers to our “Living Hope”
Jesus Christ was chosen before time began, before even the world was made to take our place. To redeem us by His precious blood. To be our “Living Hope.” Even though God knew full well our rebellious and evil nature. Also, for whatever reason God chose to wait until “these last times” to reveal Christ. This shows that the coming of Jesus was of His timing, which we have to trust is the best timing.
Verse 21 goes on to emphasize the fact that it is through Christ that we have access to God. We are only able to come to Him through Christ. Through Him we have belief and faith in God. Our fellowship with God is restored. God is ultimately the person we believe in and seek, but ONLY through Christ. He raised Christ from the dead and glorified Him. So we place our faith and hope in God. He is our “Living Hope.” However, we can only have all of this through Christ and His blood, His precious blood that purchased our Salvation.
Other Opinions
When using the Inductive method of Bible study I like to read the opinions of others after I pray, read, and think about a scripture. Here are some insights I thought interesting from two sources I read today:
v. 20
“God’s eternal foreordination of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, and completion of it in these last times for us, are an additional obligation on us to our maintaining a holy walk, considering how great things have been thus done for us….Redemption was no afterthought, or remedy of an unforeseen evil, devised at the time of its arising.”
It is incredible for me to know that God did not just throw this plan together at the last minute. Every detail was planned out and ordained by Him. Our Salvation through Christ was not a knee jerk reaction to the fall that took hundreds of years to plan and execute…wow.
v. 21
“The raising of Jesus by God is the special ground of our “believing”: (1) because by it God declared openly His acceptance of Him as our righteous substitute; (2) because by it and His glorification He received power, namely, the Holy Spirit, to impart to His elect “faith”: the same power enabling us to believe as raised Him from the dead. Our faith must not only be IN Christ, but BY and THROUGH Christ. “
Jamieson, Robert; A.R. Fausset; and David Brown. “The First Epistle General of Peter.” Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Blue Letter Bible. 19 Feb 2000. 28 Feb 2008.
Also, in a message on 1 Peter I read a section of Chuck Smith ties the mention of Christ’s sacrifice in with Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Application
- All of this gives us more reason to seek a Holy Life, to please God, and to Love Him.
- Realize that He was chosen for our sake before the world began. This is the ultimate expression of love. (Romans 5:8)
- Realize Christ was revealed at the appropriate time. His sacrifice was not a knee jerk reaction to our sin.
- Realize our faith is not only IN Christ but BY and THROUGH Him. Also, our Living Hope is in God, through Christ.
- Believe in God through Christ.
DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN?
