I come to You with honesty, because You already see my heart.
You know this season of the year is scary for me, a time when memories of my husband's past health issues stir up fear, worry, and old emotions.
But today I choose to bring all of this to You.
I lay it at the Cross. Your Word says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
So right now, I reject fear, and I receive the power, love, and sound mind You freely offer me.
Let Your peace settle deeper in me than any anxious thought.
Your Word also says in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast all my anxiety on You because You care for me.
So Lord, I cast it: every fear, every old memory, every "what if," every tightness in my chest, every intrusive thought.
I place them in Your hands, not mine.
You care for me more than I can understand, and I release the weight of worry to You. I lift up the "fiery darts" that come : the sudden fears, the feelings, the emotional pulls, and instead I take up the shield of faith, just as You command in Ephesians 6:16.
Extinguish every dart of fear, every whisper of danger that is not from You, Lord, off of me and my entire family and our loved ones.
Fill me and my family with Your truth so fully, that fear has nowhere to land.
Lord, Your Word says in James 1:19 to be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry,
so help me in my relationships, especially with my husband, to walk with grace, patience, and peace.
Teach my heart to communicate with love, and soften any place in me that feels overly burdened, overwhelmed, or unheard.
And Father, You tell me in 1 Peter 3:7 and Ephesians 4:15 to walk in understanding and speak the truth in love.
So I ask You to strengthen our unity: spiritually, emotionally, and in communication.
Let my words be filled with gentleness, and let my heart feel safe,held, and understood.
Like Hannah in 1 Samuel 1, who poured out her soul before You, I pour out my emotions to You w/out shame
Thanks Lbooth1955 for adding that information. I admit, I completely missed the point of your first post, concerning 'water baptism - in which names?' Apologies. This question has come up before in these pages, and I still can't make any differentiation between the two (i.e. whether those two baptisms formulaes are the same or not).
Jesus spoke to His disciples to baptize in the Name of the Godhead, whereas Peter, in Jesus' Name only. This might trouble some as to which is correct and current for today, though I see no problem with it. Even if someone baptized in the Name of the Holy Spirit only, should that matter, since all Persons of the Godhead are One, thus represented? Yet, this could be a problem to some.
And I agree, that "Baptism today can only serve as a public declaration", but I could add that it is both an outward and inward expression of faith and commitment. Your quote reveals the outward testimony; and 1 Peter 3:21 speaks about our inward testimony, "the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ". Unlike the Jewish baptism (external washings of grime; as also performed by Muslims), the believers' baptism answers to a sure testimony inwardly, of an act and a time of turning from self and the world to cleave only to the Savior. And this assurance will be important when the enemy of our souls seeks to question the worth of our salvation & throw some into confusion and doubt. Every blessing brother.
"Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."
Psalms 145:18
"The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth."
Tithing is very good, if it helps towards building up the real church, the body of Christ. Tith is only one- tenth; But what about the remaining 9? ( Luke 17:17).
We are created in God's image and we bear Christ's name and seal on us ( Matthew 22:19-21). We are requested to offer ourselves (fully, not one- tenth) as a living sacrifice to God ( Romans 12:1). Then the people in our contacts may get the message of the Good News and turn to God. To live a Christian life (means complete surrender to His will) is the way to win our dear ones for Christ ( 1 Peter 3:1-2) The Cross may be heavy, but the end is glorious beyond imagination ( Psalms 126:5)
As you wrote, "Peter and the 11 were still under the Old Covenant framework, even after Jesus' resurrection"; if so, then it wasn't simply a case of preaching to a people & baptising as "a required sign of repentance and national obedience", but a grievous failing by Peter to correctly understand & communicate the difference between what was performed under the Old and what baptism meant under the New Covenant. If this wasn't communicated to the Jews who were being saved and baptized, then Peter's baptising was no different to John's, thus was meaningless in its proper context.
With that in mind, would it then be correct to say that Paul himself didn't fully comprehend this matter of water baptism being Israel-specific & its cessation under the New Covenant? For he himself baptized others ( 1 Corinthians 1:14-16), for which he never apologized nor revised his thinking and practise. Even though v17 states that he was "sent not to baptize but to preach the gospel", it is clear that that was not his emphasis in ministry, leaving the matter to others, but I fail to see where water baptism was done away with because of Paul's special revelations or any time after.
Even Peter, now an older man, would declare in 1 Peter 3:21, "..baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ"; that any salvific merit in water baptism was not in the removing of the external grime (as pertaining to Jewish washings), but it answered to a clear conscience before God (of what God had done in Christ and the baptizee's confession & identification with Him). Onto Page 3.
"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ"
Baptism connected to salvation
Not just symbolic - a required response of a good conscience
6. 2 Peter 1:5-10 - Add to your faith
"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue... knowledge... temperance... patience... godliness... brotherly kindness... charity
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall."
Not faith alone - one must add works
Doing these things = assurance of salvation
Summary
Peter preached:
Faith in Jesus as the risen Messiah ( Acts 2:36)
Repentance and water baptism for forgiveness ( Acts 2:38)
Obedience necessary to receive the Holy Ghost ( Acts 5:32)
Sanctification through obedience ( 1 Peter 1:2)
Salvation tied to baptism and holy living ( 1 Peter 3:21, 2 Peter 1:10)
This is in contrast with Paul's message of justification by grace through faith alone ( Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5), not by works.
I understand this is debated, but this is my understanding.
1 Peter 3:18-20: 18, 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 quickened by the Spirit. This was a once-and-for-all sin offering, as mentioned in Romans 8:3 and Hebrews 9:11-14, to bring us to God so that God can now dwell with humanity through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is God who quickens the dead, as stated in Romans 4:17, by the Spirit. Jesus, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit. Jesus was dead for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, the grave/tomb. He was quickened, which means brought back to life, when He was resurrected in His glorified body. Jesus is the first begotten of the dead, Revelation 1:5, the Firstfruits of them that slept, 1 Corinthians 15:20. Sleep, the Greek word koimao, meaning to put to sleep, be dead.
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. By the same Spirit that quickened Jesus, Jesus went and preached/proclaimed to these spirits in prison.
Who are these spirits who were disobedient in the time of Noah? Angels are spirits, Psalm 104:4, Hebrews 1:7. Devils/demons are spirits, familiar spirits, evil spirits, unclean spirits. Humans have a spirit, but are never called spirits. Humans are mortal; the soul who sins will die, and the dead know not anything. Immortality is a gift from God, and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we find our hope for eternal life.
We see this long-suffering in Genesis 6:1-8. 120 years were given for repentance, but we see that only eight souls were saved by the water.
We see two places where angels are chained in darkness: 2 Peter 2:4-5 and Jude 1:6. To me, this is a prison, a confinement area, as we see in Revelation 9, 11, 17, and 20. These angels did not keep their original estate or position and left their own dwelling place. These angels were disobedient to God, as seen in Genesis 6:1-2. There are fallen angels, demons, and devils on this earth, but what these angels did was so terrible that God locked them in the bottomless pit until the great day of judgment.
In Ephesians 4:8-10, there is another reference; verses 9-10 are debated depending on the manuscript. They say that before Jesus ascended to heaven, He first descended to the lower parts of the earth. Paul quotes Psalm 68:18, which describes the ark ascending to Mount Zion, leading captivity captive, symbolizing deliverance. Also, in Judges 5:12, part of Deborah's song, it states, "led thy captivity captive," meaning victory over oppression.
The same theme appears in Ephesians 4:8, victory over sin, death, and the grave through the life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus, as referenced in Galatians 1:4 and 1 Corinthians 15:52-55. We also see the gifts given in Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:4-8, and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
When Jesus was resurrected, God placed Him above all, as shown in Philippians 2:9-11, Ephesians 1:19-21, and 1 Peter 3:22. Satan, just like the leaders of Jerusalem, thought that when the Messiah came, He would immediately deliver them and establish His kingdom at that time, the expectation not yet fulfilled. When Satan influenced Judas to betray Jesus to death, he thought he had won.
However, when Jesus was resurrected in His glorified body, He defeated and triumphed over death and the grave, Satan, and all principalities and powers. Colossians 2:15 describes how Jesus openly made a spectacle of them. I believe this was part of the celebration of the victory when Jesus, through the Spirit, went to the angels chained in darkness, made a spectacle of them, showing that He had triumphed over them and that they are eternally defeated.
I wonder if they bowed a knee to Him then or will have to in the Great Day, as said in Philippians 2:10, "things/those under the earth".
I will leave it here. I understand some may not agree, but this is my understanding of this. May our study be for the truth.
1 Peter 3:7 says Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
I am praying that your husband has interaction with other believers when out of town; I am guessing he isn't taking seriously the threat of the covenant marriage being attacked by the enemy. Perhaps other believers can assist if you have a local congregation and his friends at home can hold him accountable.
Of course the enemy doesn't have any authority over us if we are indeed walking in the Lord as we should. It sounds as if he is making excuses by casting blame on you.
There are too many marriages (including my own) that the enemy has destroyed; but I know what's going on in the spiritual realm. I am aware how the church often is at best limited in helping when remarriage is so easily defended and often people turn a blind eye or aren't on their knees when it is clear the enemy is opposing marriages in the church.
Since I don't know anything else about your situation I won't get into anything else here. My prayer is that once you are able to be victorious that you will help others in your midst no doubt going through the same trials.
2 types of preaching: Preaching to evangelize and bring in the harvest; and preaching about judgment to come.
Preaching itself should never be hurling facts at an audience just to prove a point. Jesus clearly had two styles of ministry; the first where He had personal interaction with individuals in a crowd to meet their physical needs and adddress their particular spiritual condition. This was in terms of repentance of a particular lifestyle or chronic pattern of sin; healing a certain ailment or casting out demons always addressed the spiritual issues which at times were the cause of a particular state a person was in; particularly those demon possessed.
Nonetheless; Jesus had a different approach to preach as He did on the Sermon on the Mount. These were general statements as to those who were blessed and warnings about hell as two predominant themes. It is interesting that as far as I can see that latter issue never was discussed with any individual except with the Pharisees when He had to address them for their thoughts or murmuring to themselves and direct nagging questions they often used to attempt to trap Him. This shows the unique level of danger of judgment to these hypocritical leaders as He would spend an entire chapter of scripture to call them out for their wickedness.
The point here I have made before; that is there is a declaration to a crowd which could even be said of His preaching to the spirits of disobedience (the lost entities from the time of Noah) in 1 Peter 3:19. That is more or less the context of His preaching to the masses. The Kingdom to come was a primary focus which again; I would argue is the style of preaching during the time of Jacob's trouble. With many signs and wonders it is pretty obvious God exists; or at least there is no room to be an atheist if we don't distinguish between good and evil in the supernatural realm. Fear of the Lord often uses general revelation ( Romans 1; Psalm 19); then personal after.
The Covenant: God's chosen people in regard to the nation of Israel
God chose a lineage for His people that would eventually have a descendent that would be the Messiah; listed with both Mary's lineage and that of Joseph albeit it wasn't through his offspring. We see that with Noah only he ad his family were saved. We read in Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
I would argue that this meant that his DNA was not corrupted with the offspring of the Nephilim with women and their offspring.
Again; this ensures God's covenant with man would be exlusively for men not of offspring of corrupted angelic and human children. Satan no doubt either wanted to totally corrupt every man so that either Messiah couldn't come and God would have to destroy everyone which apparently he came within millimeters of accomplishing. God of course gave all the instructions to Noah; who we read got drunk after planting a vineyard following the flood; so clearly he wasn't perfect. Many tend to read that he was a preacher of righteousness and assume it was him seeking repentance; I would argue it was a declaration of victory as they were unsaveable ( 2 Peter 2:5); and that fits right in with those sons of disobedience preached to by Christ in 1 Peter 3:19.
Let us take pause and thank God for His tender mercies and longsuffering. Some are in ignorance as to the fact that powerful entities and principalities are controlling the world and their minds leading them to destruction; others worship demons and Satan himself thinking somehow it is worth the favors they gain temporarily in this world.
As we go on to the story of the tower of Babel ( Gen. 11:1-9) we see how the world nearly came to an end with the attempt of a one world government before the time of prophetic fulfillment; thus God confused their languages; and I would argue broke the continents to today's location ( Gen. 11:19).
Thank you for mentioning it "Bennymkje". Gods peace. Then we dwell in the books of Moses again. And clearly it has great and important significance. The way I see it, we must move on from what is earthly. And that we must be careful of words that kill another. We publish on a website. Where all kinds of people come by, from all over the world. In justice to them, we must try and see what is right. And right things that have gone wrong. We must be held accountable for. God resists the proud, so let it be far from us and what is not more proud than our flesh? Even though we live here on earth. Oh how I wish my time here was over. The way you write dear friend in the Lord, it sounds as if you have forgotten
1 Peter 3:18-22
Thank you for your patience. And God bless you in Jesus name with all spiritual blessing in the Heavenly world in Christ.
1 Peter 3:16 - Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation, or lifestyle in Christ. And again, the word good conversation or lifestyle is TOV, the lifestyle for which God has created me for.
So eventually they will be ashamed, but they will speak evil, but as long as you have a good conscience, that's what he's saying. If you have a clear conscience, if you're obeying the Lord, if you're following righteousness in a world that is unrighteous, when they speak evil of you, they're going to be ashamed one day when Christ comes.
1 Peter 3:17 - For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
It's better for you if you suffer for functioning in the way that Christ has created you, rather than RAH, functioning in the way of the world, and suffering the consequences for that lifestyle.
1 Peter 3:15 - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
I have been sanctified by Christ. But what he's saying is, as I live out my life, I am to keep my heart set apart for Him. He has set me apart by coming to live in my spirit. But in my heart, I go in different directions.
Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, and do it with meekness, that is, openness, and do it with fear, or respect:
Notice that he is telling this to people who are suffering. That's important. While these believing Jews are going through suffering, people are looking at them and wondering why they are living life like they have hope. The word hope in Greek means expectancy. It doesn't mean hope like a wish. It's expectancy. I expect Christ to come. I expect to go be with Him if I should die before He comes.
Peter said in 1 Peter 1:3 that we have been born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So here are these suffering Hebrew believers, and he says get ready to give an answer.
And the word answer in the Greek (APOLOGIAN) is where we get our English word apologetics. Be ready to give a defense. Every believer should be ready to present to people the basis and foundation for their hope of their life in Jesus Christ. So be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is within you, only do it with openness and respect.
1 Peter 3:13 - And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
The word good here is AGATHOU. The Greek text uses KALOS or KAKOS. But AGATHOS is the good of the Lord, and PONAYROS is the evil of Satan. KALOS and KAKOS is good in human terms. He uses KAKOS the human term for the negative, and he uses AGATHOS for the things of God.
Remember he is writing to a Jewish group. They understand the terminologies from a Jewish standpoint that the word good in Hebrew is TOV, and the word bad or evil is RAH. The word TOV is used in the creation narration in Genesis Chapter 1, where after God created, He saw that it was good. And we understand from all of the uses of TOV in the TANAK, the Old Testament, that it has more to do with something that is functioning according to the purpose for which it was created.
So, when God got through creating each day, He looked at it as functioning perfectly. He created it perfectly. The emphasis is on sin entering into the world and ruining the purposes to which God created things, even people. And that's what Peter is really emphasizing here, is that these Jewish believers, not only are they suffering because of their circumstances, but they're suffering also because of their faith.
So even other Jewish people who are in the area, you'd think that they could go knock on their door and say, "I'm Jewish, and I'm here and I have no place to live, and I need something to eat," that they would help them. But then they find out that they're also believers in Jesus Christ as Messiah. They won't even help them.
He says, and who is he that will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good? If you follow the function for which God has created you, then who's going to harm you?
1 Peter 3:10 - For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and there's the word RAH in Hebrew, and his lips that they speak no deceit:
In other words, what was your tongue created by God to do? It was created to praise God, and to proclaim Him and His love to people. But we use it to slander other people. We use it to deceive. And that is evil!
1 Peter 3:11 - Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Let him eschew evil, and the word eschew means to turn aside from evil, again RAH. And do the good, AGATHOS in the Greek, TOV in Hebrew;
So, turn away when you're in situations that are tempting you and pulling you to function in a way that God did not create you to function, and function as it is in line with God. Let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Now if you think that's pretty harsh, Verses 21 through 25 is the submission example. Guess who that might be?
1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Finally, or in summary, be ye all of one mind, and that's the word PHRONEO. It's a word that has to do with the frame of mind. All of you have the same attitude and approach to these issues of life. Having compassion one of another, and that's the word sympathy (SUMPATHEIS).
Love as brethren, and that's the word PHILADELPHIA, brotherly love. Love as a family. Be pitiful, and I would fit right in there, but that's not what it means! This is the word EUSPLAGCHNOI, and it means to be tenderhearted. Have a soft heart for people. Be courteous: And the term courteous means friendly. Have a friendly frame of mind.
1 Peter 3:9 - Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
Not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult: but contrariwise a blessing; that's the word EULOGEO for eulogy, and it means to have a favorable response to them, even though they're speaking abusively to you.
Knowing that you are thereunto called, that you should inherit a blessing, and that God should deal with me and have a favorable response to me because I did not return the favor, and I stayed in His order, functioning in the way He created me to be.
Scripture shows us that Jesus spent 3 days preaching to those in the underworld; and taking captive those held captive ( Eph. 4:8; 1 Peter 3:19; and Matthew 27:52-53 for further study on this and those who came out of their graves after the Resurrection.
The thief on the cross would be with Him that day in Paradise ( Luke 23:43) which made him unique in several ways; he would be the last or one of the last going there at death; as for now to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord ( 2 Cor. 5:8).
He would have been one who would spend the shortest time in Abraham's bosom or the "pleasant" side of Sheol and his soul at least would have been in heaven after He rose from the dead.
Therefore; there was a lot going on even though Christ's body "slept" in the tomb to use Biblical terminology from the KJV. When we consider all the unregenerate that Christ preached about His victory (it was too late obviously for their salvation) along with the multitudes of souls released from under the earth to either go to heaven or be temporarily appearing with new bodies on earth before that it is no small feat. This isn't even including all those fallen beings or offspring of giants mentioned in Genesis 6 that no doubt got wind of what was happening. We are reminded of the transfiguration just a short time before all of this where no doubt Moses was looking forward to the victory Christ was to attain for him as well as Elijah.
The Resurrection is something that; as I stated the other day the Shroud of Turin seems to indicate; but I don't want to focus on that; if only for the simple logic of Luke 16:31. We have the eyewitnesses of 500 or more people that saw Christ after His Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:6; Paul being the last one to see Him in his journey to Damascus; although we could include John seeing Him again in the visions of Revelation. There is a place for apologetics; but only the Spirit can transform a man (Rom12:2
I have found over the 6+ decades of my life in Christ that unbelievers who know that I am a Christian expect me to act in a godly way even though they do not wish to be godly themselves and many will often speak of the hypocrisy of believers who act in ungodly ways on a regular basis and thus can dismiss the veracity of one's claim in Christ.
And, of course we should want to give glory to God in all we do. But doing what is right can cause some unbelievers to reconsider their unbelief or may admit that God is holy and they are not.
It is true that some who are hostile to God will revile Christians for being godly or not joining in on the sin they do openly, often to shock Christians. But I find that there are many unbelievers who are "yet to be believers" who look to how Christians they know behave as an encouragement to believe the gospel. This just shows that the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives drawing them to Christ. They may be tired of living sinfully and desire to change. When believers live godly lives before them they can see that it is possible to be changed by God through the gospel.
I am glad you asked for Scripture to support what I said. We just never know what is going on in the lives of unbelievers around us. Some may continue to be hostile to us and to Christ. But others may see how we are able to have victory over sin and realize that this could be possible for them to. Godly living can be what may cause them to ask one to tell them about one's hope in Christ, as 1 Peter 3:15 speaks about.
Matthew 5:14
14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
In Christianity, the belief in the immortality of the soul has been influenced by ancient Greek philosophy, especially the teachings of two notable philosophers, Socrates and Plato. This philosophy views death as the separation of the soul from the body. Plato described the body as a prison for the soul and saw death as a means of freeing the soul.
This philosophy of death started blending in the church in the second-third century, some saying the good souls go to heaven, but the bad souls go to hell. Augustine of Hippo, a theologian and philosopher who was made a saint, held this philosophy, strongly influencing the doctrines in the church in the fourth and early fifth centuries, and later John Calvin taught it.
Some interpret 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 to mean that when we die, we go to be present with the Lord. This interpretation is also linked to Ecclesiastes 12:6-7, this is not dependent on salvation, all human spirits, regardless if the person is saved or not, return to God because the spirit in man comes from God, Job 32:8, Zachariah 12:1.
The soul: The Bible does not teach that the soul is immortal, but in Ezekiel 18:20, all souls are God's, and the soul that sinneth shall die, in Matthew 10:28, hell is the Word Gehenna which refers to the Lake of Fire. As written in the Bible, in Genesis 2:7, when God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground and with the breath of life from God, Adam became a living soul, that is all of Adam, the complete identity of Adam, including consciousness, desires, and emotions.
When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, and he became a living soul/being. The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh, which means a breathing creature, not a spiritual entity. It can describe a person's soul, life, mind, will, and even our body, not one thing, but the whole of the person, the true self. 1 Peter 3:20, eight souls were saved. Acts 2:43, Romans 13:1
This spirit is not the person, nor is it immortal or eternal, nor does it have a conscious existence when the person dies. Those of us who have the Holy Spirit in us, Romans 8:11, But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you, this is the Spirit of God, for those in Jesus Christ, this happens at resurrection.
In Psalms 16:7 David said the LORD has given him counsel; this is his spirit communicating with God, as Paul calls it in 2 Corinthians 4:16 the inward man. Peter describes it as the hidden man of the heart, 1 Peter 3:4. When God communicates with us, it is not with our mind; it's a Spirit-to-spirit communication.
God gives the human a spirit, some believe it is at conception, Zechariah 12:1, Isaiah 12:5. We know He takes it back at the time of death, Ecclesiastes 12:7. Psalm 104:29, thou takest away their breath, they die, the Hebrew word for breath is ruach, it also means spirit. James 2:26, the body without the spirit is dead. All consciousness ends when we die. Psalm 6:5, Job 14:12-14, Job 17:13-16. Psalm 115:17. Ecclesiastes 9:5-10. We sleep in death until resurrection day, the day of redemption. 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15.
The Bible tells us a spirit can be good, bad, or broken, Psalm 34:18, God cares for us and wants to help mend our brokenness, Isaiah 41:10. When we do not have rule over our spirit, we can go so bad that God turns one over to a reprobate mind as we see in Romans 1:18-32, the door is shut. With God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, we in our spirit grow in our faith and have comfort in His presence.
Apostle Paul warns us of falsely accuse of our good conversation in Christ.
1 Peter 3:16
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed thatfalsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Apostle Peter in the Tribulation warn his Jewish followers of false prophets.
2 Peter 2:1
But there werefalseprophets also among the people, even as there shall befalseteachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Saint John warns us in the Tribulation of false prophets.
1 John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because manyfalseprophets are gone out into the world.
Saint John warns the Jewish followers of false prophets.
Revelation 16:13
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of thefalseprophet.
We are in the Church age of grace, we do not have prophets to deliver us the word of God and we do not a apostles to give us another revelation to add to the Bible.
Was Peter loosing his mind when he said Jesus went to hell ?
Did Jesus Christ go to Hell ? Did Jesus take all our sins upon Him.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
If you ever visit New Hampshire, there's a city called Rochester. A litte town call Wolfeboro is amost a hour from Rochester. Most people will recognize Rochester because it's large, but not Wolfeboro . Same as Hell, it's larger than Paradise.
Acts 2:31
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left inhell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
The saints that were held in paradise could of been call prison as well.
1 Peter 3:19
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Even if Jesus Christ went to Hell to preach, which it wouldn't make any sense because they are lost and can't come back, the fire wouldn't hurt Him.
Hebrews 12:29
For our God is a consumingfire.
Remember, Jesus Christ owns the earth and the world, but Satan rules by God's permission.
Psalm 24:1
Theearthis theLord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
May we all remember the gospel of grace that is free and nothing added .
Ray, in Christ Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 to be free from hell, must believe the gospel that Apostle Paul wrote
Brother Jesse. Thanks again for this further batch of Scripture clarifications in Acts - very helpful. I understood what you wrote concerning the term "right hand" & certainly agree to it; and in many Scriptures this phrase comes up, having the meaning of 'a position of power & authority', which of course the Lord Jesus had, by virtue of His Divinity & completed work of Salvation for all.
But my thoughts turned to several Scriptures, some of which are Acts 7:55,56; Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 3:22, etc., that certainly do imply Jesus' Divine Power & Authority, but I can't help but read of a positional aspect to it. When the words, 'seated or standing' are given, I think most of us would immediately see this aspect of Christ's 'physical' position as well (not to say, that Jesus doesn't move about in Heaven). How would you say that we should view such verses, especially the one where Stephen full of the Holy Spirit, was steadfastly ('atenizo': eyes affixed) on this wonder seeing the Risen Lord at God's right Hand? Even in this verse, & others, do we need to apply the 'right hand' as only to that of 'power & authority' & not of position? Thanks & blessings.
The first Adam, his disobedience brought sin and death into the world, Romans 5:12-19. The last Adam by obedience to God brought forgiveness and life, the resurrection from the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22.
Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed, their hearts were uncorrupted and free from sin. After they ate the forbidden fruit their eyes were opened, their consciences were opened to the knowledge of good and evil, and sin replaced the purity they had. They had a sense of fear and disgrace due to their disobedience.
The shame they now felt was due to the sinful nature that entered them and now they no longer perfectly perceived things, their view of their nakedness should be covered. Nakedness was not a sin, but a fallen perception of nakedness brought shame and sorrow they now felt.
As God covered Adam and Eve with coats of skins to cover their shame/nakedness. Our nakedness of shame can be covered with the garment Isaiah 61:10 given by Jesus. We in Jesus shall not be found naked, but clothed, with the garment of Christ's righteousness, our sins covered and cleansed by the blood of Jesus that makes it spotless and white as long as we continue in faith and overcome.
Concerning those that do not die in the Lord, that do not watch, and keep their garments will walk naked, their sins will be open to being seen, Revelation 16:151 Timothy 4:1-2Revelation 20:15.
Every human being, whether they're saved or unsaved, and regardless of their culture, ethnicity, or background, has a conscience, Romans 2:14-15. Inside this conscience is the battle between the flesh and the Spirit Romans 9:1 we can repent and be covered, if not we will be naked and found guilty. We cannot hide what is in our conscience, it records every good and evil we have ever done or thought. I feel this is where we are naked or clothed. Romans 4:6-82 Corinthians 1:121 Timothy 1:19Hebrews 9:9Hebrews 13:181 Peter 3:21.
I come to You with honesty, because You already see my heart.
You know this season of the year is scary for me, a time when memories of my husband's past health issues stir up fear, worry, and old emotions.
But today I choose to bring all of this to You.
I lay it at the Cross. Your Word says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
So right now, I reject fear, and I receive the power, love, and sound mind You freely offer me.
Let Your peace settle deeper in me than any anxious thought.
Your Word also says in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast all my anxiety on You because You care for me.
So Lord, I cast it: every fear, every old memory, every "what if," every tightness in my chest, every intrusive thought.
I place them in Your hands, not mine.
You care for me more than I can understand, and I release the weight of worry to You. I lift up the "fiery darts" that come : the sudden fears, the feelings, the emotional pulls, and instead I take up the shield of faith, just as You command in Ephesians 6:16.
Extinguish every dart of fear, every whisper of danger that is not from You, Lord, off of me and my entire family and our loved ones.
Fill me and my family with Your truth so fully, that fear has nowhere to land.
Lord, Your Word says in James 1:19 to be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry,
so help me in my relationships, especially with my husband, to walk with grace, patience, and peace.
Teach my heart to communicate with love, and soften any place in me that feels overly burdened, overwhelmed, or unheard.
And Father, You tell me in 1 Peter 3:7 and Ephesians 4:15 to walk in understanding and speak the truth in love.
So I ask You to strengthen our unity: spiritually, emotionally, and in communication.
Let my words be filled with gentleness, and let my heart feel safe,held, and understood.
Like Hannah in 1 Samuel 1, who poured out her soul before You, I pour out my emotions to You w/out shame
Jesus spoke to His disciples to baptize in the Name of the Godhead, whereas Peter, in Jesus' Name only. This might trouble some as to which is correct and current for today, though I see no problem with it. Even if someone baptized in the Name of the Holy Spirit only, should that matter, since all Persons of the Godhead are One, thus represented? Yet, this could be a problem to some.
And I agree, that "Baptism today can only serve as a public declaration", but I could add that it is both an outward and inward expression of faith and commitment. Your quote reveals the outward testimony; and 1 Peter 3:21 speaks about our inward testimony, "the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ". Unlike the Jewish baptism (external washings of grime; as also performed by Muslims), the believers' baptism answers to a sure testimony inwardly, of an act and a time of turning from self and the world to cleave only to the Savior. And this assurance will be important when the enemy of our souls seeks to question the worth of our salvation & throw some into confusion and doubt. Every blessing brother.
a. Jesus Christ's perfect Sacrifice, once and for all people. 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 10:9,10.
b. We have been justified, declared not guilty, by that Sacrifice and faith in Him. Romans 5:1,2.
c. God has imputed Christ's Righteousness in us, making us holy. Romans 4:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:21.
d. God has adopted us into His family, never to abandon us. Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 4:5,6.
Hope this helps.
1 Peter 3:7
"Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."
Psalms 145:18
"The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth."
Blessings
Tithing is very good, if it helps towards building up the real church, the body of Christ. Tith is only one- tenth; But what about the remaining 9? ( Luke 17:17).
We are created in God's image and we bear Christ's name and seal on us ( Matthew 22:19-21). We are requested to offer ourselves (fully, not one- tenth) as a living sacrifice to God ( Romans 12:1). Then the people in our contacts may get the message of the Good News and turn to God. To live a Christian life (means complete surrender to His will) is the way to win our dear ones for Christ ( 1 Peter 3:1-2) The Cross may be heavy, but the end is glorious beyond imagination ( Psalms 126:5)
As you wrote, "Peter and the 11 were still under the Old Covenant framework, even after Jesus' resurrection"; if so, then it wasn't simply a case of preaching to a people & baptising as "a required sign of repentance and national obedience", but a grievous failing by Peter to correctly understand & communicate the difference between what was performed under the Old and what baptism meant under the New Covenant. If this wasn't communicated to the Jews who were being saved and baptized, then Peter's baptising was no different to John's, thus was meaningless in its proper context.
With that in mind, would it then be correct to say that Paul himself didn't fully comprehend this matter of water baptism being Israel-specific & its cessation under the New Covenant? For he himself baptized others ( 1 Corinthians 1:14-16), for which he never apologized nor revised his thinking and practise. Even though v17 states that he was "sent not to baptize but to preach the gospel", it is clear that that was not his emphasis in ministry, leaving the matter to others, but I fail to see where water baptism was done away with because of Paul's special revelations or any time after.
Even Peter, now an older man, would declare in 1 Peter 3:21, "..baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ"; that any salvific merit in water baptism was not in the removing of the external grime (as pertaining to Jewish washings), but it answered to a clear conscience before God (of what God had done in Christ and the baptizee's confession & identification with Him). Onto Page 3.
5. 1 Peter 3:21
"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ"
Baptism connected to salvation
Not just symbolic - a required response of a good conscience
6. 2 Peter 1:5-10 - Add to your faith
"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue... knowledge... temperance... patience... godliness... brotherly kindness... charity
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall."
Not faith alone - one must add works
Doing these things = assurance of salvation
Summary
Peter preached:
Faith in Jesus as the risen Messiah ( Acts 2:36)
Repentance and water baptism for forgiveness ( Acts 2:38)
Obedience necessary to receive the Holy Ghost ( Acts 5:32)
Sanctification through obedience ( 1 Peter 1:2)
Salvation tied to baptism and holy living ( 1 Peter 3:21, 2 Peter 1:10)
This is in contrast with Paul's message of justification by grace through faith alone ( Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5), not by works.
Hebrews 10:19 , Psalm 5:11-12, Hebrews 4 :16, 1 Peter 3:15,
Isaiah 50:4, 2 Peter 3:9, Eph 6:16-20, Psalm 19:14.
Psalm 91:4 kjv: He shall cover thee with his feathers,
and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be
thy shield and buckler.
Part 1
I understand this is debated, but this is my understanding.
1 Peter 3:18-20: 18, 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 quickened by the Spirit. This was a once-and-for-all sin offering, as mentioned in Romans 8:3 and Hebrews 9:11-14, to bring us to God so that God can now dwell with humanity through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is God who quickens the dead, as stated in Romans 4:17, by the Spirit. Jesus, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit. Jesus was dead for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, the grave/tomb. He was quickened, which means brought back to life, when He was resurrected in His glorified body. Jesus is the first begotten of the dead, Revelation 1:5, the Firstfruits of them that slept, 1 Corinthians 15:20. Sleep, the Greek word koimao, meaning to put to sleep, be dead.
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. By the same Spirit that quickened Jesus, Jesus went and preached/proclaimed to these spirits in prison.
Who are these spirits who were disobedient in the time of Noah? Angels are spirits, Psalm 104:4, Hebrews 1:7. Devils/demons are spirits, familiar spirits, evil spirits, unclean spirits. Humans have a spirit, but are never called spirits. Humans are mortal; the soul who sins will die, and the dead know not anything. Immortality is a gift from God, and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we find our hope for eternal life.
We see this long-suffering in Genesis 6:1-8. 120 years were given for repentance, but we see that only eight souls were saved by the water.
See part 2
We see two places where angels are chained in darkness: 2 Peter 2:4-5 and Jude 1:6. To me, this is a prison, a confinement area, as we see in Revelation 9, 11, 17, and 20. These angels did not keep their original estate or position and left their own dwelling place. These angels were disobedient to God, as seen in Genesis 6:1-2. There are fallen angels, demons, and devils on this earth, but what these angels did was so terrible that God locked them in the bottomless pit until the great day of judgment.
In Ephesians 4:8-10, there is another reference; verses 9-10 are debated depending on the manuscript. They say that before Jesus ascended to heaven, He first descended to the lower parts of the earth. Paul quotes Psalm 68:18, which describes the ark ascending to Mount Zion, leading captivity captive, symbolizing deliverance. Also, in Judges 5:12, part of Deborah's song, it states, "led thy captivity captive," meaning victory over oppression.
The same theme appears in Ephesians 4:8, victory over sin, death, and the grave through the life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus, as referenced in Galatians 1:4 and 1 Corinthians 15:52-55. We also see the gifts given in Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:4-8, and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
When Jesus was resurrected, God placed Him above all, as shown in Philippians 2:9-11, Ephesians 1:19-21, and 1 Peter 3:22. Satan, just like the leaders of Jerusalem, thought that when the Messiah came, He would immediately deliver them and establish His kingdom at that time, the expectation not yet fulfilled. When Satan influenced Judas to betray Jesus to death, he thought he had won.
See part 3
However, when Jesus was resurrected in His glorified body, He defeated and triumphed over death and the grave, Satan, and all principalities and powers. Colossians 2:15 describes how Jesus openly made a spectacle of them. I believe this was part of the celebration of the victory when Jesus, through the Spirit, went to the angels chained in darkness, made a spectacle of them, showing that He had triumphed over them and that they are eternally defeated.
I wonder if they bowed a knee to Him then or will have to in the Great Day, as said in Philippians 2:10, "things/those under the earth".
I will leave it here. I understand some may not agree, but this is my understanding of this. May our study be for the truth.
God bless,
RLW
I am praying that your husband has interaction with other believers when out of town; I am guessing he isn't taking seriously the threat of the covenant marriage being attacked by the enemy. Perhaps other believers can assist if you have a local congregation and his friends at home can hold him accountable.
Of course the enemy doesn't have any authority over us if we are indeed walking in the Lord as we should. It sounds as if he is making excuses by casting blame on you.
There are too many marriages (including my own) that the enemy has destroyed; but I know what's going on in the spiritual realm. I am aware how the church often is at best limited in helping when remarriage is so easily defended and often people turn a blind eye or aren't on their knees when it is clear the enemy is opposing marriages in the church.
Since I don't know anything else about your situation I won't get into anything else here. My prayer is that once you are able to be victorious that you will help others in your midst no doubt going through the same trials.
Agape; Rich P
Preaching itself should never be hurling facts at an audience just to prove a point. Jesus clearly had two styles of ministry; the first where He had personal interaction with individuals in a crowd to meet their physical needs and adddress their particular spiritual condition. This was in terms of repentance of a particular lifestyle or chronic pattern of sin; healing a certain ailment or casting out demons always addressed the spiritual issues which at times were the cause of a particular state a person was in; particularly those demon possessed.
Nonetheless; Jesus had a different approach to preach as He did on the Sermon on the Mount. These were general statements as to those who were blessed and warnings about hell as two predominant themes. It is interesting that as far as I can see that latter issue never was discussed with any individual except with the Pharisees when He had to address them for their thoughts or murmuring to themselves and direct nagging questions they often used to attempt to trap Him. This shows the unique level of danger of judgment to these hypocritical leaders as He would spend an entire chapter of scripture to call them out for their wickedness.
The point here I have made before; that is there is a declaration to a crowd which could even be said of His preaching to the spirits of disobedience (the lost entities from the time of Noah) in 1 Peter 3:19. That is more or less the context of His preaching to the masses. The Kingdom to come was a primary focus which again; I would argue is the style of preaching during the time of Jacob's trouble. With many signs and wonders it is pretty obvious God exists; or at least there is no room to be an atheist if we don't distinguish between good and evil in the supernatural realm. Fear of the Lord often uses general revelation ( Romans 1; Psalm 19); then personal after.
God chose a lineage for His people that would eventually have a descendent that would be the Messiah; listed with both Mary's lineage and that of Joseph albeit it wasn't through his offspring. We see that with Noah only he ad his family were saved. We read in Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
I would argue that this meant that his DNA was not corrupted with the offspring of the Nephilim with women and their offspring.
Again; this ensures God's covenant with man would be exlusively for men not of offspring of corrupted angelic and human children. Satan no doubt either wanted to totally corrupt every man so that either Messiah couldn't come and God would have to destroy everyone which apparently he came within millimeters of accomplishing. God of course gave all the instructions to Noah; who we read got drunk after planting a vineyard following the flood; so clearly he wasn't perfect. Many tend to read that he was a preacher of righteousness and assume it was him seeking repentance; I would argue it was a declaration of victory as they were unsaveable ( 2 Peter 2:5); and that fits right in with those sons of disobedience preached to by Christ in 1 Peter 3:19.
Let us take pause and thank God for His tender mercies and longsuffering. Some are in ignorance as to the fact that powerful entities and principalities are controlling the world and their minds leading them to destruction; others worship demons and Satan himself thinking somehow it is worth the favors they gain temporarily in this world.
As we go on to the story of the tower of Babel ( Gen. 11:1-9) we see how the world nearly came to an end with the attempt of a one world government before the time of prophetic fulfillment; thus God confused their languages; and I would argue broke the continents to today's location ( Gen. 11:19).
1 Peter 3:18-22
Thank you for your patience. And God bless you in Jesus name with all spiritual blessing in the Heavenly world in Christ.
1 Peter 3:16 - Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation, or lifestyle in Christ. And again, the word good conversation or lifestyle is TOV, the lifestyle for which God has created me for.
So eventually they will be ashamed, but they will speak evil, but as long as you have a good conscience, that's what he's saying. If you have a clear conscience, if you're obeying the Lord, if you're following righteousness in a world that is unrighteous, when they speak evil of you, they're going to be ashamed one day when Christ comes.
1 Peter 3:17 - For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
It's better for you if you suffer for functioning in the way that Christ has created you, rather than RAH, functioning in the way of the world, and suffering the consequences for that lifestyle.
1 Peter 3:15 - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
I have been sanctified by Christ. But what he's saying is, as I live out my life, I am to keep my heart set apart for Him. He has set me apart by coming to live in my spirit. But in my heart, I go in different directions.
Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, and do it with meekness, that is, openness, and do it with fear, or respect:
Notice that he is telling this to people who are suffering. That's important. While these believing Jews are going through suffering, people are looking at them and wondering why they are living life like they have hope. The word hope in Greek means expectancy. It doesn't mean hope like a wish. It's expectancy. I expect Christ to come. I expect to go be with Him if I should die before He comes.
Peter said in 1 Peter 1:3 that we have been born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So here are these suffering Hebrew believers, and he says get ready to give an answer.
And the word answer in the Greek (APOLOGIAN) is where we get our English word apologetics. Be ready to give a defense. Every believer should be ready to present to people the basis and foundation for their hope of their life in Jesus Christ. So be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is within you, only do it with openness and respect.
1 Peter 3:13 - And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
The word good here is AGATHOU. The Greek text uses KALOS or KAKOS. But AGATHOS is the good of the Lord, and PONAYROS is the evil of Satan. KALOS and KAKOS is good in human terms. He uses KAKOS the human term for the negative, and he uses AGATHOS for the things of God.
Remember he is writing to a Jewish group. They understand the terminologies from a Jewish standpoint that the word good in Hebrew is TOV, and the word bad or evil is RAH. The word TOV is used in the creation narration in Genesis Chapter 1, where after God created, He saw that it was good. And we understand from all of the uses of TOV in the TANAK, the Old Testament, that it has more to do with something that is functioning according to the purpose for which it was created.
So, when God got through creating each day, He looked at it as functioning perfectly. He created it perfectly. The emphasis is on sin entering into the world and ruining the purposes to which God created things, even people. And that's what Peter is really emphasizing here, is that these Jewish believers, not only are they suffering because of their circumstances, but they're suffering also because of their faith.
So even other Jewish people who are in the area, you'd think that they could go knock on their door and say, "I'm Jewish, and I'm here and I have no place to live, and I need something to eat," that they would help them. But then they find out that they're also believers in Jesus Christ as Messiah. They won't even help them.
He says, and who is he that will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good? If you follow the function for which God has created you, then who's going to harm you?
1 Peter 3:10 - For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and there's the word RAH in Hebrew, and his lips that they speak no deceit:
In other words, what was your tongue created by God to do? It was created to praise God, and to proclaim Him and His love to people. But we use it to slander other people. We use it to deceive. And that is evil!
1 Peter 3:11 - Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Let him eschew evil, and the word eschew means to turn aside from evil, again RAH. And do the good, AGATHOS in the Greek, TOV in Hebrew;
So, turn away when you're in situations that are tempting you and pulling you to function in a way that God did not create you to function, and function as it is in line with God. Let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Now if you think that's pretty harsh, Verses 21 through 25 is the submission example. Guess who that might be?
1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Finally, or in summary, be ye all of one mind, and that's the word PHRONEO. It's a word that has to do with the frame of mind. All of you have the same attitude and approach to these issues of life. Having compassion one of another, and that's the word sympathy (SUMPATHEIS).
Love as brethren, and that's the word PHILADELPHIA, brotherly love. Love as a family. Be pitiful, and I would fit right in there, but that's not what it means! This is the word EUSPLAGCHNOI, and it means to be tenderhearted. Have a soft heart for people. Be courteous: And the term courteous means friendly. Have a friendly frame of mind.
1 Peter 3:9 - Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
Not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult: but contrariwise a blessing; that's the word EULOGEO for eulogy, and it means to have a favorable response to them, even though they're speaking abusively to you.
Knowing that you are thereunto called, that you should inherit a blessing, and that God should deal with me and have a favorable response to me because I did not return the favor, and I stayed in His order, functioning in the way He created me to be.
Scripture shows us that Jesus spent 3 days preaching to those in the underworld; and taking captive those held captive ( Eph. 4:8; 1 Peter 3:19; and Matthew 27:52-53 for further study on this and those who came out of their graves after the Resurrection.
The thief on the cross would be with Him that day in Paradise ( Luke 23:43) which made him unique in several ways; he would be the last or one of the last going there at death; as for now to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord ( 2 Cor. 5:8).
He would have been one who would spend the shortest time in Abraham's bosom or the "pleasant" side of Sheol and his soul at least would have been in heaven after He rose from the dead.
Therefore; there was a lot going on even though Christ's body "slept" in the tomb to use Biblical terminology from the KJV. When we consider all the unregenerate that Christ preached about His victory (it was too late obviously for their salvation) along with the multitudes of souls released from under the earth to either go to heaven or be temporarily appearing with new bodies on earth before that it is no small feat. This isn't even including all those fallen beings or offspring of giants mentioned in Genesis 6 that no doubt got wind of what was happening. We are reminded of the transfiguration just a short time before all of this where no doubt Moses was looking forward to the victory Christ was to attain for him as well as Elijah.
The Resurrection is something that; as I stated the other day the Shroud of Turin seems to indicate; but I don't want to focus on that; if only for the simple logic of Luke 16:31. We have the eyewitnesses of 500 or more people that saw Christ after His Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:6; Paul being the last one to see Him in his journey to Damascus; although we could include John seeing Him again in the visions of Revelation. There is a place for apologetics; but only the Spirit can transform a man (Rom12:2
This is another one of those complicated scriptures that is highly debated.
I would like to share my understanding on this passage of scripture taking it from verse 13 through verse 21. ( 1 Peter 3:13-21 )
Many associate 1 Peter 3:19-20 with Ephesians 4:8-9.
I don't hold the view that they have anything to do with one another.
Ephesians 4:8-9 there's no preaching involved.
I believed when Christ ascended he led captivity captive. "The old testament Spirits/Saints out of Abraham's bosom.
In 1 Peter the question is "When, Where and How did the preaching take place"?
I believe that answer is in verse 20. (During days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing.)
The Holyspirit presented the Gospel through Noah for 120 years in the building of the Ark.
Peter os identifying them as Spirits as who they are today as "these people who ridiculed Noah while building the Ark.
Hebrews 11:7 says "By faith Noah prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world,
This seems to fit the context of the previous verses. ( 1 Peter 3:13-18. )
Noah suffered for well doing, and so did Christ.
Blessings.
Welcome back. This passage in 1 Peter 3:19-20 (and on to verse 22) has been given a handful of interpretations over the centuries of the church age.
I just finished reading a number of commentaries as well a few articles that outlined the history of interpretations for this passage.
I would suggest you do as I did and read some articles about this passage to help you come to your own conclusion on what this passage means.
For me, because of the specific words and language used in this passage I tend to agree that:
----After Jesus' death, He either in His divinity as Spirit, if before the resurrection, or, in His glorified resurrection body, went to
the place where the sinful, wicked sons of god (angels) that infiltrated and brought ruin to the human race in Gen. 6 by
procreating with human women were imprisoned ( 1 Peter 2:4-5, Jude 6) from the time of the flood onward.
----Since the text in 1 Peter 3:19-20 speaks of "spirits" who are imprisoned, but then speaks of "souls" who were saved, I think
that the Holy Spirit was distinguishing between "spirits" (angels) and "souls" (humans).
----That Jesus informed these evil angels about the victory He won over them forever by means of the cross and the shedding of
His blood, despoiling them of any authority they may have had, but now they have been made subject to Jesus Christ (1
Peter 3:22, Col.1:15, 2:15).
----The exact time this occurred is unclear. It may have been between His death and resurrection or between the resurrection
and His going to the Father after speaking with Mary in the garden ( Jn 20:14-17) or when He ascended 40 days after He
resurrected.
----The purpose of Jesus going to the place of imprisonment was to proclaim His pre-eminence, the surety of their judgment,
and to preach the gospel of how He saved the elect humans through His suffering and death (they may not have been aware
of this prior to His visit), but them.
I was thinking of this verse in my post.
I have found over the 6+ decades of my life in Christ that unbelievers who know that I am a Christian expect me to act in a godly way even though they do not wish to be godly themselves and many will often speak of the hypocrisy of believers who act in ungodly ways on a regular basis and thus can dismiss the veracity of one's claim in Christ.
And, of course we should want to give glory to God in all we do. But doing what is right can cause some unbelievers to reconsider their unbelief or may admit that God is holy and they are not.
It is true that some who are hostile to God will revile Christians for being godly or not joining in on the sin they do openly, often to shock Christians. But I find that there are many unbelievers who are "yet to be believers" who look to how Christians they know behave as an encouragement to believe the gospel. This just shows that the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives drawing them to Christ. They may be tired of living sinfully and desire to change. When believers live godly lives before them they can see that it is possible to be changed by God through the gospel.
I am glad you asked for Scripture to support what I said. We just never know what is going on in the lives of unbelievers around us. Some may continue to be hostile to us and to Christ. But others may see how we are able to have victory over sin and realize that this could be possible for them to. Godly living can be what may cause them to ask one to tell them about one's hope in Christ, as 1 Peter 3:15 speaks about.
Matthew 5:14
14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Part 1
In Christianity, the belief in the immortality of the soul has been influenced by ancient Greek philosophy, especially the teachings of two notable philosophers, Socrates and Plato. This philosophy views death as the separation of the soul from the body. Plato described the body as a prison for the soul and saw death as a means of freeing the soul.
This philosophy of death started blending in the church in the second-third century, some saying the good souls go to heaven, but the bad souls go to hell. Augustine of Hippo, a theologian and philosopher who was made a saint, held this philosophy, strongly influencing the doctrines in the church in the fourth and early fifth centuries, and later John Calvin taught it.
Some interpret 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 to mean that when we die, we go to be present with the Lord. This interpretation is also linked to Ecclesiastes 12:6-7, this is not dependent on salvation, all human spirits, regardless if the person is saved or not, return to God because the spirit in man comes from God, Job 32:8, Zachariah 12:1.
The soul: The Bible does not teach that the soul is immortal, but in Ezekiel 18:20, all souls are God's, and the soul that sinneth shall die, in Matthew 10:28, hell is the Word Gehenna which refers to the Lake of Fire. As written in the Bible, in Genesis 2:7, when God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground and with the breath of life from God, Adam became a living soul, that is all of Adam, the complete identity of Adam, including consciousness, desires, and emotions.
When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, and he became a living soul/being. The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh, which means a breathing creature, not a spiritual entity. It can describe a person's soul, life, mind, will, and even our body, not one thing, but the whole of the person, the true self. 1 Peter 3:20, eight souls were saved. Acts 2:43, Romans 13:1
See part 2
Part 3
This spirit is not the person, nor is it immortal or eternal, nor does it have a conscious existence when the person dies. Those of us who have the Holy Spirit in us, Romans 8:11, But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you, this is the Spirit of God, for those in Jesus Christ, this happens at resurrection.
In Psalms 16:7 David said the LORD has given him counsel; this is his spirit communicating with God, as Paul calls it in 2 Corinthians 4:16 the inward man. Peter describes it as the hidden man of the heart, 1 Peter 3:4. When God communicates with us, it is not with our mind; it's a Spirit-to-spirit communication.
God gives the human a spirit, some believe it is at conception, Zechariah 12:1, Isaiah 12:5. We know He takes it back at the time of death, Ecclesiastes 12:7. Psalm 104:29, thou takest away their breath, they die, the Hebrew word for breath is ruach, it also means spirit. James 2:26, the body without the spirit is dead. All consciousness ends when we die. Psalm 6:5, Job 14:12-14, Job 17:13-16. Psalm 115:17. Ecclesiastes 9:5-10. We sleep in death until resurrection day, the day of redemption. 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15.
The Bible tells us a spirit can be good, bad, or broken, Psalm 34:18, God cares for us and wants to help mend our brokenness, Isaiah 41:10. When we do not have rule over our spirit, we can go so bad that God turns one over to a reprobate mind as we see in Romans 1:18-32, the door is shut. With God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, we in our spirit grow in our faith and have comfort in His presence.
See part 4
Apostle Paul warns us of falsely accuse of our good conversation in Christ.
1 Peter 3:16
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed thatfalsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Apostle Peter in the Tribulation warn his Jewish followers of false prophets.
2 Peter 2:1
But there werefalseprophets also among the people, even as there shall befalseteachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Saint John warns us in the Tribulation of false prophets.
1 John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because manyfalseprophets are gone out into the world.
Saint John warns the Jewish followers of false prophets.
Revelation 16:13
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of thefalseprophet.
We are in the Church age of grace, we do not have prophets to deliver us the word of God and we do not a apostles to give us another revelation to add to the Bible.
Ray, in Christ Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Apostle Paul is our Apostle for today
Did Jesus Christ go to Hell ? Did Jesus take all our sins upon Him.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
If you ever visit New Hampshire, there's a city called Rochester. A litte town call Wolfeboro is amost a hour from Rochester. Most people will recognize Rochester because it's large, but not Wolfeboro . Same as Hell, it's larger than Paradise.
Acts 2:31
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left inhell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
The saints that were held in paradise could of been call prison as well.
1 Peter 3:19
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Even if Jesus Christ went to Hell to preach, which it wouldn't make any sense because they are lost and can't come back, the fire wouldn't hurt Him.
Hebrews 12:29
For our God is a consumingfire.
Remember, Jesus Christ owns the earth and the world, but Satan rules by God's permission.
Psalm 24:1
Theearthis theLord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
May we all remember the gospel of grace that is free and nothing added .
Ray, in Christ Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 to be free from hell, must believe the gospel that Apostle Paul wrote
But my thoughts turned to several Scriptures, some of which are Acts 7:55,56; Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 3:22, etc., that certainly do imply Jesus' Divine Power & Authority, but I can't help but read of a positional aspect to it. When the words, 'seated or standing' are given, I think most of us would immediately see this aspect of Christ's 'physical' position as well (not to say, that Jesus doesn't move about in Heaven). How would you say that we should view such verses, especially the one where Stephen full of the Holy Spirit, was steadfastly ('atenizo': eyes affixed) on this wonder seeing the Risen Lord at God's right Hand? Even in this verse, & others, do we need to apply the 'right hand' as only to that of 'power & authority' & not of position? Thanks & blessings.
The first Adam, his disobedience brought sin and death into the world, Romans 5:12-19. The last Adam by obedience to God brought forgiveness and life, the resurrection from the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22.
Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed, their hearts were uncorrupted and free from sin. After they ate the forbidden fruit their eyes were opened, their consciences were opened to the knowledge of good and evil, and sin replaced the purity they had. They had a sense of fear and disgrace due to their disobedience.
The shame they now felt was due to the sinful nature that entered them and now they no longer perfectly perceived things, their view of their nakedness should be covered. Nakedness was not a sin, but a fallen perception of nakedness brought shame and sorrow they now felt.
As God covered Adam and Eve with coats of skins to cover their shame/nakedness. Our nakedness of shame can be covered with the garment Isaiah 61:10 given by Jesus. We in Jesus shall not be found naked, but clothed, with the garment of Christ's righteousness, our sins covered and cleansed by the blood of Jesus that makes it spotless and white as long as we continue in faith and overcome.
Concerning those that do not die in the Lord, that do not watch, and keep their garments will walk naked, their sins will be open to being seen, Revelation 16:15 1 Timothy 4:1-2 Revelation 20:15.
Every human being, whether they're saved or unsaved, and regardless of their culture, ethnicity, or background, has a conscience, Romans 2:14-15. Inside this conscience is the battle between the flesh and the Spirit Romans 9:1 we can repent and be covered, if not we will be naked and found guilty. We cannot hide what is in our conscience, it records every good and evil we have ever done or thought. I feel this is where we are naked or clothed. Romans 4:6-8 2 Corinthians 1:12 1 Timothy 1:19 Hebrews 9:9 Hebrews 13:18 1 Peter 3:21.
God bless,
RLW