A Living Hope

“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 many trials.” –I Peter 1:3-7 (ESV).

For nine consecutive days we have looked at the subject of love, from the Lord’s command that we love one another to the astounding concept that “God is love.”  We looked at family love, burden-bearing love, and the characteristics of love.  On Patriot Day (9/11) we saw how love remembers.  We examined how love endures and how when we love others, it is proof that we love God.  We leave the subject of love, not because nine short teachings have in any way exhausted the in-depth subject of God’s love for us or how we should exercise Christian love, but to move on to another vital concept.  For days now the word “Hope” has been in my thinking.  Perhaps it is the times we live in that brought the need for hope so keenly to my mind.  Have you heard the national and international news this week?  Extreme unrest is volatile in many countries of the world, especially in the East.  The death of a U. S. Ambassador to Libya and three others occurred.  We witnessed on television their bodies’ being returned to the U. S.  Much mistrust is rampant at home and abroad.  Where is hope in the welter of world events?

We need desperately to renew hope, or confident expectation, trust.  Is there a way to do this? I looked in Strong’s Concordance and read scriptures of many of the more-than-a-column of references on the word hope.  Both Old Testament and New Testament citations abound for God’s Word on hope.  And so often the declaration was “my hope is in God” (Ps. 39:7; 42, 5, 11; 43:5; 71:5, 14).:I chose as the focal passage today the verses from Peter’s first epistle, because he was writing of the “living hope” to which Christians should hold; and the times they lived in then were volatile and uncertain.  Scholars believe Peter wrote the epistle during the reign of Emperor Nero who ruled the Roman Empire from A. D. 54-68.  Peter addressed the letter to the “elect exiles” scattered abroad in the dispersion to “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.”  Times were hard and persecution of the Christians was rife.  Peter wanted them to hold steadfastly to their faith and to think of “the living hope” made possible through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the promise of “an inheritance…imperishable, undefiled, unfading kept in heaven for you.”  Indeed, a reminder of the salvation in Jesus Christ and the inheritance in heaven would keep the Christians looking forward regardless of current circumstances. Christian hope is strengthened by the Scriptures.  Maybe you would like to take your concordance, as I did, and read several references on hope.  The promises of the Word will make your heart rejoice, regardless of current circumstances.  The gift of the Holy Spirit to encourage and lift us is further assurance of a living hope for believers.  Then we should wear hope around our heads as a helmet (I Thessalonias 5:8) so that at all times we will be able to share our hope with others.  On the other hand, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).  A constant position for the Christian is to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).  With God’s help we can!

Blessed Are the Persecuted and Reviled

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” –Matthew 5:9-10 (ESV).

The eighth Beatitude anticipates the hard trials ahead for Jesus’ disciples.  Jesus makes this beatitude the longest of the eight, for in it He seeks to lend encouragement for the antagonism, hardships and persecutions they would surely face as the message of the New Way in Jesus Christ broke through the barriers of religious tradition and bigotry.  For those who come to the Christian faith believing that everything will be rosy forever after have not read with discernment this beatitude.  Most of us in the twenty-first century have been fortunate.  We have lived in times when Christianity has been fairly well-accepted as a belief and worship system.  But we are beginning to see that we may have to endure ridicule, criticism and ostracism for our firm faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Today, it is “politically incorrect” to call upon God in public places.  For several years now in America, anti-Christian groups have campaigned to have “In God we trust” and other mentions of sovereign God removed from public documents and public speech.  In many foreign lands, Christian missionaries have undergone severe persecution and even death for the faith they hold and the ministries they conduct to make Christ known.

“When push comes to shove,” as my ancestors so uniquely said in one of their expression of mountain talk, will we be faithful to Jesus and the gospel, even if we are ridiculed, persecuted and reviled?  Or will we lack the courage and stamina to stand up to our beliefs? 

It is interesting that Jesus’ beatitude on persecution follows so closely on His teaching that Christians are to be peacemakers.  In studying church history, we find that many were burned at the stake, endured death in the Roman arenas at the mouths of lions, were put to death on cruel crosses, even as Jesus was.  And in these instances of studying about those treated so cruelly by society, we learned that they stood true to their faith and faced death rather than recant.  Many of these Christian martyrs went to their deaths praying for their persecutors, emulating the example of Jesus who prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  (Luke 23:34). Even with dying such cruel deaths, they were faithful to the end, bearing the truth of blessed peacemakers.  It is not easy to be a faithful Christian.  Society is at enmity with God and God’s people.  There is a conflict between the Christian and the world.  Why?  Because we are different from the world.  We do not conform to the world, but we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (see Romans 12:2).  Paul admonished that we “think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3).  My prayer is that we grow strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Persecution of a severe nature may come at any time, and even more so as we move toward “the day of the Lord,” the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Let us “put on the full armor of God…and having done all, to stand”(see Ephesians 6:10-18).  Be assured that the day is coming and now is when we need to be strong in the Lord to withstand the pressures of the anti-Christ leveled against Christians.

A Living Sacrifice for God, or True Dedication

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” –Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV).

What is a living sacrifice? Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome that they should, through the mercy (redeeming love) of God, be willing to present to Him their bodies as a living sacrifice. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe in his commentary on Romans calls this Paul’s “therefore” of dedication, being totally committed to God. God does not want nor need a dead sacrifice; He wants our bodies as a “living sacrifice.” The spiritual era of offering a lamb or dove for a sacrifice is past; Christ Himself gave His own body as our sacrifice for sin. Now God wants us in total surrender, a living, moving, active, thinking, responsible person, holy (pure and sacred, sanctified), one that can be acceptable to God. This is our “reasonable service” to Him and carries the idea of spiritual worship. Every day, therefore, should find us in service to God, yielded to Him, praising Him, serving Him. Before we turned to the Lord in faith and received His forgiveness, we gave little thought to being holy and acceptable to God. But, in our new relationship with God, our body becomes His temple; He indwells us: “For to me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from Godm, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in you body and in your spirit, which are God's.” (I Corinthians 6:19-20). The use of the strong verb “present” carries with it the idea of committing once and for all—as in a marriage ceremony the bride and groom promise to commit themselves from that day forth to each other, so the Christian pledges himself to God.

Then Paul turns in his teaching on the “therefore of dedication” to two more strong verbs. “Donot be conformed to this world.” To be “conformed to” the world is to take on the identity, shape and characteristics of the world; to be no different than those who have worldly ways. To be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” is to undergo a complete change, a metamorphosis. The same Greek word was used for “transfigure” when the disciples Peter, James and John were on the mountain with Jesus and He was changed, transformed, before them and became illuminated with a heavenly glow. Our minds are renewed through Bible study and prayer. An excellent way to begin each day is in the transforming power of God’s presence. Yield to Him and dedicate your body, mind and spirit to Him for His use during that day. In that way, the world cannot put it into its misshapen mold. Yes, you have already yielded that once-for-all time to Him. But just as we need physical food daily to nourish our bodies and sustain good health, so we need a daily transformation of body, mind and will to God’s purposes and plans. Pray to undergo daily this transforming experience.

Seek Holiness

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” –I Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV). “I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by resisting you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” –Romans 12:1-2 (ESV).

Holiness is defined in Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of the Old and New Testament (2006, p. 337) as “the essential nature of that which belongs to the sphere of the sacred and is distinct from the common or profane.” In Leviticus 10:10 this strong admonition was given to the people of God: “You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.” Ever it has been that humankind has had difficulty distinguishing between the holy and the common, the sacred and the profane. In Ezekiel we read about the priests who “do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths; so that I am profanced among them.” A system of ritual holiness with much washing and cleansing in certain ways was established in an effort to approach the worship of Almighty God in holiness. Jesus denounced such outward show of holiness: “You make clean the outside...and within are full of extortion and excess.” (Matthew 23:24).

“So glorify God in your body” Paul wrote pleadingly in I Corinthians 6:19. Our spiritual worship demands holiness as we seek God. In most of our churches and in private and individual worship today, to approach God in holiness becomes an individual responsibility. We are beset by many temptations to be profane, worldly, unholy. At one time we might have been shocked at the scenes on television or even in real life that are far removed from the sacred and holy. But with exposure and conformity, we become “like the rest,” untroubled by the profane and unholy.

Therefore, it takes concentration, confession and effort on each individual’s part to come before holy God with “clean hands and a clean heart.” In Isaiah 6, when that great prophet of old encountered God, he saw God high and lifted up and himself as unclean and unworthy. If we can come to that position of non-conformity to the world and its sinfulness, we can begin to think of the majesty, glory and holiness of God. Paul spoke of this deliberate action on our part as “renewal of mind” (Romans 12:2).

“Where, except in the present, can the Eternal be met?” the great apologist C. S. Lewis asked.

We as children of God are given the sacred privilege of approaching Him in the present, of praying to Him here and now, of praising and adoring Him, morning, noon and night. May we learn to cast off the profane and come before Him with humility and awe of His majesty. Seeking our own holiness has no secret formula for success except as we recognize His holiness.

Our holiness is from God Himself. But recognition of our acceptance by Him and the image of God in which we are made is the beginning of our holiness and our desire to declare: “Holy, holy holy ! Lord God Almighty!” Thus are our mind and our spirit renewed and refreshed in Him.

An Interlude: Praying about Enemies

“Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.” –Psalm 139:19-22 (NKJV).

I must confess to wanting to skip over Psalm 139:20-22. My thoughts, as I’ve dwelt so intently on Psalm 139 for three days now, have rejoiced in the themes so far of this marvelous Psalm: God’s omnipotence, His omnipresence, His omniscience in knowing us even before our conception, and keeping us in His plan. And then come verses 19-22 which express a prayer that confesses hatred for enemies and a plea that God would slay them. If it is of any consolation to us, some scholars, in close scrutiny of these verses, hold that they may have been misplaced by those who decided on the canonization of the Scriptures, and that these four verses are more in keeping with the theme of Psalm 140 which is a prayer for deliverance from evil men.

We are very much aware that David, the likely author of Psalm 139, was beset on every hand with enemies who sought his life and wanted to dethrone him. It is possible that even in the midst of praising God for His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, David could have been reminded of his enemies and how they intended him harm. Another important lesson we learn from these verses is that we can talk to God about anything that bothers us; and certainly enemies fall into the area of troubles. David seems to have a viable ground for his hatred of enemies: He asks: “Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate you? Do I not loathe those who rise up against You?” An enemy of God is an enemy to David (and so they are to us as well, among them false teachers “in sheep’s clothing”).

Jesus gave us a different perspective on how we should consider and treat enemies. In the Beatitudes Jesus taught us to love our enemies: “You have heard it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”-Matthew 12:43-46 (NKJV). We are to treat enemies charitably: “Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” –Romans 12:20-21 (RSV).

In reconsidering the verses from Psalm 139 that deal with hatred of enemies, we also should consider that Jesus taught us to love our enemies and Paul admonished Christians to whom he wrote to treat enemies kindly. Someone has summed up how we should treat any enemies of God and ourselves: “Hate the sin but love the sinner.” President Abraham Lincoln, when asked what he would do with all the enemies the United States made during the crisis of the Civil War: “We will make them our friends.” And he had plans for reconciliation before his life was taken from him by an assassin’s bullet. We cannot join the enemy in their disobedience and hatred of God; but we certainly can replace hatred with love and destructive actions by compassionate deeds. And, like David, it is good for us to be on guard against the enemies of God and the damage they can do in the Kingdom of God. Life is a constant warfare; therefore “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8). Be on guard, therefore, and pray.