LETTERS OF PETER
Part Two: 1 Peter 2:11-4:19

Most, if not all, of the animal kingdom will give their life to protect their young, to protect the survival of their kind, to protect the product of their creation of life. It is not a conscious choice they make within their own power. It has been embedded within their makeup by the God who created them. They merely respond to a stimulus that threatens their existence. In a real sense, they will die attempting to protect the life they have created. It is the way of the nature of the beast.

On the other hand, God was willing, by choice, to give up His life of glory, of honor, and of power not in an attempt to protect His domain but purely for the sake of the domain of others. God, the Son, refused to hold on to the life that was His by the nature of whom He was. He took on the likeness and fashion of man to suffer the death of man for others. Although the nature of the beast is to die to protect his domain from others, the nature of God will expose his domain for others. He came not defending himself, and he was rejected, but others were saved.

Since created man has both the nature of the beast and the nature of God within his make up, the challenge of life becomes very simple. Either, we will live life willing to die to protect our domain from others, or we will live life not resisting God in his exposure of our domain for others. To live for ourselves (protecting our survival and our rights) is beastly, but to live for others (not defending ourselves and open for rejection) is divine.

Living for others is not a conscious choice we make. It has been embedded in our make up by the God who created us. It is in the nature of God that dwells within us. The priesthood of all believers occurs simply because each of us was created to experience the nature of God. The nature of God that is willing to die not to protect his domain from others but willing to die to expose his domain for the sake of others.

Since all are priests by the simple fact of being created by God to experience His life in relationships, this felt need for others (be it pure or corrupt) is experienced by every human being. When the nature of the beast (the protection of what we have created in an attempt to live life) rises to power, we will attempt to serve our priesthood by safeguarding our own survival. It means we will use others in an attempt to experience the life we have created in our minds.

For example, are we "prophets," "ministers," "teachers," or "intercessors" because it gives us purpose and meaning for life? Are we priest, "official ministers or worship leaders in our world who represent a people before God and conduct various rituals to atone for their sins," because it is a means of our survival and an existence we will die to protect? If so, it is a priesthood (serving the felt need to connect to others) but it is not a holy priesthood. It is corrupted because we are using the object of our priesthood, other people, for the survival of our created way of life.

The true priesthood of God takes on the nature of God. The nature of God within man that propels him to not resist what God is doing in his life, transforms him into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. That transformation process occurs in the mystery and secret of life, the willingness to be taken down by God to be raised to newness of life for others.

The willingness to experience that process is not a conscious choice. It is the given fact of everything created. The free will of man is not that he has freedom to choose for this priesthood to happen. Being taken down for the needs of others is and always will be that which is happening because it is an established fact of creation. The world in which we live will continually be challenged by the needs of others. Our world will be put down continually because it is the nature of everything created—except the seed falls to the ground and dies new life cannot come.

The free will of man enables him to resist that process in his mind. Man cannot resist the sovereign power of God. However, in the realm of imagination, which is not real and has no validity, man creates his own world in which he attempts to control his life. In that realm, the fantasy world of make believe, man can resist God and prohibit the process of being taken down. Thus, when he faces trouble on every side, perplexities, persecutions, and being put down, he will resist. In his mind (which will be expressed in words), he will fight for the survival of his way of life and protect his rights with malice, guile, deceit, jealousy, and defamation. He is still being put down, but he satisfies himself that he has kept himself standing. He has defended his actions and change (new life) does not occur.

The priest of God does not resist what God is doing and actually submits to the other by suffering the affliction that is being put on him. Forasmuch as Christ suffered for us in the flesh that we might be saved, we arm ourselves with the same mind that those which are causing us to suffer might be saved. It is the nature of God who dwells within us.

It is within the realm of a seed falling to the ground to die in order that it may be raised to newness of life that the challenge of life exists. When man is taken to the end of his current existence, he is at the germinating point of life. The circumstances which he is now facing bring his soul into the balance of heaven or hell. What occurs in this moment of judgment for man determines what he experiences in his life.

Since man has the Spirit of God dwelling within him, he has the opportunity to experience the essence of the life of God. Although a flesh and blood earthly being, his existence can still be dominated by the glory, the honor, and the power of the heavenly realm. His earthliness of corruption, dishonor, weakness, and naturalness can be controlled by the heavenliness of incorruption, of glory, of power, and of spiritualness. It can be heaven on earth because he experiences the heavenly kingdom of God.

Since man is a fleshly earthly being, he also has the opportunity to experience an existence of his mind being separated from the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. It is the true tale of the fall of man from experiencing the glory of the heavenly realm to live in the hells of a mere earthly existence. The satanic power of man’s mind out of control drives him to an inferno of life alienated from the glory of God. Man, once the brightness of a morning star now cut down to the ground, spends the days of his life in the abyss of paradise lost.

This point of germination, one’s current realm of perceived existence being brought to an end by the intrusion of another person, is the moment of judgment that all men must face. Every man will find himself continually at the crossroads of defending his current existence from the encumbrance of others or willingly experience the death of that existence through the control of his mind by the Spirit of God. The dying of this old existence by the turbulence of another will always bring newness of life between the two participants. Refusing or resisting that intrusion always brings greater agitation of separation between the two. Every man stands before the judgment seat of Christ in these challenging moments of life and of death.

The successful navigation of these confrontational moments are so critical that Jesus said, ". . . fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." It is never that which we experience physically that destroys our souls. It is always how we are responding to those physical incitements that devour our peace. It is the reaction to this stimulus that governs whether or not the satanic power of an uncontrolled mind drives us into the consuming fires of hell.

Peter recognized this great truth by not only stating that the scattered strangers should "gird up the loins of their mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace, that is to be brought unto [them] at the revelation of Jesus Christ," but he also admonished them six times to recognize the dangers of going through the germination process, the death and resurrection of the soul. It is in the heat of a confrontation that the temptation to frustrate grace occurs. The beastly nature of man rises up to protect the survival of the life now being experienced.

Peter told those who trust in Christ, "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your so-journing here in fear." He wrote, "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king." The domestic servants were to be subject to [their] masters with all fear." He also admonished the wives to let their husbands see their "chaste conversation coupled with fear" and that they, "as long as [they did] well, and [were] not afraid with any amazement," were descendants of holy women who also trusted God. Finally, Peter told the foreigners in a strange land to "be not afraid of their terror (those who would confront), neither be troubled; but . . . be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh [them] a reason of the hope that is in [them] with meekness and fear."

Jesus said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." The multi-grain wheat stalk cannot come forth without the planting of the seed. The new morning comes only after the midnight. The freshness of new life in a relationship comes forth only after the perishing of the old existing lifestyles.

Those who trust in the Lord for the resurrection of new life know the temptation to resist the planting of the seed, the temptation to not give up any ground in the heat of the confrontation. In the midst of these challenging moments of heaven or hell, the true believer in Christ passes the time of this journey through death and resurrection in apprehension. Although he approaches the throne of grace with boldness, he nevertheless understands the weakness of his flesh and in fear of that weakness cries out for the Spirit of God to be his strength. He knows he has an "inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven . . ." only if he is "kept by the power of God through faith" unto the death and resurrection of his soul. It is the greatest challenge of life, but it produces the greatest reward of man’s existence — "heirs together of the grace of life."

The original formation of man contains the essence of all things. The way of life revealed in that event is the reason Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:14). The experience of that first creation is the basis of why David said, "you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life" (Ps 16: 10-11). This occurrence of the original beginning of mankind is the heart of Paul’s statement, "the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess 4:16-17). The fundamental essence of that preeminent happening for man is the reason Peter said, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake" (1 Peter 2:13). The secret and mystery of life lies in the original constitution of man. It is what it means to be a human being.

In the beginning, "the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen 2:7). God also created an enchanting garden and placed the first man in it to work and to watch over it. It was a place of plentiful supply for the man: gold, precious jewels, food, water, purpose, and fellowship with God. It was paradise on earth.

Yet, something was missing. Although living in a perfect environment with all of his physical needs being provided, man must have felt an inner longing for something more, a sense of fulfillment that he was lacking. For God passed judgment on this flawless work of creation and said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen. 2:18). And the Lord God, ". . . made he a woman, and brought her unto the man" (Gen. 2:22).

With the word alone meaning, "separation or solitary," the man seemed to be incomplete (in part, not whole) without a second person to perfect him. It is significant to understand that God does not say to the individual man that he was created in the image and likeness of God. It is only after the second person is created and presented to the first person that God blesses his creation and calls it good. The first person, the second person, and the relationship between them are now said to be created in the image and the likeness of God.

The essence of all things for every person is that which involves the person, another person, and the interaction between them. Everything else in life (all the complexities that make up the total spectrum of one’s life) comes out of this basic encounter of life. Manage this fundamental experience and life becomes not only under control but is enjoyed and blessed.

The essentials of how to manage this moment of life, which are the foundational blocks on which all of life exists, are given in the original formation of man. The first man existed. He had been created, but he was incomplete, unfulfilled. The second person had to be created. However, the second person created like the first person, an autonomous, free-standing person would mean nothing towards the fulfillment of the image and likeness of God. It would simply be two people, alone, occupying approximately the same space trying to experience something that is impossible to experience without the path of life.

Before the second person could be created, the first person had to be taken down, put to sleep, and die as an autonomous, free-standing person. Once asleep, God took out of the first person that which would eventually become the second person. In other words, the ground of being for the second person was that which God took out of the first person. Once the second person was created by God, she was then brought back to the first person and presented to him as the aid, the helper, or the ground of being for the completion or fulfillment of the first person. Through the creative power of God, the second person is made all that she can be through the first person which, in turn, when presented back to the first person, makes him all that he can be.

The workings of the original formation of mankind are the building blocks of everything that exists in what it means to be a human being. This process controls everything in the human experience. Living in harmony with this divinely created working process will produce a love for life and the experiencing of good days.

Every created entity came into being when the Spirit of life quickened (enlivened) it into existence. Living life, however, is not a one time fix. God does not bestow life upon man and then walk away to see what man will do with his new found existence.

Since only God is life, creation has to experience God continually to continue to experience life. Remove the Spirit of life from the body that is experiencing life and the body soon decays into the nothingness of its original dust. Since the Son of God is "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9), every man experiences life because he is lighted continually or experiences God continually.

The problem is not that man does not experience God, for to live is to experience God. The problem is man does not know, or worse, refuses to honor God for his life. The ignorant and foolish man states that God is not the measure and the life of all things, he, himself, is.

Although all men continually experience and live their life according to the outworking of the will of God, man often finds himself in opposition to that will in the world of his imagination. The will of God is still being done, for no man can change the sovereignty of God (Rom. 9:19,20), but in the mind of man, the make believe world of his fantasies, he believes he controls his own life. God still produces the life from heaven, but because man is in his mind he experiences the hells of his own created world--his imaginations.

Man begins his journey to this chamber of death and hell with the illusion that he can (by the power of his choice) decide what is good and what is evil. He believes he can control the times and the seasons of life. The first illusion of man is always the belief that he can make life happen himself.

The consequences of this illusion produce the reality that although he is in control of his life there is something missing. No matter what he chooses to do, for some reason the sense of fulfillment or completeness does not occur. He begins to live by playing roles, hiding the real self of what he has become, and readily blaming others for his misery.

The consequences of this first illusion should be sufficient to cause him to cry out to God for his salvation. The pain and the agony of no meaningful, lasting relationships should bring him back to God. But, it does not. For there is something within man that refuses to give up the control he perceives he has.

He knows something is wrong, but to fix the fault of the first illusion, he creates a second illusion. He begins to believe that he can take the things of God (although he gives no credit to God for them) and by his choices and efforts make the good life occur. He believes that he can mix the grace of God (which produces all things in the world) and the laws of man (the attempt to do as he thinks he should) and produce or force the issues that should exist between people.

He now lives in the illusion that he can force relationships to occur. He craves meaningful relationships, as he understands them, and he attempts to make them happen. He will either create a false world of illusions about himself to make himself something he is not. Or, selfishly scheme interactions to get what he thinks he needs from the other person. The end result is the same — corrupted, dysfunctional relationships.

The consequences of this second illusion should be sufficient to cause him to cry out to God for his salvation. The hells of his life should bring him back to God. But, it does not. For there is something within man that refuses to give up the control that he perceives he has.

He knows something is wrong, but to the fix the fault of the second illusion he creates a third illusion. Unable to experience the ultimate life of meaningful relationships, and finding himself in the misery of everyday life, he turns to the world of make believe. The imaginations, the dreams, and the fantasies he creates in his own mind become the means by which he attempts to experience life. So much so that he now finds himself controlled by a world that his own mind has created. Trying desperately to experience life in those dreams, he becomes in bondage to these same dreams.

Living in this world of being controlled by the endless, hopeless fulfilling of his own fantasies will eventually bring him to such corruption and violence that God has to step in to destroy that world. God will eventually, after much longsuffering, bring everyone to the end of themselves. Once the individual is out of control of the world he thought he could control, his cry finally rises to God in agony, "Lord, save me, I am perishing."

There is a reoccurring theme that runs through the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation, from the beginning of our lives to the coming disclosure of Jesus in our lives. It has its roots in the story of Adam and Abraham, the fathers of all humanity and all believers. It has its fruition in the visions of John, how Jesus is made known to all people. It is the essence of all things spiritual, the hope of all things physical. It is the real story of the Bible, not just historical events and future anticipations but the present essence of your life. Everything that is contained within its pages from Genesis to Revelation is the story of your life.

The events of the Bible are not just history. They are real events that occurred to real people in the past, but they are also the same events that occur in your life. You are in a garden of Eden with the serpent that whispers its deception. You are in the wandering of an Abraham in a place that can not be called home. You are in a deliverance out of the bondage of Egypt through the struggles of the wilderness existence to the promised land. You are in the sufferings of Christ and the glory that follows. The reality of all that has been recorded in the Bible is the story of your life even in this present moment.

Abraham was given the promise that of him a great nation would be made. Through his seed all families of the earth would be blessed. He was also told to pass through a land that God would give to his descendants. Abraham was 75 years old when God entered into this covenant with him.

For 100 years, Abraham journeyed through the land with no place to call home. He died at the age of 175. He did not see his descendants inherit the land that God promised to him. He did not experience the joy of seeing all the nations of the earth being blessed because of him. As for the specifics of the covenant being fulfilled in his lifetime, they were not. If he lived his life in anticipation for the physical realities of the covenant, his life would have to be judged a miserable failure.

Yet, his life was not a failure. He lived the days of his life and "died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years." He was blessed of God in his lifetime, enjoying life because he did not get trapped into the expectations of future glories. He was not working to make something happen. He was living in the glory of the moment (the good and the bad) of his life, knowing that God was bringing about what He said He would do. Abraham is called the father of the faithful because he lived the days of his life resting in the faithful Creator.

God spoke to Moses and said, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering . . . And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them . . . According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle." After giving Moses further instructions concerning the things of the sacred place, God said, "And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shown thee in the mount."

The physical temple that Moses built was constructed from the pattern which was the true temple "which the Lord pitched, and not man" as the writer of Hebrews stated. Christ, the greater High Priest, did "not [enter] into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."

Peter added, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." Because we wander through this physical land not with our eyes set upon future glories, but, like Abraham, experiencing God in the moment, our hope is not in the building or rebuilding of a physical temple. Our hope is in the true temple not built with hands, " as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."

In this very moment, in every moment of your life, you are "to present [to stand beside, i.e. to exhibit] your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Rom. 12:1). In the true temple, in the heavenly sanctuary, sacrifices are continually being offered, each moment of our lives, by Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ. When the suffering of life comes, be it the pain of the death of our physical bodies or the pain of the death of our dependency upon physical relationships, the spiritual sacrifices of the true temple of God are being offered. The interactions that continually transpire between people, all people, are the sacred things of this sacred temple.

Each moment of our lives, we are continually offered as spiritual sacrifices. Our physical bodies, even as we experience life, are continually dying. In our relationships, even though we are experiencing life in them, we are dying to our autonomous, self-serving interactions if we are to experience the glory of the relationships. Jesus Christ is the high priest of this true sanctuary because He is always there to perform the sacrifices as the faithful Creator brings about the events of life that enable us to experience the joy of His life: "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."