How Committed Are You

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this manner. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. (1 Peter 4:16-19) 

Is judgment a good thing or a terrible thing for the believer? Peter, in our focus passage, is revealing to us that Christians will suffer; however, that suffering is not a suffering of judgment it is a suffering of purification. Christian suffering as noted in our focus passage has a cleansing effect as so noted by Peter in verses 1-2 of this same chapter. Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.  

Jesus suffered God’s wrath because He took our sins, standing in our place before the Father, so that we would not have to do that and then be cast away from Him for eternity. So now Christian, we are called to be like Christ. The Righteous, Pure, Holy Son of God suffered for me and you; the least we could do is stand up in the face of any judgment that would come against us for doing the will of the Father is to do the same: stand for Him so that God will be glorified. 

Each individual believer is part of the house of God. We are His temple (our bodies) and there for must be clean; the committed believer recognizes that and will embrace whatever the will of the Father is in regards to suffering for Christ’s sake here on earth. “There is equity in it; for Christians profess to be better than others, and so they ought to be. They say they are regenerate, so they ought to be regenerate. They say that they are a holy people, separated unto Christ; so they ought to be holy, and separate from sinners, as He was.” (Charles Spurgeon) 

When suffering come to us believers, and it will, let us not lament it. Instead, let us give thanks to God that we have been counted worthy to suffer for the namesake of His Son Jesus Christ, and as we do the Father Himself will be glorified. Christian, take heart that when you experience the same suffering as the ungodly, God’s purpose is different and the effect is different. As Christians, we can rejoice that the sufferings we will face here on earth will be the worst we will ever face throughout eternity. The ungodly, those who reject Christ have seen the best of life their eternal existence will ever see. 

I want to urge all my brothers and sisters to embrace the last words of our focus passage “Commit your soul to Him in doing good!” The suffering we may go through will be just a vapor in the time frame of eternity.  In Christ, we can do all things, even if that is suffering for Him. Soli Deo Gloria 

                         Dale LaFrance (please look up 2 Timothy 1:12) 

Christians Called to a New Lifestyle

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 

(1 Peter 4:3-7) 

When we don’t live as Christ has called us to, we can only be living as one who is in the world: this would be what is known as being double-minded, something a Christian should never be.  Peter can relate to the fact that all have spent time living like the world, as noted in our focus passage. He also knows that we have the power through the Holy Spirit not to live like that anymore and that we are called to a higher standard of living, set apart from the world. 

Sadly, there are many Christians today who are living double-minded lives; apparently this is not a new problem in the church since Peter was addressing it in his letter. There are believers who still want to experience more of the world before they make a full commitment to godliness.  This is a tragic mistake that not only affects them, it also affects the body of Christ.  

Peter lists a number of attributes that we as followers of Christ should not have anything to do with; this list should only mark the past life of a Christian. This list that Peter details in our focus passage is not something that is new; this reveals just how little fallen man has progressed in the last 2,000 plus years. In reality this is something that was going on even during the times of Noah and sadly it will be continuing right up to the return of Jesus as He pointed out in Matthew 24:37. “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”  

I can recall when I became a believer; all those that I used to associate with had a hard time believing that I now longer desired to live like that.  Some mocked me. The majority of them no longer wanted to be around me anymore, because, in their minds, I just wasn’t fun to be around as before. The truth is that the Spirit of God that has taken up residence within me grieves when I don’t desire to live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father (something for which I am thankful for).  

Instead of living the way we used to live, which only pleased the flesh, we must live to please our Heavenly Father.  We need to really take to heart Peter’s words in our final verse of our focus passage; be serious and watchful in our prayers. 

                         Dale LaFrance (please look up Acts 10:34-43) 

Does Baptism Save Your Soul?

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.  By whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.  There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.   (1 Peter 3:18-22) 

There are those who would take our focus passage and use it as a source to teach that baptism will save your soul and assure your place in heaven; this would be a wrong teaching and is not supported anywhere in scripture.  As we read and study our passage it does state that Noah and his family was saved through water; however, that salvation from the flood would not have been possible had it not been for the ark that was built per God’s plans and instructions. The ark was the vehicle used for salvation that took them through the water (flood). 

2 Peter 3:10 speaks of a time that is coming that God’s judgement will fall upon the world that most likely will be more devastating than the flood during Noah’s time. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”  Just as in the days of Noah, God has provided a way to survive this coming event that will destroy everything.  His name is Jesus!  Just as Noah and his family had to enter into the ark and pass through the water for salvation, one must enter into Jesus and receive His gift of salvation that is offered to all who would believe in Him.  One could say that Jesus is the modern-day ark— to be saved from not only the pending destruction of the world as we know it, but also from eternal destruction and separation from God, the Father. 

“Noah was not saved by the world’s being gradually reformed and restored to its primitive innocence, but a sentence of condemnation was pronounced, and death, burial, and resurrection ensued.  Noah must go into the ark and become dead to the world; the floods must descend from heaven, and rise upward from their secret fountains beneath the earth, the ark must be submerged with many waters—here was burial; and then after a time, Noah and his family must come out into a totally new world of resurrection life.” (Charles Spurgeon) The act of baptism for those who believe in and follow Jesus is an act of obedience; it states that one identifies with Christ’s death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and His resurrection from the dead.  We must take note that Peter was careful to point out that it isn’t the actual water washing of baptism that saves us, but the spiritual reality behind the immersion in water.  That which really saves us is the answer of a good conscience toward God, a conscience made good through the completed work of Jesus. 

The act of baptism confesses to the world that we as individuals have accepted His offer of salvation (we enter into His ark).  Let us consider the words of Paul in Romans 6:3-8. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin. We were once dead in sin and lost. After Christ has entered into us upon receiving Him, we show through baptism that we died: that we died, we died with Christ, we are buried with Him/baptism, Christ raised from the dead and so have we (in Him), we walk in newness of life, we no longer live in sin.  As a believer comes up out of the water it signifies how one’s life will now be lived in this world for Christ. 

The bottom line on salvation and baptism: salvation is dependent upon and accomplished by means of the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross: His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Likewise, immersion (baptism) must be preceded by faith, repentance, and confession of the deity of Christ. 

                         Dale LaFrance (please look up Acts 22:16)