Hope Beyond Division: Reasons To Pull Together

PETER CONTINUES ALONG THESE LINES IN THE PASSAGE WE ARE LOOKING AT TODAY. HE IS WRITING TO A HURTING AND PERSECUTED PEOPLE. WHEN PEOPLE HURT, THE STRESS IS GREAT, NERVES ARE THIN, AND IT’S EASY TO REACT IN ANGER AND PAIN.

THIS HAPPENS IN THE CHURCH WHEN DEALING WITH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. WE FORGET THAT WE CAN STILL HAVE UNITY AND DISAGREE WITH EACH OTHER ON SOME ISSUES. THINGS BECOME PERSONAL RATHER THAN DEALT WITH AS AN ISSUE, AND ARGUMENTS AND BAD FEELINGS OCCUR.

PETER REMINDS US THAT AS CHRISTIANS OUR SALVATION IS A UNIFYING FACTOR FOR ALL OF US. IT DRAWS US TOGETHER AS A FAMILY. IT ALLOWS US TO SHARE THE STRUGGLES OF THE FAITH, AS WE MARCH ON TO OUR VICTORY IN THE FAITH.

1 PETER 1:22-23:

“22 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. 23 FOR YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN, NOT OF PERISHABLE SEED, BUT OF IMPERISHABLE, THROUGH THE LIVING AND ENDURING WORD OF GOD.”

HERE WE FIND THREE THINGS THAT ENCOURAGE OUR MUTUAL UNITY IN THE FAITH:

FIRST: OBEDIENCE TO THE TRUTH. WHEN WE SPEAK OF BEING OBEDIENT TO THE TRUTH, IT GIVES US AN OBJECTIVE BASIS FOR UNITY. WE UNITE BECAUSE WE ALL AGREE ON THE TRUTH OF THE SCRIPTURE. WE ARE ALL OBECIENT TO IT. WE DO NOT ALLOW OUR PERSONAL FEELINGS TO EFFECT THE WAY WE SEE OTHERS. WE SEE PEOPLE AS GOD SEES PEOPLE. WE LOVE PEOPLE AS GOD LOVES PEOPLE.

SECOND: PURITY OF SOUL: BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A BASIS FOR UNITY IT ALLOWS US TO ACT WITH PURITY OF INTENT. IT DOES NOT BLIND US TO EACH OTHERS FAULTS. IT GIVES US THE GRACE TO OVERLOOK THEM.

THIRD: A LACK OF HYPOCRISY. THIS IS THE RESULT OF APPLYING THE FIRST TWO ELEMENTS. IT IS AN AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIP AS CHRIST WANTS US TO HAVE. RELATIONSHIP IS THE KEY TO UNITY, AND PETER STATES THAT THE GLUE TO HOLD THIS RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER IS LOVE.

PETER SUGGESTS FOUR WAYS IN THIS PASSAGE THAT WE CAN SHARE UNITY, THAT WE HAVE IN COMMON WITH EACH OTHER:

1. WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE SAME FATHER

1 PETER 1:23: “FOR YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN,”

AS BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS WE ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME FAMILY. WE ALL HAVE THE SAME FATHER, AND WE ALL COME TO HIM THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.

THIS IS A RELATIONSHIP ONLY BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS CAN SHARE IN. PETER IS VERY SPECIFIC HERE. THERE ARE MANY WHO CLAIM TO BE “CHRISTIAN” IN OUR WORLD TODAY. THE TERM HAS BECOME SO MUDDIED AND UNCLEAR THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO BE VERYN SPECIFIC IN WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY WE ARE “CHRISTIAN”.

THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY BELIEVE IN CHRIST, AND WOULD CLAIM TO BE “CHRISTIAN” BUT IN FACT HAVE NOT HAD A LIFE-CHANGING ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST.

PETER IS VERY CLEAR HERE. “YOU HAVE BEEN BORN-AGAIN.” YOU HAVE A NEW RELATIONSHIP BASED ON YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST.

2 WE TAKE OUR INSTRUCTION FROM THE SAME SOURCE:

1 PETER 1:23-25:

“23 NOT OF PERISHABLE SEED, BUT OF IMPERISHABLE, THROUGH THE LIVING AND ENDURING WORD OF GOD. 24 ¶ FOR, "ALL MEN ARE LIKE GRASS, AND ALL THEIR GLORY IS LIKE THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD; THE GRASS WITHERS AND THE FLOWERS FALL, 25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD STANDS FOR EVER." AND THIS IS THE WORD THAT WAS PREACHED TO YOU.”