I have been reflecting, of late, on the Bible, society, and how easily people are deceived. How could Israel have the words of God, the worship of God in the Temple, the statutes and laws of God, and, yet, time and time again, fall into wickedness and idolatry? Well, they say there’s a Bible in many, many homes across the west, and many more in hotel rooms and downloaded on to cell phones in numerous languages. We live in a society with Christian values, standards and morals (even if we don’t follow them). We are saturated by it in art, media, and even in education and health care (Christians began universities, public schooling and hospitals as a way of serving the public to spread education, so people could read the Bible for themselves, and have access to basic human needs).
And that’s just the thing: with such an oversaturation of it, we take it for granted. God has blessed us, abundantly, and in the middle of our excess, we worship the blessing. Many people go to church, but rarely (if ever) crack open the Bible. We are more interested in status quo, tradition, internet teachings that suit our needs, and preachers who affirm us than we are radical transformation by Christ. You see, we are easily deceived if we’re not seeking after the truth. And the Truth is that Jesus DID die in our place, for the whole sin of the whole world. But He rose again to make us Holy, that we may have new life in Him now, and be a home for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us now, and then, in the time to come, be glorified when we are in His presence. We care less about the process of sanctification, and want, rather, instant gratification. We’re spoiled.
So what is our hope? Get in to the word of God, every day. Get on our knees every day. Seek God and His holiness. Understand that the Holy Spirit dwells in us because of what Christ did by living, dying, and rising again, and adjust our lives to live out the Gospel message in everything we do. It’s not about being “perfect people,” it’s about trusting the God who is drawing us to Himself, who sent His Son to die to restore us back to His image. Be Holy, therefore, as He is Holy.
1 Peter 1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
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