Suffer to Glory, Live to Eternity in Grace

1 Peter 5:12-14 

12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

Like Paul, Peter used a scribe to write this letter for him, probably dictated, though it is possible that Peter wrote it and Silvanus hand carried it.  Either way, he was considered a faithful brother in Christ by Peter and entrusted in the critical work of delivering God’s word to His people.  Though this book is not an extremely long letter like one of those to the Corinthians, it covered important doctrines of grace as a reminder to all of us in Christ just where we stand in Him and how we are to then live.  We suffer towards glory and are responsible for how we live, enabled by Christ and God’s Spirit of holiness according to His word.  Peter testified of this true grace in which we stand as a reminder of both how and why to live toward eternity by that precious grace as His people whom He chose for Himself and His glory.  The letter ends with greetings from believers living in the corrupt world figuratively called Babylon, elect or chosen by God in Christ, with a spiritual kiss of brotherly love and concern.  Peace with God (Romans 5:1, 15:13, 15:33, Ephesians 6:23) is given to us in Jesus the Christ.  Truly these things are so! 

Glory From Here into Eternity

1 Peter 5:8-11 

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

With all the trials, judgement, and submission that Peter wrote of earlier in this letter, he now gives an overarching warning about suffering, sanctification, and how we are to live for Christ.  Our victory is in Him (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).  Our adversary, the fallen one, is out to make war with us and devour us because we are Christ’s (Revelation 12:17).  Therefore we must be of a clear mind and keep watch for his attempts to trip us and deceive us; we need to know the truth from God’s word, constantly immersed in it and meditating on how we are to live it.  Only then will we be armed to resist and defend, just as we all do who are in Christ.  This constant battle drives us to yield to God’s Spirit and trust His word and work in us in our suffering; by His great grace and calling to glorify Him forever we grow in sanctification and service.  We endure as He fits us out to complete us (καταρτίσαι), as He then makes us firmly place and constant (στηρίξει), as He then makes us steadfast in strength (σθενώσει), and finally as He founds us firmly (θεμελιώσει) upon Himself as the Rock of our faith’s foundation.  This process sets us firmly in the storm on the solid rock (Matthew 7:24) of Christ Himself, conformed to Him and standing solidly against all tempests, trials, and attacks of the wicked one.  This is how we give glory to the only wise and omnipotent King of kings and Lord of all lords forever and ever from here into eternity.  Amen.  

Willing Submission in Good Hands

1 Peter 5:1-7 

1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”  6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Peter speaks as an elder to fellow overseers of God’s people, reminding them that He was an eyewitness of Christ on the earth as man and God.  He reminds them and us also that we will share in His glory, such as that he witnessed when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain before him.  Therefore the elders are to be good shepherds, leading and overseeing God’s people for the Lord, not themselves or their own power over men and women.  They are to do so with a joyfully willing desire, never just because they have to do so as a rule of law laid out to perform.  They are never to serve for personal gain of money or fame or control, but being servant examples, knowing they are first Christ’s servants under His shepherding.  This means serving with humility and submission to God and others to please the Lord at His return.  We are all to submit to those under-shepherds called by Him over us, with humility to yield to Christ through them as He enables with wisdom and grace.  Knowing that we each must yield to one another because God is set against us when we are prideful, we ought instead to find grace in humility under His mighty hand of authority.  He will lift us up as and when as He sees needed in His sovereign grace, so all our worry and concerns can be handed over to our great God and Savior.  We can safely rest in Him and His work in and through us because we know His loving care towards each of His children whom He calls to Himself.

Faithfulness in Suffering

1 Peter 4:17-19 

17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now
“If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Because we should only be suffering for Christ and His kingdom’s sake and not for our own sin, we need to soberly consider that judgement begins with us.  And if the church is accountable, what about those outside who have no hope as they disbelieve and disobey the gospel of Jesus Christ?  They will not be saved apart from Him, and we are only saved because of Him.  When we consider these things, especially the undeserved grace in which we stand, how much more should we be witnesses of His great grace of salvation from His wrath and judgement to come (Acts 24:25)?  As we suffer for His name in even the smallest insult or to the cost of our lives, we must think of these things with the eternal perspective and suffer willingly as we commit our lives to our Lord by pursuing doing what is good because He made us and is faithful to keep us to the end and beginning (1 Thessalonians 4:23-24). 

Suffering to Glory

1 Peter 4:12-16 

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

Being a follower of Christ means we will suffer in some measure; it certainly does not mean a life of ease, filled with prosperity and easy living.  Peter describes it as a trial by fire, like a smelting of metals that proves its purity as the dross is removed under fire.  This is not an unusual occurrence for those of Christ, just as it was not unusual for Him to suffer for us nor for the disciples since then.  We need to find the joy in suffering which identifies us with Him and in Him.  When Jesus returns we will have honored Him by these things as we suffer for Him to His glory.  Therefore when we are insulted and demeaned for being Christians, we should not retaliate or seek to legislate, but endure with great joy to suffer for His name (Acts 5:41, Philippians 1:29, 1 Timothy 4:10) as He suffered for us to justify by mercy and grace.  His Spirit is in is, and so we are attacked for Him whom the world hates (John 15:18-19, 1 John 3:13) and blasphemes.  What are we to do then?  Live as He did, not against the Law, but willingly and joyfully with it in righteous actions and thoughts.  We must not only run from severe crimes such as murder or stealing, but also in the seemingly small ones like gossip or slanderous words and thoughts.  He looks at our hearts, and what is on them comes out to (Matthew 15:11) defame is and therefore also His name by which we are called.  But when we suffer, let it be for Christ in us displayed to the world set against Him, without shame but with joyful glory given to Christ in us and through us!  We suffer to share in His glory.

How and Why We Pray and Serve

1 Peter 4:7-11 

7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Why do we pray?  Because the world as we know it is fading away, and God’s kingdom is coming with Him to reign forever among us, and the time is short until then.  How do we pray?  Soberly with a right mind toward these things as we constantly watch with understanding of the world, the judgement, and the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ who is the absolute Lord of the universe and the only hope of the world.  As we pray, it is essential to love each other beyond necessity, knowing that such care covers our trespasses against each other as His love covers ours.  This also means we show care by meeting needs without complaining, but using the gifts given to give.  We minister what God put in our trust, and speak the words He gives by wisdom and grace by His Spirit living in us if we are truly His (Romans 8:9).  Our call in Christ is to minister to each other as we make disciples and teach them all things.  When we speak to teach or preach or even as a word of wisdom, it is God’s sayings that come out of our mouths as we yield to Him.  All we do to serve then must be seen as fueled by God in us according to His word, and with His ability driving what seems to be our own.  Why?  All we do must absolutely be for God’s glory through Christ in and for us, for He alone deserves all glory, honor, and praise (1 Peter 1:7)!  He rules as King over all (1 Chronicles 29:11-12), so it is and shall ever be

Live for God’s Will, Not Our Desires

1 Peter 4:1-6 

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Christ suffered as a man with a nature as ours, yet perfectly obeyed the Law to live righteously as He suffered.  He suffered for us, for our imperfect struggles in the flesh to give the example of suffering for the flesh and not because of it.  We are to stop living as before, gladly sinning as the world gives us as an example; we are called to better things, to live for God’s will in place of our fallen will of ungodly desires.  Before Christ delivered us from the power of sin, we lived in varying degrees of drunkenness, partying, sexual sins, and other idolatrous deeds.  Our lifestyle now offends the world that is still caught up in such sin, and we have stepped away from the works of darkness into the light before God who we now know sees us and we can now see Him and His will.  Remember that those continuing in these things and mocking us will stand before their Judge and give a full account before eternal sentencing, but our accounting is covered in the justifying grace of Christ’s sacrifice for our sin; so how can we even consider to continue in the sin we have been saved from?  The world will be judged as condemned men in their flesh, but we will live eternally as redeemed before our Savior in the spirit by grace and mercy.  The gospel we speak to the world then is to waken the dead to life.  We therefore arm ourselves with the mind of Christ to pursue mortifying sin by His enabling Spirit living in us (Romans 8:13, Colossians 3:5). 

The Good News of Death and Life

1 Peter 3:18-22 

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

The gospel message proclaims Christ suffered for our sin, even though He was completely just and sinless.  He did this so we would not have to die to pay the price ourselves, which would not even be possible because a sacrifice for sin must be sinless, which we are not (Romans 3:23).  This good news of Christ suffering and ultimately dying sacrificially in our place killed the flesh as it promised life in return by the death of His flesh and resurrection to prove His Spirit did not die.  Therefore we also in Him die but live again (Galatians 2:20). This message of deliverance was rejected in Noah’s days, and was disregarded by all but the eight of Noah’s family who were saved through faith in God’s work, and were in that sense baptized into Christ as the Messiah to come.  God’s patience was long as Noah built the means of rescue, but those who did not listen died in their sin; Christ preached to them as to us, but we now have the chance to escape destruction by His deliverance by faith.  They had the gospel preached to them but have no second chance, just as we will not either if we die first (Hebrews 9:27-28).  We who believe are immersed in Christ as Noah’s family was in a sense through the flood, both showing the escape from the wrath of God against sin.  We now look with certainty to the resurrection through Jesus Christ, who sits in power and authority with all creation under Him, for we are under His authority over sin and death now.  This is good news indeed!

Why We Suffer while Doing Good, Not Evil

1 Peter 3:13-17 

13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

As we do what is good by God’s standards and not ours or society’s, God will bless us with His good favor.  But if we do evil, the consequences will catch us eventually, and we will be ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28).  Therefore, if we suffer for doing what is right, we do well and should not focus on the threats and be troubled by the attacks of the unrighteous and ungodly.  Instead we are told here to set aside God in our hearts as holy and as the one that ultimately matters.  We must be set apart for and focused on the gospel, immersed in His word and the living of it that as central to our sojourning here.  This means being always ready and willing to testify to God’s work for us in Christ and how faith, grace, and justification in Christ alone give the glory due to God alone.  The gospel is not about the testimony of us and our coming to Him, but His work to open the eyes of our hearts to be drawn to Him.  Our testimony is Christ’s (2 Corinthians 4:5).  We are to be armed with the gospel of Christ and His work at all times, putting Him first and telling of the hope of justifying grace in Him apart from our efforts and will, answering the attacks and defamation with hope in meekness and fear (fear of their eternal outcome apart from Christ which we all share apart from Him, not of our eternal punishment as 1 John 4:18 says).  We are to be doing what is right as He sanctifies us that we do not bring shame on Christ’s name (Matthew 18:7) and keep others from hearing this message of grace’s reconciliation with God, for then those opposed will be ashamed for falsely accusing us.  In the end, it is far better to suffer while we do what is good according to God than to suffer for doing what we have been saved from - wrath on our sin against Him. 

Seek Peace and Pursue It

1 Peter 3:8-12 

8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For
“He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Submitting to each other and laboring together leads to knitting together of hearts and minds, so that we think of the things prepared for us in Christ and love each other as we love Him first.  Practically, this shows as courtesy, brotherly love, real care and concern, and a lack of retribution in any form.  We should not be giving back what others give us which hurts or offends, nor should we talk bad about others because they hurt us.  No, we are called to bless our enemies and all who seem to be against us instead.  Psalm 34:12-16 quoted here talks of God’s blessing to those who seek to do what is right and not the wrong; it shows that we must be actively seeking peace, running after it.  We know He watches and hears us as we now imitate Christ who lived this out for us to see, and also know our continued disobedience makes our prayers of no effect.  Our hearts should be as Psalm 34:18 says further down in the passage quoted here, that “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”  Are our hearts broken by sin and pursuing peace with others as we have been given peace with God in Christ (Romans 5:1, 2 Corinthians 13:11)? 

Laboring Together in God’s Field

1 Peter 3:7 

7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

Following instructions on submission of wives in marriage for conformity to Christ (1 Peter 3:1-6), we now see the submission of the husband.  He is to yield by showing understanding of the roles each lives out and as a husband of a wife made in God’s image, and how to honor her in His eyes rather than those of society or even of the expectations of the wife herself apart from God’s value and calling.  The fact of being referred to as a weaker vessel in no way implies lesser value or ability, but merely the physical and possibly emotional makeup differences.  The previous verses aimed to reorient the outlook of the wife from outward appearance to the inner person of the heart in the image of Christ, and this continues the thought with the added outward differences which must be acknowledged and taken into account to honor properly.  In marriage, we all are joint heirs of the grace of God-given life, both here and in eternity, so we must honor and submit to each other in the roles and callings as created for God to be open to our prayers.  Eve as the first wife was made from the side of her husband (Genesis 2:21-24) to be equal, yet as his helper in God’s calling to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:27-28), and that not only by physical children.  Together, couples multiply the kingdom (Matthew 28:19-20) when taking on the roles and so fulfilling His call within the outlines of His work for each of us.  Therefore we yield to Him and each other with joy to conform to Christ in our work and inner transformation, not seeing a weaker vessel as anything but more reason to honor with understanding, and laboring together with submission in God’s field.

Godly Submission and Conformity to Christ

1 Peter 3:1-6 

1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

Submission in the proper biblical context is not slavery or denigration, but willing service to another.  Here Peter talks first of wives submitting to their husbands (not all women to just any man) as a way to gently correct them when they stray from following God’s word as we ought.  The submission is control over responses and actions so that the behavior, the conduct, influences by example to godliness.  He then goes into explaining that the conduct is what is important, not the outward making up of beauty to win their husband towards Christ through them, for then they would only be winning their husbands to themselves instead of to Christ.  The inner hidden beauty of Christ and the resulting character within, the gentle and quiet spirit which is precious to God, this is the goal for wives (and husbands).  The examples from scripture such as Sarah with Abraham show this willing obedience of yielding as true beauty and fearlessness, adorned with righteousness of inner beauty in willing submission as unto God.  Feminism’s goal is to disrupt God’s order in marriage by pride and disobedience in refusing to yield in godly submission, and worldly submission amounts to control and other abuses, but godly submission honors all and has its goal of conformity to Christ. 

Healed by His Stripes to Suffer With Him

1 Peter 2:18-25 

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

The principle given here for servants applies to us all, for we all serve someone.  Submission in fear of God to the good and the bad alike should be the guiding principle of our conscience toward God, knowing His mercy and forgiveness in grace to each of us.  If we do wrong, we should expect the consequences; if we do rightly and yet still suffer wrongly as if for consequences for something we have not done, this honors God if we patiently endure it all.  This is because we are called to follow Christ who was falsely accused and spitefully treated with injustice by the unjust.  He was utterly without sin, but endured unjust attacks patiently and honestly while speaking truth and living purely.  This is the seemingly impossible example given to us to get in step with as we follow after as His disciples.  He took the abuse, slander, and blasphemy and did not answer back with the same.  Instead, He committed Himself to the Father who judges everyone, not taking on the judgement Himself to get even.  Jesus took this to the utmost, taking our sins like these and nailing them to Himself on a cursed tree (Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:13-14) that we could be healed by forgiveness by such atonement for the punishment we each deserve.  We are healed in our sinful souls by the whipping stripes which allows us to die to sin as He died for it first.  The healing of stripes in His bearing was not to cure us of disease of the body, but of the soul from our fall in Eden.  As wandering sheep, He has brought us back to watch over us and guide us that we might follow Him in all things, including adversity. 

Submit to Authorities as a Testimony of Grace

1 Peter 2:13-17 

13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Because we are being transformed towards being good citizens of our heavenly country, how much easier it should be to be good citizens of the earthly ones God has set in place here?  We should follow the laws of the land and our rulers in the countries we are born in, knowing that God rules the rulers.  If we break the laws of the land, we break God’s authority given them, unless of course the laws directly contradict God’s higher law.  By the same reasoning, if we follow the laws under His hand given to men, we do well and may even be recognized for it.  What we do not want to do is reject all laws of men which do not contradict God’s higher laws, for then we do not please Him any longer.  To do this, we must understand God’s word in both knowledge and wisdom.  By so doing good, we stop the mouths of the ignorant who are looking for reasons to slander our Lord by demonstrating a clear conscience (1 Peter 3:16-17).  As His chosen people we use the freedom in Christ to serve God and not as an excuse to sin more.  These are the reasons we show honor to whom it is due (Romans 13:7), love our neighbors as ourselves (Galatians 5:14), and follow the authorities as we pray for them (Romans 13:1-2, 1 Timothy 2:1-3).  We submit to authority and the law of the land as a testimony of grace. 

We are All Missionaries and Priests

1 Peter 2:9-12

    9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
    11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

We who are in Christ by grace are both stones of the spiritual temple for God to dwell in and priests of the Most High King living and serving in it.  Together we are His people, a spiritual Israel of chosen ones who have been called out of the deep darkness of sin into the marvelous shekinah glory of inapproachable light. We are called out to speak out all the wondrous things God has done in His Son, praising Him for this gospel and calling others to admit their treason of sin against their maker that they may have eyes and hearts opened to hear, believe, turn, and join us in Christ by His mercy and justifying grace.  For those of us who know Him thus already, we should continue to implore each other to avoid further sin, having been forgiven and cleansed from it for salvation.  We are now aliens and wanderers in this world because we await our heavenly country, but we must war against the ungodly desires and actions in this life to prepare for eternity.  Our behavior should reflect Christ as we leave little to nothing for those still in the darkness to leverage against us, but rather we should do the good works we were created and predetermined to do (Ephesians 2:10) to give glory to the God working in us.  Our testimony is in our yielding to Christ in loving obedience that He might be seen living in and through each of us.  Let us glorify our Lord and bring the praise due Him by sayin ‘no’ to sin and ‘yes’ to Jesus for we are all missionaries and priests to our great God and Savior. 

Living Bricks Founded on the Living Cornerstone

1 Peter 2:4-8 

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
    “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
    “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, the builder’s key foundation, the rock of our salvation!  Though when He walked as God among us (Emmanuel) most turned their backs in anger on the righteous One.  The Son was chosen as a man by the Father our God as the most precious because He is the only begotten, not created, Son.  This one is the chief cornerstone who was foretold, having been predetermined to come at the right and planned time (Galatians 4:3-5) to save those who trust and believe His word.  We then are the living stones of the spiritual temple of sorts which He is building, which is His universal church, not as a human institution, but a heavenly one.  We who are His are all are His priests and saints appointed by God’s call and never man’s designation; as His ministers of fire (Psalm 104:4, Hebrews 1:7), we offer the true sacrifices of praise to our Lord and Savior in Christ.  This is why Jesus Christ is eternally precious to the ones He calls out because we know He has always known and loved us, and because we are able to serve Him as worship in awe and thankful wonder.  Those who reject Him, who stumble at the words of the gospel, are offended and thus disobedient because they are appointed to be and do so by God.  Therefore many even now will reject the gospel of grace as hardened reprobates, unwilling to hear to believe and unable to call themselves out of darkness into His marvelous light.  But we who are living stones have His Law written on hearts of flesh now, not of hardened rock (Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 3:3), but living on this temple’s foundational Rock.  We have come to the living Rock as living stones, bricks of His house of worship as His chosen people.  This passage reminds us who are His called out that we are each living bricks founded on the living Cornerstone, the invisible church seen by God in the building made by His hands in the heavenly places. 

Purified in Obedience to the Eternal Word

1 Peter 1:22 - 2:3 

22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because
    “All flesh is as grass,
    And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
    The grass withers,
    And its flower falls away,
    25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.   2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

We show obedience to the truth of God’s gospel by obedience in the direction of holiness and genuine love for our brethren.  This means we love God and man purely from our hearts, and not in feigned outward social actions that ring hollow.  Genuine concern comes only from a changed heart, and is impossible apart from God’s work in us, for we are born again from above by the faith given by His word’s revealing (Romans 10:17).  His word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and is eternal; this word with the power to save also is to be obeyed to yield to His Spirit’s work in us, for everything else fades away without eternal effect.  The word of the gospel is Christ Himself (John 1:1, 14) who we heard preached to us to the conversion of our souls.  He delivered us from the power of sin by this word to the end that we should continue to walk in it, being transformed day by day to be more like Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Our part is to say no to the sin which so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1-2), desiring instead His word and following what is revealed there on His heart and will for us.  We do this if we have truly tasted His grace so that we may grow in sanctification and giving glory to our Savior, Lord, and Master.  Having tasted that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), we follow Him.

His Glory in Grace’s Certain Hope and Faith

1 Peter 1:17-21 

17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

To be a follower of Christ as regenerated or born a second time allows us to call on Him not only for salvation by the enabling gift of faith, but also throughout our lives as we are being transformed into His likeness.  Yet do we see His impartial grace and still show favoritism or prejudice to other fellow beggars of the crumbs from our Master’s table?  He is the judge, not us, and therefore we should have fear and awe of the one who saved us from so terrible a judgment on our rebellious nature which was leading us to destruction.  He paid the highest price of His only Son (Genesis 22:2, 12, 16, John 3:16) to buy us back from perdition - not with mere riches of this world, but His own Son!  Since we have been rescued from aimless wanderlust by the invaluable blood of Jesus Christ, by the life in that blood of the holy and sinless One, we must conduct ourselves circumspectly in humility toward holiness.  We realize that Jesus was known by the Father before the world was founded, though He came in the flesh as a man just two thousand years a ago, just as He also knew each of us who are called and chosen because we were created for the purpose of knowing Him in return.  Because Jesus has been revealed now, we believe in who He is and in His resurrection which guarantees our own.  We have an obedient faith and a certain hope to His glory and our good by grace.

Sober and Holy Obedience in Grace

1 Peter 1:13-16 

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We are to dress our thoughts to keep them covered in righteousness and holiness, not exposed to the spiritual nakedness of sin.  This means putting on holiness as clothing, but not our own holiness or goodness apart from Christ.  Our hope is in His goodness of grace given which is not by our work without His working in us to obedience.  This grace will be consummated when He comes and we stand before Him at last; therefore we learn to do as He says out of a freed heart, able to love and follow willingly and not under compulsion.  We stop going along with our previous sinful desires of what feels good or what we want in life, and instead live more and more as we are called to do.  We are to be holy because He is, and as He demonstrated and told us He is.  This walk of our living is conformity to Christ, our sanctification.  Though we cannot earn nor maintain our salvation by obedience to the rules of the Law without grace (Galatians 3:11-13, Romans 8:3, 10:4).  He makes holiness possible, so we pursue it as we put off the old man and put on the new each day. 

[ Read this on the holiness of God and sinfulness of man: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/holiness-god-and-sinfulness-man/

Our Salvation from Beginning to the End

1 Peter 1:10-12 

10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

The scriptures have recorded what God has been telling us from the beginning, that He would cover our sin (Genesis 3:15, 21) by a sacrifice of life for death (blood is the life of the sacrifice).  They knew the anointed one of God, the Messiah, would come.  They could not decipher when that would be, but some saw the events unfold and knew, such as the star over Bethlehem (Numbers 24:17, Matthew 2:2, 6).  God moved men to look for His coming and the deliverance He would bring, not fully understanding that the deliverance was not from foreign conquerors, but from sin’s penalty of death and the resulting Hell.  God was telling us His Son would come to save His people through suffering to death into life for His glory and our sharing in it.  These prophets then testify to us of the gospel of redeeming grace in the justification Christ alone can give us, as reported by the eyewitnesses who were the apostles and other disciples.  The truths of the good news are so glorious that even the angels yearned to see them take place!  This is our wonderful salvation from sin’s judgement and certainly of hope for eternal life in our Lord which is the gospel we have to offer to fellow sinners. 

Trials To Glory by Faith and Hope in Love

1 Peter 1:6-9 

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

We rejoice in our living hope of the resurrection of the body to follow the resurrection of our souls in the new birth.  These trials and present adversity may bring a heaviness to grieve us in this life, yet we realize that God is working in us to increase the precious and invaluable faith He gave for our regeneration to the justification in salvation.  These difficult things may seem to overwhelm and crush us, but we need to understand how He uses these to burn off the chaff of our sinful desires and habits to conform us to Christ (Titus 2:14).  By this refining process, our faith will bring praise and glory to our Lord, honoring the one who deserves all the credit.  Our faith is His work in and through us.  We cannot see Christ face to face yet, but love Him for who He reveals Himself to be by the scriptures and His Spirit within us, looking forward to the day we will be in His presence forever at last.  With this assurance of trust we have joy in His glory that words cannot capture, knowing we are saved from wrath and for renewed fellowship as at first in Eden.  The result of our faith in the end is this salvation for which we are eternally and overwhelmingly thankful, though we do not yet see Him as we will.  These trials are to glory by faith and hope in love. 

Blessed be the Lord God of our Salvation!

1 Peter 1:3-5 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

God our Father has shown infinite mercy to us who are called in Christ; this overflowing expression of grace in mercy has regenerated us into new creations, and we are being conformed back into the image of Him who created us out of our sin-marred selves as we gaze into the face of our Savior (2 Corinthians 4:6, 3:18).  This is all possible by the sacrificial atoning death of Jesus Christ, but equally by His resurrection from death to life again as the forerunner for all He calls to Himself.  Without this resurrection we would all be dead and without hope of a new and sinless body which never more shall die!  He paid the price for our sin on the cross by His blood, and also makes eternity possible as if He were the tree of life in that sense.  Our inheritance then is incorruptible, sinless, and eternal.  He reserved our places by His predetermined choice and calling of His children, just as Israel was chosen apart from any merit of their own.  This grace in which we stand keeps us by His work and power as we trust all He said and has done, securing eternity eternally as we await that day before His face at last (Revelation 21:3-5).  He will never let us go from His mighty hand of eternal salvation from sin and its curse of judgement; this is why we join Peter in saying ‘blessed is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” by His Spirit living in us (John 10:28-29)! 

Grace and Peace Increasing and Everlasting

1 Peter 1:1-2 

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Peter was an apostle, a witness of Jesus Christ and chosen messenger of His good news of justifying deliverance from God’s wrath and justice for the sin we all inherited from Adam.  He wrote to those not calling this world their home as pilgrims or sojourners in a foreign land, knowing they belonged now to a heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16).  Peter reminds them first of all who they are and where they stand with God the Father in the Son as elect, chosen by God to be His special people as Israel was called out before (Deuteronomy 7:6, Titus 2:14).  God knew us before creating us in the sense of predetermining our existence, not merely gazing into the future to see us somehow appear; He planned us to be and to choose (elect) us to be His.  He reminds them of God’s grace to make them for Himself and call them, not expecting them to seek Him apart from His work to bring them while dead in sin (Romans 5:8) into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9-10, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Acts 26:18) from our fleshly inheritance of sin’s deep darkness.  Then he reminded them that God as Spirit in them would complete the work of conforming them to Christ (Philippians 1:6), sanctifying them to be more holy as He is.  This call is also to obedience from the heart as a new desire, not like the forced Law from dead stone, but written Laws on our hearts.  This is possible by Christ’s death in our place, His substitutionary death on the cross that sprinkles atoning blood on us as from a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9:13-14, 12:24).  Because of Christ’s work and choice and call, we find grace and peace ever increasing and ever lasting. 

Bear Good Fruit by Intercession of Truth in Action

James 5:19-20 

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

We are to help each other stay the course we have been called to in Christ by faith, exhorting and correcting when necessary to bring all to repentance from sin to bear good fruit.  We help others turn from sin to Him who covers all sin by His blood by the rescue of the Redeemer!  There are many hard sayings in this letter from James to the churches throughout the known world, including both those of Israel in Christ and the Gentiles joined with them in Him.  He has told them plainly that true faith has works as a result of a changed life, which is later explained more in depth by Paul in Ephesians 2:8-10 and in other letters.  Faith that works is proof of the regeneration in us, not a means to obtain or sustain salvation.  Therefore James has challenged his readers then and now to examine ourselves to see if we bear the fruit as Jesus said in Luke 6:44-45 and Matthew 7:20.  We must know where we stand in Christ to bear the fruit of faith that works (2 Corinthians 13:5, 2 Peter 1:10), and James has challenged us to see if we truly put feet to faith, or if we ask only to receive gain from God by association with Him.  When we look at the first three chapters of 1 John, we also see what a changed life produces and not a set of added rules to obey to be Christ’s.  We are saved by grace alone through God-given faith alone according to what His word alone teaches us.  Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God in Christ (Romans 5:1, Titus 3:7) and these things are the outward sign of that transformation, yet we are called to walk out this sanctification in His power and given desire (Philippians 2:12-13) to give Him alone the glory.  We exercise our faith by obedience in grace and bear fruit of this faith that works out the Law written in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Corinthians 3:3).  

Faith in Action Bears Fruit

James 5:13-18 

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Living for Christ by faith in action, working as we are called instead of working to be chosen, this is how we fulfill the two greatest commandments.  Therefore we pray when we encounter adversity with suffering or sickness, and together as a body rely on those God puts in servant-leadership roles by gifts and calling to teach and pray for us as well.  But the first verse in this passage also reminds us to sing praise to glorify God when we are cheerful as well, and we as a body should rejoice with them as much as we comfort in trouble (Romans 12:15).  The prayer of faith that restores is not only of the one suffering, but also is faith of those praying (Matthew 9:2, Mark 2:5) as we see here.  The elders are those called, gifted, and matured in Christ who take Him at His word, and so act and pray in humble reliance on Christ and His working (1 Peter 5:1-3); that is why they are to be called upon to pray for others.   Prayer for the sick also may involve confessing sins for forgiveness, though illness does not necessary result from sin as some teach to their own destruction by twisting of the truth (2 Peter 3:16).  We are to confess our sins we commit to each other to reconcile with one another for healing of our souls as we pray in faith without doubting (1 Timothy 2:8) as Elijah did for the rain to cease and resume again years later for God’s glory and man’s repentance (1 Kings 17:1, 18:37-44).  Faith in action bears fruit as we trust our Lord. 

Endurance With Faith, Hope, and Love

James 5:9-12 

    9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
    12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

Since we are to patiently await our Lord’s return without complaining or venting, but by trust in His ultimate justice and grace as Asaph demonstrated in Psalm 73:3, 17, 27.  Therefore we should understand the and rest in the assurance of our standing in Christ (Psalm 73:23-26),  drawing near to Him by following as we are called to live (Psalm 73:28) in full assurance of faith that works.  Remember the prophets of old, how they were sneered at, tortured, and even killed for the sake of trust and obedience!  They endured all these things and were blessed forever, as we should also do, looking forward to His mercy and love here and forever.  Because of all these things, the way we live must be honest and transparent (2 Corinthians 4:1-2), for if we are true to do and speak rightly, there is no need for oaths to prove what we believe or how we live before God and man.  Living in contentment and the assurance of hope allows us to live righteously and godly in this present darkness (Galatians 1:4), leaving no need to swear to God what we wholeheartedly believe.  We endure by faith, hope, and love.

Pursue Eternal Riches of the Kingdom

James 5:1-8 

    1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
    7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Living to gain riches alone, above God and man, only brings trouble and hardship.  Ill-gotten gain gives things that are corruptible, that do not last long here and turn to dust when passing into eternity.  Precious metals tarnish and leave only a legacy of rot.  By living to fill our storehouses and build bigger storage buildings (Luke 12:18, 21) and not being rich toward God (Proverbs 3:9-10), we will have to face our Lord when He opens our books and see how we have walked over and misused others to gain what we can only lose instead of the incorruptible things we cannot ever lose in Christ (1 Peter 1:3-4).  The love for money will expose those who pursue it above others and the kingdom of God.  Seeking a life of luxury and pleasure at others’ expense and apart from putting God first ends in ruin.  What are we to do then?  Be patient as we see those seeking to gain the world over the backs of others run their course in this life.  Wait for the justice of God’s final judgement through the seasons of life as He prospers or takes away.  In our patience we have our lives (Luke 21:19).  Therefore we establish our hearts by trust and hope in our Lord until He comes (1 Thessalonians 3:13, 1 Peter 5:10), keeping our hearts in Christ and His mighty hands (1 Peter 5:6-7). 

Yield to the Sovereign One in All We Do

James 4:13-17 

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

We often make plans without consulting God first in prayer and patience, sometimes even neglecting to search His word for direction or principles for our decisions.  Proverbs 16:9 instructs is to make plans within the confines of divine sovereignty, not neglecting our responsibilities, yet relying on His guidance and ultimate will for what we do and where we go.  Since we cannot know what tomorrow brings, the godly advice here is to first of all remember that He is the Lord of us who gives breath and paths for our feet to walk in (Ephesians 2:10).  Then in humility and God reliance we must always yield to the will of God over our plans, hopes, and dreams.  Pride says I will definitely do this and that, but humility adds that the this and that are only the things God ordains.  When we boast of what we aim to accomplish outside of yielding and following (Isaiah 30:21) our Master’s footsteps, we boast in our flesh which is evil in its fallen nature.  But when we choose to do good in taking heed with an open ear and observing eye to Christ by His Spirit living in us, then we avoid the sins of omission or the pride of life, which is arrogance from our own feigned sovereignty over our lives. 

We are Not The Judge and Lawgiver

James 4:11-12 

11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

Judging others is not discernment of what they do for or against scripture, it is saying evil things about them as to their perceived motives of the heart which God alone has access to.  If we think the worst and pass judgement, we are actually executing condemnation as a sentence.  Even if we guess right or it is clear that another deserves God’s judgement, we do not sit with the gavel to pass sentence; and for we who are believers in Christ, we should realize we all sit under the same condemnation of judgement (Romans 3:23) apart from grace.  We cannot sit in judgement for the things we do ourselves (Romans 2:3), and should instead humble ourselves and cry, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:9-14).  By judging and passing sentence ourselves, our pretense for knowledge of the Law and acting as God the Lawgiver only reveals our desire to be in His place in our pride.  Humility understands that we all are under the same condemnation given by His hand alone except for the redeeming grace in which we stand.  He alone can cast into the lake of fire (Luke 12:5), so why do we arrogantly step into His robe when we wear robes of righteousness not our own?  This certainly does not mean we cannot humbly judge with discernment of proven actions contrary to scripture, but that we do not pass sentence with our pride and evil thoughts as if we speak for our Lord.  Otherwise, where would there be church discipline or godly rebuke? 

Yield in Humility for Effectual Grace

James 4:6-10 

6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”  7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Because we have a tendency to resurrect the old man of sin who wars against God’s Spirit within us, we need to rely ever more on His all-sufficient grace.  The grace which alone brings salvation from God’s wrath also is sufficient for our sanctification.  But if we do not yield to His working in us, but instead well up with self-sufficient pride of life, He resists us by thwarting our efforts as He gives lessons to work humility in our souls.  It is better to yield to His Spirit and submit to God’s work and will, resisting the devil and his work that points us to our desires instead of our Lord and Master’s.  When we draw near to God in willing obedience out of love in His grace, then He draws nearer to us and the devil is put on the run.  This means that we work out salvation’s sanctification by ceasing our pursuits of the passing pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25), and set our thought and actions on what we are told must be done that our hearts may be made clean (Psalm 119:9-11, 51:2-3) with faith that works.  If we do not deeply mourn for our sin as demonstrated by King David and other witnesses throughout scripture, we fall short of the target set for us.  Only through being broken by our continuing sin and our warring against it by His Spirit (Romans 8:12-13) can we learn humility and find exaltation in Christ (1 Peter 5:6) who is the lifter of our head (Psalm 3:3).  We yield in humility to find effectual grace. 

Desires of Hearts Sold Out to God

James 4:1-5 

1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

Our self-serving desires, those of the flesh and eyes and pride (1 John 2:15-17), are waging war inside each of us.  These are the sources of our outward arguments and outright wars, for they direct our desires wrongly away from the things of God by loving ourselves more than Him and our neighbors (Mark 12:30-31).  Thus we crave things we don’t have and want what others possess, in direct defiance against the commandments (Deuteronomy 5:18, 21, Romans 13:9-10) to not covet and lust; some even murder others to get what they believe they need, just because they let covetousness loose with unfettered abandon.  This is lawlessness leading to sin.  Instead of asking God for what we need, we often beg for what we desire to satisfy our own sense of good in self-serving pleasure.  This is why James calls us adulterers before God in a spiritual sense, because we cheat Him out of the pleasure due only to Him, which come from our hearts and their desires above all else.  When we align with the world in putting Him last, we are at evil odds with Christ whom we are betrothed to.  We become God’s enemies by serving ourselves and flagrantly disobeying His commands and design for us who were made in His image of holiness and righteousness.  He is jealous for us in that He made us for Himself and wants us to find the real pleasure in Him above all others, as chaste virgins to Christ our betrothed (2 Corinthians 11:2).  Our desires, therefore, need to be put on our great God and Savior with lovingly obedient hearts sold out to Him, not whatever feels or looks good (Genesis 3:6).