Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 28

 Christian Wives in the Home 🏡 Part 2

1 Peter 3:3-4 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

As we stated in the previous study/commentary, our Lord Jesus Christ is the head of every husband that has been born again by Him and if that be true with the man 👨 or husband, then certainly as he follows Christ he will want to love his wife just as Christ loves His Bride 'the Church ⛪' as written for us with these words by the Apostle Paul, "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the Church." (Ephesians 5:28-29) (NKJV). I wanted to add this just before the Apostle Peter now goes further into the wives outward and inward behavior in the Church and more importantly in her daily life with her husband whom she is to love above all others except her love should be greater for our Lord Jesus Christ above even her husband. Wives respond to the affection and nurturing loving care that their husband demonstrates to them on a regular basis, just as all of we redeemed, regenerated, and resurrected sons and daughters of Christ Jesus our Lord do with Him, therefore, the Apostle Peter gives these words of exhortation to every Christian wife back then and every era and generation, "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." (1 Peter 3:3-4) (KJV). The reason the Apostle Peter draws attention to the plaiting of hair and the wearing of gold and the putting on apparel is not because there is any inherent evil or bad in women who would do so, but that in the time of Peter penning this letter ✉ it was common for the unsaved women of Rome to dress 👗 in the most provocative ways as if to flaunt themselves in public to entice men. So, Peter is exhorting the women of God to not follow this pattern of outward dress 👗 so as to esteem their union with Christ and their union with their own husbands with the honor and respect both are due from them. A women who loves and honors her husband wants to appear beautiful to him always and wants to be beautiful for him in public, but her natural beauty is what attracted her husband to her and it is what he sees most of their time together, so he loves the real her and wants to see and be with her in said manner always. Here is what Vincent's Word Studies had to say of the Roman women during that time ⌚ of Peter writing this letter ✉, "The Roman women of the day were addicted to ridiculous extravagance in the adornment of the hair. Juvenal ('Satire,' vi.) satirizes these customs. He says: 'The attendants will vote on the dressing of the hair as if a question of reputation or of life were at stake, so great is the trouble she takes in quest of beauty; with so many tiers does she lead, with so many continuous stories does she build up on high her head. She is tall as Andromache in front, behind she is shorter. You would think her another person.' The hair was dyed, and secured with costly pins and with nets of gold thread. False hair and blond wigs were worn. Female extravagance in dress in the days of the empire reached an alarming pitch." Juvenal was a Roman satirist who denounced the vice and folly of Roman society during the reign of the emperor Domitian (60-140). I would say that their time ⌚ had nothing on the time ⌚ we currently live in today as well as the past 2,000 years since Christ death, buriel, and resurrection, then His ascension back to heaven. What did King Solomon write 📝, "That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, 'See, this is new'? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after." (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11) (NKJV).

The Apostle Peter wanted to see His wife and all the other Christian wives back then and of every era and generation be more mindful of their inner beauty that is received from God's grace in the inner woman 👩, that is, the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) that she has been made by the working of the Spirit of God in her, for this is real beauty as compared to the plaiting of hair or wearing of gold or the putting on of fancy and expensive dresses. When Peter says here a 'meek' spirit he declares that by the grace of God in the inner woman she will be holy and the non-violent agitations from her husband will be met with grace and not with a mean tempered response. When Peter speaks of a 'quiet' spirit, he is declaring her to be peaceable, that is, making peace in their home and not stirring up strife or contention with her husband and being undisturbed by the conflicts that arise between them (and their will be many), but instead she will endeavor to make peace in their arguments, however, at the same time ⌚, not being his doormat to be walked upon and over, but making her feeling's known to him and making her ideas known to him at the same time ⌚ respecting him as the head of the home 🏡 and his decision on matters that she has expressed her disagreement with. Note: "Again, I must continue to reiterate that our Lord Jesus Christ is not commanding any wife to stay in a home where she and her children 🧒 are being physically abused regularly, for this is not the meaning Peter or any of the other writers of Scipture are conveying to wives period. Get out of that situation until he gets help period." Here is what John Wesley had to say of a meek and quiet spirit, "Complete inward holiness, which implies a meek and quiet spirit. A meek spirit gives no trouble willingly to any: a quiet spirit bears all wrongs without being troubled. In the sight of God - Who looks at the heart." Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of a meek and quiet spirit, "More especially, the finest ornament of Christian women is a meek and quiet spirit, a tractable easy temper of mind, void of passion, pride, and immoderate anger, discovering itself in a quiet obliging behaviour towards their husbands and families. If the husband be harsh, and averse to religion (which was the case of these good wives to whom the Apostle gives this direction), there is no way so likely to win him as a prudent meek behaviour. At least, a quiet spirit will make a good woman easy to herself, which, being visible to others, becomes an amiable ornament to a person in the eyes of the world. The excellency of it. Meekness and calmness of spirit are, in the sight of God, of great price - amiable in the sight of men, and precious in the sight of God. A true Christian's chief care lies in the right ordering and commanding of his/her own spirit."

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 27

 Christian Wives in the Home 🏡 Part 1

1 Peter 3:1-2 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The idea that women (in marriage ⚭) should not be in charge or in control or in command in their homes sounds and is barbaric to the natural woman (1 Corinthians 2:14), however, God is the One who created man 👨 first and then the woman 👩 second to be a helper (Genesis 2:18) and the man was given authority to rule over her by God after the fall (Genesis 3:16). The natural woman 👩 has rebelled and continous to rebel against this structure given to men 🚹 and women 🚺 in marriage ⚭ so much so that a revolutionary movement was spawned from said rebellion called the feminist movement which gave birth to feminism. It was founded with the premise of giving equal rights to women 🚺 in all or every aspect of society, however, it has failed the home miserably because in that area of human life and relationships, God has declared that their is one head in the home and that head is the man 👨 or husband who is submitted to Him (God). The other problem with feminism even outside of marriage ⚭ is simply that God did not create physical man 👨 and physical woman 👩 equal in their physical bodies nor in their psychological or emotional makeup, therefore, the feminist movement has actually been formed by Satan to drive a wedge further and deeper between men 🚹 and women 🚺 causing all sorts of problems physically but more importantly spiritually. Therefore, the Apostle Peter who himself was married as it is written, "Now He (Jesus) arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them." (Luke 4:38-39) (NKJV) wants us to know the will of God for the Christian wife in the home 🏡 and he begins by declaring these words (to the scattered Jewish converts to Christ back then and all of us today and of every era and generation since the Resurrection), "Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear." (1 Peter 3:1-2) (KJV). The Apostle Peter when he says at the beginning of verse one (1) 'Likewise' which is translated by the Greek word homoiōs meaning similarly or in the same way. The little English phrase 'be in subjection' is translated by the Greek word hupotassō meaning to be subordinate or obedient to him/husband. Peter was referrings wives to act in the same manner that he had just declared in this epistle or letter ✉ to them concerning the conduct of slaves with their masters or owners. However, God the Holy Spirit is not commanding through Peter for women 🚺 to stay in a marriage relationship where physical and emotional abuse is occuring and the husband seeks no Godly counsel nor does he seek in prayer to God to be delivered from this despicable, demeaning, and destructive behavior in the home that not only hurts his wife physically and emotionally, but it scars the children 🧒 who are raised in such an environment immeasurably. The Apostle Peter does remind the wives that their Christ-like behavior may be used by God the Holy Spirit to bring the unbelieving husband to repentance and faith and they will be born again and immediately their physical and emotional abuse will stop 🛑. It is this same Apostle Peter that writes to these scattered Jewish believers in his second epistle or letter ✉ these words describing, declaring, and detailing the great love/long-suffering of our Great God and Savior, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) (NKJV). Despite this fact of the fruit of the Spirit being patience/long-suffering, our Lord Jesus Christ never wants to see any of His adopted daughters keep themselves and their children 🧒 in a place where their actual physical lives are in danger, therefore, they can seperate from their abusive husband for a time or season praying for Him to get help, that is, get saved, for I personally do not believe that this type of violent and abusive behavior is carried out on a regular basis by a true adopted son of God, there may be moments of weaknest where they lash out, but this cannot be the pattern of a son of God's treatment of his wife and children. Amen!!!

Here is what the Expositors' Bible Commentary had to say of 1 Peter 3:1-2, "We are not surprised therefore, in the history of the infant Church, to read (Acts 1:14) that women were present among the disciples who waited at Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, nor to learn how the daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:9) took a share in the labors of their father for the cause of Christ, or that Priscilla, (Acts 18:26) equally with her husband, was active in Christian good offices. Other examples occur in the Acts of the Apostles: Dorcas, Lydia, and the mother of Timothy; and the constant mention of women which we find in the salutations with which St. Paul concludes his letters make it clear how large a part they played in the early propagation of the faith. 'Fellowworkers,' 'servants of the Church,' 'laborers in the Lord,' are among the terms which the Apostle applies to them; and we know from the Pastoral Epistles what help the primitive Church derived from the labors of its deaconesses and widows. To be occupied in such duties was sure to give to women an influence which they had never possessed before; and the women converts, in countries such as these Asiatic provinces, were exposed to the same sort of danger which beset the slave population at their acceptance of the Christian faith. They might begin to think meanly of others, even of their own husbands, if they were still content to abide in heathenism. Such women might incline at times to take counsel for their life’s guidance with Christian men among the various congregations to which they belonged and to set a value on their advice above any which they could obtain from their own husbands. They might come to entertain doubts also whether they ought to maintain the relations of married life with their heathen partners. With the knowledge that such cases might occur, St. Peter gives this lesson, and as in the case of slaves, so here, he gives no countenance to the idea that to become a Christian breaks off previous relations. Wives, though they have accepted the faith, have wifely duties still. Like Christian citizens living in a heathen commonwealth, they are not by religion released from their previously contracted obligations; they are to abide in their estate, and use it, if it may be done, for the furtherance of the cause of Christ. Be in subjection to your own husbands; they have still their claim on your duty. There is much gentleness in the Apostle’s next words. He knows that there may arise cases where believing wives have husbands who are heathen. But he speaks hopefully, as thinking they would not be of frequent occurrence: 'even if any obey not the word'. Wives, especially if they be of such a character as the Apostle would have them be, could not have been won to the faith of Christ without much converse with their husbands on so deep a subject; and the word which was working effectually in the one would often have its influence with the other. It might not always be so. But husbands, though not obeying the word as yet, are not to be despaired of. And here we may turn aside to dwell on the tone of hope in which St. Peter speaks of these husbands who obey not. For the word (απειθουντες) by which they are described, is the same that is used in 1 Peter 2:18 of those who stumble at the word, being disobedient. The lessons here given to Christian wives, not to despair of winning their husbands for Christ, gives warrant for what was said on the former passage: that the disobedience which causes men to stumble need not last for ever, nor imply final obduracy and rejection from God’s grace. But this by the way. The Apostle adds the strongest motive to confirm wives in holding to their married state: 'That the husbands may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives: beholding your chaste behavior coupled with fear.' 'Without the word' here means that there is to be no discussion. They are so to live as to make their lives a sermon without words, to work conviction without debate; then, when the victory is won, there will remain no trace of combat: all will tell of gain, and nothing of loss. And once again St. Peter uses his special word (εποπτευειν) as he describes how the husbands shall be affected by the behavior of their wives. They shall gaze on it as a mystery, the key to which they do not possess. The wives in heathen homes must have been obliged to hear and see many things, which were grievous and distasteful. The husbands could hardly fail to know that it was so. If, then, they still found wifely regard and respect, wifely submission, with no assertion of a law of their own, no comparison of the lives of Christian men with those of their own husbands, if a silent, consistent walk were all the protest which the Christian wives offered against their heathen environments, such a life could hardly fail of its effect. There must be a powerful motive, a mighty, strengthening power that enabled women to abide uncomplainingly in their estate. For this the husbands would surely search, and in their search would learn secrets to which they were strangers, would learn how their tongue was restrained where remonstrance might seem more natural, how pure life was maintained in spite of temptations to laxity, and the marriage bond exalted with religious observance even when reverence for the husband was meeting with no equal return. Such lives would be more powerful than oratory, have a charm beyond resistance, would win the husbands first to wonder, then to praise, and in the end to imitation."

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 26

 Christ Suffered for our Sins that We (by His Grace) can now Die to Sins & live unto Righteousness

1 Peter 2:23-25 Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

As the Apostle Peter concludes his discourse on our submitting to the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, he once again reminds us of the conduct and behavior of our Lord Jesus Christ with these words, "Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously:" (1 Peter 2:23) (KJV). The desire to see these people redeemed by Him was His overriding ambition, therefore, He exemplified power over anger. For us this is impossible without the grace of God working mightily within us, for in our humanity we will to and want to and wait to strike back at the reviling and to even complain bitterly because of it. We are to hand ourselves and our cause over to our Father in Heaven who sees all and knows all and will render just judgement against any who come against us with malicious intent. Here is what the JFB Commentary had to say of 1 Peter 2:23, "Servants are apt to 'answer again' (Titus 2:9). Threats of divine judgment against oppressors are often used by those who have no other arms, as for instance, slaves. Christ, who as Lord could have threatened with truth, never did so." As we see Jesus Christ our Lord and know Him, we know that He knows all of the truth and sees all that are lies that come against any of us His brethern and sisteren and will give to us tranquillity and comfort in the midst of every attack from the enemy (the devil 👿) through the two-legged devils he uses against us. Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of 1 Peter 2:23, "Though He could have inflicted any kind of punishment on His persecutors, yet to give us, in this respect also, an example that we should follow His steps, He committed His cause to Him who is the righteous Judge. To avoid evil tempers, and the uneasiness and danger of avenging ourselves, it is a great advantage in all such cases to be able to refer our cause to God, and to be assured that the Judge of all the earth will do right."

The Apostle Peter now turns our attention to the very end of Christ patience in afflictions and His not reviling back at the weak human men who believed themselves to have power over Him, remember these words spoken to Pilot, "Jesus answered, 'You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.'" (John 19:11) (NKJV), for Christ alone had the Power to give up His life or lay it down and also to take His life back up again, as it is written, "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." (John 10:17-18) (NKJV). Therefore, we can more clearly see what the Apostle Peter saw 'in Christ' all those years walking/living with Him during His earthly ministry (even though during much or all  of those three (3) years Peter did not understand and even allowed Satan to speak through him wanting to stop 🛑 our Lord Jesus from going to the Cross ➕ (remember), "From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!' But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.'" (Matthew 16:21-23)(NKJV), but now a post Pentecost Peter/Holy Spirit filled and controlled Peter writes to those other born again Jews who have been scattered from Jerusalem do to persecution these words to them and to us today (who still receive the same persecution because the source of it comes from the same devil 👿 then and now), "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." (1 Peter 2:24-25) (KJV). The end goal or the ultimate aim was for Jesus Christ our Lord to 'bare' our sins in His own Body and this little English word is translated by the Greek word anapherō meaning to take up (literally or figuratively): or to carry or to offer up or to take away. In other words, Christ has offered up and carried away all of my sin (and everyone who has come to His Cross ➕ in repentance and faith) into heaven and presented them at the Mercy seat in Heaven as 'paid in full by His Blood', so then when my Father in Heaven sees me, He sees me as sinless like My Brother the Lord Jesus Christ, as it is written, "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:17) (NKJV) (one named Clifford DeWayne Tate, Sr.), for as it is also written, "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12) (NKJV). With this being THE Truth, why would I or any truly born again son or daughter of our King compromise for some temporary comfort or pleasure on the earth 🌎 when we will have all of eternity to bask, that is, derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in Him and His love forever and all the vast riches in Him and in Heaven and all of His creation, for we are back home from our wondering to the Creator of our souls and the sustainer of our earthly lives and our eternal lives. Amen!!!

Here is what the Expositors' Bible Commentary has to say of 1 Peter 2:24-25, "The Bible recognizes everywhere the analogy between sin and sickness. May we not trace some analogy between the Lord’s works of healing and that mightier deliverance from sin won by Christ upon the cross, an analogy which may help, if but a little, to give meaning to the bearing by Christ of human sins? A power went forth when the sick were healed; and through that imparted power they were restored to health, faith being the pathway which brought the Divine virtue to their aid. Thus Jesus bore their diseases and took them away. Look through this figure on the work of our redemption. Christ has borne the burden of sin. He has died for sin that men may die from sin, that sin may be slain in us, the fell disease healed by the power of His suffering. We cannot comprehend what was done for the’ sick when Christ was on earth, nor what is wrought for sinners by His grace in heaven. Those alone who reap the blessing know its certainty; and they can but say, as the blind man whose sight was restored, 'One thing I know: that, whereas I was blind, now I see.' (John 9:25). To this teaching, that Christ’s suffering wrought man’s rescue, St. Peter adds emphasis by another quotation from that chapter of Isaiah which he has so much in mind: 'by whose stripes ye were healed.' Christ was stricken, and God grants to His sufferings a power to heal the souls of those whom He loves because they strive to love Him. Healing through wounds! Soundness through that which speaks only of injury! Mysterious dispensation! But long ago it had been foreshadowed, and shown also how little connection there was to be, except through faith, between the remedy and the disease. Those who were bitten of the serpents in the wilderness gazed on the brazen serpent, and were healed. In the dead brass was no virtue, but God was pleased to make of it a speaking sacrament; so has it pleased Him to give healing of sins to those who by faith appropriate the sacrifice on Calvary. Christ has claimed the type for Himself: 'I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Myself.' (John 12:32). And now, as is so often his wont, St. Peter varies the figure. The wounded sinner finding cure becomes the wandering sheep that has been brought back into the fold: 'for ye were going astray like sheep, but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.' But the message, the teaching, the love, is all the same. He who before was the great Exemplar, whose footsteps we should follow, is now the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, who goes before His sheep. This Shepherd has been a Sufferer, too. He has given Himself up as prey to the wolves that His flock might be saved. Now, with a voice of love, He calls His sheep by name; and hearing, they follow Him. But He is more than this. Brought within the fold, the sheep still need His care; and it is freely given. He is the Bishop, the Overseer, the Watchman for His people’s safety, who, having gathered them within the ‘fold, tends them with constant watchfulness. The figure passes over thus into the reality in the Apostle’s closing words. The cure which the great Healer desires to accomplish is in the souls of men. For them His care is bestowed, first to bring them safe out of the way of evil, then forever to keep them under the sheltering care of His abundant love."

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 25

We True Believers will Suffer Reproach for Christ Sake

1 Peter2:21-22 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: KJV Note: ESV=English Standard Version

The life of our Lord Jesus Christ was like a light tower 🗼used by boats during days of old to guide ships on the sea in the right direction. So, have we believers been left the human life of Christ Jesus our Lord to guide us through this pilgrimage and sojourn of ours home to Heaven. The Apostle Peter writing back then directly to born again Jewish brothers and sisters 'in Christ' who were being brutally persecuted for their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, even tortured and murdered for being in union with our Lord Jesus. (Note: How much do we see in the Word of God that completely destroys this false narrative, that is, this false prosperity gospel which is no gospel at all.) Some of those Jewish converts were able to escape physical death during that time, but the pursuing of the devil 👿 after them never ceased throughout their lives and such is the case for we true believers today and those of every era and generation since the Cross ➕ of Christ Jesus our Lord. The Apsotle Peter declared to them and declares to us what our response should be with these words, "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth:" (1 Peter 2:21-22) (KJV). Peter's first statement to them and to us is that 'For even hereunto were ye called', that is, the moment of our awakening/resurrection in the new birth we were called or bid into the family of God to suffer on this earth for Christ sake in bearing His Name and His reproach in this world that hates Him above all. Questions: Is Buddha's name used as a cuss word? Is Muhammed's name used as a cuss word? You know the answer, of course not. The world system set up and run by Satan is geared to make unregenerate, unredeemed, and unbelieving humanity hate everything that makes mention of Jesus Christ and His Word the Bible. However, we must look to our light tower 🗼 our Lord Jesus Christ and the way He responded to the hatred of Himself by Jews and Gentiles when He walked on the earth in His humanity. The Apostle John documented for us the hatred that many of the Jews had for Him right after He had declared Himself to be the Bread of Life to all sinners who would come and feast upon Him (John 6:22-71), "After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. So His brothers said to Him, 'Leave here and go to Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works You are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.' For not even His brothers believed in Him. Jesus said to them, 'My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.' After saying this, He remained in Galilee." (John 7:1-9) (ESV). However, His half brothers from His Mother Mary and Joseph's sexual union did come to believe in Him later and know the same hatred as He (Christ) did and when we declare this same truth we will be hated for His sake as well. Our Lord Jesus was always found without deceit or deceitfulnes, that is, He never used tricks to deceive someone (in order to extract money from them) at any point of His earthly ministry. On the contrary, He gave of Himself freely to whomever wanted to know Him personally. Yes, He had followers who provided for their daily necessities of food, shelter, and clothing, as it is documented for us by Luke with these words, "Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means." (Luke 8:1-3)(ESV). Our Lord Jesus Christ never in His earthly ministry displayed the building of an earthly kingdom that consisted of great cathedrals made with the finest building materials or the finest feast days or any other such temporary things, but as is written by the Apostle Paul with these words, "For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17) (ESV) and also these words, "For the Kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power." (1 Corinthians 4:20) (ESV). The Kingdom of God is not made manifest or visible to the unbelieving world by who has built the biggest and most elaborate structure or structures or who has the most followers online or who has the largest attendance each week or month, but Paul declares to us that written above is what the Kingdom of God is and looks like here on the earth 🌎, remember what our Lord Jesus said, "Jesus answered, 'My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from the world.'" (John 18:36) (ESV). Instead of building an earthly material kingdom, our Lord Jesus Christ is building a spiritual Kingdom comprised of born again souls that have been made by Him into 'new creations' (2 Corinthians 5:17) being prepared and sanctified for habitation in the new heaven and new earth 🌎, as it is written, "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind." (Isaiah 65:17) (ESV).

Alexander MacLaren had this to say of Christ suffering for us 1 Peter 2:21, "So far as the language of my text is concerned there can be nothing more expressive, more outspoken, or more intelligible, ‘Christ also suffered for us,’ for our realm. But that is not all that Peter would have us learn. If you want to know the nature of the work, and what the Saviour suffered on the cross for our behalf, advantage, and benefit, here is the definition in the following verse, ‘Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness.’ ‘For us,’ not merely as an example; ‘for us,’ not merely for His purity, His beautiful life and calm death; no, better than all that, though a glorious example it is. He has taken away our sins, we are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ; ‘for us’ in the sense of the words in another part of the Epistle, ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,’ and if so, we are living examples of what Christ our Saviour has done for the whole world. There is only one way of carrying the cross of Christ, which God lays on us all, and that is bowing our back. If we resist, it will crush us, and if we yield we have something to endure; and there is but one thing which enables a man to patiently bear the sorrows and griefs which come to us all, and that is the simple secret, ‘Father, not as I will, but Thy will be done.’ Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His footsteps, and when we patiently do this the rod becomes a guiding staff, and the crown of thorns a crown of glory. You will not have to go on trying to make a bungling imitation; you will get it photographed on your spirit, and on your character more distinctly and more clearly down to the very minutest shade of resemblance to the Master, and with simple loving trust you will go on from strength to strength glorifying God in your life. They that begin with the cross of Christ, and make the sacrifice their all in all, will advance heavenward joyously; the cross and the sacrifice will be the pattern of your pilgrimage here, and the perfectness of your characters unto the likeness of the Son. The cross is the agency of sanctification as well as the means of forgiveness—saving grace to save us from the world, saving grace to help us everywhere and in everything for our salvation, and saving grace to help us to conquer our self-will, and saving grace to bind us to Him, whose abundant goodness and gratitude no man can tell. If we love Him we shall keep His commandments; if we love them we shall grow in grace, and not else. None else, my brother, my sister, but the Eternal Exemplar stands there as our refuge; and if you want to be filled with this all-saving grace, deep down to the bottom of His tender heart, if you want to be good, and of pure mind, then you have to begin with that Saviour who died for you, and trust to the cross for your forgiveness. Then listen to Him saying, ‘Any man who comes after Me, let him take up My cross’—take it up, mark—’and follow Me.’"
Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of 1 Peter 2:22, "He was in the likeness of sinful flesh; He looked like a sinful man, being born of a sinful woman, and keeping company with sinful men, being Himself a man of sorrows, greatly afflicted, and at last put to death. He was traduced as a sinner by His enemies, and had all the sins of His people on Him, which He bore, and made satisfaction for, and were the reason of His sufferings; but He had no sin in His nature, nor did He commit any in His life: neither was guile found in His mouth; though it was diligently sought for, by the Scribes and Pharisees; there was no deceit in His lips, no falsehood in His doctrine, any more than there was immorality in His conversation; He was an Israelite indeed on all accounts, and in the fullest sense of that phrase; reference is had to Isaiah 53:9 and this is observed, partly to show that Christ suffered not for Himself, or for any sins of His own, but for the sins of others, for which He was very fit, since He had none of His own; and partly as an argument for patience in suffering; for since Christ suffered, who had no sin, nor did any, nor could any be found in Him, charged upon Him, and proved against Him; and which sufferings of His He bore with patience; then how much must it become sinful men to bear their sufferings patiently, though they may not be criminal with respect to the things for which they suffer, but yet are so in other things, whereas Christ was not criminal, nor blameworthy in anything?

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 24

 We Believers are to show Respect to all People for Christ Sake

1 Peter 2:17-20 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. KJV Note: ESV=English Standard Version

The idea of any person honoring or paying respect to men 🚹 or women 🚺 who desire to hurt or even kill them goes against the sinful nature that every one of us human beings are born with. However, the Kingdom of Christ and God is different, for God calls His adopted sons and daughters to respect all of humanity, even those who hate Him and His children 🧒. The Apostle Peter just finished telling those scattered Jewish converts to our Lord Jesus Christ and it is likewise written to we converts to Christ today and those of every era to submit to human rulers for the Lord's Sake alone, so now he continues on to declare to them and to us these words, "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." (1 Peter 2:17-20) (KJV). Some might ask, Why is this God's command to us? The answer is because God is the Creator of all human beings and He sees all human motives and actions down to every detail and He is the avenger of that which is done with evil motive and intent against we His children as He writes to us through Paul the Apostle with these words, "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:17-21) (ESV). I must say that this is a hard teaching for me and it has been so ever since my Lord Jesus Christ saved me over 19 years ago, however, I have submitted myself to this truth and continue to do so by the grace that I pray for from my Father in Heaven that I may be enabled by Him and His grace to do His will.

It has been right at 2 weeks since I penned my last commentary/Bible Study and during that time period someone tried to assassinate the former President of the United States Donald Trump. What ever you think of the man 👨, whether he truly belongs to Jesus Christ or not, he has shown remarkable restraint in his verbal commentary since the event of July 13, 2024. I sight this because our Lord Jesus Christ is saying to us through Peter and through Paul above to give these people over to God that His wrath against such evil as this will be done against every human instrument responsible directly or indirectly with carrying out such a blatant act of violent evil against the former President. You can be sure and certain that God/Jesus knows all the details of the plot, purpose, and plan carried out on that day. So, when you see such an act of intentional violence carried out, you know that the person and other people responsible for this act of violence had and have no honor for all men and women, for two other people in that crowd that day were seriously injured by bullets and one man lost his life shielding and protecting his wife and daughter from bullets. The Apostle Peter tells us to honor all men and to even honor the king 👑 and in our case here in the United States that means the current President and even former Presidents. The English word 'honor' Peter uses here is translated by the Greek word timaō meaning to prize, that is, fix a valuation upon; by implication to revere: - honour, value. All men 🚹 and women 🚺 are made in the image of God. If all of humanity would look at one another in this very manner, then there would not be violent conflicts or wars or any such things as these, but we know that this is impossible with man being separated from God by sin. During the time in which the Apostle Peter lived human slavery was a common thing, that is, some human beings owning other human beings was prevalent throughout the land. The Apostle Peter (by inspiration of the Holy Spirit) commands born again slaves or domestic household servants to be subservient to their master's will and commands whether the master is kind or unkind. Why? For the Lord's sake fearing that He would be displeased by their/our conduct, remember what Paul wrote to brother Titus, "Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior." (Titus 2:9-10)(ESV). In so responding in this manner of having a complete desire of  pleasing our Father in Heaven when we suffer unjustly because we are simply obeying His Word which is His will, however, when we ourselves sin against our Father in Heaven, there is no honor for us in patiently persevering in our trials, trouble, and tribulation for our sin, but only a quick response of repentance and turning away from that which is evil and back to the truth of God found in the Word of God and being cleansed by the powerful grace of God, as it is written for us by the Apostle John with these words, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says 'I know Him' but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him, but whoever keeps His Word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked." (1 John 1:9 - 2:6) (ESV).

Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 1 Peter 2:17-20, "The Apostle concludes his discourse concerning the duty of subjects with four admirable precepts: - (1.) Honour all men. A due respect is to be given to all men; the poor are not to be despised (Proverbs 17:5); the wicked must be honoured, not for their wickedness, but for any other qualities, such as wit, prudence, courage, eminency of employment, or the hoary head. Abraham, Jacob, Samuel, the prophets, and the apostles, never scrupled to give due honour to bad men. (2.) Love the brotherhood. All Christians are a fraternity, united to Christ the head, alike disposed and qualified, nearly related in the same interest, having communion one with another, and going to the same home; they should therefore love one another with an especial affection. (3.) Fear God with the highest reverence, duty, and submission; if this be wanting, none of the other three duties can be performed as they ought. (4.) Honour the king with that highest honour that is peculiarly due to him above other men. II. The case of servants wanted an apostolical determination as well as that of subjects, for they imagined that their Christian liberty set them free from their unbelieving and cruel masters; to this the apostle answers, Servants, be subject, 1 Peter 2:18. By servants he means those who were strictly such, whether hired, or bought with money, or taken in the wars, or born in the house, or those who served by contract for a limited time, as apprentices. Observe, 1. He orders them to be subject, to do their business faithfully and honestly, to conduct themselves, as inferiors ought, with reverence and affection, and to submit patiently to hardships and inconveniences. This subjection they owe to their masters, who have a right to their service; and that not only to the good and gentle, such as use them well and abate somewhat of their right, but even to the crooked and perverse, who are scarcely to be pleased at all. Learn, (1.) Servants ought to behave themselves to their masters with submission, and fear of displeasing them. (2.) The sinful misconduct of one relation does not justify the sinful behaviour of the other; the servant is bound to do his duty, though the master be sinfully froward and perverse. (3.) Good people are meek and gentle to their servants and inferiors. Our holy apostle shows his love and concern for the souls of poor servants, as well as for higher people. Herein he ought to be imitated by all inferior ministers, who should distinctly apply their counsels to the lower, the meaner, the younger, and the poorer sort of their hearers, as well as others. 2. Having charged them to be subject, he condescends to reason with them about it. (1.) If they were patient under their hardships, while they suffered unjustly, and continued doing their duty to their unbelieving and untoward masters, this would e acceptable to God, and he would reward all that they suffered for conscience towards him; but to be patient when they were justly chastised would deserve no commendation at all; it is only doing well, and suffering patiently for that, which is acceptable with God, 1 Peter 2:19-20. Learn, [1.] There is no condition so mean but a man may live conscientiously in it, and glorify God in it; the meanest servant may do so. [2.] The most conscientious persons are very often the greatest sufferers. For conscience towards God, they suffer wrongfully; they do well, and suffer for it; but sufferers of this sort are praiseworthy, they do honour to God and to religion, and they are accepted of him; and this is their highest support and satisfaction. [3.] Deserved sufferings must be endured with patience: If you are buffeted for your faults, you must take it patiently. Sufferings in this world are not always pledges of our future happiness; if children or servants be rude and undutiful, and suffer for it, this will neither be acceptable with God nor procure the praise of men."

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 23

 We Believers are to Submit to Human Statutes

1 Peter 2:13-16 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apsotle Peter just finished telling us that we must subdue our old fleshly appetites by submitting and surrendering our entire selves to the leading and guiding of God the Holy Spirit who at all ⌚ times and always leads us into Biblical truth, as it is written, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:12-15) (NKJV). Now we find the Apostle Peter declaring to us that we must submit ourselves to all the statutes of man 👨, even those made by evil and wicked rulers, for at the time ⌚ of Peter penning this letter to the scattered Jewish born brothers and sisters 'in Christ', Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus was the Roman Emperor and he was one of the most vile, vicious, and violent haters of God notorious for his monstrous vice and fantastic luxury (was said to have started a fire that destroyed much of Rome in 64 A.D.). Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus hated all of the children 🧒 of God who had been born again by our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter wrote these words to those other Jewish converts to our Lord Jesus Christ of whom many did not make it out of Judea and Jerusalem because they were murdered or martyred by Nero and the evil human instruments under his command, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God." (1 Peter 2:13-16) (KJV). We must always remember that no ruler or any people are in authority except God has allowed them to be, for He is ultimately the One who allows them into that position of authority and at any time ⌚ can and does remove them from their authoritarian positions. Therefore, when we submit to these human rulers, we are simply doing so for the 'Lord's sake' alone because He and His will is our only authority. The desire to please our Lord Jesus Christ never should cause us to seek the overthrow of human Governments at any level, for Christ did not come the first time to accomplish that, but He came to save sinners from their sin and from the wages of their sin which is eternal seperation from Him in hell and the lake of fire. Because Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus thought himself to be a god, the worship of the Romans during his time ⌚ of ruling was heavy into all of the occult practices and their alliance was clearly with God's enemy the devil 😈. This is why those Jewish Christians were so persecuted back then and why those of us of every era and generation since the Cross of Christ are likewise because everything is always spiritual warfare between those who truly belong to Jesus Christ our Lord and those who do not but are children of satan (1 John 3:8). Those who are still on the side of satan are so because of their ignorance, not their intellectual ignorance, for some are of the highest level of human intelligence on the planet 🌏, but their ignorance is that they don't know God (as we know Him personally through Christ) and that blinds them to all that is right, good, and holy in the site of God, as it is written, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:12-14) (NKJV). There are the men/women who are foolish and ignorant who are the natural ones being spoken of by Paul above and this same Apostle Peter described them in detail in his second letter with these words, "But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children." (2 Peter 2:12-14) (NKJV), but there are spiritual men/women who are taught truth by the Spirit of God.

Here is what the Expositor's Bible Commentary had to say of 1 Peter 2:13-16, "The Apostle now turns to one illustration of Christian behavior wherein the converts might be tempted to think themselves absolved from some portion of their duty. They were living under heathen rulers. Did their freedom in Christ release them from obligations to the civil powers? The question was sure to arise. St. Peter supplies both a rule and a reason: 'Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.' Christians, just as other men, hold their place in the commonweal. All that the state requires citizens to do in aid of good government, order, the support of institutions and the like, will fall upon them, as upon others. Whether the demands made upon them in this wise be always for ends of which they would approve; they are not to discuss so long as their rulers provide duly for the social order and welfare. This is the apostolic rule. The reason is men are to submit thus for the Lord’s sake. The powers that be are ordained of God, and He would have obedience yielded to them. The Bible knows nothing about forms of government; these are to be ordered as men at various times and under various conditions deem most helpful. But the Bible doctrine is that God uses all powers of the world for His own purposes and to work out His will. Of Pharaoh, who had deliberately despised God’s messages through Moses, the Divine voice declared that he would long ago have been cut off from the earth, but was made to stand that he might show God’s power, and that His name might be declared throughout all the earth; (Exodus 9:15-16) and of the Assyrian at a later day (Isaiah 10:10; Isaiah 10:12) God tells how he was used as the rod of the Divine anger, but that the fruit of his stout heart and the glory of his high looks would surely be punished. God employs for His ends instruments with which He is not always well pleased. These can inflict His penalties, yea, even may be made to advance His glory. Pilate was assured by Christ Himself that the power which he was about to exercise was only by Divine permission: 'Thou wouldest have no power against Me except it were given thee from above'; (John 19:11) and St. Paul enforces obedience to authorities equally with St. Peter: 'He that resisteth the power withstandeth the ordinance of God." (Romans 13:2) Be subject, therefore, 'whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers and for praise for them that do well.' The order under which these converts were living was superintended by some officer appointed by the Roman emperor, and to this the form of the Apostle’s words applies. The king is the Caesar; the governor is the procurator or subordinate official by whom the imperial power was represented in the provinces. When St. Peter wrote, Nero ruled in Rome, and was represented abroad by ministers often of a like character. How extreme must after this be the case of those who would claim freedom to resist the rulers under whom they live. God has allowed them to stand, He is using them for His own purposes, they may be the ministers of His vengeance, and to Him alone does vengeance belong, He intends them also to recognize the merit of the doers of good. It may be that they do not fulfill God’s intent in either wise, yet while He suffers them to keep their power the Christian’s duty is obedience to every civil enactment, for anarchy would be a curse both to him and to others, bringing in its train more hurt than help. When Christians shall be found among those who abide by the law of the lands wherein they dwell, even should their faith not be accepted by their rulers, their good citizenship will hardly fail to disarm hatred and abate persecution. And so they are to range themselves ever on the side of order. 'For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.' For this end believers are to abide in the world, that through them the world may be renewed. The opponents of their faith suffer, says the Apostle, from lack of knowledge. As he says in another place, 'they rail in matters whereof they are ignorant.' (2 Peter 2:12) Had men known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; and did they know, they would not persecute His followers. But knowledge will not come without a preacher. Such preachers of the excellence of their faith shall the law-abiding Christians in each community be made. They shall publish the lessons of their own experience; they shall win favor by their example. The world will recognize that these men have a secret which others do not possess, will find that they yield obedience to earthly rulers because they are above all things servants of God. It was through convicting them of their ignorance that Jesus put the Sadducees to silence. 'Ye do err,' was His argument, 'not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.' (Matthew 22:34) And when men are made sensible of such ignorance, they are silenced forever. (1 Corinthians 15:34) This word 'silenced' is very expressive both in the Gospel and here. It implies that a bridle or muzzle is put upon the mouth of ignorance, so that it may either be guided into a better way, or, if not so, be checked from doing harm. For some there are who not only will be ignorant, but foolish also, whom no teaching will profit. But even these will in the end be silenced. So, as says the brother Apostle, 'be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.' (Rom_12:21) The first part of the Apostle’s exhortation in our verse had in view, it may be more especially the Gentile converts. Their past life had been one of evil-doing in the sight of God; those whom they had left, and who were most likely to be their adversaries, were still walking in the same ways, and were to be won over and conquered for Christ. He now turns more directly to those who had been Jews. These were no longer bound to the observance of the ceremonial law, and we know from the New Testament as well as from Church history that with this release there were exhibited in the lives of many such excesses as made them a disgrace to the Christian name. We find much about these in the Second Epistle. St. Peter would not keep the Jewish converts under the burden of the Law, but he warns them against their besetting danger: 'as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.' There were bad Jews, even as there have been bad Christians. These would welcome a rule which set them at liberty from the Mosaic observances, to which their adherence aforetime had been in outward seeming rather than in earnest zeal. To these St. Peter preaches that to lay aside Judaism is not to embrace Christianity. The Leader of the new faith had ever taught a different lesson. He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it, and to set forth God’s will in a nobler aspect. Those who would follow Him must take up the Cross. His service is a yoke which restrains from all evil. Those who come to Christ come as bondservants of God, free only because they are bound to the observance of the noblest law. They must lay aside the flesh, with its affections and lusts, and not vindicate their freedom by using it as an occasion to riot and self-indulgence."

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 22

 We Believers are to Abstain from Fleshly Lust

1 Peter 2:11-12 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apostle Peter reminded those early Jewish converts to Christ back then as he (with these same words) reminds all of we converts to Christ today and of every era and generation that since we are now the people of God's own possession that we have a responsibility to show Him our love and gratitude so he exhorts us to mortify our flesh with these words, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;" (1 Peter 2:11) (KJV). The grace which we have been given comes to us without any merit or in other words without any of us deserving it at all, but this same grace also comes to us with the power or dunimus of our Father in Heaven equipping, energizing, and empowering us to excercise restraint and to refrain from those fleshly appetites that were common ways for us to behave before we were made the people of God (1 Peter 2:10). When the Apostle Peter here (in verse 11) calls us strangers and pilgrims, he is reminding us that we still live in our tent/house/body which is not our permanent home, for it is corruption now and will eventually go back to the dust of the earth from which it was made, but will become incorruption when we are resurrected by our God and Father as the Apostle Paul writes to the Corithian believers with these words, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) (NKJV). Since, we are still alive on the earth 🌎 as strangers and pilgrims we must be vigilant while still in our natural body to yield to God the Holy Spirit and the powerful grace that we receive from our Lord Jesus Christ sitting now on His Throne of Grace ready always to dispense as much as we need to do as the Apostle Paul declared with these words to the Roman believers and to the Colossian believers, "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Romans 6:13) (NKJV) and these words, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5) (NKJV). This is not and cannot ever be done by us in our strength or power (for we have none, if we did we never would have needed our Lord Jesus Christ), but by the power of grace from the Throne of Grace our lives can and will be free of these fleshly appetites that kept us from Christ and that continuously wage war against our souls, that is, our minds or mindset. We must contend against carnal inclinations by the grace of God and fight as a spiritual soldier in the supernatural power of grace just as a human soldier of war fights in the natural with human weapons. Here is what John Wesley said of 1 Peter 2:11, "Here begins the exhortation drawn from the second motive. Sojourners: pilgrims - The first word properly means, those who are in a strange house; the second, those who are in a strange country. You sojourn in the body; you are pilgrims in this world. Abstain from desires of anything in this house, or in this country."

Next the Apostle Peter tells us that his exhortation and imploring of us to abstain from these many fleshly lust that war against us is not only for our spiritual well being, but it is also that we may walk among all those who still are spiritually dead in this newness of life completely contrary to the way we lived before the day of our salvation, as he declares with these words, "Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2:12) (KJV). Since, God having saved us, that is, snatching us out of the clutches of the evil one 1⃣ as the Apostle Paul declared He has done with these words to the Colossians we should walk or live worthy of our high calling 'in Christ', "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:9-14) (NKJV). When we live under control of our 'old man', by not putting him off and putting on the new man 👨 (Ephesians 4:22-24), we do this as Paul declared with these words written to the believers in Rome, "For 'the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles/unbelievers because of you,' as it is written." (Romans 2:24) (NKJV). As followers of our Lord Jesus Christ we must repent of our sins and design, desire, and determine to walk or live out our daily lives to please Christ because we love Him and not begrudgingly as if it is only our duty, remember what Paul the Apostle wrote to the Galatians, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1) (NKJV) and also these words, "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." (Galatians 5:16-18) (NKJV). Here is what John Wesley said of 1 Peter 2:12, "Honest - Not barely unblamable, but virtuous in every respect. But our language sinks under the force, beauty, and copiousness of the original expressions. That they by your good works which they shall behold - See with their own eyes. May glorify God - By owning His grace in you, and following your example. In the day of visitation - The time when He shall give them fresh offers of His mercy."

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…