Tuesday, August 02, 2016

We have seen in studying 1st Peter 1 that God knew before creating anything that man would fail and need to be redeemed. In concert, the triune God determined that Jesus Christ, “a lamb without blemish or defect,” would be the redeemer. God did this before the creation of the world and revealed what He had determined in the first century. It was through Jesus Christ and what He did that those Peter was writing to believed “in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so (their) faith and hope (were) in God” (verses 20-21). Now, having been forgiven and purified as a result of their obedience to believe in the truth, they entered into a new relationship with each other as believers. Peter writes, “You have sincere love for your brothers” (verse 22). This was phileo love, the kind of love that comes naturally because of liking a person, feeling as though you have things in common. It is brotherly love. It is sincere or as the KJV puts it, unfeigned. It is genuine, not fake or hypocritical. There is nothing wrong with it. But Peter went on to write, Now “love one another deeply, from the heart.” Here he uses the word agape love. This is a love that is focused on the welfare of the one loved. It is selfless and sacrificial in nature. It’s the love Jesus demonstrated when He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He didn’t come to be ministered unto, but to minister and give His life a ransom for sinners. In our next visit we’ll learn how we can love others that way.