Beyond The Four Spiritual Laws

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 4:8 . . Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love
hides a large number of sins.

A person easily provoked is not a loving person.

One Saturday morning I and another man at church were moving some furniture
from one place to another inside the main building where, completely unknown to
us, a wedding rehearsal was being conducted.

The woman in charge of organizing the wedding came out into the hall and began
scolding us for talking and making noise. When I pointed out that there were no
posted signs in the hallway indicating a function in progress on the other side of the
door, she became sullen, and tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes in anger.

Had that lady exemplified the love about which Peter wrote, she would have
handled her inconvenience with a little more tact and sensitivity, i.e. diplomacy.

BTW: That same lady was also in the choir, and sang doxologies in front of about
2,000 people every Sunday morning. She was good at musical harmony, but
obviously in sore need of some training in the civil kind.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 4:10 . .As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one
another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

The Greek word for "manifold" is poikilos (poy-kee'-los) which means: motley, i.e.
varied in character. All that’s really saying is that the gifts of God are multifarious;
viz: having a number of different aspects or characteristics. (cf. Rom 12:5-8, 1Cor
12:1-11)

Unfortunately, people with natural aptitudes generally make up the majority of
those in church capacities for which is supposed to be required a spiritual gift from
God. They may look like they're "on fire" for The Lord, but really all they are is
ambitious.

Now, the important thing is: good stewards of the manifold grace of God use their
gift not for showing off, nor for a feather in one's cap; rather, for the benefit of
others.

Paul encourages gifts (1Cor 12:31) and I would add to that by warning to exercise
restraint because the Greek word translated "serving" refers to attendants, waiters,
and hosts. In other words, if you're not comfortable with the thought of seeing to
the needs of others, then you may not enjoy the life of someone entrusted with a
spiritual gift, i.e. they're not achievements, rather, they're a serious responsibility
with accountability to go with it. (1Cor 3:11-15)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 4:11a . . If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.

The Greek word for "oracles" is logion (log'-ee-on) which refers to spoken words.

Here's another way to put Peter's instructions:

"Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God"

Though the Bible isn't one long quotation of God's actual spoken words from cover
to cover; nevertheless, for all practical intents and purposes, Christians do well to
regard the Bible as the words of God anyway; and that applies to both the Old and
the New testaments for the reason that all scripture is by inspiration of God--
whether He actually spoke the Bible's words Himself makes no difference. (2Tim
3:16-17)

Here's an excellent example of what Peter is driving at:

"The Levites-- Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai,
Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah --instructed the
people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of
the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could
understand what was being read." (Neh 8:7-8)

My hat's off to those Levites. They did exactly what every preacher worth his salt
should be doing in our own day and age; viz: they taught the people using the word
of God-- directly from the actual text itself.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 4:11b . . Whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God
supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom
belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Hardly anybody seems to care much about that anymore, nor would anybody
probably know the difference anyway. It’s been my observation that the truly
spiritually-gifted Christians are mostly invisible, and go about their business right
under the noses of the stars in church whose own spiritual decadence is oftentimes
very embarrassing to Christianity.

Point being; those that do have genuine spiritual gifts need to make very sure that
when they exercise those gifts in church; they do so in the Lord's best interests
rather than their own.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 4:12-13 . . Beloved, don't be perplexed by the fiery trials you are going
through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad--
because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and
afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed
to all the world.

It's easy to think of Christ's sufferings as only those that occurred on the cross and
the night of his arrest. But it's important to remember that Christ lived on this earth
for about 30 years prior to his public appearances; and during those years, he did
not lead a sheltered life; in point of fact, during those 30 years he underwent a sort
of boot camp.

"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with
loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard
because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience
from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal
salvation for all who obey him." (Heb 5:7-9)

It's a piece of cake for the Word of John 1:1 to comply with God's wishes because
the Word himself is God too. But when the Word took on the nature of a human
being; that's when he found out just how difficult it is for flesh and blood to comply
with God's wishes; hence the prayers and loud cries and tears. The incarnate Word
had a mission; and left on his own, Jesus would have surely failed. But God was
onboard to insure he didn't.

"God's Spirit is upon him without measure or limit." (John 3:34)

However, Jesus didn't take the Spirit for granted but kept up a barrage of prayers
for assistance. You won't see much of that in the Gospels. The place to look for
Jesus' prayers is the Psalms where David did quite of a bit of ghost writing for him.
(cf. Luke 24:44-45)

The Greek word for "partners" is koinoneo (koy-no-neh'-o) which means: to share
with another; viz: to participate. In other words, football fans are not on the team,
no they're up in the safety of the stands either cheering, hissing, or booing. In
order to "participate" in a game, you have to be down on the gridiron in harm's way
getting some bruises.

The Bible says there is no trial taken you but such as is common to the entire
human race (1Cor 10:13). Jesus wasn't shielded from any of those. The Word not
only came as a man, but he also lived as a man.

"It was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters,
so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could
offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has
gone through suffering and temptation, he is qualified to help us when we are being
tempted." (Heb 2:17-18)

"This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same
temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our
gracious God. There we will obtain mercy, and find grace to help us when we need
it." (Heb 4:15-16)

For a good many millennia, the Word's compassion for Man was pretty much limited
to sympathy rather than empathy. In other words, until John 1:14, the Word could
understand your pain, and he could pity your pain; but he could not feel it because
the Word had zero experience at being human.

So then, when I meet with Christ around the table in God's home, I don't expect to
meet a stranger to my way of life; no, I fully expect to meet a man who's been
around the block a time or two. Not only will he be able to relate to my stories, but
I in return will be able to relate to his. Sharing in Christ's glory would have the
nature of an entourage if not for the fact that I will have the satisfaction of knowing
that Christ, in a manner of speaking, came from the same neighborhood as I to get
to where he is today.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 4:15-16 . . Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a
busybody in other people's affairs. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not
be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

NOTE: The Greek word for "Christian" is christianos (khris-tee-an-os') which
means: a follower of Christ. That word appears in only three places in the entire
New Testament. The other two are Acts 11:26 and Acts 26:28. Peter’s is the only
epistle where it appears; and it’s nowhere in any of the four gospels.

A good example of glorifying God in the midst of one's troubles is Mr. Job.

"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the
ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I
will depart. The Lord gave, and The Lord has taken away; may the name of The
Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by accusing God with wrongdoing." (Job
1:20-22)

"His wife said to him: Are you still clinging to your integrity? Curse God and die! Job
replied: You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and
not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." (Job 2:9-10)

James speaks of the "patience" of Job (5:11) which is illustrated by the fact that in
all his trouble, Job remained loyal to God and never once lost his confidence that
God is blameless in all that He does, instead of accusing Him of being a cruel sadist
who enjoys toying with His creations and amusing Himself by making them suffer.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 5:1-3 . .Therefore, I exhort the elders among you-- as your fellow elder and
witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be
revealed --shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under
compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain,
but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but
proving to be examples to the flock.

First off; Peter assures church officers that his proximity to Christ says very clearly,
and without ambiguity, that he knows what he's talking about so they really ought
to listen to what he has to say about managing a church.

The New Testament doesn't record Peter as being present at Christ's crucifixion, but
that obviously doesn't eo ipso preclude his attendance somewhere in the audience
that day, or observing everything from a safe distance. (cf. Matt 26:58, Matt
27:55)

The conjunction "therefore" refers to one of Peter's previous statements;
specifically this one:

"For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God" (1Pet 4:17)

That's an echo of 1Cor 3:4-23 and 1Cor 4:2-5 where Paul revealed that people
"serving Christ" are facing a possibly very unpleasant evaluation.

Church is no country for achievers, nor is it a career track, nor is it a country for
control freaks and power-hungry imperious despots, nor for people who love to
bask in limelight and crave admiration and the center of attention; no, serving in a
church is for shepherds.

If you're not sure what shepherding entails; then next time you're at a county fair
strike up a conversation with some of the 4H kids and they'll be only too glad to tell
you just what a thankless, man-killing, drudgery-ridden, time consuming, smelly,
expensive, inconvenient, filthy, and sometimes dangerous line of work that animal
husbandry really is.

So why do 4H kids do it? Primarily because of their affection for animals; and if a
luminary in church doesn't feel a genuine affection for those under their
supervision, then that luminary will utterly fail to exercise oversight according to
the will of God. Self-seeking luminaries are depicted as very poor sources of water.
(2Pet 2:17)

NOTE: Professional church officers are basically hirelings; and according to God's
son, a hireling cannot be depended upon to protect the sheep when a wolf is at the
door.

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He
who is an hireling, and not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and
abandons the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. He
flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep." (John 10:11
13

A paid church officer might be willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of The
Lord's sheep; but will he sacrifice his wife who has cancer, and/or his two
daughters' future whom he has to put through college, and/or the mortgage on his
home and/or his health insurance?

No, the best interests of The Lord's sheep will be very low on the hireling's list of
priorities because his primary interest is in keeping his job, protecting his income,
his health benefits, his life insurance, and his wife and children. The hireling will
circle the wagons when the wolf comes; yes, but not around the sheep; no, around
himself and what's his. So be very cautious in putting too much confidence in
church officers; you just might end up disillusioned and very disappointed.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 5:5a . .You younger, be subject to your elders

The elders in this instance are church elders; not just any nondescript person of
age that happens to be in the area; and the inference is that the inexperienced
Christians should not think of themselves as know-it-alls, but rather, respect the
mature Christians as mentors who genuinely know a thing or two.

Peter's command isn't optional; no, it's mandatory, and it's very serious.

"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for
your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not
with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." (Heb 13:17)

If you should find yourself in a church whose elders you don't trust and/or simply
cannot respect, then it's time to move on and find a church whose elders are worth
their salt.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 5:5b . . and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another,
for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

The Greek word for "humble" is tapeinophrosune (tap-i-nof-ros-oo'-nay) which
means lowliness of mind; viz: modesty, which Webster's defines as freedom from
conceit or vanity. Lowliness of mind is to be greatly desired for its blessing.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:3)

Humility is very rare on internet forums. Active members are typically easily
insulted and infected with vanity; plus imperious, domineering, despotic, assertive,
confrontational, arrogant, conceited, reactive, thin-skinned, self-righteous,
emotional, critical, and defensive. Those are not what I would call good Christian
attributes. They also have a propensity to jump to conclusions, get the wrong
impression, and fly off the handle. Those aren't good Christian attributes either; in
point of fact; none of those attributes are blessing-worthy.

"Grace" is one of those ambiguous abstract nouns that nobody seems to agree
upon. Noah found grace in God's eyes (Gen 6:8) which in his case, regarded
providence; which can be defined as kindly patronage. It was by God's providence
that Noah and his family survived the Flood while the sons of God and their harems
didn't. Let that sink in. Just because people label themselves a Christian, and
profess a belief in Christ, is no guarantee they'll escape the horrors of the book of
Revelation. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generation; too many of
today's card-carrying Christians are neither.

The Greek word for "proud" is huperephanos (hoop-er-ay'-fan-os) which means
appearing above others, viz: haughty. Those kinds of people typically regard others
with contempt, i.e. undeserving of respect or even so much as common courtesy.
Haughty people are typically cruel, thoughtless, insensitive, and badly infected with
a superiority complex, which goes hand in hand with arrogance: defined as an
exaggerated sense of one's importance, sometimes manifested in an overbearing
manner.

Arrogant people can be intolerably pushy and assertive at times; standing up to
them usually always provokes an indignant reaction and a call to arms, so to speak,
because these folk regard any and all disagreements with their way of thinking as
demeaning attacks upon their core values and their distorted sense of self worth.
These people have very little interest in harmony; they're stand-up fighters whose
primary interest is winning and/or suppressing the opposition.

Seeing as how Heaven is reputed a place of peace, then the arrogant, the haughty,
and the proud cannot be allowed to go there with their impious personalities. For
sure they'd just end up making things very uncomfortable for Heaven's normally
mild-mannered, affable society.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 5:6 . . Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He
may exalt you at the proper time

Humility is defined by Webster's as ranking low in a hierarchy or scale; for
example:

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
(Matt 18:4)

"greatest' is a category. In other words: there is more than one great person in
heaven certainly. But Jesus taught it is better that you be made great than to make
yourself great; for example:

"When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of
honor, lest someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,
and he who invited you both shall come and say to you "Give place to this man"
and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.

. . . But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one
who has invited you comes, he may say to you; "Friend, move up higher" then you
will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who
exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.(Luke
14:8-11)

Speaking critically of the religious luminaries of his days; Jesus once said:

"The scribes and the Pharisees do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they
broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. And they
love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and
respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men: Rabbi." (Matt
23:2-7)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 5:7 . . casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He is concerned about
you.

That command is very difficult for a person afflicted with Reactive Attachment
Disorder; which is basically the inability to believe that even one person in the
whole universe cares a whit about your welfare. RAD is characterized by the
inability to trust. For example: when a RAD victim reads 1Pet 5:7, they instinctively
believe it may be true for others, but has absolutely no application to themselves.
RAD is a very effective faith-inhibitor.

However, even just vocalizing your anxieties can be very therapeutic; while holding
it all in can be destructive to your nerves. I think I'd rather talk to an imaginary
playmate than to no one at all.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Pet 5:8-9 . . Be discreet, stay alert. Your adversary, the Devil, prowls about like
a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour; whom resist, steadfast in the faith

The word "discreet" is translated from the Greek word nepho (nay'-fo) which
basically means to abstain from wine. Well; you know the first thing to go when too
much alcohol gets in your system is judgment; especially what's known as better
judgment; viz: there are things that people do when under the influence that they
would never do when sober. Alcohol loosens people up, slackens their inhibitions,
makes them let their guard down, makes them careless, clumsy, inefficient, and
certainly less intelligent even when their normal IQ is in the hundreds.

Lest someone get the wrong idea; Peter isn't forbidding drink; rather, getting tipsy.
If you're one of those rare people with good self control, alcohol poses no threat to
your spiritual condition, But if you're one of the many with an unbreakable habit of
always exceeding their limit; then I'd have to say that, relative to God's favor vs
satanic predation, total abstinence is really the only sensible option.

"the faith" isn't only a collection of beliefs, but includes a collection of practices, i.e.
behaviors; since according to James, faith without practices is a half-baked faith.

"And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey,
you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking
at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see
yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily
into God's perfect law-- the law that sets you free --and if you do what it says and
don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (Jas 1:22-25)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Pet 1:5-7 . . Make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue,
knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and
to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly
kindness, love.

All those things listed by the apostle Peter are "supplements" defined by Webster's
as things that are added.

If Peter's list is chronological, then it's evident that believers are not supposed to
start with love and work towards faith, rather they're supposed to start with faith
and work towards love, viz: unloving believers are still believers yes, but they've
plenty of room for personal improvement. Their confidence in Christ's crucifixion as
a price he paid to ransom their souls from the wrath of God is good, but it's only
the beginning; a foundation upon which Peter urges them to accumulate the traits
on his list.

The Greek word for "virtue" is arete (ar-et'-ay) which basically refers to the
strength, and the courage, to stand for what's right.

The word for "knowledge" is gnosis (gno'-sis) which basically refers to information
obtained by teaching, instruction, and study rather than known naturally by
intuition and/or instinct.

The word for "self-control" is egkrateia (eng-krat'-i-ah) which means: continence.
The opposite of continence is incontinence; which is the condition where a person
cannot restrain their natural impulses.

The word for "perseverance" is hupomone (hoop-om-on-ay') which means: cheerful
(or hopeful) constancy. A hupomone person always keeps looking for the light that
they know is at the end of the tunnel; and even if they can't see it for now; they
fully expect to.

The word for "godliness" is eusebeia (yoo-seb'-i-ah) which means: piety; defined by
Webster's as dutifulness in religion; viz: devoutness; i.e. dedication.

The word for "brotherly kindness" is philadelphia (fil-ad-el-fee'-ah) which means
fraternal affection; i.e. fondness. In these days of dysfunctional homes in the USA,
fraternal affection has no point of reference in the thinking of some people because
they've never seen it, nor ever experienced it. Is it any wonder then that so many
homes in America are producing sociopaths, and kids with Reactive Attachment
Disorder?

The word for "love" is agape (ag-ah'-pay) which may or may not contain the
elements of affection and fondness; but always contains the element of
benevolence.

Benevolent people are good folk; they're typically helpful, kind, generous, cordial,
hospitable, courteous, tolerant, sympathetic, loyal, and civil.

Agape was a sorely-missing element in my three years of service in the US Army
from 1961 to 1964. The men disliked each other; and the men disliked the officers
and non-coms; and they in turn disliked the men. Everybody mistrusted each other
and each guy had at the most only a couple of guys in my whole 200-man unit he
could lean on. That lack of agape had an impact on unit cohesiveness and made
America's enemies seem more like friends than foes.

I really appreciate Charlie Sheen's line towards the end of the Hollywood movie
"PLATOON". It goes something like this: "I think now, looking back, we did not fight
the enemy-- we fought ourselves . . . and the enemy was in us." That line is
profound; and an excellent companion to a line in "Terminator 2, Judgment Day"
when Arnold Schwarzenegger commented to the young John Connor: "It is in your
nature to destroy yourselves."
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Pet 3:1-2 . . Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I
stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words
which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us,
the apostles of The Lord and Savior.

I just don't know why so many professing Christians insist that it's unnecessary for
believers to study the Old Testament when Peter insisted just the opposite. The
Greek word for "mindful" is mimnesko (mim-nace'-ko) which means: to recall to
mind; viz: to keep in mind; to never dismiss, discard, nor forget.

"And he said unto them: These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was
yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then opened he
their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." (Luke 24:44-45)

The "scriptures" to which Jesus referred are those of the Old Testament since there
was as yet none compiled for the New.

"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings
for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come." (1Cor 10:11)

The "things that happened to them" refer to the adventures of Moses' people during
their forty years in the wilderness prior to entering the promised land; which
consists of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Those are
things that Paul says believers should know. (1Cor 10:1)

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of,
because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have
known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through
faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God; and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2Tim 3:13-17)

Paul's instructions to his friend Timothy targeted pastors; of whom Paul says are ill
equipped to do their jobs if they don't study the Old Testament.

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that
through patience, and the counseling of the scriptures, we might have hope." (Rom
15:4)

The Greek word for "hope" in that passage is elpis (el-pece') which doesn't
mean to cross your fingers and hope for the best. It means to expect; viz: to
anticipate, usually with pleasure and confidence. The world's hope consists of
little more than longing, while the believer's hope is in the bag and that's why he
can look forward to it rather than wish for it.

According to Paul, elpis hope is reinforced by studying the Old Testament so that
believers who neglect the Old Testament are more likely to suffer doubts about
their future than a believer who studies the Old just as diligently as he studies the
New. And besides, the Old and New are not two separate Bibles; no, there is only
one Bible. and it is a continuous revelation from front to back; ergo: people who
choose the New Testament as their Bible are working with an incomplete revelation.

But back to Peter's statement: "the commandment of us, the apostles of The Lord
and Savior." Too many Christians regard the apostles' writings in the epistles as
merely information rather than divine edicts that Christ expects to be obeyed just
as much as he expects his own personal words to be obeyed. Failure to obey the
apostles' writings in the epistles is a domino effect of insubordination all the way to
the top.

"Whoever listens to you; listens to me. Whoever rejects you; rejects me. And
whoever rejects me; rejects the one who sent me." (Luke 10:16)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Pet 3:8-10 . . Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
The Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of The Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,
the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Humans have but a short time in the grand scheme of things to accomplish their
ambitions before death catches up with them and puts a cap to all their hopes and
dreams.

"Who, breathing his last, returns to the earth; that day all his planning comes to
nothing." (Ps 145:4)

But God is under no such time constraints. He exists in eternity; viz: God always
was, He always is, and He always will be. As such, God is at liberty to take as much
time as He pleases to work things out.

It's theorized by a number of scientists and laymen alike that a big bang initiated
the cosmos. Well for sure a big bang will end it; and that's not a theory: that's a
divine prediction.

The Bible says The Lord's return will be of a sudden (Luke 17:24, Rev 22:20) but
sudden is not the same as soon.

"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought
ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" (2Pet 3:11-12)

I've noticed that some people endeavor to leave themselves a legacy in the form of
all sorts of man-made structures like highways, buildings, libraries, museums,
stadiums, bridges, dams, etc. Those structures are neither permanent nor eternal.
One day; they'll all disappear in a tremendous cataclysm: defined by Webster's as a
momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Pet 3:14 . .Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be
found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless

Christians heavily involved in political activism and/or civil disobedience really need
to stop what they're doing because too often those pursuits are neither conducive
to peace nor even legal.

"The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of
peace." (Ps 37:11)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Pet 3:17 . .You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard
lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own
steadfastness,

"unprincipled" is translated from the Greek word athesmos (ath'-es-mos) which
appears in only two places in the entire New Testament; once here and once in
2Pet 2:7 speaking of the manner of life of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah of
whom the Bible says: "The men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly, and sinners
against The Lord. (Gen 13:13)

In other words: the people of Sodom weren't just defiant; they were outright
impudent; knowing full well that their ways were offensive to God but they didn't
care whether He liked it or not.

The Greek word translated "steadfastness" is sterigmos (stay-rig-mos') which
appears in no other place in the New Testament but right here so we don't have
other passages to compare and thus help us understand what Peter means by it.

Sterigmos basically refers to stability; defined by Webster's as resistance to
change, i.e. the ability to withstand force or stress without being distorted,
dislodged, or damaged.

Resistance to change doesn't imply impervious to change; in other words; it's
possible to weaken the kind of steadfastness Peter was talking about.

The word for "error" is plane (plan'-ay) which means, among other things, fraud
and deception, e.g. false impressions; hopes based upon conjecture and/or wishful
thinking, false premises, and wrong ideas— even when innocent. Honest mistakes
are still mistakes, and their consequences can be just as serious as willful steps in
the wrong direction.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Pet 3:18 . . But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.

A gracious person is honest, kind, courteous, inclined to good will, generous,
cheerful, reliable, trustworthy, faithful, genial, sociable, generous, thoughtful,
patient, lenient, tolerant, temperate, approachable, helpful, peaceable, charitable,
altruistic, compassionate, sympathetic, cordial, proper, elegant, polite, genteel,
reasonable, affable, agreeable, genial, cheerful, warm, sensitive, hospitable,
considerate, diplomatic, and tactful.

Why the instruction to grow in grace? Because people in Heaven are nothing like
the churlish race of brutish hominids infesting the world down here. Heaven's
society is populated with really nice folk: they're good people; the best of the best.
Unrefined behavior doesn't fit in there; it's a fish out of water. Thoughtless clods
would likely hate the place anyway; and very definitely disgust God and annoy Him
to no end.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1John 2:24 . . Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the
beginning. If that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you,
you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

Now; the trick to abiding in Jesus Christ is to first off have at your disposal the
correct way to go about it. Well; that is not so easy sans the possession of a special
anointing.

"These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.
And as for you, the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you
have no need for anyone to teach you; but as his anointing teaches you about all
things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him."
(1John 2:26-27)

So then, we may conclude from 1John 2:26-27 that people lacking the anointing:

1» Are susceptible to deception

2» Have very possibly bought into a lie and don't know it, because that's the
nature of deception: it's stealthy

3» Do not have in their possession the information one needs to abide in him

4» Are not abiding in him

That describes the spiritual condition of pretty much every Watchtower Society
missionary that comes to our doors because they quite candidly admit they do not
have the anointing nor do they ever expect to obtain it; neither in this life nor the
next.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1John 2:28 . . And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear,
we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Jesus had quite a bit to say about abiding in him at John 15:1-10; which is just
about an impossibility if the little children give no time to studying the New
Testament either by private Bible reading, Sunday school classes, sermons,
seminars, books, and/or radio Bible programs.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will
is-- His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom 12:2)

"Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the
word planted in you, which can save you." (Jas 1:21)

But knowledge is only a part of abiding in him. It's essential to work Christ's
teachings into one's life in order to be sure they won't be ashamed in his presence.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who
looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and
immediately forgets what he looks like.

. . . But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be
blessed in what he does." (Jas 1:22-25)
_