Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 14

 We as Children of God are Called to be Holy Part 5

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apostle Peter now speaks to those scattered Jewish believers 'in Christ' back then and all we true believers who are alive today and those from every era and generation since the Cross of Christ of the extraordinary, exceptional, and extreme results of the miracle of our regeneration, redemption, and resurrection from spiritual death has and is continually molding or forming us into new creatures (that is, a new race of humanity) as we continue down here on the earth as sojourners and pilgrims on our way home to Heaven. The Apostle Peter first declares that we have obeyed the truth and been purified by the truth to be able to love one another 'in truth', as it is written here, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:" (1 Peter 1:22) (KJV). The English phrase 'Seeing ye have purified your souls' that begins this verse of Scripture is translated by the Greek word hagnizō meaning to make clean, that is, (figuratively) sanctify (ceremonially or morally). The hearing of the Gospel of Grace and the subsequent repenting of one's own personal sin and believing in the finish work of Christ on the Cross for your own personal sin is the purifying/sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit in the inner man 👨 and inner woman 👩 of every redeemed soul. This purifying work of God gives an immediate love 😍 to the reconciled sinner, as it is written with these words by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Rome, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5) (NKJV). We now love what God loves and we hate what God hates. Our love for other brothers and sisters 'in Christ' flows from the love that God has for them that has been shed abroad in our inner man 👨 and inner woman 👩 and to be honest our love for fellow true believers 'in Christ' is far greater than our love for blood related relatives who do not know Christ through repentance and faith. The English word 'unfeigned' is translated by the Greek word anupokritos meaning undissembled, that is, sincere: - without dissimulation (hypocrisy), unfeigned. The English phrase 'love of the brethren' that follows unfeigned is translated by the Greek word philadelphia meaning fraternal affection: - brotherly love (kindness), love of the brethren.

In other words, the love that the True God sheds abroad in our hearts 💕 does not lead us to want to fleece or swindle or con our brothers and sisters (whom Christ loves dearly) out of their money in order to enrich ourselves that we may build for ourselves a kingdom down here on the earth 🌎 as the so-called christian prosperity gospel hucksters do to many well meaning people promising them prosperity for their money sent to them, when in actuality the  only one's who prosper materially are the false prophets/profits who spew this false gopsel throughout the world 🗺. The love that Jesus gives is the love that never intentionally does harm (Romans 13:10) to those whom He loves such as sleeping with a brother 'in Christ' wife or spreading lies or gossiping about a brother or sister 'in Christ' to put them down and elevate yourself or vandalizing anything that is in their stewardship or any other thing through words or deeds that will cause them harm, remember what the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers @ Corinth in his second (2) letter, "We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by PURITY, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by SINCERE LOVE," (2 Corinthians 6:3-6) (NKJV). Those who in actuality who have not this 'love of God' shed abroad in their hearts pervert the meaning of true love 😍 with or by turning it into sensuality by always seeking to gratify the flesh and lead others into this false, fraudulent, and fake love to their own eternal doom and to the same for those who follow after their exceedingly harmful teachings and ways, remember beloved brethren and sisteren what the Apostle Jude said of these people, "These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Holy Spirit." (Jude 1:16-19) (NKJV). Likewise let all of us who are truly Christ' redeemed ones recount, recall, and remember these words written too by the Apostle Jude to us and about us, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (Jude 1:20-21) (NKJV).

Here is what John Wesley says of 1 Peter 1:22, "Having purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit, who bestows upon you freely, both obedience and purity of heart, and unfeigned love of the brethren, go on to still higher degrees of love. Love one another fervently - With the most strong and tender affection; and yet with a pure heart - Pure from any spot of unholy desire or inordinate passion." Here is what Adam Clarke says of 1 Peter 1:22, "Having purified your souls, in obeying the truth - by believing in Christ Jesus, through the influence and teaching of the Spirit; and giving full proof of it by unfeigned love to the brethren; ye love one another, or ye will love each other, with a pure heart fervently. These persons, First, heard the truth, that is, the Gospel; thus called in a great variety of places in the New Testament, because it contains The truth without mixture of error, and is the truth and substance of all the preceding dispensations by which it was typified. Secondly, they obeyed that truth, by believing on Him who came into the world to save sinners. Thirdly, through this believing on the Son of God, their hearts were purified by the word of truth applied to them by the Holy Spirit. Fourthly, the love of God being shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, they loved the brethren with pure hearts fervently, intensely or continually; the full proof that their brotherly love was unfeigned, a fraternal affection without hypocrisy. Here is what Matthew Henry says of 1 Peter 1:22, "It is not to be doubted but that every sincere Christian purifies his soul. The apostle takes this for granted: Seeing you have, etc. To purify the soul supposes some great uncleanness and defilement which had polluted it, and that this defilement is removed. Neither the Levitical purifications under the law, nor the hypocritical purifications of the outward man, can effect this. (2.) The word of God is the great instrument of a sinner's purification: Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth. The gospel is called truth, in opposition to types and shadows, to error and falsehood. This truth is effectual to purify the soul, if it be obeyed, John 17:17. Many hear the truth, but are never purified by it, because they will not submit to it nor obey it. (3.) The Spirit of God is the great agent in the purification of man's soul. The Spirit convinces the soul of its impurities, furnishes those virtues and graces that both adorn and purify, such as faith (Acts 15:9), hope (1 John 3:3), the fear of God (Psalms 34:9), and the love of Jesus Christ. The Spirit excites our endeavours, and makes them successful. The aid of the Spirit does not supersede our own industry; these people purified their own souls, but it was through the Spirit. (4.) The souls of Christians must be purified before they can so much as love one another unfeignedly. There are such lusts and partialities in man's nature that without divine grace we can neither love God nor one another as we ought to do; there is no charity but out of a pure heart. (5.) It is the duty of all Christians sincerely and fervently to love one another. Our affection to one another must be sincere and real, and it must be fervent, constant, and extensive.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 13

We as Children of God are Called to be Holy Part 4

1 Peter 1:20-21 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ was not a knee jerk reaction by God the Father that took place after Adams sin in the Garden of Eden. The Apostle Peter next reminded those persecuted Jewish believers back then who were scattered into many other nations from their home in Jerusalem that Christ coming to the earth 🌎 and living a perfect life of obedience to God the Father and then allowing His Blood to be spilled and dying for their/our sins was always the plan of God before He ever created the world 🗺 or we humans, as Peter says with these words, "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." (1 Peter 1:20-21) (KJV). The English word 'foreordained' is translated by the Greek word proginōskō meaning to know beforehand, that is, foresee: - foreknow (ordain), know (before). God the Father knew Adam would sin and disobey before He was ever created, however, God the Father had likewise already devised the perfect redemption plan to bring man back to Himself, that is, reconcile us back into personal relationship with Him through the 'Blood of Christ'. Some may ask, Why did not God create man (Adam) that he would not ever disobey? Answer: If He had done that, then He would have created an android or robot that is devoid of 'free will' and that was never the plan or intention of our Creator. God has made man in His own image (Genesis 1:26), yes, and God is One God in three (3) persons, God the Father & God the Son (Jesus) & God the Holy Spirit; likewise man 👨 and woman 👩 is one person represented in three (3) man has a spirit which gives him/her life & every human being has a unique soul that makes them like no other human being & man/woman lives inside a physical flesh and blood body. The angels, seraphim, and the ark angels are not like we are represented in three (3), for they are just one being. God has made human beings uniquely different than any other of His created beings and this is why the holy angels are so fascinated to look into our redemption through Christ (1 Peter 1:12). Christ place in the Holy Trinity is the cornerstone of all things in Heaven and on the earth 🌎 and in the seen realm and the unseen realm (Colossians 1:20). The fallen angels hatred for us stems from Christ love for human beings and His desire that anyone who recognizes that they are a sinner would come to Him in repentance and faith and be reconciled by His Blood, as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church with these words, "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) (NKJV).

Let us then understand that just as Christ was 'foreordained' before the foundation of the world 🗺 to become the incarnate God/Man, so were everyone of us redeemed, reconciled, resurrected sinners known by God the Father before He ever created Adam and Eve. It is not that God made or created some to live with Him in Heaven for all eternity and some He made to die in their sins and spend eternity in hell, but it is that God is Omniscient (meaning all knowing or He knows everything). God knew every single individual soul who would truly repent/change their/our mind/turn from sin to Him through Christ sacrifice for sin and be born again or begotten again or born from above, for being 'born again' (John 3:3) is what makes us children of God and it is the wedding garment that allows us entrance into Heaven (the Wedding Feast or Marriage Supper of the Lamb), as told to us in this parable from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, "Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:9-14) (NKJV). God also knew every single human soul who would reject, refuse, or resist His offer of reconciliation and by so doing spend eternity in hell and the lake of fire, as documented for us by the Apostle John with these words, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hell delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15) (NKJV). Those of us who are redeemed only die once, while every sinner without reconciliation to God will die twice and the second death is any eternity in the lake of fire that the Apostle John  detailed for us above.

Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 1 Peter 1:20-21, "Having mentioned the price of redemption, the Apostle goes on to speak of some things relating both to the Redeemer and the redeemed, 1 Peter 1:20-21. The Redeemer is further described, not only as a Lamb without spot, but as one, That was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, fore-ordained or foreknown. When prescience is ascribed to God, it implies more than bare prospect or speculation. It imports an act of the will, a resolution that the thing shall be, Acts 2:23. God did not only foreknow, but determine and decree, that His Son should die for man, and this decree was before the foundation of the world. Time and the world began together; before the commencement of time there was nothing but eternity. That was manifested in these last days for them. He was manifested or demonstrated to be that Redeemer whom God had fore-ordained. He was manifested by His birth, by His Father's testimony, and by His own works, especially by His resurrection from the dead, Romans 1:4. 'This was done in these last times of the New Testament and of the Gospel, for you, you Jews, you sinners, you afflicted ones; you have the comfort of the manifestation and appearance of Christ, if you believe on Him.' That was raised from the dead by the Father, who gave Him glory. The resurrection of Christ, considered as an act of power, is common to all the three persons, but as an act of judgment it is peculiar to the Father, who as a Judge released Christ, raised Him from the grave, and gave Him glory, proclaimed Him to all the world to be His Son by His resurrection from the dead, advanced Him to heaven, crowned Him with glory and honour, invested Him with all power in heaven and earth, and glorified Him with that glory which He had with God before the world was. The redeemed are also described here by their faith and hope, the cause of which is Jesus Christ: 'You do by Him believe in God - by Him as the author, encourager, support, and finisher of your faith; your faith and hope now may be in God, as reconciled to you by Christ the Mediator.' From all this we learn, The decree of God to send Christ to be a Mediator was from everlasting, and was a just and merciful decree, which yet does not at all excuse man's sin in crucifying Him, Acts 2:23. God had purposes of special favour towards His people long before He made any manifestations of such grace to them. Great is the happiness of the last times in comparison with what the former ages of the world enjoyed. The clearness of light, the supports of faith, the efficacy of ordinances, and the proportion of comforts - these are all much greater since the manifestation of Christ than they were before. Our gratitude and services should be suitable to such favours. The redemption of Christ belongs to none but true believers. A general impetration is asserted by some and denied by others, but none pretend to a general application of Christ's death for the salvation of all. Hypocrites and unbelievers will be ruined for ever, notwithstanding the death of Christ. God in Christ is the ultimate object of a Christian's faith, which is strongly supported by the resurrection of Christ, and the glory that did follow."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…