… to be obedient to Jesus Christ …
Just for the record, I don’t claim to know how all this works. Also for the record, I am suspicious of anyone who does claim to know how this works. Jude 1: 8-9 reads:
“In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’“
Just as Jude defers to God’s judgment in disputes with the devil, I’m prone to defer to God’s judgment if there is any mystery about something in the Scriptures. What is very clear is Peter’s understanding of why we are chosen.
We are not chosen to serve ourselves first, but “to be obedient to Jesus Christ.” And what does Jesus want us to do?
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” — John 13:34
So to review once again:
Peter, the apostle of Jesus, has a message for God’s elect, those who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, to be obedient to Jesus Christ who commanded us to love one another.
Hmmm…
Am I missing something here?
What does he mean, “Love one another?”
Ah! As they say in the pirate movies, “Aye, Thar’s the rub!” How do we love each other, indeed! If I were asked what I thought the sanctifying work of the Spirit is, I would say that the number one job is teaching us to love one another.
Application: Love one another.
Food for Thought: If you were to teach someone the meaning of ”love one another” what would you say?
Look at Jesus and model His treatment of others. 1 John 4: 7 – 16.
Rich,
Thank you for sharing your comment this morning. I always appreciate your input. I wonder, though, if modeling ourselves after Jesus doesn’t leave us open to misunderstandings about what it means to love. The reason I say this is that Jesus, being God, has knowledge and abilities beyond what you and I have. For example, Jesus knows people thoughts and sees what is in their heart. You and I cannot do this.
As a result, there are things that Jesus does which we should be careful about modeling after him. The first example that comes to mind is Jesus clearing the temple (John 2: 13-17). Then, in Matthew 23: 13-39 Jesus passes judgment on the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Being God, he is in a position to do this. When I see people modeling this behavior, I never think of them behaving in a loving way.
Perhaps we could be more specific about which aspects of Jesus’ behavior we want people to model? Obedience and sacrificial love come to mind.
Agree Rich, Proverbs 3:5-6.
Ron,
Great verse:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
I like the “lean not on [my] own understand” part. I am extremely talented at mucking things up.
This getting rid of the old man stuff is tough for me also.