1-Peter

Renewing Our Minds

“Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17)

It is often difficult for translators of the Bible to fully express the meaning of a sentence without becoming too ‘wordy.’ English has become a very imprecise language and even more so with each passing year.

The preaching of Jesus matches the preaching of John the Baptist exactly in its core (cf Matthew 3:2) and there is no Biblical or theological reason why our message to the world should be any different. It is as true today as it was then – even taking eschatology into account.

Entrance into the kingdom of heaven (God) has always been by the same means. On man’s part, it is repentance; and on God’s part, it is the sinless sacrifice for sin by Jesus Christ.

No person will see the kingdom of heaven who has not first repented. Repentance is a total change of direction with regard to God. Once we did not believe Him, now we believe Him; once we did not believe Jesus is God, now we do believe He is God. That is repentance! A change of direction in any aspect of life will produce a different orientation that will, in turn, produce different direction, motivation and goals. These will produce visible changes in words and actions. The evidence of reversing direction is a changed life. Without this evidence there cannot have been repentance.

The grammar used in this word means that repentance is not a once-only action. Obviously it has a starting point but John and Jesus use grammar that indicates that it will be a characteristic of the normal Christian life. This is the living reality of Romans 12:2 where Paul wrote, “… 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.”

As we read the Bible we will become aware of thoughts, words and actions that are contrary to the Divine Nature. When we do, we repent. That is, we change our action or thinking so that it is in accord with the Word of God which is an expression of the Divine Nature. This is what Paul meant when he wrote “renewing of your mind.”

Genuine repentance will produce a changed life and part of that changed life is continuing to repent as we become aware of anything in our lives that is contrary to God’s nature. Just as our first repentance is in response to the Spirit of God through the Word of God, so will all subsequent repentance and we will be “kept by the power of God through faith” (1 Peter 1:5).

A Dam Ready to Burst

“Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked …” (Genesis 18:25)

Resistance to anything that relates to God, the Bible and Jesus Christ is growing more rapidly day by day. At all levels of Government we have men and women who openly oppose anything that reflects the glory of God. Paul admonishes Christians to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Abraham prayed that God would not pour out His wrath on Sodom for the sake of just ten righteous people. Keeping in mind that there were probably at least ten people in Lot’s immediate family it is sad to discover that there was only one righteous person in all of Sodom. Even so, in mercy God removed Lot from Sodom before He poured out His wrath.

Sodom’s fate came as a result of two key contributing factors: The people loved an ungodly and sinful lifestyle and Lot was an extremely poor witness to the glory of God. These two factors seem prevalent in Australia in our time.

Many people in political power find no resistance to the ungodly minority groups because they are committed to a secular philosophy and reject any notion of a Creator to whom they will be held accountable. This is just like the people of Sodom in the day of their destruction.

Much of the church has turned away from the Bible as the final authority on all matters it addresses and have turned  to the “wisdom of men.” Therefore it has no clear “Thus says the Lord …” voice against the vocal wicked and ungodly men. Lot had lost his godly voice such that people laughed at him and did not take him seriously when he warned of imminent judgment.

Why had he lost his testimony? It was because he chose material comfort and wealth to the exclusion of faithfully revealing the glory of God. In the end it cost him everything; his wife, his children, his grand children, his home and all his material wealth.

It is possible today that many Christians are sacrificing their children and grand children to the god of wealth and comfort.

The outpouring of God’s wrath on our country is a dam ready to burst. All that restrains is the minority that are righteous before God in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. Paul writes to warn us: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

Sodom laughed at God before God destroyed them all. Lot cared not to be a faithful witness, even to his own family, and they were destroyed.

Paul warns us that these are days for sober living (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8) and Peter writes, “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1Peter 4:7).