To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout the earth, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance. You are invited to come to the Wednesday evening prayer meeting and pray. (8:30 PM EDT Wed., Sept. 26, 2001)

Peter says that we have purified ourselves by obeying the truth. We have obeyed the truth and we are purified. Peter is writing to believers, and we are believers, so this definitely applies to us. But what does it mean that we have "purified ourselves by obeying the truth?" When I was reading this passage, I thought that I remembered that the phrase "obeying the truth" was used somewhere else in the new testament, so I looked for it. Sure enough, it's in Galations 5:7. Gal. 5:7 says, "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"

In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul is trying to persuade his readers that salvation comes not through outward actions, rituals and the observing of rules, but through faith in Jesus Christ. He says that some false teachers had kept them from obeying the truth. And the results of this are just awful. Their joy and sacrificial love that they once had are gone (Gal. 4:15). They are now biting and devouring each other, and are in danger of destroying each other (Gal. 5:15). While they had once been free in Christ, they were now becoming slaves again. How were the Galatians not obeying the truth?

Although Peter and Paul used different Greek words to express the idea of obedience, both words imply full acceptance of the truth and the action that goes with that acceptance. In rebuking the Galatians, Paul's says the following: "You who are trying to be justified by law (that is, by rules) have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope." (Gal. 5:4,5) Obedience to the truth is accepting that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus himself IS the truth. He is the way and the truth and the life. We have eternal life by accepting Jesus -- by trusting him.

Although Paul has expressed it in a negative way, the teaching of Peter and Paul are the same. We are saved only through accepting Jesus Christ. There is no other way.

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart." The reason we have sincere love for each other is that we have trusted Jesus. The apostle John says, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7) Conversely, we can conclude, anyone who has not been born of God, does not know God and is not able to sincerely love. Since we are now able to truly love one another, both John and Peter encourage us to do it even more. So let us love each other deeply from the heart.

Peter says, along with John, that the reason we can love sincerely is that we have been born again, not of perishable seed, but imperishable through the living and enduring word of God. Perishable seed is Adam. Imperishable is seed is Jesus Christ. He is the living and enduring word which became flesh and lived among us for a while (John 1:14). When we accepted him, he gave us the right to become children of God -- born not of natural descent, but born of God (John 1:12,13). From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace (John 1:16) Amen and amen.

Now, just in case you have forgotten, Peter is going to remind you again of exactly what has happened to you. This was your former situation before you were born again: You were like grass, and your glory was like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall... But -- Jesus, our Savior will never fail. He is from eternity to eternity -- the same yesterday, today and forever. His words will never pass away. The word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.

One thing to think about and to pray about: Are we living by faith in Jesus Christ? Or are we living according to rules? The difference it makes in your life is vast. It's the difference between love and joy and peace and everything good, noble pure and true on the one hand, and on the other hand, biting and devouring, envy and jealousy and every kind of strife and contention -- everything false and miserable and evil. The apostle Paul was able to say, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." Can we say the same thing? Peter says that we HAVE purified ourselves by obeying the truth. We HAVE obeyed the truth and we ARE purified.

Come and let's pray for each other as well as for the whole church. Come and encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Love them.

Love in Christ,
Dean

PS: If you absolutely can't make it to the prayer meeting, send your prayer requests back to me by e-mail and we'll pray for them.