Key Topics – Page 79 – Three Minute Bible

June 6, 2020June 6, 2020

1 Peter 1: 2 (a) — An Absence of Uncertainty

… who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father…

In our post titled, “God’s Eye” we discussed how God’s view of time is different than our own. In today’s passage, Peter affirms the idea that God knows the future. He uses the word, “foreknowledge” to describe how God chooses us.

Perhaps you have had a sense of “deja vu” now and then? It is the feeling that you have already been someplace or done something before you have actually experienced it. To be clear, that is not anything like foreknowledge.

June 5, 2020June 5, 2020

1 Peter 1:1 (d) — Exiled

The ancient world was not that big. Finding a corner to ”get away from it all” was harder than you might think.

…exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia…

Where to begin?

Peter is writing to exiles. Exiles are people who have been forced to leave their homes. Actually, that is a bit misleading. It is not like they were exiled to the next town or city. They were forced from their own country.

Why were they forced out?

Because they believed in Jesus.

June 4, 2020July 9, 2020

1 Peter 1: 1 (c) — God’s Eye

A green heart shaped stone represents the heart of man without God.

To God’s elect…

If you live in a place where there are elections, you might think that being one of God’s “elect” has something to do with being chosen. Looked at in a certain light, you would not be far off. Some people like to make a fuss over the idea that some are chosen and others are not, but it is not that simple. We all come into this world the same way by birth. We all leave through the same door; death. The problem with being human is that we cannot “see” things the same way that God sees them.

June 3, 2020June 3, 2020

1 Peter 1:1 (b) — Ambassadors from God

A collage of clocks all set to different times.

…an apostle of Jesus Christ…

Language is essential to civilization. It is how we share ideas. Without language so many things we take for granted would disappear. For example, look at the concept of time. For time to have any value, all of us have to agree on what time it is. Imagine a world where nobody could agree on what time it is. We all set our watches and clocks to whatever time we felt was right. We could all agree to “meet at 6 PM” but no two people would show up at the same time.

By the same token, if we cannot agree on the meaning of words, then we are at a loss to communicate. If we have a different understanding of a word’s meanings, then we might assume we have communicated when, in fact, we have not. The more technical the topic, the more critical a correct understanding of words becomes. Engineers have extremely detailed understandings for specific words. Without them, we couldn’t build bridges or send rockets into space.

June 2, 2020June 2, 2020

1 Peter 1: 1(a) — Everyman

Two men work on fishing nets in the early morning light.

Peter…

As we begin our meditations on 1 Peter, it seems fitting that his text begins with his name. Since this “book” of the Bible is a letter, Peter follows the tradition of letter writing used two thousand years ago. Today we would begin with, “Dear Sir and/or Madam,” or something similar. Not until the end of the letter would our signature reveal who the author is. In Peter’s time, that was not the case. He begins, “Peter…” and then continues with a description of his credentials. Only then does he tell us who he is writing to.

June 1, 2020June 3, 2020

Jude 1:25f — So Be It

Amen.

At the end of Jude’s letter is a one-word sentence: Amen. This word is both unique and ubiquitous. Like so many words in Christian traditions “Amen” has assumed a familiarity that leads one to take it for granted. Yet we shouldn’t. There is much to know about this simple word.

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020

Jude 1: 25e — A Reasonable Faith

…before all ages, now and forevermore!

The nature of time is an interesting and much-debated topic. It exists to help us navigate life by dividing our experiences up in three ways: past, present, and future. God’s view of time is different than ours (See Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8). In fact, time may not have any meaning in heaven except as it relates to our world and our need for temporal structure.

Jude writes that God is God, “… before all ages, now and forevermore!” He is covering all the bases. There never has been a time when God wasn’t God. There never will be a time when God is not God.

Why is this important?

May 30, 2020May 31, 2020

Jude 1: 25d — Something Fishy

Large aquarium with people standing outside looking in at the fish.

…through Jesus Christ our Lord …

Jude is nearing the end of his letter and his doxology. Today he tells us something very important and also very mysterious. Everything God does is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Several questions come to mind. How does Jude know this? What does it mean? How does this work?

The reason I say that this is “mysterious” is that some things are beyond our ability to know. We can guess, and we can surmise, but we can’t know. Even though this is beyond our ability to know the answer directly, God has given us some clues in his Word.

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020

Jude 1: 25c — Granted

… be glory, majesty, power and authority…

To the only God, our Savior, who keeps us from stumbling and brings us to Himself…

… be glory, majesty, power and authority…

Why does Jude tell us this? Isn’t it obvious that God is worthy of all glory and majesty? Doesn’t it make sense that all power and authority reside in the Creator of All Things?

No?

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.