Forgiveness – Page 5 – Three Minute Bible

June 25, 2020June 25, 2020

1 Peter 1:12 (b) — Beyond Measure, Part III

A dove flies against a black background.

Even angels long to look into these things.

Today is the third installment of what salvation means. We are exploring this topic because Peter is. He has just pointed out that the prophets were serving you and me when they wrote down the things that we have been told about the gospel. The “things,” he goes on, are of such significance, that “even angels long to look into [them].”

The first thing we noted (and remember, we are speaking in broad terms here!) is that Jesus redeems us from spiritual death. In referring to a “spiritual death” the scriptures point to our separation from God as being dead to God. (Genesis 3: 3; 3: 8-10)

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020

1 Peter 1:12 (b) — Beyond Measure

Even angels long to look into these things.

Every once in awhile a verse seems to jump out of the Bible at me. This is one of those verses.

Peter is telling us about salvation. Broadly speaking “salvation” in this case refers to several things. It begins with God’s plan for redeeming His creation. Remember the story in Genesis where God says, “… you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die”? (Genesis 2: 16-17)

Interestingly, the current version of the NIV is in the minority here. Thirty-eight of fifty-two translations available at Biblegateway.com use some version of “day,” as in “… in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (ESV) As I understand the text, when Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3, God’s word holds true. They “die” from God’s point of view.

June 11, 2020June 12, 2020

1 Peter 1: 3-4 (a) — Born Again

A newborn's feet stick out of a warm blanket.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

It was night. We presume it was dark. The year was somewhere around 33 or 34 AD. What passed for streetlights were torches or fire-pots, and now and then stray lamp light escaping from a window.

A man of advancing age wearing the robes of a professional educator makes his way down one alley after another. Finally, he reaches his goal, a door of rough wood in a seedy part of town. He knocks and after it opens exchanges a few words. He enters. His name is Nicodemus. The person he has come to see is a man named Jesus.

June 9, 2020June 10, 2020

1 Peter 1:2 (d) — Sprinkled

Red paint splattered on a white background

… and sprinkled with his blood…

Let’s continue with our deep dive into Peter’s opening words. We’ve talked about who and what Peter is and then moved into his description of the people he is writing to. Looking at the key concepts he has included it reads almost like a creed. We who believe are chosen by God, exiled from the world, known intimately by our Father, sanctified and continuing in sanctification to be obedient to Jesus Christ. And then we come to being sprinkled with his blood.

The thought of writing about this is daunting for me. I don’t even like the sight of blood. Yet being “sprinkled in blood” is an important part of Jewish history. It is one of the key prophetic pointers in the Old Testament that foretell the work of the Messiah.

May 28, 2020May 29, 2020

Jude 1: 25b — Saved

… our Savior …

As we continue with Jude’s doxology, we follow him from praising God for what he does for us (keeping us from stumbling and presenting us without fault) to describing the attributes of God. The first attribute is that He is the only God. There is no other God. He does not have any competition.

Today we turn to his most important work; the saving of his creation.

May 22, 2020May 28, 2020

Jude 1: 23a — Rescue

Two men operate a firehose against a background of hot flame.

…save others by snatching them from the fire…

James is offering us some parting words of wisdom and encouragement. By building yourself up in faith and praying in the Holy Spirit we remain strongly bound to God’s love. Then he tells us to be merciful to those who doubt. Today he adds, “… save others by snatching them from the fire…”

What fire?

In verse 7 Jude writes that Sodom and Gomorrah “… serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Ouch! That sounds unpleasant!

May 21, 2020May 22, 2020

Jude 1: 22 — Doubt

A man welds steel on a construction site.

Be merciful to those who doubt…

Jude continues to give us his advice. Perhaps what he says sounds surprising. After all, he has spent the larger part of his letter warning us against the ungodly. Now he says, “Be merciful to those who doubt…” Could it be that he is worried some might confuse doubting with being ungodly?

It is a fair question. If you have spent any time at all reading this blog you know that I have a lot of questions! And if ever there is a quiet moment, I can come up with more questions at the drop of a hat.

May 18, 2020May 18, 2020

Jude 1: 20c — Whisper

… and praying in the Holy Spirit …

In Jude’s closing comments he provides some encouragement and advice for his readers. The goal he encourages us towards is eternal life. The way we get there is by believing in Jesus. We need to keep our relationship with Jesus strong by being strong in faith.

The key to successful relationships is good communication. One way we communicate with God and Jesus is by listening to Him speak through His Word and Spirit. Another way is by speaking to Him in prayer.

May 17, 2020May 17, 2020

Jude 1: 20b — Choices

A child stands before 12 gum ball machines, each with a different color of candy.

… by building yourselves up in your most holy faith…

As people we have choices in life. As Christians, we have choices to make, too. One of those choices is whether we choose to build ourselves up in holy faith.

This past year I suffered an injury to my shoulder. I chose to wait and see if it would get better by itself. It didn’t. Instead of getting better, I learned to adapt or guard the injury. When I finally saw the doctor a few months later, he confirmed that the injury was severe enough to have limited the motion in my arm. He referred me to a physical therapist. I now had another choice to make: live with the pain or deal with therapy. Eventually, I chose therapy.

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020

Jude 1: 2 — Form

A clay pot is formed on a potter's wheel.

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

There is a very pleasant formality in the form of letters in the first century. The writer introduces who they are, and acknowledges the person or peoples they are writing to. They say something nice.

In this case, Jude offers mercy, peace, and love.

These are not random words pulled out of thin air. They are three things that only God can give and that humans need to survive.