Definitions – Page 22 – Three Minute Bible

August 11, 2020August 11, 2020

1 Peter 2:24 (a) — Innocence Found

Picture: An old teddy bear sits alongside an abandon railroad track.

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross…

Experimenting is an age-old way of testing something to see if it is true. For example, when somebody says, “Try this, you’ll like it!” you might believe them or you might not. When I was twelve, my uncle handed me an oyster and gave me that line. It tasted terrible! “Try it again,” he said. I did. It didn’t taste any better the second time. So he took the oyster, tried it, and spit it out. “No wonder,” he said, “it’s rotten!” So I still don’t know if I like oysters or not, but I do know that I don’t like rotten ones.

There is another kind of experiment that can be helpful. It is called a thought experiment. In this kind of experiment, we imagine a situation and then ask ourselves questions about what we see. I think it might be helpful to do an experiment like this to help understand today’s passage.

August 8, 2020August 9, 2020

1 Peter 2:22 (b) — An Awkward Dinner

Picture: A smiling face made with peas on a plate.

…and no deceit was found in his mouth.

Peter’s description of Jesus is grounded in personal knowledge as well as scripture. Peter knows Jesus well. Today’s passage shows us an aspect of Jesus that is easy to contrast with our world today.

What do you think of when you hear the word, “deceit?” Do you, like me, immediately think, “lies?” If yes, we would both be partially right. But a “lie” does not cover the entire concept of the word.

August 7, 2020August 8, 2020

1 Peter 2:22 (a) — No Sin

He committed no sin…

Peter has written that we should be willing to suffer unjustly because Christ suffered for us. Jesus, in fact, set the example. We are to do likewise. Having said that Jesus is our example, Peter then goes on and describes more about this example we are to follow. He begins with four simple words that changed the world: “He committed no sin.”

What does that mean exactly?

August 5, 2020August 6, 2020

1 Peter 2:20 — What the Child Saw

But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

English is a wonderful language. It is rich in history, flexible, adaptable, and functional. There is a reason why people around the world choose to learn English if they want to communicate internationally. Even so, when compared to the Hebrew and Greek languages, English sometimes feels … inadequate.

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020

1 Peter 2:18 — Modern Slaves

Picture: Graphic of large grey finger pointing down at fearful employee.

Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

The word “slave” has become a kind of dirty word these days. It is a word like any other. The condition it describes is not pleasant nor is it desirable, but slavery has existed for thousands of years. Even God’s own people, when they lived in Egypt for 400 years were slaves to the Egyptians for most of that time.

Do not misunderstand me. I am not condoning slavery. Yet, look around. How much of the world is free? If people are not free, aren’t they the same as a slave? Slavery still exists and always will until Jesus Himself comes to rule the earth.

August 1, 2020August 1, 2020

1 Peter 2:17 (c) — An Appropriate Kind of Fear

Picture: A splash of red hot lava against a black background.

… fear God …

Are you afraid of God? Should you be? Peter seems to think so.

It seems to me that if God can create and sustain the universe if he created life as we know it, and if he became man and died for our sins, he is a bit beyond our comprehension. We can’t outthink God. We shouldn’t even try.

And let’s talk about power. How much power does God have?

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020

1 Peter 2:17 (a) — Respect

Picture of a man tipping his hat in respect.

Show proper respect to everyone…

As we turn to verse 17 in our letter from Peter, he begins with a deep well. On the surface, his words seem simple enough. As we gaze into them, we discover that we cannot see the bottom.

“Everyone” is a lot of people! Does he really mean every person?

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020

1 Peter 2:16 — Ultimate Freedom

Picture: Silhouette of man standing on beach at sunset.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

If I put on my “ignorant” and “foolish people” glasses^⁠1, it is easy to see this verse as a contradiction. After all, Peter says, “Live as free people…” and then in the same sentence he says, “live as God’s slaves.” Which is it, Peter? Free or slave?

How are we to understand this apparent dichotomy?

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020

1 Peter 2:15 — Doing Good

Picture: two hands holding a candle against a black background.

For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

There are some words in the ancient texts that give translators trouble. If you look in the NIV it might say something different than the King James Version. Sometimes out of thirty or more English translations you might find as many as ten different English equivalents. “Ignorance” is not one of those troublesome words.

Except for one or two exceptions, every English translation uses the word “ignorant” to express the Greek, “agnōsia.” In English, the word “ignorant” is often confused with “stupid.” These are two very different words. The word “ignorant” means a lack of knowledge. The cure to ignorance is knowledge.

July 27, 2020July 28, 2020

1 Peter 2:13-14 — Human Authority

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

We have spent two days talking about the first seven words of verse 13. In “The Meaning of Submit” and “For His Sake” we looked at what it means to submit, or “put under,” and why this is important to Christians. Now we look at the rest of this verse and the next.

We live in a time where everything is seemingly being turned upside down. The year of this writing is 2020. If you are reading this at some future date, you will know how 2020 turned out. For the rest of us, reading this in the middle of this unusual year, we are still wondering what will happen.