Deeds – Page 14 – Three Minute Bible

July 16, 2020July 17, 2020

1 Peter 2:6 — Read

Picture of a small boy reading an old Bible.

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Today Peter leads us through the first of three Old Testament passages. He has carefully laid out his teaching about Jesus being a “living Stone.” He points out that this “stone” has been rejected by humans but is precious to God. Then he explains that when we are in Christ, we are like living stones, too. Now he walks us through the Scriptural foundations for his teaching.

How do we know that the Bible is God’s Word? One very important clue is the consistency of God’s Word throughout the Bible.

July 15, 2020July 16, 2020

1 Peter 2:5 (c) — At the Foot of the Cross

Picture of the cross silhouetted against the morning sky.

…offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

This may be one of the most important verses in the Bible. Oh, I know…it looks benign. You can read it and think, “Nice verse…” and go on with your reading. But when I look at this verse I see all the threads in the Bible coming together into one place.

I can guess what you are thinking. You are probably thinking, “Okay, Jeff. Go ahead. Show me how this ties together all the threads in the Bible. But remember, this is ThreeMinuteBible.com, not TwentyYearBible.com, okay?” Okay. Fair enough. Since we are constrained on time, I will use large brush strokes again and see if I can paint a picture of what I see.

July 8, 2020July 9, 2020

1 Peter 2: 1 — Good Riddance

A picture of three garbage cans and a broom in a back alley.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

Today we finish what we started yesterday; the first verse of the second chapter. What are we dealing with here? What is Peter asking us to do? What are malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander? Is there something that they all have in common?

Malice is the desire to do evil. Okay. We can probably agree that we should avoid that. We can also agree that malice is ungodly.

July 7, 2020July 7, 2020

1 Peter 2:1 (a) — Inside Outside

A man's head half out of the water stares at the camera

Therefore, rid yourselves of …

In our post, “Checklist for Love,” we outlined some of the key points Peter has made in the first chapter of his letter. Today we begin the second chapter with, “Therefore…” As Pastor Rich loves to remind us in Bible study: “Always ask the question, ‘What is the ”therefore” there for?‘”

Peter has finished summarizing his thoughts by saying (in effect) people die, God’s Word is forever. Therefore…

July 5, 2020July 6, 2020

1 Peter 1:23 — Two Camps

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

When Peter addresses his letter to “the elect” (verse 1) who is he writing to? This question speaks to one of the hidden assumptions that we all make when we think or talk about the Bible.

Generally speaking, people fall into one of two camps. In the first camp, let’s call it the world view camp, people believe (i.e. – assume) that the Bible was written by people about God. In the second camp, we can call this God’s view, people believe that the Bible is written by God through people. There is a radical difference between these two points of view.

June 30, 2020June 30, 2020

1 Peter 1:17 — Boxes

A check box on a piece of paper next to the words, "I Agree."

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.

The question today is what does Peter mean when he writes, “…a Father who judges each person’s work impartially…?”

Wait a minute…

Doesn’t Peter know about grace? Doesn’t he understand that if we believe in Jesus we get a pass on judgment? How can he say that God is judging our “work?” What is going on here?

June 28, 2020October 11, 2020

1 Peter 1:14 — Heresy?

A picture of a football game at the line of scrimmage.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

What am I about to write might be considered heresy by some. If any of you reading this are in that camp, please consider that as a child of God, I may still be living in ignorance. My life is a journey and for these last many years my journey has been all about getting to know God better. If what I write does not fit with what you believe, please feel free to gently correct me in the comments.

Peter presumes that as believers we are “obedient children.” How I wish that this were true! I see many who walk in faith moving from ignorance to knowledge of God’s ways. To some extent, that is all we can hope for in this life. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12;

June 21, 2020June 20, 2020

1 Peter 1:11 (c) — Glory

Stained glass window showing face of Jesus in glory.

…and the glories that would follow.

Today’s passage rounds out the thought that Peter is sharing with us in this passage. The prophets of old were hungry to know about God’s plan of salvation. They understood that the Messiah would come. The question was, “When?” They understood he would suffer for our sins. The question was, “How?” They also understood something else: Glory would follow suffering.

When Jesus finally came, the whole world turned against him and cried, “Crucify him!” When the whole world seems to turn against one person, how is there any glory in that for that person? The answer depends on your point of view.

If you are standing with the devil the sight of God’s Son dying on the cross seems like a victory. The glory goes to the victor and Satan appears to have won. But Satan doesn’t win. The victory is fleeting. Like everything else about Satan, this victory is false.

The Author of Life has endured death on the cross for a very specific purpose. He is, as Isaiah prophesied, our redeemer. (Isaiah 47:4) From the perspective of God, the death of Jesus was not a loss, but a gain. Having endured the shame, accusations, torture, abuse, and crucifixion, Jesus rises above it all and draws us to him. Jesus has accomplished the will of his Father. (John 19:30) That is glory. Everyone redeemed by Jesus knows what he has done. That is glory. When Satan himself is thrown into the lake of fire, he, too, will know that Jesus is King. That is glory.

Each victory over Satan, no matter how small, brings glory to our King. The “glories that would follow” include your victory over sin and mine. Praise God!

Application: Think about how far you have come and where you would be if it were not for Jesus. Then give glory to our God.

Food for Thought: What other thoughts do you have about glory?

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

June 13, 2020June 14, 2020

1 Peter 1:6 — Congratulations Graduate!

A large group of graduates throw their mortarboard hats into the air.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

Are you graduating this weekend? Congratulations!

Are you the parent or grandparent of a graduate? Congratulations to you, too.

Let me ask you a question: Does how much you had to go through to get to graduation have any bearing on how happy you are to graduate? To put it another way, if your school is handing you a diploma for simply signing up and showing up to class a few times does that have any meaning for you?

June 7, 2020June 8, 2020

1 Peter 1: 2 (b) — Changed

The words "Look out for each other" on a chalk board.

…through the sanctifying work of the Spirit…

In his introduction to his letter, Peter identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He identifies his audience as a group of Christians who have gone into exile 20 to 30 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He identifies the people he is writing to as “God’s elect” and then tells us the geographical region they live in. He explains that being “chosen” is because God already knows how things will play out.

There is a lot of information here, but Peter is not done. He still hasn’t finished his first sentence yet! Somehow the process of being chosen has something to do with the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

How?