Musings on 1 Peter (2:18-25)

18-20: We are a people, a holy nation, called to suffer for the sake of the gospel. If the world hated our Lord, then it will hate us. We are not immune to suffering. We live in a world plagued by the curse of the fall. Everything we do is made more difficult by the fall. Difficulties are hard and heavy, and they cause us to suffer, laden with weight and trial. But Peter calls us to endure, for this is what grace means. We have been shown grace, grace beyond comprehension, grace beyond our wildest dreams. Peter defines grace this way here: enduring while suffering unjustly. If we suffer as a consequence of our own stupidity, then what credit is that? It is when we suffer for doing good, for acting wisely, or for standing for truth, that is where we showcase grace. On the job site, do we showcase grace? In the home, do we showcase grace?

We live in a necessarily hierarchical world. What does that mean? God has, in His wisdom, created the world in such a way that some would have rule over others. It is not a value statement to say this. Each person is created in the image of God and loved by Him on an individual level. But to keep the world running smoothly, some must have authority over others. In the home, the husband leads the wife; on the job site, the foreman leads the workers; in the church, the elders shepherd the flock. This is so because our Triune God Himself models this for us. The Son submits to the word of the Father, and the Spirit obeys the will of the Father and the Son. They are each equal in their Divinity and equal in worth and power, but submit to one another in love, as if in a grand cosmic dance. One leads, the other follows. It is a beautiful thing, and the source of beauty in the world. We uglify creation when we ham handedly force our clumsy egalitarian mantras onto every situation. If all the contestants are given a gold medal at the end of the race, then there is no point in running, no matter whose self-esteem we artificially boosted. But beauty is found in the leading and submitting paradigm. It is the elegant waltzing couple, gracefully floating across the floor, in precise and practiced steps, made to look effortless.

Some lead, others follow. It is the nature of the world. It is also a fallen world, where leaders do not lead well, and followers do not follow well. Grace, as Peter defines it here, is following well when others do not lead as they should: when masters beat their slaves for doing good, when employers punish employees for acting wisely, when husbands brow beat their wives for being prudent. For sure, it is sin and it is wrong for those who lead to act in such a way. But believe God, and trust in Him. They will be held accountable for their actions. You, in the ways in which you are a follower, showcase grace. Submit, Peter says, to those who have authority over you, remember their authority is not theirs by natural right, but by God's wisdom and determination. Therefore, let us be subject to those we are underneath, and endure with joy, knowing that in doing so, we are proclaiming God's grace.

21-23: Enduring while suffering unjustly is not just something to be prepared for in case it happens sometime. It is a life we are called to. Again, "If the world hated Me, they will hate you also." Jesus Himself, paved the road for this type of gracious living. He suffered cruelly at the hands of wicked leaders. Not only did He suffer, He did so on our behalf, taking upon Himself the greater suffering that we deserved. He was unjustly murdered. We have been shown mercy through His healing wounds. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross. Peter says He did this in part to leave us an example. It is as if Jesus said to us, "Children, you cannot endure the suffering you deserve. I will bear that for you. In doing so I will pave the way for you to follow, guided and strengthened by My Spirit who I give to you. In Him you will be able to suffer the little things that life will bring. Many of them you will not deserve. Did I deserve the suffering I bore? Do not be anxious for them. Endure with Joy, seeing the end that is set before you. Follow after me. Pick up your Cross. Fear not, My burden is light."

The remarkable phrase in verse 23 is this: "but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." Jesus had perspective. He knew that He suffered unjustly under the hands of small men. He knew His trials were "unfair." He knew they were not deserved. But He continued to entrust Himself to the One who judges justly. God is God. He judges the earth with equity. He also works on His timetable. Often we want the fire bolts of judgement to descend right now. We want God to act on our timetable. But He is God, we are not. He sees the end from the beginning. That is where we are required to trust. We believe that God is both just and the Judge. As God, He knows what He is doing. As Just, He will act well. As Judge, He will bring justice to every situation. These three things we must rest in. We must trust God to be God. A rather silly thing to have to say to ourselves, but we need to. God will be God whether we trust in Him or not. But trusting Him gives feet and wings to endurance.

24-25: Our father, Adam, fell at a tree. It was by a tree that the curse of sin and death entered the world. It was a tree that bore the tempting serpent. In the glorious providence of God, salvation came by means of that tree. The serpent was cast down, and God Himself was nailed in his place. The serpent had looked down from the tree, questioning Gods word. The Word looked up from the tree, trusting in Him who judges justly. The tree which offered the tempting fruit, now bore the fallen fruit of temptation. The tree at which our whole human race was wounded and cursed, now brought the healing sap. Christ reversed the effects of the fall. At His death, death itself began to work backwards. But Jesus did not die so that we might live. He died so that we too might die, but live again in His resurrection. We must die to sin, for Jesus died for our sin. We must now live in righteousness, for Jesus was raised to new life. By His wounds we have been healed. We were once lost sheep, straying far from the comfort of our shepherd. But we have been found. We have been brought back home.

Musings on 1 Peter (2:13-17)

13-15: Peter continues to exhort us to live well in front of others. Submit, he tells us. It is not for our sakes, or for the sake of authorities either. We do not obey those above us in order to be praised, or well rewarded by them. We do not obey our earthly authorities because they possess in themselves the right to govern. We obey for the Lord's sake, whether it be the emperor, the king, the president, the prime minister, the governor, etc. We obey because the Lord tells us to. It is the Lord we are obeying. In this we recognize that all earthly authorities derive their power, not from the people, or from position, but from God. He sets kings on their thrones, and He brings them down. He establishes crowns and courts, and He dismantles dominions. Because all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Jesus. That means our current administration answers to Jesus. Our state and local authorities answer to Jesus. He owns them. He has given them authority to administer justice, to punish those who do evil, and to praise those who do good. When this does not happen, and evil is praised and good punished, those responsible will be called before the Supreme Judge, and will be held accountable for all their misdeeds. But it is not first and foremost our concern. We do not need to defend the King. He needs no lawyers. He has the power to judge, and will do so righteously. Therefore when we see injustice done, especially at a level where we can do very little, we can have a foundation of peace. We can rest knowing that justice will win. Recompense will be made.

By God's great wisdom, it is through rest and peace, and quiet living that true justice grows. The ignorance of foolish people will be silenced by our good works. The good work to be done in this context is to be subject to the powers that be. In our submission, and in our obedience to the one who rules the ruler, we prove the wisdom of the world to be ineffective in the pursuit of change. We cannot effect lasting change. For we are simple sinners, and wherever we go, there we are. But the one who rules the heavens and the earth, the one who declares, "Behold, I am making all things new," He can bring real, and lasting change. He can bring real and lasting justice. And so we trust in Him. Our weapons are not carnal. Our weapons are not merely political. They are Spirit and Truth. They encompass politics only in that they encompass all of life. We trust in the Lord of politics, the Lord of capitols, the Lord of legislations. Therefore, Christian, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution. It is quiet submission that will turn the world upside down.

16-17: Our basis for living quiet lives is that we are in reality free. Though our external circumstances seem to be enslaving, what with taxes and regulations and inflation, we are at the core of reality, free. This requires some perspective to understand. If we really believe that Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, that indeed all authority has been given to Him, then everything we see is under His dominion. If everything is under His dominion, then that means everything. Every bill that is passed, every law that is established, every decision made by every cabinet in every country in the world. Let that sink in. Ponder the truth of that statement and how really real it is. It is not some sunday school truth that we nod at when we are six, only to realize when we are adults that, of course, its more complicated than that. Jesus is Lord. It is that simple. No fine print, no reading between the lines, not misunderstood subtext. Jesus is Lord. And here is the beautiful thing. We belong to Jesus. Here comes the perspective. If Jesus is Lord, and we belong to Jesus, and in Him is freedom, then we are free. The word Freedom has unfortunately been hijacked by our modern sensibilities. We have come to understand freedom as complete and utter autonomy, final say, total ability to choose our own destiny. Nothing could be more absurd. Not even God has this kind of freedom. He Himself is bound by His own Holiness, bound by His own nature. So we too are bound by our nature. We can only do two things: either obey God in conformance to how we were built, or rebel, and live life according to our fallen natures. Either way we are living bound lives. If we rebel, and live unto our own fleshly inclinations, then our very fabric begins to unravel, until nothing is left of us except a clump of dusty thread. But if we live by the power of the Spirit in a manner consistent with how we were created to live, then glory and freedom and peace are ours.

Peter defines freedom here as serving God. This is our creational design. To serve in the house of God as sons and daughters. True sons and daughters do not live as if some other house is their own, and follow the governance of some other father. True children serve their Father with joy, and in so doing find their freedom. Some, those whose hearts are carnal, would see the freedom grace brings, as an invitation to live in another father's house. There end is destruction. You cannot serve two masters. We are sons and daughters, a holy people, kings and queens in the House of the Lord. If that is true, then that is true now. As a plumber you are a king in the kingdom. As a nurse, you are a queen in the Holy City. Our freedom is real, for we really do belong to Jesus, and Jesus really is Lord of all. It is with this confidence that Peter tells us to, "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." God is God. He does not share His throne with anyone. This means the emperors of our day are simply subordinates, vice-presidents at best. Therefore Christian, know that with Jesus on the Throne, we live our lives unto Him. In this we have the ability to honor our fellows, for they are put there by the King. If God deems it prudent to place a certain someone on the throne, or in the oval office, we fear God by honoring the emperor. Our freedom does not hinge on the whims of a vice regent. Our freedom is secure in Christ. In honoring the emperor we recognize and publicly declare that he is there only because Someone higher placed him there. Only if God is God can you honor the emperor, or love your neighbor. He is. So honor and love. We need fear no man.

The Fourth Day

From outside the bright and unending light
The Spoken and the Speaker called to one
Another; it was so. In pure delight
The firmament gave birth to mighty sons
And daughters, too; empty space now undone.
Seven children did the Speaker make, to
Govern times and seasons; their course begun,
They will reign until the day earth, made new,
Is, of time, no longer in need. "TO YOU

MIGHTY SOLIS," He said, "I give the day.
You are the Son of Light, giver of Gold,
And wisdom, chasing mists of doubt away.
Like a man, strong in valiant youth, take hold
The reins your chariot offers and be bold
In your conquest of the sky. Come, Bridegroom,
Leave your nuptial tent and search out the cold
Surface of earth, her power to chill consume.
Kiss the earth with warm joy; bring her to bloom.

"LADY LUNA, silver huntress," said He,
"To you I give the long night, serve her well.
Though you wax and wane, through melancholy
Moods show inconstancy, and some compel
To madness, you impart through dewy spell
Rhythm and maturity, granting sleep
'And drench of dream' to weary heads. Farewell
To day and with him, hurried thoughts that creep
Across the mind. Mother, My children keep.

"SYLVAN MARTIS, to you I give mankind,"
Said He, "And all his efforts to succeed
In life. He will strive, mastery to find,
That his world may be without any need.
War will rise, for impossible indeed
This is apart from Me. With iron staff
You will teach him the art of planting seed;
Hands will work, discerning true wheat from chaff.
Come Harvest, hearts will cheer, red cheeks will laugh.

"BRIGHT VENERIS," He said, "Sweet Morning Star,
I give to you love and society.
Your beauty shining copper-like on far,
Distant fecund fields, in chaste piety,
Will bring them children in variety.
Awake to love, these I have formed from clay;
Teach them to care, and with propriety
To hold one another dear. I today
Have shown you love; love which they must obey.

"SWIFT MERCURIUS, "said He, "with winged foot
You will fly. To you I give mankind's Speech
That by your art they may learn to love what
I have Said. By words and sounds you will teach
Them the depth of creation's Beauty. Each
Of my words, the quicksilver-like glory,
Fill the earth; your words, they will use to preach
My grace, to train their youth, to bless the hoary
Haired heads; to live and to love the story.

"JOCUND JOVIS," He said, "To you I give
Life and laughter, and vernal jollity.
Winter is gone; teach your subjects to live
In light of the Great Feast. Eternity
Will be their end. With ripe hilarity
Share with them the Joke: red wine served in tin;
Mighty king, as bells sing and banners flee
Before the wind, teach my children to grin,
To laugh, and to love, for Me they will win.

"WISE OLD SATURNIS, Father Time, "He said,
"To you I give the leaden weight of age.
The fruit of the branch must yellow, and, dead,
Fall to the ground. But my children will wage
War with death. This they must not do. Assuage
Their fears. Tell them of seeds and how they grow,
For thus their bodies enter the next stage.
Bearing resurrected fruit they must go
To the four winds, and your full purpose show.

THUS HE SPAKE, and thus they were: sevenfold
Deities to rule the life-filled heaven.
They govern times and seasons from of old;
They are the captains of His Host. Seven
Lords and Ladies, formed for the sake of men.
Servants of all, they only bow the knee
To One. Before Him they have always been,
And in His presence they find they are free
To be what they were created to be.

For in Him is all Light; Golden and wise,
He keeps those who sleep 'neath the silver light.
He is true Man. With fire in His eyes,
Glistening love, and true solid delight,
He sends for His Bride, and all through the night
Feasts in the laughter and joy of His love.
For by Death He has bought her; death she might
Have tasted but for His grace. By the Dove
Death has died. Glory be to God above.

Day to day pours out speech that must be heard,
Their voice goes out through all the wind-blown earth.
Night to night reveals knowledge of the Word;
His heavens proclaim to all their worth.
His glory is seen in their very birth,
For He holds all of His creation dear.
There is no speech nor are there words whose mirth
Is not heard, by those who, in hearing, hear.
This is their song, sung in joy and in fear.

This song sung in seven part harmony
Joins the great dance, and calls all to the floor
To circle Him in great polyphony,
With ever increasing speed they adore
The risen Lamb who as King sits before
The Great Ancient of Days. Faster they dance;
Quicker, quicker they move. As planets soar
Through their planned steps, we are given the chance
To gaze with wonder on their great expanse.

We behold their steps, their mighty reel.
By the light of their dance we reap and sow;
We love and laugh, we sleep and die; and feel
They were given so upward we might grow.
Therefore, Praise God from Whom all blessings flow
He is the only one in whom we boast.
Praise Him all creatures who are here below
Praise Him above, all you Heavenly Host
Praise the great Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Musings on 1 Peter (2:4-12)

4-5: We are called to come to Jesus. There is no option. Peter treats it as a done deal. As you come, he says. He does not say if you come, but when you come. We must come to Jesus. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the one who shapes and molds us. He is the Master mason, taking the living stones of our lives, fitting them perfectly into His house. We are the very materials He uses to build His dwelling place, His spiritual home. As we come to Jesus we realize that we have been rejected by man. The world does not know what to do with love. It has no place for joy in its blueprints. But we are living stones, precious and chosen by God Himself, so that we might serve Him in His house. As priests we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, which is our spiritual worship. And through the completed work of Christ, our service becomes acceptable to God. This means our entire lives. Every moment of the day, every decision that we make, every thought that we have, must be taken captive, and be rendered as blood on the alter. We die, daily. We sacrifice the will of our flesh, and say no. It is malice that must die. Envy and slander, must die. Hypocrisy and deceit, die. We are no longer stones the world would be comfortable using. We are living stones, made suitable for use in the kingdom. Made suitable by the blood of the Lamb, who desires our service. If that isn't incredible to think about, I'm not sure what is. The Creator God, the Triune Majesty desires our service, not as slaves, but as precious and chosen heirs, as if we had something to contribute. He has made us His priesthood, and His temple. He has made us partakers of His very nature, inviting us into the very circle of His glory. It is no wonder Peter says As you come. How could we say no?

6-8: Scripture bears witness to this great edifice that is being built. The apostles and prophets laid the foundation with Christ as the chief cornerstone. From Him all lines are drawn, and on Him our foundation is secure. Christ is the Stone, and in Him we are living stones, chosen and precious. We will not be put to shame. The prophet knew that the gospel was foolishness to the world's mindset. He knew that it would be a stumbling block to those who do not believe. He comforts us then, insisting that those who trust in Christ, those who become stones themselves will not be put to shame. Their faith will not be in vain. The God they put their trust in will not be shown to be a sham at the last day. His word is sure. We believe in His word. Therefore we have honor. They who refuse to believe will stumble and fall. They stumble because they do not obey the word of the Lord, and the Chief stone has become a rock of offense. They will be put to shame. The god of their world will be shown to be a sham, for there is but one God in Heaven, and His Son Jesus Christ. We belong to Him.

9-10: But you. Words of mercy and of grace. But you. Those who disobey will fall. But you. We are a chosen race, the new humanity in Christ. When Christ rose from the grave, He became the first fruits of the new creation. He ascended into the heavenly throne room, sitting at the right hand of the Father, ruling over His inheritance. To Him had been given honor and glory, dominion and authority, in heaven and on earth so that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him. He sits on His throne and declares, Behold, I make all things new. He sits there now, and behold He is making all things new. He has begun with us, His Bride. Through us He is recreating the world. Once we were not a people, we were formless and void. Once we had not received mercy, like the earth without the light of the sun. But now we are a people, for He has spoken it with power. Now we have received mercy for the Son has risen and shines on our hearts and our hands. A second Adam has come. A second Eve has been brought forth, in water and blood, from His pierced side. A chosen race, made up of every color; a royal priesthood, both male and female, kings and queens; a holy nation, set apart with every language spoken; a people for His own possession we are. And we are called with purpose. We have been shown mercy and grace so that we might proclaim the Glory of God. We have been called out of darkness. We have been placed in marvelous light. We were once formless and void, and God spoke light into our very souls, and there was light. It is the excellencies of His majesty and power and grace that we proclaim. This is why we have been called. This is why we have been brought into His house, as priests and kings: so that we shout with our lives the living majesty of our God. We do not do this first and foremost with our own particular voice. Before all else we do this as a chosen people. Together we are the nation of God, and it is as a nation that we bear witness to His mercies. It is the reason we have been called, and when God calls, He does so with power and authority. Therefore we will not fail, for we are but the mouthpiece of God, and it His Spirit that goes forth drawing all men to Himself. We simply obey, honoring God and giving thanks with our lives, watching the leaven run through the loaf; watching the mustard seed grow into a tree so large, all the birds of the air find their dwelling place within its branches.

11-12: Peter reminds us that our home is Christ. Our center is found in Him. We are exiles here in this land, dispersed and yet still a people. We have not lost our identity though we be scattered across the land. In fact we identify more clearly with Christ as a dispersed people; a people sent to the corners of the earth, for in our dispersion we see our purpose. Here we find one of Heaven's paradoxes. As a sojourning people, sent from our home city to fill the earth, we find that we do indeed belong here. He who says this world is not our home and therefore we do not belong here draws a false conclusion. The earth was created for man, much like the sabbath, and so it is for man to enjoy. We were not created for Heaven, though that is where we find our head. Earth is the natural place for us to be, enjoying the fruit of its bounty. Though we be citizens of a better country, we have been given this land as a possession; and behold, it is very good. Therefore we can live our lives here with peace, knowing that we can feel settled here, on earth. We can plant vineyards, and harvest grain. We can build cathedrals and invest in our children. In fact it is in doing these very things that we bear witness to those who are spiritual gentiles, of the glories of our Creator. In their presence we abstain from the passions of the flesh. In their presence we do battle with our proclivity to sin. Keep your conduct in their presence honorable, Peter exhorts, so that when they slander you, they are without footing. When they revile us, and we show them love, the love our Lord has shown us, then they will know that we are truly disciples of Jesus, and they will glorify God. Our good deeds are to be seen. But not so that we may be glorified. Our good deeds do nothing but point to the mercy and goodness of God. For in our natural state, we are no better than those who revile. As children of grace good works have been placed before us, so that we might walk in them. This is our testimony to the world. It is with lives like this that we exhort the ends of the earth with the gospel of Jesus.

Musings on 1 Peter (2:1-3)

Chapter 2
1-3: We come to Christ as newborn babes. When we are reborn in the Spirit, we begin again in spiritual infancy. This is the way God works. For those who would be proud, God humbles them, and brings them low. We were proud in our rebellion. We were stiff-necked like our brothers of old. We were haughty and looked down at others, considering them and their needs to be beneath us. But when God grabs hold of us in that state, in His grace, He does not destroy, but rather, brings us low. He in effect says, “My child, you may begin again.” But this time He does not leave us on our own. He has filled us with His Holy Spirit, enabling us to taste the Lord and discern His goodness. Therefore, having indeed tasted that the Lord is good, Peter calls us to put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. These are the tools of the old man. They are the utensils that he uses to prop himself up. They once were ours, but are no longer fitting to our new position as children in the house of the Living God. Let us spend some time on each one.

We are to put away all malice. We can no longer think of ourselves as more important than others. We can no longer look at others and see fellow contestants in the contest of self-exaltation. If we consider others to be simply co-contestants, constantly in our way as we pursue our own self-determined ends, we will only view them with an eye of contempt. Other people can do nothing other than impose their needs on us. Even a benign conversation is a small need the other person has that only we at that moment can fulfill. If we see that moment as a competitive move, as a grasping at our trophy, then we can only see them as enemies, and our hearts will be full of malice. Our only thought will be to obstruct them in some way so that they will fail in their perceived attempt to glorify themselves over us. But we are new creations. This is not what is going on. It is our flesh that blinds us to the reality of the real needs others have. It is our flesh that convinces us that in order to come out on top, we must first make sure everyone else comes out on the bottom. But we are to put away this attitude. It is not becoming, nor is it beautiful. It is ugly and petty. God’s way is much better. Jesus says that he who wishes to be first, should make himself last. God exalts the humble, but He brings down the haughty. Therefore let us humble ourselves, putting away all malice, and consider others to be more important than ourselves. If we do this, we just might see that it is God’s path to the ultimate trophy, the crown of life.

We are to put away all deceit. There are two types of deceit. There is the deception that we inflict on others, and there is deception that we inflict on ourselves. They naturally go hand in hand; there is no way to do one without the other. They are both expressions of dishonesty and we cannot be honest with one party while being dishonest with the other. Again, it is the flesh that tells us to deceive. We deceive others because we fear them. We are afraid of what they might think of us if they really knew what was going on inside our hearts. So we put up masks, making others think of us differently than if they knew the truth about who we really were. At the foundation of this fear is shame. We know our hearts, deep down. We know the disgusting thoughts that float in our mind, often uncontested. We feel that if we don’t keep up our façade, others might be ashamed of us as well, and would despise us. The devil, and therefore our flesh, hates nothing more than ridicule. Satan, and therefore our flesh as well, must have the fear and awe of others. Hence he is called the deceiver. Hence we in our flesh deceive others. We put up magnificent shows hoping beyond all hope that others will be so impressed with the outside of our cup they will assume the inside is just as grand. But magnificent as the outside may be, it is still a show. It is still a deception. And this is where we are deceiving ourselves as well. Everyone already knows it’s a sham. Everyone already knows it’s a façade because they feel the need to do it as well. We deceive ourselves most when we feel we are deceiving others well. There will always be some who fall for the trick. But we cannot deceive everyone all of the time. For God is watching, and He can never be hoodwinked into thinking you are someone other than you. Therefore Peter says, put away all deceit. Live life before God in front of others. Be ashamed of your flesh, but confess it, and rest on the complete forgiveness of Christ. There is not one sin that we commit that is not a forgiven sin. Therefore be free. Honor God and give Him thanks. We need not wear the mask anymore.

We are to put away all hypocrisy. This is one of the easiest sins to fall into. It has become cliché to ask if we can walk the walk now that we talk the talk. Inward belief and outward actions are the two sides of one coin. What our heart truly believes, our hands will do. What our hands do give true expression to what our heart truly believes. Our tongue plays no part except to either testify to the agreement between heart and hand, or to cover up the real intentions. If our tongue speaks consistently with the heart and hand, and makes no show to deceive others, then we are free of hypocrisy. But if the tongue seeks to cover up the intentions of the heart, making our hands look like they are doing something different than what we know them to be doing, then we are speaking out of both sides of our mouth. Hypocrisy says one thing, and does another. It is the war between the Spirit and flesh with flesh winning a battle. It is difficult to live honestly before God and before ourselves. Our flesh wants to glorify self, and our spirit wants to glorify God, our hearts and hands being the battlefield. We will always be tempted to hypocritical deceptions, because our flesh does not want transparency with others or with God. But Peter tells us to put it away, and so we must be able to. How do we do this? First we must remember what the Lord tasted like. Was He bitter or sour? Did He go down roughly? No. We have tasted the Lord, and indeed He is good. It is the goodness and grace of God that must transform our minds and hearts and be manifested in our hands. The heart attitude of forgiven-ness is a flame that we must continually fan, or else the coals will smolder. Has Christ covered all my sins? Yes. Am I fully and freely a child of God? Yes. Have I been given the Spirit to fight my battles alongside me? Yes. Then rest, Christian. Confess your sins regularly. Be at peace with the grace that has been shown to you in Christ. There is no room for hypocrisy in a grateful heart.

We are to put away all envy. It is really pettiness here that we must deal with. Envy desires the glory that comes with something someone else possesses, at the expense of the other person. In our flesh we cannot abide others being glorified while we sit by and watch. Our flesh convinces us that it is not fair, that it is we who deserve the accolades. But this is simply foolishness. It is triviality. We have been given every spiritual blessing in heaven. We have been given a host of physical blessings on earth. Eyes that see, ears that hear, noses that smell, tongues that taste, skin that feels, hearts that beat, lungs that pull in air, imaginations that can create worlds, minds that can process information and knowledge, souls that can enjoy created delights. All this freely given to us from a Father who loves us, and created us to enjoy His world. And we envy the promotion of our coworker. Is it not silly? Deep down at the bottom? So Peter tells us to put it away. Don’t, in other words. It’s almost easy if our minds and hearts are in the right place. A heart full of gratitude leaves no room for envy either.

Finally, we are to put away all slander. Slander is envy in action. It too is petty. We feel robbed of deserved glory when another receives what we feel is rightfully ours. And so we spread lies about them; we put them down, so that others will feel about them the same way we do, disgusted by the attention shown to them. This rarely works how we want it to however. Like deceit, we are only deceiving ourselves when we make this play. Our desire is that the people we tell lies to will suddenly feel we are the ones who deserve the glory instead of the ones we are slandering. But it cannot succeed. The minute we start slandering others we look aggressive and vindictive, and downright stupid. We cannot hope to win for ourselves the glory we sought to take away from others. Our intentions are plain for all to see. Therefore Peter says, put away all slander. Do not use your tongue as a weapon of self-glorification. It cannot work. As Jesus says, love your enemy, and seek to do them good. Remember who you are as a child of God.

How are we to put these things away? How are we to say no to the tools our flesh is so comfortable with? The answer is easy. It is the doing that presents difficulties. We must immerse ourselves in Christ. This means regular interaction with the Word. This means reading and grappling with our Bibles. This means regular worship with the Body, for this is where we meet Christ and dine with Him. This means regular times of prayer, both personally and with others. Put simply, we are to live a body centered life. Here is where we learn to live in the presence of others without resorting to malice and slander. It is in the warm and forgiving atmosphere of Christ's own family that we gradually come to find freedom from the old ways of life. It is living in the presence of the King and His kin that we find ourselves being renewed and transformed.

We are infants when we first come to Jesus. We are to long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word. We cannot digest the meaty truths that are revealed to us in Scripture right away. We need Christ and Him crucified. But we are to feed on the milk so that we may grow up into our salvation. One of the great failures of our modern culture is to downplay and marginalize maturity. Our elders are sidelined and ignored, and the youth dictate the trends and dynamics of our culture. We do not fear, or honor, or hold in awe anyone based on age or their wisdom. This mentality has crept into the Church to the point that we don't feel the need to go beyond the pure milk of the Word. But Peter calls us to grow up, and so we should.

Therefore put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. These tools no longer belong in our belt. Around our waist there is only room for love, joy and peace; for patience, kindness, and gentleness; for goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Let us strive for these things. Let us strive for Christ.