“The Just Shall Live By Faith”
New King James Version Written by: David Hicks
Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."
“Articles of Faith”
(A Study in I Peter)
Lesson 14 - A Farewell of Order and Humility:
Having prepared these Christians for the outside influences that will test them (physical lusts, sufferings, persecutions, etc…), Peter, now bids his farewells with a few closing thoughts.
Text #1:
1 Peter 5:1-4
“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.”
Elders: This is a direct reference to the government that God established for the church. To be among the brethren is a reference to the extent of their oversight. The elders of these brethren were powerless over any outside of their own community (this autonomy was the wisdom of God in appointing elders in each church – Acts 14:23 ; Titus 1:5 ). This is again reinforced in vs. 3 .
Fellow Elder: Peter sheds his Apostolic title for a moment in order to establish a kinship to those whom he shares the responsibilities of oversight. His witness to the suffering of Christ would add weight to his plea. As Peter not only witnessed the sufferings of Jesus, but also endured much of the same kind of persecution, he also shares a kindred hope of glory in the end.
Shepherd the Flock: The simple instruction of Peter actually describes in its entirety the work of and elder (to feed, tend, keep, rule, and govern – see: Acts 20:28 ; I Thessalonians 5:12-13 ; Hebrews 13:17 ). The statement, “serving as overseers” , shows that although they have oversight, they are submissive to a greater cause and authority.
They are to desire this work; attack it eagerly; and work to be examples to the rest of the flock; all positive. They were not to feel constrained; use their position for gain; and never lord themselves over those whom they oversee; all negative.
Chief Shepherd: Peter establishes the greater authority mentioned earlier and that they willingly serve and guard the sheep of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd ( John 10:11 ). It is in this verse that Peter universalizes the autonomous shepherds as joint participants in the great flock of Christ. In addition, Peter displays the fact that they do not engage in their duties based on any temporal treasure, but for a crown that never fades away (the same crown Paul longed for in II Timothy 4:8 ).
Text #2:
1 Peter 5:5-11
“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. 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.
Submit: With the exception of the young to the old, this instruction is not based on any definite structure of authority. It pertains to the respect that each member is to have for each other. Every member of the body of Christ should wish to please their fellow member in what ever is right and do all they can to help (see: Philippians 2:3-4 ). The very act of submission maintains humility and protects a Christian from pride. This is enforced by a quote from Proverbs 3:34 . The wise saying reveals God's blessings on the humble and His rejection of the proud.
Humble Yourself: All men will be humbled by God in the end (see: Philippians 2:9-11 ), here however, it is those who willingly humble themselves that God will exalt in due time. Casting your care upon Him, is an acknowledgement of Him to whom you have humbled yourself. This does not mean that we are to be ignorant of the stern realities of life; it means that our interests are to be His interests, so that based on His wisdom and instruction our hope can be realized.
Prepare to Meet the Enemy: To be sober means to be serious minded and vigilant denotes that one is watchful; on his guard. The reason for this exhortation is next stated in the introduction of our enemy.
I am often amazed that Christians, being those who walk by faith an not by sight, can work so diligently to grow their faith in God through Christ Jesus our Lord, yet disengage themselves from the reality that Satan is diligently trying to engulf them or that he is a real threat.
The reality of Satan must be as much a part of the life of a Christian as it was to Christ Himself (see: Matthew 4:1-11 ; Luke 4:1-13 ).
The scriptures teach that Satan, now, has various agencies among men. One is described by the Apostle John in describing the tools at Satan's disposal, note:
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Another is described by the Lord Himself speaking of those who do Satan's bidding, note:
John 8:44
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (Also see: Ephesians 2:2-3 ; II Thessalonians 2:3-10 ).
It is within these agencies that we must recognize and battle our great enemy and his agents of influence. It is also why it is so important to wrap ourselves in the armor that God has given us to engage in this battle (see: Ephesians 6:10-20 ).
After You Have Suffered: God's grace is the power that enables man to now be made whole from his transgression and sin (that which separates from God). However, it is an ongoing process by which we are perfected by suffering. This was the walk of the Savior, by which He was perfected. It is expected to be the walk of those who follow Him, in order to be sanctified by Him, note:
Hebrews 2:10-11 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings . 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”
Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,”
Suffering is the tool or vehicle by which God settles or gives a permanent place to those who are His. It has been Peter's effort within this letter to prepare these Christians for this settling and establishment.
Text #3:
1 Peter 5:12-14 “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.
Silvanus: This is another name for Silas (he was a prominent member of the church at Jerusalem – Acts 15:22 , 32 ; He was a prophet – Acts 15:32 ; a Roman citizen – Acts 16:37 ), and was the one by whom this letter is delivered.
Babylon: Much has been made of this as an individual entry apart from the rest of the scriptures. However, as our rule is always that internal evidence is greater than external, and that no passage of scripture is to taken as standing on its own apart from the rest, we will see that this is not as difficult as it may seem.
First, the 'she' mentioned here is the church and is used in the same way that Paul and John used the bride to describe the church in relationship to Christ, see: Ephesians 5:22-33 ; Revelation 19:7-8 ; 21:2 ; 9.
Second, is the term Babylon itself! It is not being used in a literal sense, but in the same sense as John used the term in Revelation 17:5 . John used the term to describe Jerusalem as a harlot. This was a term used from the prophets of the Old Testament in describing this chief city of Judah , when her apostate condition brought about the wrath of God upon her (see: Ezekiel 23:12-21 ). In addition, there are literally dozens of references throughout the books of the prophets, linking apostate Jerusalem with harlotry.
John also saw this city drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Christ ( Revelation 17:6 ). We know that the literal city of Babylon had no part of this in the New Testament records, however, this is not true of Jerusalem ( Acts 7:54-60 ; 8:1 ; etc…).
Now consider that Peter has already spent time warning these Christians of the fiery trials that are coming to them concerning their home ( Jerusalem ), and that they were to be serious and watchful. They also were aware of the reason that God through Christ was about to pass judgment on Jerusalem . Thus, the use of this term by Peter shows that this judgment had already been decided and was only a short time away. We will talk more about this in the second letter.
Mark: This is John Mark, and the term, “my son” is used in the same way that Paul referred to Timothy as his son. Not a son in the flesh, but in the faith.
Kiss of Love: This is similar to the holy kiss mentioned by Paul ( Romans 16:16 ), and was a common expression of the benevolent love that was hoped to be shared by brethren ‘ IN ' Christ everywhere.
This is the conclusion of Peter's first letter to these Christians. He has presented, on their behalf, all that they would need to navigate safely through their temporary residence (in spite of the trials they may face), in order to see their hope realized.
In our next study we will shift from the trials of these outside influences, to trials that they will face from within. This will cause the shift in focus from hope to knowledge in order to combat false teachers.
Next: “ Partakers of the Divine Nature ”
( A Study in II Peter )