The Plan

I know I said that Peter wouldn't be popular to discuss, but it is too good to not discuss, either.

¹³ Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." ¹⁷ And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰ For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ 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 (1 Peter 1:13-21).

First item: "Therefore." What is it there for? Because of the grand revelation of salvation that we have received, "things into which angels long to look" (1 Peter 1:12), there ought to be a rational response, a natural outcome. This is the natural outcome.

What is it? "Gird your minds for action." Contrary to what you might hear (over and over and over again), Christianity is rational and mental as well as spiritual. There is reasoning involved. There is logic in play here. We are required to think -- to "love the Lord your God with all your mind" among other things. There is certainly more than "gird your minds", but far, far too many Christians lay down their minds, believing, even, that somehow it's the right, more noble thing to do. You know, "walk by faith, not by sight." All well and good ... except it violates Scripture to use it that way.

What are the other natural results of the salvation we have been given? There is a soberness of spirit and a hope placed purely on grace (not works ... despite all we tend to believe about our works). And there are changes in lifestyle. Instead of living on lusts (How many of us live purely on what we desire -- what we feel -- rather than on every word that proceeds from God?), we are to be holy in our behavior. Instead of ignorantly defending unholy living, we need to live as our Savior did -- without sin.

Now, Peter has already said some tough things for our day. "Think!" -- not a particularly popular idea these days. "Hope completely in grace" -- something very hard for humans to do. "Be holy!" -- something outside of our experience. But here is one of the really tough things that Peter says: "Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth." Look, I didn't say it; Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did. "Oh, no," Christians assure me, "there should be no fear. We are not to fear anything at all. Christianity is a life without fear. If you fear ... well, you're falling short." It's not me who says this -- Peter does -- but "Wrong!!" Paul said "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Peter says that our lives ought to be in fear. It's a biblical concept, not a human failing. I suspect that those who argue that there ought to be no fear do not understand 1) the sinful nature of Man and our propensity to fall, 2) the vast majesty and supreme holiness of God, and 3) the invaluable redemption we have been given.

One of the things that I find most fascinating about this passage, however, is the last part. It speaks of the lamb who "was foreknown before the foundation of the world". Now, it's really easy to glaze over that part. "Of course the Father knew the Son before the foundation of the world." But that's not what it says. It is the lamb who was foreknown. In other words, before the world was created, the plan of redemption was already in place. Do you get that? You see, most Christians think of the death and resurrection of Christ as something like "Plan B", where Plan A was to have human beings live forever without sin. Oh, but we messed that up ... so God had to go to Plan B -- He sent a Savior. This is contrary to what Peter says here. This "lamb" was planned before the world was made. Sin was expected -- part of the plan. The need for redemption was expected before the need existed. There was no question about what Adam and Eve would do in the Garden. God wasn't surprised or disappointed. The Redemption is not an ambulance. It was The Plan.

Yeah, now that's enough controversy for one day, isn't it? Feel free to talk amongst yourselves ...