We are going to look at how the Holy Spirit helps us through spiritual gifts within the Church. Our passage today is not given to explain each spiritual gift and its function, like a how-to guide. Rather, Paul is writing to correct errors and abuse within this area of spiritual gifts. This chapter combats pagan thinking by giving us God’s thinking about spiritual gifts. Proper understanding will go a long way to helping us correct abuse in this area.
It is common today to respond in two different ways. One response is born out of fear. It shuts down all spiritual gifts, whether declaring them invalid today or simply declaring that no one is doing it correctly. Another response is to embrace them. However, that embrace runs the risk of raising our subjective experience and desires above what the Holy Spirit is actually wanting to do through spiritual gifts.
Passages like this one are written to help us navigate this area in step with the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at our passage.
Paul begins by noting that they weren’t always Christians. Most of them had a prior life of worshipping the Greek gods (this is Corinth, Greece). They had been led astray to these mute idols. Because their religious understanding had been informed by paganism, they were not recognizing the difference of worshipping and serving the One True God. They lacked understanding of the reason for spiritual gifts and how they should be exercised. Their whole prior experience came from a world that was in rebellion to God and His ways.
This sets up a baseline contrast between the false religions and truth. They had been led to these idols in a number of ways. Some were simply born into it. Others may have encountered human and (or) spiritual deception involving manifestations and signs. The ancient world was filled with prophecy from these so-called gods.
In our culture today, most are born into materialism that does not worship literal idols. However, materialism simply replaces the Creator God with something within creation, i.e., money, sex, power, humanity, or even self.
Those who are not following God are not led towards Jesus. The spirit of this world, whether in materialism or false religion, points us away from Jesus. However, the Holy Spirit always leads us towards Jesus, and him as the blessed Lord over all things.
Paul establishes this up front. The spirits of this world lead us to a position that sees Jesus as cursed, something to avoid. Those who exercise spiritual gifts in the Church must be led by the Holy Spirit and not the spirit of this age. One is poison and the other is eternal life.
The Corinthian problem was a particular fascination with one of the spiritual gifts, speaking in tongues, i.e., an unknown language. It was pushing out all of the other spiritual gifts and creating division among the believers.
Paul emphasizes that the diversity of gifts comes from the same Holy Spirit. Yet, he also emphasizes that God Himself is a unity of plurality (e.g., the mention of “Spirit (v. 4) Lord (v. 5) and God [the Father] (v. 6). We may not completely understand the nature of God, but we do know that there is a unity within plurality. It is the unity within God that sends the Holy Spirit. He manifests that unity of purpose in a variety of spiritual gifts, spiritual ministries, and spiritual workings. These always manifest within or through an individual, but it is for the benefit of all (for the common good). Paul then states that this is as He (the Holy Spirit) wills. The emphasis is not on the individual being gifted or having a gift. It is upon the Spirit manifesting through them as the Spirit of God wills. Of course, individuals will have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. That cooperation needs to be not only in the exercise of the gift but also in the way it is exercised.
Our flesh can get in the way of the Holy Spirit in this area of spiritual gifts. It can get in the way by blocking it, first in your own life, and then in the life of others. However, our flesh can also get in the way by using spiritual gifts for our own desires and purpose. The Corinthians appear to be guilty of both. They are blocking the purpose of the Spirit and a multitude of spiritual gifts, while overly pursuing one gift for their own aggrandizement.
Paul gives a list of spiritual gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. This is clearly not exhaustive since we have other gifts listed elsewhere. It is not even entirely clear that Paul is trying to say that a word of wisdom is a separate spiritual gift from a word of knowledge. This list is couched in the language of an individual being given something from the Spirit of God, which is then shared with the Church.
Essentially, this diversity of expressions are coming from the same Holy Spirit who gives these individually as He wills.
Paul uses a popular illustration of the human body to demonstrate how spiritual gifts are meant to operate in the Church. The Church is pictured as a body of Christ. This means that Christ is the One who operates the body. Yet, each Christian is a part of this body.
A human body has many parts to it, but it incorporates one body and acts as a whole to accomplish what the mind of the body desires (hint: this is Jesus!).
It would be ludicrous to imagine body parts dividing over one another in envy or rejection, but this is precisely what makes Paul’s illustration so powerful. In verse 15, he imagines a foot saying it is not a part of the body because it is not a hand. Similarly, he imagines an ear saying it is not a part of the body because it is not an eye. Whether this is out of a sense of inferiority or not, Paul emphasizes that, even if a foot and an ear were to say that they weren’t a part of a body, it would not thereby make it so. In fact, a body implies a multitude of different body parts doing different things. You can’t have a body that is only one big eye, one big hand, etc. It is a body precisely because it has all of these different capabilities working together to accomplish the one thing purposed by the mind.
In the area of spiritual gifts, this is important. If we were all the same or trying to be the same, we would be missing valuable and necessary spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit is trying to supply through us.
Paul gives a variation on this argument in verse 21. He imagines an eye saying to the hand, “I have no need of you.” Similarly, he imagines the head saying to the feet, “I have no need of you.” In verses 22 and 23, he adds the ideas of weaker body parts and less honorable body parts. Notice the idea of division here is driven by looking down on certain spiritual gifts and pushing them out. Of course, there are individuals behind these spiritual gifts. The pressure within the group was to conform to some irrational vision of what was intended by spiritual gifts.
God is the one who has placed you within the body of Christ just as He has willed. He is also the one working by the Holy Spirit to express a variety of spiritual gifts. In fact, it is ludicrous to imagine only one spiritual gift. The same God of Creation who expressed His creative ability in a vast panoply of a variety of creatures, is the one who is behind the spiritual gifts. It stands to reason that it must have variety if He is the one behind it.
Paul undercuts this tendency to uniformity by the Corinthians by pointing them back to the Spirit. It is the Spirit who manifests these various spiritual gifts. If we think some gift, or person, is more honorable, valuable, than another, it doesn’t matter. Our estimations can be quite horrible at times, especially when we are not thinking biblically.
Instead of dividing over the different spiritual gifts, we should work together for the common good that the Spirit intends. Honor is not determined by the body part, but by God who has made it and given it a particular function.
Paul then adds to the argument. If one body part suffers, all the body parts suffer with it. If one body part is honored, the whole body rejoices with it. In fact, the Spirit of God honored the apostles (Peter, John, Paul, etc.) with the power and position to establish the church in doctrine and in practice. It would be foolish for modern day “apostles” to envy that position and try to improve on it or replace it with something better. Instead of kicking against God’s function through these men, we must learn to let the Spirit work through us in a way that works together with the Spirit’s work in them. When we honor them, we honor ourselves because we are all together the body of Christ on this earth!
Though Paul has already given some connections from the illustration of a body to the reality of the body of Christ, the Church, he then brings home the illustration in some concluding statements.
We are all together the body of Christ and members of it. Regardless, what you may think or feel, God has made a place and function for you. By faith, we must embrace that place and seek that function (or those functions) that the Spirit wants to manifest through us while harmonizing with what the Spirit is manifesting through others.
Of course, all of this assumes that we are not letting the spirit of this world manifest in and through us.
God has appointed various ministries (apostles, prophets, teachers) and various works of power (miracles, gifts of healings) and various other gifts (helps, administrations). He ends the list with the spiritual gift that fixated the Corinthians, “various kinds of tongues.”
We do not all have the same ministry, and no one person has all of these ministries happening through them. However, we all do have the ministry and gifts, that the Holy Spirit so desires.
Paul concludes with two statements that seem contradictory. “Earnestly desire the greater gifts.” This thought will be picked up again in chapter 14. By desiring tongues alone, the Corinthians were displaying their ignorance about what makes a spiritual gift greater or not greater than another.
Yet, the second statement declares that there is a more excellent way. This segues to chapter 13 and a treatise on why love is the foundation to any exercise of spiritual gifts. It is interesting that he does not call love a spiritual gift. It is a way, the way of Jesus, that we are called to travel with the Holy Spirit and our fellow believers.
Why do we let spiritual gifts divide us? It all comes down to ignorance of God’s purpose and refusal to be led by the Holy Spirit. May God help us to work together with the Holy Spirit for the common good of the Body of Christ!
]]>We focused last week on how the Holy Spirit helps us, empowers us, to share the Good News of the salvation made available to us in Jesus. We share that through the words we speak and through the actions of the life we live. These work together by the help of the Holy Spirit to draw people to Jesus.
Today, we focus on the transformed life that we can live because of the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We should take a moment to recognize that this contrasts with the powerlessness of the Law to transform us.
Both Paul (Romans 3:20) and James (James 1:23) point out that the purpose of the Law is to show us our sin. It is a great mirror to us of our own life and how short it falls. However, that is the most it can do. It cannot give us internal strength to battle against that sin. Of course, it is helpful to at least see the problem. Yet, it gives us no power or strength to overcome sin in our life. What the Law and its penalties were powerless to do, the Holy Spirit is able to do within us. He leads us in the battle of becoming like our lord Jesus.
He is the one who convinces us (convicts) that our righteousness is woefully lacking, but that Jesus is completely righteous. He convinces us that Jesus is God’s means of salvation for us.
This internal work of the Holy Spirit to help us be transformed is the amazing grace of God for us.
Let’s look at our passage.
Notice that Paul uses the contrasting phrases of “The Spirit of God” and “the flesh.” The flesh is not the same word as “body,” but it is connected to the body. The flesh is that internal response that is rooted in the desires of our mortal body. Because it is internal, it takes on spiritual overtones and can even seem like something other than us.
We have a multitude of strong desires that are rooted in our physical bodies. Paul describes the difficulty of obeying God’s law in Romans 7. Our flesh often wants what our mind knows to be bad. It is also true that our flesh may not want what our minds and hearts know to be good for us. Thus, both Romans 8 and Galatians 5 depict the flesh as being bent away from God and in towards pleasing self. These appetites may have come about through experimentation or seeing peers and society “enjoying” them.
I bring this up because it is not God’s desire to keep heaping more and more laws on top of us. He knows that our sinful flesh will continue to hijack our ability to obey them. Yet, it is important for us to understand this because we are a people of way more laws than Israel ever was. These united States of America have more and more laws every year. However, they are not making us more and more righteous. It was precisely because Israel had 1400 years of following the law that they could understand the amazing grace of God that was made available in Jesus the Messiah.
God’s solution was not more laws. Rather, it was to first make Jesus available as the perfect man who could live in perfect obedience to God the Father and then make a way for those who would believe to follow him.
This all starts with the help of the Holy Spirit for us now in our mortal flesh, but it leads to the day when we will receive immortal, glorified bodies. We will no longer have a flesh that is bent away from God and towards the lesser desires of our mortal bodies.
This flesh is not just contrasted with the Holy Spirit. Paul states that the flesh and the Spirit are “contrary” to one another, or “opposed” to one another. In Romans 8:7, Paul uses a stronger word. They are “hostile” to one another.
This hostile opposition between our flesh and the Spirit of God leads us to a situation where we find ourselves wanting something but not doing it. This can be a desire born of the Spirit that our flesh tries to keep from happening, and it can be a desire born of the flesh that the Spirit challenges us to put to death.
At Pentecost, something completely new was happening. God was taking up residence within all those who put their faith in Jesus. This internal presence of God works to give us power to reject the wrong desires of our flesh and follow the Spirit.
What exactly are the desires of the Spirit? John 15:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit comes to testify about Jesus. Thus, He desires that we come to Jesus and follow him. John 16:8-11 further details this that He desires to convict the world of its sin, need for the righteousness of Jesus and the judgment that looms over us.
In this passage, we will see that the Holy Spirit desires to express the character of Jesus in our lives. Jesus is our master teacher; we are his students. We need to learn his way of life and follow him in it. We could never do this in our flesh because our flesh is hostile to the idea of actually following the words and life of Jesus.
All of this comes under the idea of walking “in” or “by” the Spirit. Prepositions in one language do not perfectly map over to prepositions of another language. Both of these prepositions work. In some ways, the Holy Spirit is like an external guide with whom we walk. In another way, He is the river in which we are born along in the right direction. We could even say that He becomes the power and means by which we are able to walk with Christ, i.e., we walk with Christ by the help of the Spirit. Yet, the Holy Spirit does all of this from within us. He helps us to be aware of our actions, attitudes, direction, purpose and goals, and then, to tune them to those of Jesus.
Paul tells us in verse 19 that the deeds of the flesh are obvious. His point is not that our flesh wants all of these things at all times, but that these are the kinds of things that our flesh desires and leads us to do.
No intellectually honest person will say that the Holy spirit wants us to do these things. It is sad that some Christian groups have developed a theology that emphasizes grace to the point that you can do any sin you want, while thanking Jesus for his forgiveness. This is a travesty and a heresy. The Holy Spirit wants to help us live a transformed life that becoming more and more like Jesus.
Paul ends this by reminding them that people who live a life of doing the deeds of the flesh will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Inheriting the Kingdom of God here is not talking about joining a church or being a professing Christian. He is challenging people who are Christians not to follow after their flesh. On one hand Christians are a part of the Kingdom of God in Jesus. He is our King and we live out His commands by the help of the Holy Spirit. However, the Kingdom of God is not yet fully here. The verb “inherit” in verse 21 is future tense. He is looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ when Jesus sets up a kingdom over this earth. The saints, Christians who have been faithful to him, will be resurrected to serve as his administrators in this coming kingdom. This is an inheritance that God has promised for those who come into a spiritual relationship with the Messiah, Jesus.
We have many opportunities to walk with our flesh every day. This does not change when the Spirit indwells us following faith in Jesus. Of course, Paul is not talking about a one-time thing. “If you ever do one of these things, you will not inherit!” No, he says, “those who practice” such things. This is an ongoing choice to keep walking with your flesh in opposition to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
We all have moments in which we fail, but it isn’t over. Think about what the Spirit does when you fail. He convicts your heart about what you have done and calls you to repentance, i.e., change your mind and turn back to the righteousness of Christ. None of us will inherit without continuing to repent and keep our eyes on Jesus.
On the other hand, if I let the Holy Spirit produce the fruit of Christ in me, then I will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Paul could have continued by speaking of the “deeds” of the Spirit, but he switches to the picture of fruit. Fruit is an organic process rather than a work project. It is borne from within because of our new nature and grows a little bit day by day.
The Spirit of God within you empowers a whole new dynamic in which the character is slowly formed in you and expressed in your life. This will go from an empty branch to buds to blossoms to fruit to ripening of that fruit. In a sense, we have two natures: the old nature and new nature. Which of these natures are you expressing?
The list of love, joy, peace, etc… are essentially different facets of our love for one another fueled by the presence of God Himself within us. On one hand, I am letting the Holy Spirit do something within me (yielding to Him). On the other hand, I am doing the things that the Spirit is showing me to do.
No fruit tree can be fruitful without pruning. Bad branches that are broken or diseased must be cut off. These would be the things on the list of the deeds of the flesh. However, some branches need to be cut off in order to make room for other branches to be more fruitful. In other words, sometimes the Spirit teaches us to remove things from our life, not because they are immoral or wicked, but because they are keeping me from being fruitful. They are taking up too much space in my life.
Furthermore, sometimes God prunes things from my life. I have nothing to say about it. It just happens. Yet, other times, the Spirit of the Lord points out something that we need completely prune out of our lives. He works within us to convince us and empower us to do it.
This is the powerful evidence (fruit) of the Holy Spirit within us. We will see all of these things start to show up in our life. Yet, the Spirit will not be content with just a little love in our life.
None of us will be (are) perfect at this on this side of death. However, we are not under the law of sin and death. Verse 18 states that those who are led by the Holy Spirit are not under the Law (judged by it). Rather, we are under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). Entering the presence of Christ upon death is not based on our perfection in these areas. Rather, it is based upon His perfect work being applied to our lives by faith. Those who trust Jesus and His Spirit to the end of their lives will enter into His presence. In fact, some of our greatest righteousness will include repentance and forgiveness.
Paul ends with a description of what it means to follow Jesus. To belong to Jesus is to crucify your flesh with its passions and desires. It should be obvious that a crucified groom (Jesus) would only want to be with a crucified bride (all those who believed him enough to follow the Spirit).
“If we live in the Spirit” is a statement about the spiritual life we have in Christ. If I truly have put my faith in Jesus and his eternal life has taken up residence within me by the Spirit, then I need to walk by, with, and in the Holy Spirit. It is not enough to be made alive. We need to cooperate with the Spirit so that the righteousness of Jesus might be growing in our lives.
Praise God that we have a savior who covers our sin and yet does not leave us stuck in them. Let’s put our faith in Him and put to death those desires that hold us back from becoming more like him.
]]>Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, so we are going to focus on why the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was so important following the resurrection of Jesus.
Let’ s look at our passage.
These are the last moments that Jesus is with his disciples before ascending into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. He had earlier given them the mission of taking the good news about his work of salvation to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20). Yet now he makes a stipulation about this. He commands them “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father…”
We should notice that Jesus wants us to receive this promise of the Father before we go about the mission he has given us. It is clear that he is referring to the promise of the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon all believers.
Of course, the very next words out of their mouths are about the Kingdom being restored to Israel. Is it now, Lord? Jesus tells them that the Father is not giving that information to them. They need to focus on receiving the Holy Spirit and accomplishing the mission Jesus has given them.
Notice that the Holy Spirit will give them power, and they will be “my witnesses.” There are many ways in which the Holy Spirit empowers us. One of these ways is to make us a powerful witness of Jesus. In this sense, we are a particular kind of evidence for Jesus, a personal witness.
There are a couple of ways that we are his witnesses. The first is that we are his witnesses because we give testimony about him. He is the object that we have witnessed or the content of that to which we are testifying.
The world would not know who Jesus is, what he has done, and why it is so important, without someone who knows about it going to them and telling them.
This is Paul’s point in Romans 10:13-15. He takes an Old Testament truth, “All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” and reverse engineers it. How can people call upon the Lord and be saved if they don’t believe in him? How are they going to believe in him if they haven’t heard about him? How will they hear about him if no one tells them? How can someone tell them if they haven’t been sent? Jesus is the beginning of this whole series. He sends all of his disciples to go to the world around them with the good news of his salvation.
They needed to wait because the Holy Spirit was going to be poured out on a particular day, the Feast of Pentecost. Why that day? Pentecost was a celebration for the harvest so far and the harvest to come. In this case, Jesus is bringing in a spiritual harvest of people from Israel and the nations who will hear the good news, believe, and come into his kingdom.
We are also his witnesses in the sense that we belong to him and are doing a work for him. In fact, Jesus is witnessing to others through us. This spiritual dimension to our witness should not be overlooked. It goes beyond you and me. This witness is more than what we say and do.
When we share God’s terms of salvation with a lost world, it really is the Lord Jesus working through us to draw people to himself. God can lead us, but He also works beyond us and in ways that we cannot see. I may be nobody, but some people can only be reached by a nobody who shares the greatest somebody in the universe with them. Can you be God’s nobody and trust Him to do what you cannot do? This is part of the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus truly is sending us with a task, but He is also truly working with us and through us by the Holy Spirit. The answer is not to shrink back and say that God will do it. Nor is the answer to try and do it all by yourself. We must give our all to this mission but also trust the Holy Spirit to do His part. The job is too big for us in ourselves. We need the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life to do this.
One way in which we are witnesses is by our active vocal testimony. The Holy Spirit can give us boldness to speak when we are afraid. We see this with the apostle Peter who was afraid to stand with Christ on the night of his betrayal. Later, a Spirit-filled Peter would boldly speak in the temple compound, calling his people and Israel’s leaders to repentance.
The Holy Spirit can also help us with giving us the things to say. The preaching and teaching of the apostles was written down so that we can hear these inspired words. Yet, the Holy Spirit can give us specific leading in what to say to people. We need to learn to listen to Him and boldly speak it.
The Holy Spirit can also help in the heart and the mind of the person who receives our testimony. You may feel His presence and working, but then again, you may not. The main thing is to trust that the Spirit is always helping even when you don’t see it.
There is a part of our testimony that is not so much ours, but that of the original eyewitnesses to Jesus. This cannot be reduplicated. No one alive today can give testimony to seeing Jesus. Yet, we can pass along this eyewitness testimony.
Tens of thousands of people witnessed the life, teachings, and death of Jesus. Over 500 people witnessed that Jesus was alive after his death and burial. Acts 1:3 speaks to the infallible proofs that Jesus gave to these people. Some of those proofs were simply that he was alive. Some of those proofs were that he was more than a mortal. Jesus showed Thomas the crucifixion marks on his body. They touched him. He ate fish. Jesus was not an apparition or spirit. Yet, he was more than a mortal man. He appeared and disappeared in their midst when they were locked in a place. He ascended into the heavens in front of their eyes. These eyewitness accounts were written down so that they could be verified and used to test others who claimed to have testimony about Jesus.
By the beginning of the 2nd century, the last of those eyewitnesses were dying. This is why the Bible is so important. It is an eyewitness record of those who were there. This is also why the Bible is so attacked in our day and age. The devil doesn’t like the Bible. People who love to sin don’t like the Bible. Even my own flesh turns away from these words without the help of the Holy Spirit. It is important that we have the help of the Holy Spirit to share the testimony of these Apostles contained in the New Testament.
However, you don’t have to be an eyewitness to experience the spiritual truths that Jesus has made available to us. We are the spiritual offspring of those original disciples. Just as the words and work of Jesus transformed their life, so our lives have been transformed by that as well. Salvation is not simply a legal distinction. It is a living experience where the Spirit of God transforms our heart and mind. We go from being a people in slavery to sin to being a people living out the righteousness of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit helps our witness by fueling the transformation of our lives. This personal transformation also gives zeal and passion to our testimony as well. In short, we bear witness to the saving power of Jesus. Jesus truly saves those who believe in him. He saves them from their sin and failures. Of course, we see some of that happening right now. Some of it we will see happening in the future (I’m not perfected yet). Yet, we are following the Perfect One who is the perfecter of our faith. Only you can tell the testimony of what faith in Jesus has done for you. We need to seek the help of the Holy Spirit to empower transformation from the inside out. Then, we need to share it with others.
Our witness is not just by our words. In fact, we must be careful that our life is not discordant with our words, or the words of our Lord Jesus. Hypocrisy only interferes with our ability to witness for Jesus.
In this sense, people will see our lives. Our actions and overall life will testify for us. Both verbal testimony and demonstration testimony are necessary in our lives. We cannot do one and neglect the other.
This is why the Bible records the experience and subsequent lives of those who believed in Jesus. Peter became a man with a spiritual backbone. Saul of Tarsus became a follower of Jesus who would put his life in jeopardy in order to bring the good news about Jesus to those who had never heard.
This is part of the testimony in their day and age. Yes, they said things, but their actions and lives powerfully underscored these words. When Stephen was stoned for giving testimony to the Lord Jesus, it may have scared some people away from following Jesus. Yet, he was only the first of many who gave testimony with their lives that Jesus was worth losing your physical life. They faced persecution, torture, and death. When Saul of Tarsus became a Christian, it shocked everyone. Some Christians feared that it was a ploy to discover who they all were. Unbelievers believed that he had gone mad. However, no one could counter the claim that Saul of Tarsus was no longer who he used to be. The evidence of his life before and after spoke volumes about the kind of man he used to be and who he became once he believed upon Jesus.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, “9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
There is real power working in this. Many of these Corinthians used to be caught up in various types of sin. If Jesus had remained in the grave, we would not be reading these words today. If no one’s life was ever transformed by these words and the Holy Spirit who works through them, we wouldn’t be here today.
A transformed life is our biggest testimony. It is God’s will for you to be transformed by the truth of His Word and the power of His Holy Spirit. Thus, we need to expect this, desire this, pray for this, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He empowers this in our lives.
We need to pray for the Spirit’s leading in our daily lives. What are the ways in which I need to be transformed to become more like Jesus? Only a person who is in the Bible, in prayer, and wrestling with their sinful flesh by the help of the Holy Spirit can give testimony of a life that is being transformed.
May God help us to rest in His gracious work of transformation in our life and to know His peace day by day.
]]>This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Mother’s Day Sunday, May 10, 2026.
When it comes to honoring others, we have become a culture that is really bad at it. It is not that we don’t honor things, but that we do it superficially and in superficial ways.
We love to exalt people as heroes quickly. We love to idolize them and try to be like them. However, we also love to tear them down quickly, even crucify them.
The Bible shows us a better way. Honor is something that comes from God, and we do it best when we do it as He has shown us.
Let’s look at our passages.
There is no way around the Bible’s command to honor our mothers. Some may challenge that this is part of the Law of Moses in the Old Testament, and we are not under the law.
This same argument is used in a different form when atheists accuse Christians of picking which laws in the Old Testament they follow and which ones they don’t.
This is not what Christianity is doing. In fact, this represents an intellectually dishonest or lazy attempt at summing up the New Testament. The New Testament writers are very clear on why some laws from the Old Testament are still given to Christians and why others are not.
To honor your mother (and father) is not part of the dietary laws, i.e., which foods you can or can’t eat. The dietary laws were not given because of something inherently bad about certain foods. They were given as a spiritual teaching aid. Acts 10 shows us exactly why Christians do not continue the dietary laws. The death and resurrection of Jesus provided for the cleansing of all people (Jews and Gentiles). This was the spiritual reality that the dietary laws represented.
The ritual and sacrificial laws were also fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Christians offer spiritual sacrifices to God, but we do not try to build temples and sacrifice animals. Jesus is our once-and-for-all perfect sacrifice.
There is one more category of laws in the Old Testament, moral laws. Murder did not become acceptable for Christians because they are no longer “under the law of Moses.” Murder is always wrong, and so is dishonoring your parents. These are moral issues that have selfish motivations surfacing from our hearts.
Throughout the New Testament, the apostles reiterate (like Paul does in Ephesians 6:2-3) these moral laws. Christians do not do them because it is in the Old Testament. We do them because God wants us to love one another (i.e., not act out of selfish motivations). A good way to understand the 10 commandments of Exodus 20 is to recognize that they show us how to love God (commandments 1-4) and how to love people (commandments 5-10).
This is not a double standard, nor is it a legalistic following of the Law. It is following the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that He has poured out into our lives.
We can note that Jesus was a man who honored others, even when they dishonored him.
So, what exactly is honor? The Hebrew word behind our translation has the sense of that which is heavy and has glory. Your mother has the glory of being a very heavy thing in your life that should not be treated lightly. Honor has to do with who your mother is, but also about your proper response to that place of honor.
Of course, your mother is not God. Her honor is not greater than God’s honor. Still, her honor comes from God Himself who made us a species that propagates the next generation through moms and dads.
If you think that your mother isn’t valuable in your life, then you need to change and work on giving value, weight, honor to who and to what she is in your life.
How a person honor has some changes as they mature. An infant can’t understand this issue. We don’t expect them to “honor their mother.” Yet, an infant grows into a toddler and a young child. Children need to show honor by respecting and obeying their parents (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20).
I guess it is theoretically possible for a mom to tell a child to do something bad or illegal. However, that is the exception and not the norm. Even non-Christian moms generally do not tell their kids to do such things. Yes, extreme actions create extremely difficult circumstances that affect how we show honor. This does not remove our responsibility to honor our moms.
Does anyone perfectly honor their mom and dad? I don’t think so. In fact, even moms and dads didn’t perfectly honor their mom and dad. We need grace both ways, from parents to kids and from kids to parents. Of course, kids don’t always understand this until they grow up and have a family of their own.
Teenagers especially kick against obeying their parents. They are knocking at the door of adulthood and desire to jump into it too quickly. They recognize that they don’t always think like their parents. Yet, they still need to honor their parents through obedience while they are living with them.
It may seem to take forever, but kids eventually become adults. What does it mean for us to honor our mothers when we are adults?
When a child moves out and starts their own life, they still need to honor their parents. You should still respect them, but the area of obedience drops off. You are no longer a child in their home. Instead of giving commands, parents now become a source of valuable counsel in your life. You honor them when you leave room for their counsel or even seek it out. Of course, parents should honor their adult children by recognizing the role of parenting has changed. Counseling others is an area fraught with pitfalls. Moms can make the mistake of giving counsel in dishonoring ways, and adult children can make the mistake of receiving counsel in dishonoring ways.
Treat their input and counsel as valuable. Hear them out without hurt and anger. Yet, let it be what it is, a more experienced adult giving advice to a less experienced one.
Parents can mean well, but they are not God. They don’t always know what is best for you. Pray over their counseling. Seek God’s wisdom on how to incorporate it. Yet, you are seeking God’s will. In the end, we honor God above even our parents.
There is one more change that happens. When your parents enter their declining years, you should respect and care for them. Not every parent declines in the same way. Some do so quickly versus slowly. Some decline at a relatively young age versus at an old age. Some require great amounts of help and care while others require very little. Yet, they will all need assistance.
This is a role reversal in some ways. Yet, your parents do not become your children. You should respect their wishes and desires while counseling them on decisions they need to make. You should work hard to help them retain their dignity as much as possible. In fact, it is important to stay connected to your parents enough that you know when you need to step in and start assisting them.
In some ways, you are paying them back for the years they took care of you when you couldn’t do it for yourself. Yet, this is not an equation. Some kids can chafe at how long and how much care a parent needs. Do I only “owe” them the same number of years I was in their home? This is a dishonorable way of approaching the issue.
You are honoring the place that God has given them in your life. God wants you to care for them. This is not to be treated lightly and cast aside. Don’t kick against God’s will in your life but learn to embrace it with a love for Him and a love for your mother.
What if my mom (my dad) lived a dishonorable life? What if there is nothing to respect and honor? It is true that this presents a tough situation for you. Some moms abandon their kids and then show up in their adult years. Some moms were there but were hurtful and harmful in your life. Maybe they changed later or maybe they didn’t. These are all tough circumstances. What does it mean to honor in these cases?
This brings up the issue of our motivation.
On one hand, we can simply say that God tells us to do it, and so we must do it. It is true that to honor our parents in their declining years is to honor the God who tells us it is important.
On the other hand, we should not treat this subject as if we have no understanding about why God wants us to do it.
If you had wonderful parents as a kid, you will most likely feel a strong desire to bless them because you love them. It may not even seem like a chore. This is a glimpse of the best-case scenario. Yet, it is interesting that the 5th commandment issues a promise of prolonging your days in the land. Paul adds the phrase, “that it may be well with you…”
Of course, this is not a guarantee that nothing bad will happen in your life but that in comparison, it will be good to have honored and not good to have failed to do so. Honoring your mom does something within you that is better for your life moving forward. Honoring shapes you in good ways and dishonoring shapes you in bad ways.
As mortals, we cannot live both lives and choose which we think is better. We either trust God or don’t. Yet, even more than this, we can look at the lives of others who are honoring and those who are dishonoring their parents. We can see whether this leads to a better life or a worse life. I think there is plenty of data to support that God is correct in this area.
If you are struggling to honor your mom or simply doing a poor job at it, let’s look at some areas of motivation beyond trusting God.
First, you can honor your mom for the work they have done. No mom is perfect, but many moms have chosen to stick in there and care for their kids when they couldn’t do it for themselves. Putting all nit-picking aside, they did care for you. Imagine life without them.
Second, you can honor your mom for the sheer difficulty of the task. Even if they did a lousy job, we can recognize that there were personal hurts, wounds and fears that were behind their lousy job. Not all of us are as wise as Solomon, and it is even harder when a mom has abuse and tragedy in her life. There are tough decisions in life. It is easy to choose the easier path while failing the test of doing the right thing, the good thing. The junk in their heart and mind interferes with their ability to make good decisions.
Of course, we do not honor them for doing a poor job. We simply recognize it was a difficult time for them. It doesn’t make it right. However, their failure to step up in a tough situation is exactly what you are wrestling with. You are in a tough situation and are letting hurt and wounds drive you towards making a decision that is not good for your parents. Do you want mercy? To give them mercy is to make the case for your own need for mercy.
In fact, God is challenging you to see His heart for redemption, redeeming your parent and redeeming you. Perhaps, you are God’s last attempt to break through the hurts and failures of their life.
Third, you can honor your mom for the place and purpose God has given them in your life. God gave you your mom just as much as He gave you to them. Regardless of how well or bad they did, we can honor God by helping them when they need it (or will accept it). God is asking you to love them and minister to them. They may be a porcupine of a person who is impossible to hug but this is God’s challenge to you. Many an adult child has led a parent to the Lord who had lived a selfish life in rebellion against God and to the hurt of their kids.
Forgiveness is not saying what they did was good or even okay. It is saying, I refuse to mistreat you because you mistreated me. It is seeking to overcome evil with good. Only the Spirit of Christ can do this kind of a work within us.
May God help us to honor our mothers ever day moving forward. In ourselves, we are empty vessels. But in Christ, we can be a full cup of blessing to others even when they have brought hurt and pain into our lives. This is becoming like Jesus.
]]>1 Peter 5:12-14. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
As we finish this letter, we have reached the place where Peter gives his closing words to the recipients of it.
It is mostly a basic closing of a letter. It mentions the carrier of the letter and gives greetings to people in the churches of Asia Minor from Peter and others with him.
Yet, there are a couple of items in this passage that have created some controversy.
Let’s look at our passage.
Peter first explains that the letter has come to them through a man named Silvanus. Silvanus is mentioned as a fellow worker with Paul and Timothy in 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.
We should also make the connection between this Silvanus and the shortened form of his name used by Luke in Acts, Silas. Though Peter and Paul use the longer form, Luke seems disposed to using a more intimate and informal name for him.
Silas was a Jewish Christian who was among the men of Jerusalem in the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. He accompanied Paul back to Antioch in order to verify the decision of the Jerusalem Council. Luke describes him as a prophet and teacher who is clearly of Jewish descent. Silas ends up accompanying Paul on his 2nd Missionary journey through the areas addressed by Peter’s letter. He would know the people and be familiar to them, having ministered among them with Paul.
Peter refers to Silvanus as a “faithful brother” and comments that this is his opinion or estimation of him. The gist of this is simply that the one these churches know as a faithful brother already has also been found by Peter to be faithful as a brother in Christ, i.e., a spiritual brother.
By the way, this is how the New Testament really began. Letters were written by apostles to particular churches or group of churches in a region. We are not told how Silvanus distributed this letter to so many churches. Did he come bearing multiple copies? What church did he go to first? Some of these questions we cannot know. However, it is most likely that the letter was first given to a particular church, which would most likely make a copy of it. Since Silvanus is well acquainted, it is most likely that he personally saw to the distribution. It would allow him to touch base and minister to the churches similar to Paul’s attitude in his missionary journeys. Thus, Silvanus would come to a particular town, a church member would make a faithful copy, and he would then take the letter to another town, most likely taking time to exhort the church on the contents of the letter.
Similarly, Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth would slowly be copied and shared with other churches in the region. At some point, the Church felt it was important to assemble the verified letters of the apostles that had long acceptance in different regions into a collection. This ultimately became the New Testament. By the time this assembling happened, it would have been impossible to make up a letter that was not original to the apostles and pretend like it was. Too many churches had copies of these letters over too long of a time. The cry of “foul” would have been deafening from the churches if such was attempted.
Peter then summarizes his purpose in the letter. He has both testified and exhorted them in the true grace of God. He testified in that he declared what he heard and saw. He has exhorted in the sense that he is calling them to stay true to what they have received. This is what I know to be true, and this is what you should do.
So, what is the true grace of God? We can start with pointing to Jesus. Jesus as the Son of God and Son of Man had come as God’s Anointed to save Israel and the Gentiles. This is opposed to all the false claimants to be God’s Messiah. Jesus is the true Christ versus the false Christs that came before him, and those that came after him. Peter gave faithful testimony to the person, work, and teaching of Jesus.
These teachings were taught and written down for the strengthening of those who believed. These Scriptures are an analog revealing Jesus the Messiah to those who read it.
However, it is not enough to receive the truth about Christ in verbal and written form. We must remain firm in our faith.
Some versions differ between Peter giving a command, “Stand firm in it,” and Peter simply declaring, “in which you stand.” The difference between the two is a couple of letters in the verb “stand.” We do not know how the difference came about in some of the old manuscripts. Regardless, both are good and true. They had received the Gospel, so it is entirely appropriate for Peter to testify and to exhort that this is the true grace of God, in which you currently stand firm.
Yet, they will need to be faithful until the end of their lives. Over time, threats will come against the true grace of God. They will need to stand firm in what they have received. Thus, it would be entirely appropriate to voice this as a command.
For us today, we may not know which form Peter initially intended. However, we do know that Scripture challenges us with both ideas. It is good for believers to be standing firm in what the Scriptures reveal about Jesus, but it is also important for us to persevere in standing firm to the end of our life.
There is generally nothing controversial in a section that sends greetings, but we have such here. Peter’s phrase, “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you,” has two areas of contention.
The first has to do with who or what is the pronoun “she” referencing? This has been generally interpreted as referring to the body of believers where Peter is, i.e., the church he is at. The word for church in Greek is a feminine term and thus takes a feminine pronoun. It is singular because the group is spoken of as a singular entity, a local expression of the greater Church of Jesus. This also fits with the fact that we know Peter is addressing churches in Asia Minor. A pronoun without connection to a person or name would more naturally connect to another church. In fact, the description of being chosen together with the recipients of the letter further strengthens the idea of “she” referring to the local church in Peter’s location.
It wasn’t until later that the idea was floated that “she” could refer to Peter’s wife. The problem with this is that she is never mentioned in the letter, and it would not be the most natural interpretation of Peter’s words.
Just as the early church referred to each other as brothers and sisters (spiritually), churches were commonly referred to as sisters. This ties into the Hebrew usage in the Old Testament of the current citizens of a city being the daughters of the city (seen as a mother), e.g., the daughters of Jerusalem etc.
Another example of this in the New Testament is in 2 John 1:13. “The children of your elect sister send you greetings.” The current believers who make up the chosen sister church where I am at send you greetings.
I think it is most natural and most fitting with the evidence of history to see this as a reference to the believers of a particular church.
The second question in the above phrase is the identity of Babylon. Is this a literal reference to Babylon or is it a symbolic reference to Rome?
The earliest evidence we have that still exists is from around AD 313. Eusebius in his Church History cites an earlier work from Papias. He states that Papias had written a five-volume work called Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord. Eusebius claims that Papias, along with other early church fathers, believed Babylon in verse 13 to be a symbolic reference to Rome.
We should also note that there is no known counterclaim that literal Babylon was intended. Thus, the evidence of history at this point would be on the side of a symbolic reference to Rome.
However, it is not implausible that Peter could have gone to literal Babylon. There was a large Jewish community in Babylon that eventually became the source for the Babylonian Talmud. It would make sense that the Apostle to the Jews could be sent by the Holy Spirit to testify there. Yet, there is no evidence from history that states such. It is simply a conjecture that could only be substantiated if we assume Babylon is literal here.
John has a similar thing in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. There is a reference to “Mystery Babylon” which sits on seven hills. The testimony of the early church is that this referred to Rome.
Babylon was prophesied against by the Old Testament prophets. But, a close reading of those prophecies will note that Babylon comes to be treated as a Symbol or a System that is created by a rebellious spirit behind it. This spirit of empire and domination by wicked spirits is used of an end-time city/powerhouse that will be destroyed by the Beast.
Why has this become an issue? The Reformation led to many arguments between Protestants and Roman Catholics. A main contention between them had to do with the authority of the Pope. Did God give him authority to command all the Church of God on earth? Roman Catholics say yes and Protestants say no.
In arguing these cases, several lines of arguments cross this verse. The Roman Catholics point to Peter as being the Rock (foundation) of the Church. They also claim that he was the first Bishop of Rome. He then handed his authority down to the next Bishop upon his death. They then claim an unbroken line of succession from Peter to the current Pope. The authority of Peter belongs to the current Pope.
Protestants may argue against Peter ever being in Rome, except perhaps at his execution. They will also argue that Peter was never a bishop in Rome, definitely not the first bishop. In fact, the New Testament never speaks of Peter going to Rome. Even when Paul goes to Rome at the end of Acts, it already has a church of believers there. If there were not already a bishop of this church, then he would have definitely set some faithful elders into those positions, as was his way among all the churches he started. Peter is not mentioned as residing there. He is most likely still in Jerusalem or that region.
Regardless of all of the above, Protestants can be polarized into believing that they have to believe this is literal Babylon in order to prove the argument of the Romanists wrong. I believe this is a fallacy. Regardless of whether this is a symbolic reference to Rome or a literal reference to Babylon, this does not matter with the argument over Papal succession and authority. The truth is the truth, and men are quite capable of taking a true statement and using it to substantiate a false claim. It is the claim that is false and not the statement used to support it.
Ultimately, it has no bearing on our faith where Peter is writing this letter.
Peter then gives them greetings from “my son, Mark.” Mark is not his literal son, but his son spiritually. This is the nephew of Barnabas who abandoned Paul’s first missionary journey into Asia Minor. He eventually became a helper with Barnabas and then later with Peter. Mark with Peter was similar to the way Timothy was for Paul, a younger minister that aided them in their ministry.
This Mark is the same one who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Mark was too young to know all that Jesus did, but his Gospel has historically been described as the account of Jesus from Peter’s perspective.
Peter takes advantage of the greetings that he gives in order to remind them to greet one another with the kiss of love. Now, the kiss of love is the opposite of the kiss of betrayal given by Judas to Jesus. The kiss of betrayal is a superficial pretense that covers wickedness underneath. Christians are to greet one another with a kiss of love, not hypocrisy.
Of course, how cultures greet one another are various. It was common in those days to kiss on the cheek those you meet. In our culture, we might say to greet one another with a handshake of love. We should not be outward jerks to one another, but neither should we be fake with one another. Christians must do the inner work of being able to love other Christians.
Personality clashes and events that happen between two people can muddy the waters of our love for one another. It takes forgiveness and repentance for a group too remain in the love of Christ for one another.
Finally, Peter blesses them by saying, “Peace be unto you all who are in Christ.” The Christian has peace with God because they have believed upon the One that He has sent to save us. When we embrace Jesus, we are no longer enemies to God, and He is no longer an enemy to us. If this is rightly understood and believed, it gives a person an inner sense of peace by the Holy Spirit regardless of the chaos and threats of suffering that surround them. It is a peace that passes all understanding. If you know that you are okay (right) with God, then the threats and slander of men are easier to ignore.
Yet, Peace also describes the eternal purpose of God for those who belong to Jesus by faith. We are in Christ like Noah and his family were in the ark. Judgment is coming upon this earth, but the one who believes and follows Christ is in the safe place that God has provided for them. Jesus is not just a way to avoid judgment. He is one with whom we have a relationship through the Holy Spirit.
Our challenge is to hold fast the proven and true Word of God we have received from faithful believers before us. Yet, that word teaches us how to know the Lord Jesus and how to follow him. May we stay faithful to Jesus, the Faithful One, until the end of our life!
]]>1 Peter 5:6-11. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
We ended our sermon last week at 1 Peter 5:5. Peter quoted Proverbs 3:34, “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” He is not just passively opposed to the proud. Just as He actively gives grace to the humble, so He actively opposes the proud.
Today, we are going to continue with this exhortation to stay humble in the humble circumstances of suffering. As we do so, we will find that there is more than just suffering. There is also the grace of Jesus.
Let’s look at our passage.
The statement, even the revelation, of Proverbs 3:34 challenges us to trust God. Do you really believe this? If you do, then you will always choose the humble path because you do not want God to oppose you.
True humility is staying lowly in your attitude towards others, but at the same time, understanding that God has a purpose for you. You can do what God has given you to do without becoming proud. In fact, the humblest thing we can do is to say “yes” to God’s purpose even when we feel that we are not up to it.
In verse 6, Peter commands believers to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt us at the proper time.
Depending on your attitude, the mighty hand of God can be viewed in two ways. If you stay humble, then God’s hand will be mighty in assistance. He gives grace that aids us mightily in the ways that He knows we need. However, if you are not humble, then His mighty hand will come against you in discipline and judgment.
We should not lose sight of the reality that the Hand of the Lord is an Old Testament metaphor that points to the Messiah, Jesus. Thus, we need to humble ourselves under the Mighty Jesus who was sent to lead us to God. Humble yourself by trusting the way of Jesus, and his way leads through suffering.
Notice that exaltation is at the bottom of this. The proud and arrogant of this world fight and claw in order to exalt themselves. We can even exalt others as a way of “hitching our wagon” to theirs. However, God only exalts “at the proper time.” Have you ever thought that you might not be ready for exaltation? Shouldn’t we trust God’s timing in this? Shouldn’t we have faith in Him?
It is good for us to learn discipline in this time in which we deal with our own sin and the sin of others. Much of the suffering of life is a result of sin.
Even though Peter is talking about the ultimate exaltation of the Kingdom of God led by His Messiah, King Jesus, it is also true on a smaller scale within this life. Most times of suffering have a season or period. When we are dealing with trials, we can know that God will bring us through it. He does not intend to let us be tested forever.
In order to do this, Peter tells us to cast our worries upon Jesus because He cares for us. Our true problem is not the theoretical question of whether or not God is for us. It is all those worries and anxieties that that we have going on in our heart and mind. I might not get what I want. Someone else might get what I want instead. It is this multitude of worries that divide our heart against an allegiance to God, if we are not careful.
We are told to cast our worries upon Him. This is a picture of what happens in our heart as we talk with God in prayer. We don’t cast our worries at Him as an accusation. Rather, we cast them upon Him. We put the heaviness of the worry upon Him and let Him figure it out for us.
We can do this because He cares for us. That is, we are His concern. God knows what we need and will provide it at the proper time. Will I live refusing, rejecting, and ignoring His care for me? Or will I lean into His care and rest in it?
Psalm 55:22 reads, “Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” Pride leads to wickedness which leads to being shaken by God’s judgments. However, humility leads to righteousness which does not lead to being shaken by judgment.
It is important that we do this because of what Peter says next. We have an enemy, the devil, who is on the prowl, seeking someone to devour. First of all, there is a contrast here. The devil devours everyone that he can. However, God is only opposed to the proud. Second of all, it is pride that makes us vulnerable to the devil.
This picture of the devil like a prowling lion connects to Job 1 and 2. Satan appears before God and is asked what he has been doing. Notice that he doesn’t say why he is traveling to and fro throughout the earth. This gives us a fuller picture. He wants to devour those who are not able to stand against him. He wants to devour your soul, your life, your ability to image God. He wants to devour God’s purpose for you and make you a captive to his self-serving purposes.
When we walk in humility before our fellow man and before God, we will find all the resources of God’s grace available to us in that time of need.
Peter then tells us to be sober in spirit. Yes, God is for us, but the devil is really against us. We need to be able to deal with this reality. We need to be on the alert for his tactics and schemes. We also need to be on the alert for how our foolishness can set us up for him. Our envy, fears, and hunger for recognition, can open access points in our life for his devouring work.
Thus, in this sober and alert state, we are to resist him. Resist here is the sense of taking our stand against the devil and his schemes. We are to oppose what he is trying to do in our lives and in the lives of our family and friends. We do this by firmly putting our faith in Christ, not letting ourselves be pulled into trusting the ways of pride and the ways of the world.
Peter reminds us about the reality that other Christians are going through these same things around the world. In fact, some of them may be going through worse suffering than we are. Yet, Peter does not simply say they are going through them. It is often translated as “being accomplished” by them. They are going through them victoriously in Christ. Their faith is not being overwhelmed and extinguished. They are more than conqueror through Jesus Christ who strengthen them. Thus, so can we be strengthened to face our enemy. This is nothing unique to me or you. All who want to follow Christ will face these things.
Even though we have suffering in this life, remember that God gives grace to the humble. He doesn’t just do this after we die. He gives us grace in the midst of our trials. He has purpose in us that He will accomplish as we trust Him. This is important. God is helping us in this life against our enemy. We don’t have to be afraid and shrink back. We can humbly step up and stand our ground in Jesus.
Verse 10 says that we have been called to His eternal glory in Christ. Dwelling within the glory of God is our destiny. Yet, it is “in Christ.” Christ is the ground, or foundation, that gives us standing before God. We are called to His eternal glory, but the way to this glory is through times of suffering on this earth.
Peter mentions that this time of glory is “after you have suffered for a little while…” We can contemplate this “little while” in a couple of ways. Life is generally not suffering all the time. It may come in seasons, now intense, and now not. It is very common to see that God brings us through times of difficult testing and into times of rest. Those difficult times always feel like they will never end, but this too shall pass. Knowing this can help us to keep faith in times of testing.
Yet, our lives are also “for a little while.” We are grass and our time fleeting. Even if my life is lived suffering under the boot of a tyrant until the day I die, this cannot change God’s calling upon my life. When the suffering is over. Then I will see how God has used it to do some things within me that are eternal. This is true throughout our life, and it will be true at the end of our life.
Peter states that God will “perfect you.” This is the idea of making you complete, lacking nothing. We can think of being completely equipped with all that we need, but we should also think of His ability to heal our wounds and make us whole, complete.
This doesn’t mean we do nothing. We are called to be perfect as He is perfect, but none of us can do this on our own. In this life, He is perfecting us through imperfect things. Yet, in the end, we will be like Him because of His grace.
Trials and sufferings are one of the ways that God builds His character and righteousness into us.
Not only will He make us complete, but He will firmly equip us. The firm part of this phrase has the idea of being set in a way that is not easily moved. We might picture how construction uses braces to keep a structure from falling over. God is making us to be a people that the devil cannot defeat and devour. He is making us into people who cannot be pulled onto foolish paths.
He will also strengthen you. There is strength that comes from bracing (external), but there is also strength that is more internal. The Spirit of God uses trials and suffering to strengthen our faith in Him. This is a spiritual strengthening.
Lastly, Peter says that He will establish you. This is the idea of having a firm foundation. Of course, Jesus is our firm foundation. However, God is working to firmly set us upon His foundation, unable to be toppled.
Think of it. Each trial you go through will also see God doing these things within you until that day you stand before Him completed.
This leads to Peter’s celebratory declaration. To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever, amen. Some versions don’t have the word glory. Regardless, this is the language used of the Messiah’s Kingdom. The Son of Man will be given dominion over all the nations of the earth. Why should we remain humble at all times? We should do so because the day is coming when Jesus will come in glory and take up his dominion. The power, rule, and dominion are all his, even if he invites us into it and allows us to exercise it with him.
This ties back to the earlier statement, “Let him who boasts boast in the lord!”
Peter does that here by declaring that all of this belongs to Jesus forever, Amen!
]]>1 Peter 5:1-5. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Peter has been pointing to suffering and how it leads to a witness to the world. We are suffering with Christ before the world. Yet, he also wants to connect our suffering to our future glory with Christ at his Second Coming.
Peter now gives some exhortations to people within the body of Christ with this in view. These are more than commands on how to do church. It is an exhortation to Christians about being faithful under difficult circumstances.
Let’s look at our passage.
The exhortation Peter gives to elders is connected to some commands. These are stronger than saying, “Let’s do this!” It pictures a person summoning others to their side in order to receive important instructions.
In this case, we have important instructions for those who are elders within the Church of Jesus Christ, the people of God. Elder is a word that essentially refers to one who is older. However, in this case, Peter is talking about more than those who are older. It is a reference to those who have spiritual maturity through years of walking with God. If an 80-year-old person repents and becomes a believer in Jesus, they are not an elder within a church because they have no maturity with spiritual matters.
Peter is writing to a large area, so these men are particularly elders within the local group of Christians where they live. They have been through trials and joys of life while remaining steadfast followers of Jesus. For these men, that has also meant withstanding periods of intense persecution for following Christ. Their spiritual maturity comes from winning spiritual battles and not from degrees at a Bible school or seminary.
Peter does not address them as an overlord, their general, or as “the Pope.” He exhorts them as a “fellow elder.” This is important because Peter will challenge them to be humble, so he demonstrates that here. Though he has had spiritual training directly under Jesus, he speaks to them as one of them. He is even now showing an example to them of how to speak to believers within their local groups. They will perform the same function of an elder as he but with a smaller scope.
Peter further describes himself as a “witness of the sufferings of Christ.” This is not just his suffering on the cross, but also of what Jesus suffered in order to minister to Israel. Yes, Jesus suffered and died on a cross, but he also suffered lack of sleep, lack of time alone, physical hardship through the demands of people on his time. All this, he endured in order to minister to people. Jesus also suffered slander, attacks, and arrest from those who did not like what he was doing. Lastly, let us not forget that our Lord experienced betrayal from Judas and also from the religious leaders of Israel who should have been the first to embrace him and his ministry.
Peter knows what it looks like and what it takes to follow Jesus, to minister on behalf of God. A witness not only sees something but also gives testimony to those with ears to hear.
Peter further describes himself as a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Partaker translates a word that describes the portion, or share, that believers have in Jesus. This is both a portion in what Christ is doing now and a portion in what Christ will do at his Second Coming.
However, Peter has also “partaken” of a glimpse, a foretaste, of what that glorious coming of Christ will be like. He saw the true glory of Christ shine through his mortal body on the Mount of Transfiguration. More than this, Peter also saw the glory of Jesus in his resurrected, glorified body, later ascending into heaven before him and many others. In the book of Revelation, the apostle John sees Jesus in his immortal body, but it is also shining with his greater glory. Not everyone was given such powerful portions of witness to the glory of Christ.
All believers will one day see this glorious Jesus, and they will share in it through resurrection and glorification. We will participate and partake fully in the glory of Jesus!
In verse two, we come to the first command. Shepherd the flock of God among you.
The shepherd image for leaders is used throughout the Bible. God with Israel is pictured as a shepherd with a flock in the wilderness. God led them, but also used a delegate-shepherd, Moses. Psalm 78:52 and following uses this language. David uses it personally of himself in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not lack!”
A shepherd watches over sheep in order to protect them from predators, protect them from themselves, whether wayward or injured, and they care for their physical needs such as food, water, and shelter.
God is our shepherd, and He has sent forth Jesus as the Good Shepherd to help the flock of God. Jesus is still the Good Shepherd of the flock of God, but he also works through the spiritually mature, elders, in order to shepherd his people. Mature Christians need to take this seriously and pray for the leading of Christ in helping young believers.
The flock of God, the people of God, do not belong to the elders of the Church. Neither do they belong to any particular elder. Notice that Peter presents himself as a fellow-elder.
Shepherd is not a term about ruling but about care. It is about being the hand of God’s love in all its facets within the lives of His people. Hebrews 13:17 does use the term “rule” for leaders but notice to whom it is speaking. The spiritually immature need to respect the reality that God’s will is to use the spiritually mature believers around them in order to help them grow to maturity. They are not God to us, but they are being used by Him.
Elders, shepherds, do not need a title or even an official position. They don’t need payment in order to do what they are called to do. I say this because the Greek word behind this term elder is where we get the English term, Presbyter. Don’t say, “I’m not an official Presbyter of the church, so Peter isn’t talking to me.” No, you must hear the Spirit speaking through Peter to the spiritually mature among us, “Shepherd the flock of God… [for His purposes and with His heart].”
Peter describes some of the things that flesh out what it means to shepherd God’s people. They are to exercise oversight. This is what Hebrews 13 was talking about. Watching over and watching out for the souls of young Christians is a main responsibility for elders. This idea of watching over is where we get the English words bishop and episcopal. Again, this is not about having the title of a bishop (one who watches over). He is talking about a function. The elder does not watch over the younger for their own purposes, or for protecting the organization. They do so for the sake of the young person’s spiritual growth. Of course, this will help the group, but that is not the primary focus.
Peter then brings up the issue of serving voluntarily versus under compulsion. Elders should not be forced to do this. In fact, giving a person a title and a paycheck is one sure way to make sure something gets done. However, we can overly lean on such types of compelling. Of course, it is not wrong to provide materially for those who minister to us spiritually. Yet, this should not be the thing that drives spiritual work. Spirit work within the people of God needs to be driven by the Holy Spirit stirring up the heart of a shepherd within the spiritually mature. This will help the Holy Spirit’s work within the heart of the young sheep of the flock.
Peter also adds the phrase, “according to God’s will.” It is God’s will that we all voluntarily serve His purpose. He desires those who trust His wisdom, His vision then to serve Him with joy.
Those who put their faith in Jesus are not compelled to do so. We are all volunteers to join the ranks of those following the Good Shepherd. Yet, amongst this great body of happy volunteers, God stirs up volunteers to watch over and help the spiritually young among us.
Peter then tells them that they should serve with eagerness and not for “sordid gain.” Sordid is the idea of something that is base, vile, the opposite of something that is morally noble. Thus, elders must be eager to serve the people of God, but their purpose for serving must not be for an immoral purpose. If you want to serve because it gives you money, fame, power, and the respect of people around you, then you are not serving for the right reasons. Repent of it. Our eagerness must come from serving Jesus. It must come from seeing his heart for our younger spiritual brothers and sisters.
In verse three, Peter challenges them to be examples to the flock and not “lording it over those allotted to your charge.” We have witnessed in history how these words in the New Testament have turned into positions and titles in the Church. Men with positions can easily fall into the trap of emphasizing their authority to the detriment of the example of Christ. It is more important for an elder to be an example to others of how to live than it is for them to have authority over them.
Lording it over them comes from the instructions of Jesus in the Gospels (e.g., Matthew 20:25-28). Jesus reminds us that the Gentiles love to lord their authority over those under them. It is the picture of dominating and rubbing their noses in the fact that you are the one in charge. Yet, Jesus says to them, “It shall not be so among you!”
We should pause and meditate on that simple command. This is not a prophecy that no one will ever do such a thing. Rather, it is a challenge to those who would disobey the command. Jesus feels quite strongly about this.
He went on to challenge his followers. Do you want to be great? You should then become servant to your brothers and sisters. Do you want to be number one? You should then become a slave to your brothers and sisters. Notice the progression. A servant still has some areas of their life that are up to them. However, a slave has no personal plan or purpose. They exist solely for God’s purposes in the lives of others.
“Those who are allotted into your charge” refers to the sphere of influence in which you find yourself. Most of them would simply be watching over a local gathering of believers. Peter as an apostle had a calling for a much larger sphere. He was an apostle to the Jewish people no matter where they were. Just like parents who have children know that God has allotted this child into their care, their charge, so elders find themselves with a sphere of influence given by God. It is not given by Him to stroke their ego. It is given by Him to serve the flock of God.
Verse four says that elders who serve well will receive a crown when the Chief Shepherd appears. Our work in the midst of suffering in this life will be rewarded. The Chief Shepherd is Jesus. His appearing is the Second Coming. Those who have believed in him and served his purpose will be rewarded by him. This crown of glory may indeed be a literal crown. But if it is literal, it still symbolizes the glory of Christ in which we participate. Christ will resurrect us into glorified, immortal bodies to serve at his side. We shall accompany him in his train as he takes up the reins (and the reigns) of the earth. Our glory is to be at his side when he takes possession of the earth, raising up righteousness and putting down wickedness.
Of course, this is not only a promise for elders. This is for all who believe. This mortal time calls for those who are further along to help those who are coming behind. However, there will be no “elders” in our immortal state for we shall all be fully, spiritually mature. We shall be like Jesus!
Peter then moves to give a short exhortation to young men, i.e., the men who are not elders, the spiritually immature benefiting from the help of spiritual elders. They are told to be subject to their elders.
I made this point when talking about wives being subject to their husbands. The point here is to the spiritually immature. They are to willingly make a choice to take their proper place under the spiritually mature in the group. It is only proper that novices listen to and learn from those who are farther down this path of following Jesus. It is only proper for a novice to humble themselves and recognize that they have much to learn and should not be too quick to criticize and try to correct the elders. Yet, this is something that young men need to do for themselves. It is not the job of elders to scour the lives of their charges looking for any seeds of rebellion, quashing it instantly with harsh measures. Elders need to recognize that the spiritually immature will never grow until they get to a place where they can make that choice willingly. They need to choose it because they see that it is the Lord’s will and that it is good for them.
There is a long history in this world of young men chaffing at the leadership and words of their elders. This is true in the Church and outside of it. There are times when the elders are right. These young men rush headlong into paths and ideas that end up destroying them and those who follow them.
However, there is also a long history of elders who are entrenched in a position and system that they love to rule. Their heart is in the wrong place. This creates an impasse between entrenched elders and rebel-youngers. A young person can point to Jesus facing the religious elders of his day and fancy themselves following in his footsteps. However, remember that you will one day stand before this very same Jesus and give account for just how well you followed his commands.
What is the end of the matter? Elders, you must not mimic such false elders. You need to be like Jesus who laid his life down so that the spiritually immature disciples could follow him. Yet, young men, you must not be too quick to paint yourself as Jesus standing against wicked leaders. You must ask, “Is my Lord pleased with my attitude and actions?”
The proper place for these young men is not under the feet of the elders, but to willingly come under their spiritual experience and to learn. It is not to fight them all the time.
Peter then quickly turns to all Christians, “all of you…” It is clear that the following command is the natural point that would be made to the younger men. They are to choose to take their proper place under their elders and “clothe [themselves] with humility…” Yet, Peter expands this to include the elders and the rest of the church, “all of you.”
This is important. It is easy for elders to tell young people to humble themselves in an inadequate way. This is when elders have an attitude that they no longer need to be humble themselves, as if humility is only for those in the “lower position.” We could use this same criticism in the relationships between husbands and wives.
Yes, young men need to clothe themselves in humility, but so do elders. In fact, all of God’s people need to be clothed in humility. Why the imagery of clothing?
We wear clothing suitable for the task at hand. One who gets up in the morning does not wear their bed clothes to go to the market or to work in the garden. In this case, we are not talking about literal clothing. We are talking about an attitude of heart and of the mind.
This is a purposeful action of every believer and not about any particular time of the day. All believers regardless of age, spiritual maturity, class distinction, or sex need to consciously put on humility in their dealings with one another.
Elders cannot remind young men to be humble without first demonstrating what humility looks like. Leaders cannot remind those who are not leaders to be humble without being humble with them.
We are not “doing church” for our purposes and our desires. This all for Jesus. If we do it improperly, we will give an account to him. Thus, there should be no place in the Church for pride and ego.
Peter then quotes Proverbs 3:34, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Do we really believe that God is against the proud but gives grace to the humble? Grace is the favor of God that can come to us in many different ways. We can speak of it in general, but the verse is pointing to all the specific ways that God gives grace to the humble. It is not the same specific grace for each humble person, but it is the grace given to them by God.
When a person is suffering or being persecuted, it always feels like proof that we are not favored by God. However, we should always remember the suffering of our Lord and the fact that he was the Most Favored One of the Father! You might quip that Jesus is different. Of course, he is more than a man and different than you and me. However, he was setting an example of humility in the face of suffering, faithfulness to God’s will in the face of hatred. If you do not follow the example of Jesus because you think it was different for him, then you are not listening to what the Holy Spirit is trying to say to you throughout the New Testament. Everywhere, Jesus is our example, our pattern, our trailblazer. We are to pick up our cross and follow him. Believe me, clothing yourself in humility is not the worst cross that you will have to die on, but it is a big one for us.
Do you want God’s favor, His grace? Trust His Word and humble yourself. It is interesting how humble circumstances and being treated lowly can stir up non-humble attitudes. The flesh wants to respond in all of the wrong ways. The challenge is put before us. We must be humble if we do not want the Lord to be against us.
We have a whole generation of people who are chafing at this world and how it is run. Of course, they are not wrong. Things are messed up in every nation, including this republic, the United States of America. However, if we respond with a heart of rage, destruction, pride and arrogance, then we will only make God our enemy. We only destroy ourselves by refusing to listen to His instruction.
Just as the elders need to set the example of humility before the young, so the Church needs to set the example of humility to a lost world. Instead of becoming angry with the proud of our land, let us humble ourselves and speak the truth in love to them so that they may have a chance to repent and avoid God’s judgment.
We have to stop here, but Peter’s instructions to them continue, which we will pick up next week. Let’s live for Jesus this week by clothing ourselves in humility towards one another!
]]>1 Peter 4:12-19. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Though Peter continues talking about the suffering Christians may encounter, he now connects this suffering to a future glory that is before believers.
Let’s look at our passage.
Suffering was very common among Christians in the first three centuries. Yet, it has always been common to some degree down through the centuries.
We see this today in regard to where you a person lives. Some places have heavy persecution to the point of martyring Christians, whereas other places see persecution at much lighter levels.
Many early Christians had expectations of a kingdom in which Christ would come back and rule over the world, casting out the wicked rulers. However, this expectation did not come to past. We all have expectations. When they don’t happen, we can struggle with cognitive dissonance.
We are used to seeing this with the Jews of the first century. However, it would be just as easy for Gentiles to expect the time of persecution to end much faster than history has shown.
The difficulty of understanding that the Kingdom of God is here but not yet fully can be hard on us. Why are we still suffering? Isn’t the Kingdom of God here? We even see this with John the Baptist when he was taken to prison. At some point, he begins to think that he may have misunderstood who Jesus was.
Of course, the Kingdom of God is not how many people claim to be Christians. It is not the number of acres owned by churches and Christians. It is not the number of nations that claim to be structured on the teachings of Christ. The Kingdom of God right now is in the hearts of men, and it impacts the world through their lives.
In verse 12, Peter emphasizes that we must not think that fiery trials we face are strange. We must be careful with the expectations we put in front of us. Fiery trials, both spiritual and natural, are going to come. This is par for the course here on earth.
So why are we suffering? Peter tells us that these trials come upon us for our testing. In fact, the offer of salvation itself is a testing of the quality of our person. Will we choose Jesus or will we choose the world? Having taken the hand of Christ, we are then further tested. What is the quality of our faith in Jesus? Will we remain with him? Will we endure the trials and continue in faithfulness?
Yet, they don’t just test what you are but also what you will let the Lord build in your life. It tests your ability to follow Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Of course, there are two sides to the fiery trials we face. The devil intends evil by the trials you encounter. He wants to destroy your faith in Christ and separate you from God. Yet, God doesn’t just intend good for us. He promises that He will work all things to the good for us.
We should recognize that not all evil is caused by the devil. Humans are quite capable of evil from our own desires.
Nevertheless, Peter then tells us that we should keep rejoicing in the midst of our trials so that we may rejoice at the revelation of Christ’s glory. Most likely, Peter is thinking of the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:11-12. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
We should be ready for fiery trials, but even if we end up in the belly of a great fish, God’s grace is still there to help us.
Jesus focused his disciples on two things: the great reward that they have in heaven, and the good company that they are following.
Peter has learned this lesson. Don’t just rejoice in the good times. Keep rejoicing even during trials because the Lord is working them for your good. In fact, there is a greater rejoicing that some will experience at the “revelation of his glory.”
In some ways, the glory of Christ has already been revealed, but a greater unveiling is going to occur at the Second Coming of Jesus. All the world at that time will see his glory shining in the sky as he returns to take possession of the nations.
When this happens, his followers will still be rejoicing, but the wicked will not be rejoicing.
What am I rejoicing in now? And will the things I am rejoicing in result in rejoicing at the coming of Christ? There are many people rejoicing in riches and power right now, but what will it be when Christ comes? Peter is saying that if we will rejoice in the times of suffering (like Jesus commanded us to do), then we will also rejoice when his glory is revealed to the world.
In verse 14, Peter points to a condition of being reviled by people for the name of Christ. He tells us that such a person is blessed. How can I be blessed when men are saying evil things against me because I am following Christ?
This is tying back to what Jesus said. You are blessed because you have a reward in heaven, and you are in the company of all the saints that have come before you.
Peter adds to this that the Spirit of Glory and God rests upon you. Just as the Holy Spirit rested upon Christ in a glorious demonstration of God’s favor, so we have the Spirit of God resting upon us as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Yet, we are not to suffer as a sinner but as a Christian (v. 15). Peter warns us against this. No believer should “suffer” for being a murderer, thief, evildoer, or a busybody. Such a person is only suffering the just consequences of their sin. But if you suffer as a Christian, as one who follows the righteous activity of Christ, this is not something that should make us ashamed.
This does not mean we are called to make suffering happen or attempt to provoke it. If you follow the righteousness of Christ, then suffering will find you in some form or another.
It is possible that other “Christians” may be your worst persecutors. Regardless, we should cling to Christ knowing that it is testing us, bringing us glory at the coming of Christ, and accompanied with the blessing of God’s Spirit.
Peter tells us that it is time for judgment to begin with the Household of God. We can immediately jump to thinking of Israel, the forty years of testing they were given following the death and resurrection of Jesus. Notice that judgment is in the land, but it is accompanied with grace. “Choose this day whom you will serve!”
However, Peter is also talking to Gentiles. The Church age has a similar effect among the nations who hear the Gospel. The nations are given a particular amount of time to hear the Gospel and make a choice (grace). Those who believe will be tested and tried by that choice. We Christians have stepped into the judgment of God that Jesus stepped into. Why would God let Jesus suffer? This question is parallel to why God let’s us suffer. He does so to save people who are lost. Of course, we do not die on crosses for their sins, but we do suffer in order that they may hear and believe.
If Israel was judged, how will it go for the nations? It might be better that we think of it this way. If God tests Christians in order to show their faith as true, then how is it going to go with those who disobey the call to serve Christ? How will it go with those who made a short attempt at following Christ but then turned back?
This is a rhetorical question. It will clearly not go well with them. At God’s timing, judgment will come upon individuals, particular nations, and eventually all of the nations.
Thus, Peter quotes the verse to which he has been alluding, Proverbs 11:31, in verse 18. Sometimes this is interpreted with the idea of scarcely being saved. However, the word at its root means to be paid or recompensed. This has a double meaning. It can refer to a good payment for good things done, but it can also refer to being paid back, or punished, for doing bad things. If God pays the righteous what they deserve, what will be come of the godless man and sinner who deserves a great pay back from God?
What is the end of this matter? Verse 19 tells us to entrust our soul to a faithful Creator. Entrusting your soul is yielding to the difficult decisions of God. It is placing your life and soul into the hands of God as an act of worship. It is declaring that He is worthy of anything we may face in this life.
We are able to do this because God is a faithful Creator. He has the power and the character that we can trust.
It is interesting that Peter points out that our suffering is “according to the will of God.” It is not so much God’s desire for us to suffer as it is not a coach’s desire to see his athletes suffer. However, knowing that certain people and the devil will not like our faith in Jesus, God has purposed to allow that suffering that we face. He has also purposed to work that suffering into great glory for us.
Jesus did the Father’s will, and men crucified him for it. However, he also entrusted his soul to the Faithful Father in Heaven. And so must we if we want to join him in his glory!
]]>Today we are going to contrast the glory of this world with the glory of Jesus who is the Christ. You may or may not have anything glorious about you, at least by the world’s standards. What you are currently doing may never be praised by other people. But God sees our life like a Father watching over a child. He helps as needed but also wants us to choose and grow to be like Him.
The glory of this world hits us at a very young age. Who are the smart kids in class? Who are the strong kids or the beautiful kids? Most of us are somewhere in the middle of that experience. You could say that nothing about us stood out from the rest.
The word glory (as a verb glorying) is synonymous with the idea of a boast or boasting. At its root, there is the idea of something either worthy of praise or something that is simply praised by people. Thus, to obtain glory in this world is to obtain something that is praise-worthy by the world’s standard. A person who glories in their own accomplishment is praising themselves.
Paul challenges us not to boast in ourselves but to boast in the Lord Jesus. Of course, God is not against our gifts and achievements per se. He is the God who made muscles, but He did not make them for a muscle-bound man to praise himself and use those muscles only for selfish ends.
I said earlier that most of us are probably average. However, we are quite innovative when it comes to this area of boasting. Glory has a sphere to it: global, national, regional, local, my family, etc. This area can be fraught with a driven pursuit that feeds upon that glory which is not healthy.
When people have a lot of glorious things in their life, it is hard for them to see the glory of Jesus and believe in him. We might even see that it is impossible with a man, but all things are possible for God. The problem for a rich man is not that he is rich. His problem is that he boasts in himself and sees the riches as proof of how great he is. He will idolize those riches to the exclusion of a relationship with God.
Rome represents the glory of this world that is in ignorance of God’s Word. They were an empire that ruled over a large region of the world. They were able to project their power long distances from Rome, their capital city. The Romans may have run into some Jews, but in the end, they did not know God. They did not know His Word. This ignorance was due to the rebellion of their (and our) ancestors at the Tower of Babel.
Those first generations were in rebellion to the truth and knew it. They purposefully rejected God and so were rejected by Him. Of course, another generation grows up that begins to listen to justifications by their rebellious fathers. This continues until a generation arises that is not even aware of the earlier rebellion. They become ignorant that there was a time in which their ancestors lived and believed differently. There is also a spiritual dynamic to this justification. Many false religions have their roots in deceiving spirits that lead men into error and into permission-systems that give them power over whole societies.
In seeking a way different from God’s command, they followed the same path of Adam and Eve. They (we) listened to the serpent’s lie and follow a path of false hopes and false glory, a glory that ignores and is ignorant of God.
Such a path is precarious. The Romans were not always the empire. Before them, there was the Greeks, and the Persians, and the Babylonians, and the Assyrians, etc. All nations lust after this kind of glory, the glory of dominating others and being the head of the nations.
In some ways, Israel was no different, but it was not as far down the path that the nations had gone down. God had kept a remnant among them, and His Word was still prevalent if not followed. Israel represents a glory that arrogates and twists God’s Word to itself. Thus, many gave lip service to God’s glory, but in the end, they were only concerned with their own glory.
God’s work among Israel was glorious. Somewhere along the line, the glory of God became mixed up with their own glory. To arrogate is to presumptuously appropriate to oneself without right or authority. This is a subtle rebellion that masks itself under a thin veneer of righteousness. The religious leaders as a whole had twisted the system to their purpose and their glory. This essentially ignored God’s Word while continuing a sick insistence that they were adhering to God’s Word faithfully.
The glorious construction of temples and palaces within the people of God was not wrong. God had told them to build the temple and make it glorious. However, this was to point to God’s glory. Even boasting in a temple is beneath our calling. We can glory in all the wrong things about what God is doing in us, missing the purpose for which He gives the gifts that He does.
This is what Paul is talking about in this passage. Christians were not generally from the great of Rome or Israel. Yet, God had chosen them, the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.
When our glory is self-seeking, it becomes an idol, idolatry. Few people obtain the heights of worldly glory. However, everyone glories in something. It is because we were made by a glorious God in order to dwell within His glory. We were made to be in relationship with the ultimate glory, God Himself. When we cast off God, the glory within in us is simply a mark of His purpose. Detached from God, this kind of glory is destined to fade and decay, like a corpse without a spirit.
There are pitfalls to glory that Christians must learn to navigate. It is a mistake to glory in lesser things to the exclusion of the greater. It is a worse mistake to glory in shameful things. The only antidote to such pitfalls is to remain in humble relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Another pitfall is to be corrupted by personal glory, thinking that we are its source. Such vainglory causes people to be entitled, over-protective, immoral, and arrogant.
God’s Word warns against all of these things and shows us that all humanity is in a slavery and a bondage to sin. We are unable to break free from its tyrannical hold and step into the purpose for which God made us, at least without Jesus. This brings us to the glory of Jesus the Christ.
The glory of Jesus is that he is the only human who perfectly lived in connection to the Glory of God the Father. He perfectly lived out the purpose of God. What was that purpose? It was to restore humanity to its intended place at God the Father’s side. It is to be His image-bearers, imaging His purpose on the earth through our lives.
Does this mean that Jesus has failed? Jesus has not failed. He has and is accomplishing all that the Father desires.
Paul ends this passage (vs. 31) by quoting Jeremiah 9:23-26. “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. It pictures a person who understands and knows God the Father. The knowing here is not a knowing of information. It is a knowing of experiencing life with another. Jesus is the only one who truly understood and knew God. He heard the words of the Father and lived them out, speaking them exactly. He never gave up believing in the will of the Father, even when it lead to a cross.
In Jeremiah, we are told that such a person discovers some things about God. He is full of faithful, covenant-keeping love. His judgments are all just and true, dependable. Finally, His dealings are all right and good with everyone. Jesus taught us to trust the Father no matter what.
Such a person also delights in the purpose of the Father. Jesus delighted in God’s purpose to redeem humanity. He delighted in the covenant-keeping love of God, not just for himself, but he imaged that love to the world around him. He delighted in the just and true judgments of God but also imaged such to the world. He delighted in righteous dealings with all.
It may be strange to think of Jesus delighting in going to the cross. The Father did not so much delight in the cross as He delighted in what the cross would make possible. And so Jesus delighted in the joy that was on the other side of the cross, not avoiding it, but going through it.
We can shrink back from difficult paths that God sets before us. However, such difficult paths only enhance the glory of God and our knowledge of Him. It is often the price of intimacy.
Jesus laid down his life as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. He did so to make it possible that we could be forgiven and restored to the place intended for us at the Father’s right hand.
Let’s end with contrasting the glory of the cross with the glory of the resurrection. The resurrection is a glorious and overcoming glory. It is shocking in its power against an enemy that appears to be invincible (death). It is similar to the glory of God to bring forth all of creation by His Word. A part of us wants God to simply speak a word and fix everything. This would be a fix that doesn’t require me (you) to change. God will change us, but it cannot happen without death.
The glory of the cross is that Jesus sacrificed his mortal life to save us. He is not throwing his life away because it is worthless. Rather, he is laying down something of supreme value. He was using it for the Father’s good purpose, to redeem humanity, you and me.
Jesus did not cling to the lesser glories that he could accomplish in his mortal flesh. He did embrace the greater glory of one who knows the Father and trusts Him. On the other side of laying down the false glories and the lesser glories of this world is the resurrection glories of Christ.
May we go forth and live for the glory of Jesus the Christ alone. May we understand these two poles of the glory of God. The glory of the cross involves pain and isn’t desirable in our flesh, but it leads to the glory of resurrection which involves great joy!
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