Do You Live Your Theology?

Have you ever taken the time to examine your beliefs and see how they work themselves out in your life? This last year has been a time of testing and growing in this area. I can tell you my theology but when tested, my life does not always line up with my beliefs. I was faced with the question of do I live my theology?

This was hard to come to grips with, especially when it came to trusting God. I thought I trusted God but my actions did not always portray this. I said I wanted more of Him but how could I when I did not trust Him? I only saw what I was to do. I did not understand love and grace. They had become cliché. I felt safer in fear. I acted as if I was only a servant of God and not a daughter of God. I did not understand who God actually is.

God was not content to leave me in this sad state. I do not know when I switched to not trusting God; I only knew that needed to change. Through time in the Word, prayer and counsel from friends and mentors, God began to change my heart. He is giving me a deeper understanding of who He is and who He sees me as. He is showing me how to respond out of that. He is showing me His trustworthiness. He is teaching me to rely on Him. I am coming face-to-face with the real God not the god I conjured up in my head. He is removing the projections I forced on Him and showing me who He really is. He is God but He is safe. He is trustworthy. He is loving. He is joyful and adventurous. He is a good Father.

Knowing who my Father is makes all the difference. Instead of responding out of fear, or not responding because of fear, I see the Father beside me. I need to keep my eyes on my Father and not my circumstances (which is sometimes easier said than done). It is when I take my eyes off of Him that I experience anxiety and fear and emotional turmoil. I need to worship Him through my circumstances. I am not saying it will be easy but I will be okay as long as I am with my Father. He says He will never leave me (Mat 28:20). He does not lie.

I’ll leave you with these questions: How are you doing with your theology? Do your actions mirror your beliefs?

Living in the Aftermath of a Ransoming

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the 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. 

1 Peter 1:17-21

So how are we to respond to 1 Peter 1:17-21?

God is a Father, and our Father stands as an impartial judge for us. For Christians, our judgment falls on Jesus. For those who are not Christians, judgment falls on their heads. But our loving Father does not want us to be separated from Him. He ransomed us with Jesus, a precious lamb who took our place. This ransoming was planned before the world was even created, before the first breath was breathed or the first ray of sunlight hit the cold earth. When we call on God as our Father and ask Him to be the ruler of our lives we are saved. We are brought out of that dark dungeon of hopelessness, despair and judgment into the glorious light of Christ. It is by faith in Jesus that we are justified before God and made righteous (Ro 3:22, 5:1).

We are holy the moment we become Christ followers. We also grow in holiness as the Holy Spirit refines us and changes us to be more like Christ. Corrie ten Boom states:

“I believe that an important part of becoming holy is that we need to understand and accept that our sins are forgiven. We often do believe it theologically and theoretically, but it isn’t always a reality… We need to also ask for forgiveness, and then believe we are forgiven. And then we need to turn away from sin, in the power of the Lord. Turning your back on sin is part of becoming holy…. It is God’s will to make us holy, but do you love sin too much to turn your back on it?” (I Stand at the Door and Knock, 2008, pg 40-41)

That is such a challenging question. “Do you love sin too much to turn your back on it?” Speaking on 1 Peter 1:17-19, Corrie ten Boom later states,

Really, holiness is a serious business. We are bought with the blood of Christ. We are bought at a very high price. Christians behave as if they belong to themselves, but don’t forget that you lost all your rights at Golgotha. Every inch of us was paid for. Jesus paid the price… If you and I do not give ourselves entirely to the Lord, we do not give Him the value He has paid for us on the cross. We were bought at a very high price. That cross was horrendous. It was an extremely high price to pay for you and me. (48, 49)

Are you willing to be forgiven and to forgive? Forgiveness really is a supernatural work of God. It is a hard thing to accept, and it is a harder thing to give. As God forgave us we are to forgive (Eph 4:32). “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared” (Ps 1303-4).

Are you willing to surrender fully to God? God has a gracious memory. The same God who said “let there be light” says you are righteous. Everything he says is true. Nothing he says fails to happen. Do not think your life or your sin can trump the massive obedience of Christ. If God says he will transform you, he will transform you.

Are you willing to respond? We are God’s masterpiece, and we are created with specific intention (Eph 2:10). God gives us things to do that make us feel alive and let us experience Him in new ways. He gives us people to love, people to provide for, to encourage. A pastor once said, “A clear mission without action is a dream… God won’t call you to something without giving you the provision to walk with Him… God honors action because it is the life behind your faith.” (Substance Church, Leaving a Mark) God is not going to call you to do something without giving you the desire to do it. I have experienced this on many occasions. I do not always want to do what I feel God asking of me. I have to surrender my control to Him and I find He gives me a desire for the task. I find joy in it and can’t believe I ever felt otherwise.

God is such a loving and good God. Are you unsure how to respond? Run to Him. He loves to hold us in His arms and sing softly over us, comforting us and guiding us (Isa 40:11-12, Ps 23, Zeph 3:17). Even when I am not faithful, He remains faithful and trustworthy (2 Ti 2:13). He gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:3). He makes us stand strong in Christ, so lean on Him and not your own understanding (2 Co 1:21-22, Prov 3:5).

Foreknown Before the Foundation

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the 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.      1 Peter 1:20-21

 

Jesus was not Plan B. Have you ever thought about this? If God already knew Jesus would die for us before He created the world, then why do we sometimes think Jesus was Plan B? God already planned to save us. God was not shocked by our sin. He did not scramble to come up with a backup plan since we messed up the first one. The Father chose us before we could impress Him or rebel against Him (Eph 1:4-6). He already gave us His love. We cannot earn what we have already received. We are not lacking anything in Christ.

It is because of His immense love for us that He saved us. He knew sin would separate us so even before we sinned He created a way for us to return to Himself. “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…” (2 Ti 1:9). We cannot work our way to salvation. He chose us because of His grace not because we had potential to be awesome. We cannot earn the Father’s love. He already loves us more than we can understand. Before He created the world, he chose us. He created us with purpose. He wants us. We are not accidents or afterthoughts.

When God adopted us as His children Jesus was already His Son. In a sense, Jesus is our big brother. He is the one we are to model ourselves after (Ro 8:29). We do not know how to act as children of God so we look to Jesus who modeled this for us. When Jesus left Earth He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us and instruct us (Jn 14:26, Ro 8:26-18). God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:3). We are not left alone but with hope and fully alive in Christ. God has given us everything we need in Him and more.

 

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will... [You] were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:11-14).

To Do or Not To Do

(The title is more funny when you say it in a Brenden Fraser from George of the Jungle voice)

There are different seasons in life where we find ourselves more busy than usual. I enjoy having a full schedule. However, this past year I have been learning a lot about rest and surrender. The last few weeks were particularly full and I recognized I needed a break. You know it is bad when you do not feel stressed but you recognize your body is.

To counteract this, I planned a nothing day. No chores. No errands. No researching. Only cooking, knitting, writing and fun reading (though let’s be honest, I define fun reading as searching history books for my next research topic). To achieve this day of nothing I scheduled out the hours of the day, making sure to include some unscheduled time before my discipleship group that night.

I decided nothing had a broader meaning so I could do the dishes and a few other chores and errands. I was loading the dishwasher and went to put soap in it. I imagine God and the angels watching this rather humorous event unfold. One angel jabs his buddy, “Look at this, I don’t think she knows what she’s doing.” Soon a crowd gathers. “Oh, is she gonna do it? She’s gonna do it!” I looked down in my hand and instead of dish soap I held a jug of milk. It was at this point that I realized I had already defeated the purpose of my nothing day. When you decide milk is a good substitute for soap, you know you are too distracted by your to-do list.

But again, if I’m really honest there is always something more I can work on, a new project to finish or goal to achieve. But if I’m in a constant state of go and do not make time to relax, spend quality time with God and friends, then am I obeying God when He says to “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10)? This is a command, not a suggestion. I need to be still and obey.

So how does one do this? I have many thoughts on this, but there is more to come on this and 1 Peter.

Sealed for His Glory

Are you standing on the edge of the kingdom or embracing your role as a child of the King? As sons and daughters of God, we have the authority of the King. However, do we live like we have authority over Satin, sin and death or do we live like subjects in the realm of a good King expecting to be served? If this is the case then might I suggest we do not realize we've had the authority to bring change all along.

A seal bearer is one who holds the authority of the owner of the seal. A son would receive his father's seal and with it the authority of his father. In a similar fashion, kings would give certain people their seal to do the king's will. They would then have the authority of the king and the resources of the king (A great example is King Xerxes and Haman from the book of Esther). If we are embracing our role as a seal bearer then we are living in the authority of Christ. If we are not, then we are living on the edge of the kingdom. If we are not, then there is so much untapped authority we are not using. We have authority over the Satan and demons (Mat 10:18-20, Mk 3:15), over sickness (Mat 9:1-2), over death (Mat 10:8).

As Christians, Jesus placed His seal of ownership on us (2 Co 1:21-22). Only He can open the seal. No one and nothing else can open it and has no place doing so. Anything that says it can have access to your life is lying and does not need to be there (This does not mean we should all go live in the desert and never talk to anyone. Ever. We are to live in community not in isolation. I'm talking more about the habits, sin patterns, lies that want to control us). When guilt or shame says it is my master, it is lying. Christ is my master (Ro 8:9-17). No longer do we need to conform to our old way of thinking (1 Pe 1:13-16). We have been made new. We are a new creation (2 Co 5:17).

We are in a spiritual war (Eph 6:12). However, God has already told us the outcome. We are victorious in Christ (1 Co 15:57, 1 Jn 5:4, book of Revelation). God always leads us in a triumphal entry (2 Co 2:14). You do not have a parade celebrating victory if you lost. We are operating from a place of victory. We do not have to surrender when God has already declared victory over us. We do not have to surrender to fear or to shame or to sin.

God has given us His armor to fight with. He has equipped us with everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:3). In Isaiah we see God put on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation (Isa 58:17). We, like His children, copy the Father and also put on armor just like His (Eph 6). If we trust the armor God gives us has the ability to protect us but we never use it, it is becomes useless. It is meant for use. We need to use the armor God gives us.

We also need to prepare our minds for when spiritual attacks come (see the post Doubt from March for more). We used to live by the rules of sin, but now we live by the rules of Christ. Sin is not content to let us go. It will keep trying to re-master us. But we do not need to let it. Follow the example of your Father (1 Pe 1:13-15). We are also to follow the example of Jesus and prepare our minds. "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God" (1 Pe 3:18, 4:1-2). The ESV Study Bible commentary gave this explanation of these verses:

Others have suggested that this is a reference to the believer being dead to the power of sin, as a result of having died with Christ (similar to Paul's concept in Romans 6:1-11). More likely, Peter's point is that when believers are willing to suffer, the nerve center of sin is severed in their lives. Although believers will never be totally free from sin in this life (cf. James 3:2; 1 John 1:8), when believers endure suffering for the sake of Christ they show that their purpose in life is not to live for their own pleasures but according to the will of God and for his glory.

Know that your adversary is real. He is not flesh and blood but spiritual (Eph 6:12). He is a "roaring lion seeking someone to devour" (1 Pe 5:9). He makes a lot of noise, but because we are in Christ, we are already victorious over him. Satan has no power over us anymore unless we give him power. Stand firm in faith and resist him (1 Pe 5:9). He has to flee when we submit ourselves to God (Jas 4:7).

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you" (1 Pe 5:6-10). 

The Precious Lamb We Did Not Buy

"... knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things, such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."                                                                   1 Peter 1:18-19

Not with Silver or Gold

It is not with silver or gold that we are ransomed. We did not pay our way out of it. It was a life-for-a-life exchange. We had nothing to do with it. We were in bondage. We could do nothing about it even if we wanted to. We were dead in sin (Ro 6:11, Eph 2:5, Col 2:13). Not mostly dead, all dead. When Christ paid the ransom, he made us alive (Ro 8:11). Where the first Adam failed and brought death, the second Adam (Jesus) brought life (1 Co 15:45). He breathed His life and Spirit into us and brought us to life as a new creation (2 Co 5:17). Only God has the ability to call into existence that which did not previously exist (Ro 4:17).

Precious blood

God did not see Jesus' life as one to throw away. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It is the "precious blood of Christ" that saves us. Not only is it precious because it saves us but it is precious because of whose it is. Speaking of Jesus in Isaiah 28:16, God says: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." Peter quotes this (2:6) to help drive home this truth: God loves Jesus and sees Him as precious. His life is not one to throw away. But get this; he then says we are also like living stones much as Jesus is the ultimate living stone (2:5). This means we are also chosen and precious. The Father saw us as too precious not to ransom. Just as the Father ransomed Israel from Egypt (see Ex 14), so he ransoms us from sin and death. He does so because He loves us and sees us as precious, as worth rescuing (Isa 43:3-5).

Perfect Lamb

Jesus was like "a lamb without blemish or spot". This is a stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of statement. To us it sounds arbitrary, but to the Jewish audience this was huge. Under the Old Covenant the Israelites were required to sacrifice a lamb without blemish or spot to atone for their sin (Ex 12:5). This was not a one-time event either. The Day of Atonement occurred annually. The Israelites constantly offered sacrifices for their sins. Something perfect had to die in their place. A blood payment was required to cleanse them from sin. When Jesus died as a blood sacrifice to ransom us, he died as a lamb without blemish or spot. He was the ultimate sacrifice. He paid the final price. No more sacrifices were accepted after Jesus' death. When Jesus died God tore the curtain in the temple to take away the separation from the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (Ex 26:33, Mk 15:38). No longer was the Ark of the Covenant (and with it God's presence) separated from the people.

God met with the High Priest at the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 30:6). Only the High Priest had access to it once a year to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people (Lev 16:32-33). He could not come when he wanted either but only on the set day (Lev 16:29). When the Great High Priest (Jesus) became the ultimate sacrifice for us, He took away that separation (Heb 4:14). He paid the ultimate price so we could have access to God. He ushered us into access to God. He did what no other High Priest could do. He brought true access to God. Now we can come to God through our High Priest Jesus. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour our sins are paid for and we are truly free. We are children of God. 

Covenants-- Futile Ways Part II

The Christian exiles Peter is writing to are at a very unique time in history. The Old Covenant just ended, and they are living in the New Covenant. In stark contrast to the Old Covenants (which only covered the Jews), the New Covenant now extends to the Gentiles as well as Jews. There is some confusion among the early church about whether the Old Covenant still applies to them or what parts they still need to follow. For example, the Judiasers went around teaching the Gentile Christians needed to add circumcision to the New Covenant. Paul has some harsh words for those trying to impose the Law of the Old Covenant onto the New Covenant.

By trying to return to part of the Mosaic Covenant the Judiasers were saying we need to still hold onto part of the Law to maintain righteousness. However, the law does not bring justification because we cannot keep the whole law (Ro 3:20, Gal 3:10-11). We are cursed if we do not obey its entirety (Deut 27:26). We did not keep the whole law and therefore do not qualify for the covenantal blessings but rather for the curses. It is futile to hold onto that which brings death when Jesus offers a New Covenant which brings life. The Law of the Mosaic Covenant revealed our sin which brought the covenantal curses. This means we need to be saved from the curses.

With covenants, there are blessings for following the covenant and curses for disobedience. When you fail, you have to take the curses with the blessings. Our faithlessness did not nullify God’s faithfulness (Ro 3:3, 2 Ti 2:13). God still upheld the covenant when we broke our end. Jesus took our place so we don’t have to suffer the curses. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:13-14). Jesus took the covenantal curses so we could have the covenantal blessings.

Covenants cannot be added to once they are ratified. The only way for a covenant to end is for someone to die. One way to understand this is with marriage. When a spouse dies, the remaining spouse is no longer married. When Jesus died, he fulfilled the Mosaic Covenant and ushered in a New Covenant. Instead of us dying to bring an end to the covenant, Jesus died. This is scandalous in the world of covenants! Kings did not die for a subject with whom they made an oath. What an intense and unfathomable love God showed us! Not only did He die to bring an end to the Old Covenant but He also created a New Covenant where we could be restored to Him eternally!

Intro to Covenants- Futile Ways Part I

“…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers…” 1 Peter 1:18.

Ok, so since this was going to be a super long post, I broke it up into two parts. I believe understanding covenants brings about a deeper meaning to the text so I wrote a brief summary of the different covenants in the Bible and the type of covenant it was. Covenants were fairly common in the ancient world and the ones in the Bible follow the same pattern.

A Few Types of Covenants:

• Parity (equals)—This covenant is between two individuals or two nations. It is between “brothers”, or equals, for mutual respect and aid. Both take the oath, and it is a conditional covenant.

The Hittites were known for this type of oath. They would gash their forearm then grasp each other at the elbow allowing the blood to flow into the other’s wound. As the wound healed they would continue to open it to allow scaring. This was as much of a reminder for the individual as it was a warning to potential enemies. It said, “I am in covenant with someone. If you mess with me, you also mess with them.”

• Royal Grant—This is between a king and a loyal subject. The king takes the oath, and it is unconditional. An example of this would be a king giving a subject a gift of land for his service.
• Suzerain-Vassal—This is between a king and a subject, lord and a servant, or a father and a son. This is a conditional oath the vassal takes; occasionally the lord will swear an oath as well. The lord creates the oath and the vassal swears it. The lord claims sovereignty over the vassal and promises protection in exchange for loyalty, service and love.

Biblical Covenants:

• Adamic Cov’t: (Gen 2:15-17) This is a Suzerain-Vassal Covenant between God and Adam. If you eat of the tree you will die.
• Noahic Cov’t: (Genesis 9) This is a Royal Grant covenant between God, Noah and his descendants. God promises to never destroy the earth with a flood. The sign is the rainbow.
• Abrahamic Cov’t: (Genesis 15) This is a Royal Grant covenant between God, Abraham and his descendants. God promises land, offspring and blessings to Abraham and his descendants. The sign is circumcision. Here God took a man who did not know God, called him to a land He would show him, and promised to make him great. God saved Abraham by His grace. Much like Abraham, Christians are showered with God’s grace as well.
• Mosaic Cov’t (aka Sinaitic Cov’t, Old Cov’t):  (Exodus 19-24, renewed in Deuteronomy) This is a Suzerain-Vassal covenant between God and Israel. Israel swears the oath (Ex 24:3). Protection and blessings are promised if they are obedient and loyal. The sign is to observe the Sabbath. This is the most famous covenant of the Old Testament.
• Davidic Cov’t: (2 Samuel 7) This is a Royal Grant covenant between God and David. God promises a name, rest and successors.
• New Cov’t: (Jeremiah 31:31-40, Ezekiel 36:22-36) This is a Royal Grant covenant between God, Israel and Jesus’ followers. God promises forgiveness, an internal law written on your heart and the Holy Spirit.

In a sense it is a return to Eden, the true longing of every person’s heart. We all long to go back to the way it was pre-Fall. God takes a wicked person, a person with a heart of stone, and gives them a heart of flesh. He takes all of it, not part of it, and completely replaces their heart. We are given extreme grace.

Ransomed

"If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed..."

1 Peter 1:17- 18

We all have the desperate need to be ransomed. I myself have never been in a ransom situation in the traditional sense but I have been part of a spiritual ransoming. I was held hostage. The need for a ransom implies that I was stolen. In the beginning man had a right and good relationship with God but then we chose to sin. We chose to give into fear and believe God was holding out on us, that He could not be trusted. We became under the control of sin.

But then, something amazing happened. God promised to conquer sin and death and bring us back to Himself. He promised to restore our relationship. In the Garden of Eden, God made the first sacrifice symbolizing the final one to come. He killed an animal to make clothing for the man and woman (Gen 3:21). Because they put on the skin of the sacrifice their shame was covered. Later, Jesus died as the ultimate sacrifice. When we come to the ultimate sacrifice, our shame is eradicated. Our sin is atoned for, and the result is our freedom. When we confess that Jesus is Lord and truly believe God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Ro 10:9).

When a ransom is paid, one thing is exchanged for another. In this case, Jesus was exchanged for me. He was exchanged for you. We have been bought with a price (1 Co 6:20). He died in our place to sin and death. God made a covenant with His people (one of which you can read in Deuteronomy). God provided the ultimate fulfillment of this covenant with Jesus. Jesus took the covenant curses so we could have the covenant blessings. He was cursed for us so we could have a right relationship with God. He ransomed us with His life. He died so we could be ransomed. He rose so we could live with Him eternally. His death and resurrection saves us. What good new indeed!

With Fear

"And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers… with the precious blood of Christ."

As much as we need to understand the love of our Father, we also need to have a holy fear of Him. If we call on Him as Father we need to also recognize that at one point we did not. At one point we were not children of God. God paid a high price for us to become His children. He paid with Jesus' blood. This is no small thing.

We are forgiven; however, we do not need to become children sitting on ant hills with a magnifying glass telling God to smite all the ants that bite us. We do not need to become prideful about how big our Father is and pick fights to prove it. Sometimes, we need to get off the ant hill and away from the situation we placed ourselves in that is causing us pain. We may not get the judgment (that went to Jesus) but we still get the consequences. God will hold us accountable for our part.

We will continue to sin, but we do not need to be afraid of God and His judgment. He is still a loving Father. If you've been a parent or watched a parent teach their child how to walk they do not yell at them when they fall down. They pick them up and keep encouraging them to walk toward them. Our Father is the same way. He will encourage us with His love (and not guilt us with fear or shame) to keep walking after Him. If you are guilted into following God, it will not last. Not only will your heart not be there but eventually you will recognize it is not worth doing anymore. "For the joy set before Him [Jesus] endured the cross…" (Heb 12:2). In the same way we find joy in following Christ. We are to look to Him and follow His example (Heb 12:2, among others). He is a treasure worth seeking (Mat 13:44-46).

According to Each One's Deeds

So far Peter has told us we have a loving Father who stands as an  impartial judge. Now how does this work in light of the whole phrase:  "If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds…"?

Earlier in the chapter Peter states: "According to his  great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…" (1 Pe 1:3). Our actions do not bring about salvation. It is God's mercy that does so. Peter also says, "… [S]et your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Pe 1:13-16). In other words, grace comes through Jesus not through us.

We are God's children and therefore reflect God. Just as a child resembles his parents, so we resemble God. We are holy because He is holy. It is like saying I am a Christopher because my dad is a Christopher. We did not become holy because we were awesome so therefore God decided to grant us holiness. No, we are holy because He is holy. I can no more change the fact that I have my dad's eyes than I can the fact that I am holy because my Father is holy.

As Christians, we are new creations, an alien species, children of God (2 Co 5:17, 1 Jn 3:1). I may not be mature and may still choose sin but I am still holy in God's eyes. Maturity is not a mark of holiness. You either are holy or you are not holy. There are no varying degrees of holiness or higher levels of holiness to obtain. There are greater levels of maturity but not of holiness.

He then says we will go through trials to test the validity of our faith. Our faith will be refined. I believe it is these deeds that he speaks of. Were we faithful through the trials? If we failed miserably, did we return to Jesus and continue seeking Him? We are not judged based on another's actions but on our actions or lack of action.

There is no longer a need to try to pay for your own sins because it has already been done. There is no need to live in a constant state of guilt over past sins. There is no longer a need to hold onto bitterness. "'I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more' (Jer 31:34). Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin" (He 10:17-18). We can stop trying to nail ourselves to a cross because Jesus already did that. He already took our place. Our Father judged us according to our deeds and punished Jesus then forgave us. Jesus took our place so we could have a right and good relationship with the Father again.

God does not see us in light of our mistakes. Instead, he sees us in light of Jesus (2 Co 2:15). When God looks at us, He sees Jesus in us not the sin that once defined us. We have a new identity.

Impartial Judge

Our Father is impartial and does not show favoritism. He does not love any of His children more than others. We cannot rank ourselves in His eyes. It is His grace, not my resume of good works, that saves me. It is His grace that keeps my very long list of sins from bringing condemnation (Eph 2:8-9). He puts that condemnation instead on Jesus.

When someone wrongs us, we find it hard to believe God will stand as judge on our behalf. We think we are supposed to let it go and forget it happened or excuse it away. In all actuality we instead hold onto the offence. We allow it to fester and grow into bitterness. This is not the way an impartial judge operates. Justice will be served to both parties.

For Christians, our penalty is paid by Jesus. This we readily accept. We readily accept the truth that Jesus died for our sins but when someone sins against us, we suddenly have trouble showing the same forgiveness that was shown us. I am speaking from a lifetime of experience.

When the offender is a Christian, we need to recognize that Jesus is taking that punishment (as He did for us), and we need to recognize that the punishment is enough. Justice was served on our behalf, and Jesus took that punishment.

He will not judge someone for something they did not do nor will he excuse someone for a sin they committed. Present the case your heart accuses then give it to the Father to bring about justice. It is then that we will experience true forgiveness. The Father will hold them accountable for their part in the offence. No more and no less. We in turn get to confess our part and receive forgiveness as well.

It is a precious and freeing experience to receive forgiveness and a refreshening of grace. Imagine the freeing experience it would be for the persecuted Christians to forgive those who drove them out of their homes and land. Imagine what a freeing experience it will be for you when you forgive those who have wronged you as well. I am beginning to grasp this freedom, and it is addictive to be free from bitterness. This is who the Father is. He loves to bring freedom to His children. He sent Jesus so we could have life to the full (Jn 10:10).