Friday: Further Thought – An Inheritance Incorruptible
Read Ellen G. White, “Christ the Way of Life,” pp. 365-368, and “Perfect Obedience Through Christ,” pp. 373-376 in Selected Messages, book 1.
It’s amazing how rich and deep this first chapter of Peter is and how much ground it covers. Peter begins his epistle with a meditation on the character of the Godhead, bringing in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
The Father has provided a Savior in His Son, Jesus Christ, and we are elected in Him for sanctification and obedience. We come to love Jesus, and in Him we rejoice with exalted joy because, through His death and resurrection, we have the promise of an “inheritance incorruptible” in heaven. Even amid trials, then, we can greatly rejoice in the salvation offered us in Christ. “His [Peter’s] letters were the means of reviving the courage and strengthening the faith of those who were enduring trial and affliction, and of renewing to good works those who through manifold temptations were in danger of losing their hold upon God.” – Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 517. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit worked through the prophets to outline the days in which Peter and his readers live. As a consequence, Christians should live holy lives, filled with obedience to the truth, in communities that are characterized by the kind of love that comes from a “pure heart.”
Discussion Questions:
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We have been saved by THE GRACE of God thru Jcsus Christ .
Yes, is true that we have been saved by grace alone (1 Peter 1:18-19). Peter goes on to describe the condition of those being saved by grace: they have sanctified (purified) their souls in obedience to the truth sincerely loving each other (1 Peter 1:22). Thus, sanctification is the evidence of being saved and of living under grace, as Peter right from the beginning points out that sanctification is the work of and by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:2).
Winfried Stolpmann
I pray that we will ask God to help us to make wise decisions & that we will always seek Him out for the right answers. In Jesus name Amen
Thank God that His love never fails! Because mine does! Thank God because even amid so much pain in this planet we can still hope that there is something better for everyone. Although we deserve to die, He gave us the chance to choose life, abundantly! How crazy humanity chooses money instead. How crazy to choose material things that fade away! We are all subjected to death, but there is a choice for life. A choice for God's Son. May we live to understand this love! And learn to trust in it. Perhaps our only choice of facing our old destiny! The New has come, He ressurected and gave us back the power of freedom, again we can freely choose!
Am motivated to be christs follower because christ died for me,therefore I have victory over the evil one.This is translates to me being heir cos christ is my brother.
Why do we deserve to die. God doesn't think we deserve to die anymore than He thought the Ninivites deserved to die. Jonah thought they did but God didn't. There is a difference between being doomed to die and deserving it. That is why God sent His son because He knew if He didn't do something we were all doomed.
God KNEW we deserved to die because we are ALL sinners (born that way), and the penalty for sin is death. Jesus BECAME sin for us and took the death penalty in our place, paying our sin debt in full! He came to earth to rescue and redeem us and to restore our broken relationship with His Father.
Since our present focus is on Peter, his letters, and narrowed onto salvation and an inheritance...I will again input that the concept/idea of what saved means has been corrupted.
"The evil that led to Peter's fall and that shut out the Pharisee from communion with God is proving the ruin of thousands today. There is nothing so offensive to God or so dangerous to the human soul as pride and self-sufficiency. Of all sins it is the most hopeless, the most incurable Peter's fall was not instantaneous, but gradual. Self-confidence led him to the belief that he was saved, and step after step was taken in the downward path, until he could deny his Master. Never can we safely put confidence in self or feel, this side of heaven, that we are secure against temptation. Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved. This is misleading. Every one should be taught to cherish hope and faith; but even when we give ourselves to Christ and know that He accepts us, we are not beyond the reach of temptation. God's word declares, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” Daniel 12:10. Only he who endures the trial will receive the crown of life. (James 1:12.)" COL 155
I'm SAVED because I accepted Jesus as my savior... my confidence is in my Jesus to save me. He promised me to save me (1 John 2:25) and He doesn't lie. As long as I remain focused in Jesus, I am SAVED! My character (the only thing I will take to heaven) "is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts". Steps to Christ p. 57
....No room for doubt, disbelief or subtle distrust, but, believe/faith and the assurance of salvation because of Jesus!
Thank you Eli, for putting it so well. We stay saved the same way we were saved in the first place - by trusting completely in Jesus. As soon as we take our focus off Christ, we sink in sin, just as Peter sank in the waves. We can walk on water, as Peter did, as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus. But just like Peter, when we take our eyes off Jesus, we will sink under the waves of sin. The wonderful Good News is that as soon as we turn our eyes back on Jesus, He is there to lift us up, just as He lifted Peter out of the waves.
The contrast in the quotation Jim Bob provided is between self-sufficiency and dependence on Christ.
As soon as we take our eyes off Jesus, we act according to our nature and a soirit of pride or self-sufficiency is inevitable. That's also why in another instance Ellen White counseled not to say "I am saved" as though it were a done deal for eternity. That would imply having no more need of Christ and pride and self-sufficiency would be the inevitable result.
I just read that quote from Steps to Christ, p 57 last Sabbath in Sabbath school.
God, who can read the heart knows not only the words & acts but the thoughts.
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Is 55:7
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" 2 Cor 10:5
"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Ps 19:14
People have about 7000 waking minutes each week to think of many things. What is the habitual thinking about?
Eli, my friend, you need to read back what you posted there. You stated, "my confidence is in my Jesus to save me." But then you went on to say, "As long as *I* remain focused on Jesus, I am SAVED!" This puts your salvation back into YOUR OWN hands. Salvation is NOT about you, or anything you do (or refrain from doing). It is ALL AND ONLY about Jesus and what He has already done. We may lose our focus occasionally, but we DO NOT become "unsaved" or lose our salvation during those occasions! We cannot "good deed" our way into salvation, folks!! It truly is NOT about us at all. But (and there IS a "but"), once we ARE SAVED, that new creation with the new heart, we will hate sin and love righteousness (which we are still incapable of!). Although the deepest desire of our NEW heart is to live a perfectly righteous life, we remain imperfect and must depend on the Covering of Christ's perfect imputed righteousness in place of our still imperfect filthy-rags efforts. With that Covering, we are seen by the Father as "perfect, as He is perfect!" God sees the perfection of His Son, and not our imperfect efforts.
I notice 2 "Amen" votes on this post by Grammy. I will read this post in Sabbath school next Sabbath and hear the reaction by the large (60-100) attendee class. I believe the theme is a corrupted concept of salvation (soteriology) and is an example of "once saved always saved" theology. The bible does not support it, but I do hear this spin from a few Seventh-day Adventist pastors and Sabbath Schoool teachers.
Readers & listeners need to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11. The reason that there are so many denominations is that people who go to church have never read the whole bible and are not checking their bibles after hearing presentations from those who talk in church.
Jim bob, it seems you have never read these verses in John 10:27-30 which most definitely support that once we are truly saved, we are saved forever, and NOTHING can pluck us out of His hand. Here are the verses:
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
Please tell us what the word "nothing" means in the English language. Does it mean "maybe a few things," or "one or two things," or a list of "things?" What exactly does it mean?
Grammy nothing can pluck us from His hand, but we are always free to leave.
So Jim bob, did you read my post to your SS Class? If yes, please give us a synopsis of the reaction. I would love to hear about it.
I agree with you Jim Bob ,I believe that the closer we come to Jesus, the more we see our filthy rags! And when we see how sinful we are, we will not go around saying "i'm saved'! we will talk of our hope in Jesus and how he is everything and trust in him to do his good works! I think our light will shine the brightest when we point to Jesus in everything and leave the word ( I ) out of our conversation !
Amen, we must continually remind ourselves that we have all fallen short of the glory of God and thus never give up on knocking on his door asking him to let us in. We live in dangerous times, wherever you look, you can see sin in the physical. We live in an era where we pay for sin to watch it on the TV, on our phone's, brethren let us pray but we must be excited that the one we serve stands victorious for having defeated the devil. He promises never to live us alone but that he will be with us to the end. Never shall his children be alone. Thank you Jesus.
What is the motive for being a Christian?
The goodness of God and offer of Salvation to all who believe in Christ, along with more good reasons than can be counted. The alternative to being in Christ offers no peace for today or promise for tomorrow.
Why is Jesus' resurrection important to our faith?
It was a fulfillment of prophecy, and by His resurrection we may now obtain eternal life.
How wonderful is our promised inheritance?
I don't think we can really picture the future life, but we can believe what God promises when telling us that "the meek will inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace".
How can our faith grow?
Faith grows by exercise when we believe in God's promises and abide in His Truth regardless of the trials it will bring upon us in this world. No power exists that can remove us from the Love of God, except our own power of choice.
Thank you so much for your email on the Sabbath lessons every day !
How do you understand 'communities' in this quote from the author.
I have to assume it means communities of believers, in local congregations, perhaps a study group, outreach group, where there are two or more gathered in the name of Christ to serve each other and the community around them.
Could also include groups such schools or health institutes where the gospel is promoted in practical ways.
Peter's letters were to Pontus, Galatia, Cappsdocia, Asia, and Bithynia believers, for encouragement and instruction. He already had a tremendous influence abroad by his influence and testimony to those Jews that came to Jerusalem once a year.
Peter's letters are for us too. As we live in the END of time. So close that Christ could come in the next two years. The END of time is at hand brother and sisters, Peter's letters are for US. His communication intended to urge or persuade us to make Christ part of our every day life, his warnings, and his words of faith and courage are vital to us who have chosen to maintain our faith, steadfast to the end. Hebrews 3:14.
Jesus has already done ALL that is necessary to secure my eternal destiny, and I can say with complete confidence that I AM SAVED. Praise God, it's a done deal for eternity! I am ready and eagerly waiting for Jesus to come back and take me home to live with him forever - Come, Lord Jesus! Blessed assurance!
I agree with you Grammy Joanne; I am saved, and it is is a done deal for eternity, but also for now. If we are saved now then it is more than mental assent, granting us a celestial retirement plan. It means that I will live a saved life now by his grace. What am I going to do about it? Well I could shout, "I am saved" from the rooftops to anyone who is listening; I could perhaps sing, although if you heard my singing voice you would probably think that I missed out when the tuner came around. But Jesus has left us with a message: "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another." John 13:35.
Jesus is not talking about saying words here; he is talking about the sort of love that; "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." Matt 19:21.
This sounds like salvation action to me, not in order to be saved, but because I am saved. He does not want mental assent religion; he wants total commitment.
Matt 7: 20,21 "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
It sounds like salvation means action to me.
Amen, Maurice Ashton - I most certainly agree!! Because I AM SAVED (a NEW creation with a NEW heart), I am compelled by the leading of the Holy Spirit to actively seek ways to serve and to love. It is now a way of life as a SAVED born-again believer in Christ!
Jim bob, if you are TRULY born again into Christ, led by His Holy Spirit, there is absolutely NO WAY you would EVER leave the secure protection of His Almighty Hand. Read those verses from John 10 again, paying particular attention to verse 28 where it says: "And I give unto them ETERNAL life; and they shall NEVER perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
Now, we need you to tell us the meaning of the words "eternal" and "never." Please do that for us, will you please.
William, a born from above believer is not "always free to leave". He/she has become a bond-servant or slave of God and His Christ. Rom 6:15-23; 1 Cor 7:22; 1 Pt 2:16; Eph 6:6; Col 3:24
Hi Kenny,
I looked at the verses you shared, and it is quote obvious by those verses that one can indeed leave, otherwise the verses would not be there encouraging people to stay, and not return to sin. Nothing is ever said about anyone being held against their will.
For example you shared Romans 6:15-23. Why would verse 19 even be there if we did not have a choice. Paul is clearly encouraging us what choice to make. "I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness."
Your next reference 1 Corinthians 7:22 is very clear that we are free. Jesus did not die to make us robots. He died to give us freedom of choice. We can now choose to serve Him and are no longer slaves to sin. "For he that is called in the Lord, [being] a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, [being] free, is Christ's servant."
Same with 1 Peter 2:16 "As free, and not using [your] liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God." Servants are not the same as salves. When Jesus washed the disciples feet he was not a slave held against His will. It was what He chose to do.
No hint of slavery against ones will in Ephesians 6:5-7 either. On the contrary Paul would not even be saying this if there was no choice. "Servants, be obedient to them that are [your] masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:"
In Colossians 3:23-25 There is obviously a choice as Paul tells us the consequences. No hint again of being forced against our will, but the fact that the verses are there make it obvious Paul is writing to people who have free choice. "And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons."
" God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan's constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience, and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God." Ellen White, Great Controversy, Page 591
"God never forces the conscience. That is Satan's work." -Ellen White, Review and Herald, February 7, 1893
Why would you WANT to leave God's almighty hand, and why is it so important to you to leave that door open, in case you decide to leave? Unfathomable!! There is no way anyone who is truly born again would ever entertain those thoughts. It comforts me to know that I'm lovingly "trapped" in His grasp. Hold me tightly, dear Lord - NEVER let me go!!!
Grammy I don't want to leave, and I am very glad for God's grace and firm grasp on me. I know one thing for sure, when I am saved it will be by His faithfulness and not mine. However people who have been truly born again have left. It is not important to me that the opportunity to leave is always there, it is however important to Jesus that those following Him everyday are doing so by choice. This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:31 "I day daily." Every day He had to choose to follow Jesus or turn away. In Luke 9:23 Jesus says we must take up our cross daily and follow Him, meaning everyday we must make our choice. Jesus never forces the will or conscience before or after conversion. If He did He would not be love.
William, How can you absolutely KNOW whether someone who has "left" was TRULY reborn or not? The truth is, it is impossible for one human being to positively KNOW that about another human. You are making suppositions based on what you heard and saw from those individuals, but there is no way for you to really know. If someone decides to "leave," I would seriously doubt the validity of their claims of rebirth. Jesus says in John 10 that He gives us ETERNAL life, and we will NEVER perish. Think about what that means about being held in His almighty hand. Once we are TRULY His, it is for eternity! Praise the Lord for that Blessed Assurance!!
Thank you for replying again Grammy. Its good to know that I have good friends that care about me and my salvation even if we don't exactly agree about everything. You are right, I don't know. Then again, when you say you doubt the validity of their claim of rebirth, well, you don't know that either. Neither of us knows what is in other people's hearts. 🙂 I wonder if our disagreement is not more a matter of semantics, where we are just saying things in a different way, when it comes down to if someone has really been born again or not. I know this for sure, 1 John 5:13 says, "that by believing on Jesus and His love we may know we have eternal life!" Not wonder, not hope, but KNOW! You are right in saying "Blessed assurance" Grammy. We are not even saved by our own faith. Great is THY Faithfulness! Lets continue with our eyes on Jesus and His love as we continue studying together and learning more about the love of Jesus from each other.
I AMENed you, William!
But one more thing... If a person "leaves," that is a very clear indication that s/he was not truly born again - Not a judgment of what is in his heart, mind you, but a clear indication. Rebirth is a forever thing! If you have any doubt that you want to be reborn and stay that way, don't go there, because you cannot be "unborn!" Once again, BLESSED ASSURANCE!!
What about Heb 6:4 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit"? Do you not believe that those who as been "enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit" were truly born again? (Notice that the author says who "were..." implying that they no longer are.
If you will read John 10 through carefully, Jesus does not remove our power to choose, which is foundational to a love relationship. Without the power to choose, we would be mere robots and unable to love.
The way I understand God and what He has revealed of Himself, He wants a close love relationship with us, which is dependent on our power to choose. It is in His sovereign will that we *choose* to serve Him, as is evident by the many calls to "choose" that are in the Bible.
Inge, John 10 says we (for I consider myself one of His sheep) hear His voice and follow Him, which is a choice. But you still have to reconcile that with the verse that says no one comes to Jesus unless they are drawn by the Father. And Jesus uses the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep. When a sheep is lost, does it go looking for the shepherd, or does the shepherd seek to find the lost sheep and bring him safely back home? John 10 goes on to say that he gives us ETERNAL life and we will NEVER perish, not ever. Who in their right mind would choose to toss aside the gift of eternal life in Christ! That is not a choice His true sheep would make. I am a bondservant of Christ, under His control, but I am no robot.