In the ever present now…..

[Not me]

1 Peter 1:5 (NASB20)
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Protected…..through faith….for a salvation…. in the last time’…. 

This truth is a most freeing truth, a most joy filled truth, a truth that causes the heart to be light with joy and expectation…. That life does not end with this world, that this is not all there is, that this is but a staging area for the growing of a life that is to die for….

This last statement ‘a life to die for’ is a statement of fact that if taken to heart is the strength and security of one’s heart before God…. For of a truth Christ had to die before He could be raised, the same is true for those that would inherit salvation, they too must die to the life of this world…. This death of selfhood will happen at the departure time of the body into eternity, but if one would desire a full reward one’s dying to the life of this world, which is the life of self must start in the now….

For being conformed to the life of Christ in one is the goal of one’s salvation in Christ… For an ever present faith, in the ever present now, is that faith that brings the life of Christ to the forefront in one’s life to experience…. For the faith that joins itself to Christ’s death is that faith that joins itself to Christ’s resurrection to a new life, all to be experienced and enjoyed from the moment of salvation onwards to the culmination of the salvation to be revealed in the last time….

This truth embraced causes the heart to jump with joy, for turning one’s faith and hope into God’s love and mercy, willing to die to selfhood, for knowing that God is love and that love is pointed towards one, which love will be experienced as one wills to die to one’s selfhood and trust Him to live His life in and through one…..

Be blessed in Him living His life in and through, to the enjoying of the salvation that is to be found in Christ….

 

In the Beloved, Not me 

[AdHoc]

1 hour ago, Not me said:

1 Peter 1:5 (NASB20)
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Protected…..through faith….for a salvation…. in the last time’…. 

This truth is a most freeing truth, a most joy filled truth, a truth that causes the heart to be light with joy and expectation…. That life does not end with this world, that this is not all there is, that this is but a staging area for the growing of a life that is to die for….

This last statement ‘a life to die for’ is a statement of fact that if taken to heart is the strength and security of one’s heart before God…. For of a truth Christ had to die before He could be raised, the same is true for those that would inherit salvation, they too must die to the life of this world…. This death of selfhood will happen at the departure time of the body into eternity, but if one would desire a full reward one’s dying to the life of this world, which is the life of self must start in the now….

For being conformed to the life of Christ in one is the goal of one’s salvation in Christ… For an ever present faith, in the ever present now, is that faith that brings the life of Christ to the forefront in one’s life to experience…. For the faith that joins itself to Christ’s death is that faith that joins itself to Christ’s resurrection to a new life, all to be experienced and enjoyed from the moment of salvation onwards to the culmination of the salvation to be revealed in the last time….

This truth embraced causes the heart to jump with joy, for turning one’s faith and hope into God’s love and mercy, willing to die to selfhood, for knowing that God is love and that love is pointed towards one, which love will be experienced as one wills to die to one’s selfhood and trust Him to live His life in and through one…..

Be blessed in Him living His life in and through, to the enjoying of the salvation that is to be found in Christ….

 

In the Beloved, Not me 

A most interesting passage. The operative word here is "salvation". But which salvation? A man can experience a number of "salvations". Here are some;

1. Our Lord Jesus is "saved" from Herod's sword by His parents fleeing to Egypt
2. A man is "saved" from the Lake of Fire by believing in Christ
3. Peter speaks here of the "salvation of the soul" - that is, to have one's disposition changed
4. A man who is resurrected is "saved" from the grave
5. A man who enters the Millennial Kingdom is "saved" (Matt.19:24-25)
6. A man who is raptured before the Great Tribulation is "saved" from God's wrath (1st Thess.5:8-9)

So which salvation is Peter talking about? The context tells.

Peter, sent to the "uttermost parts of the earth" is especially sent to the "circumcision" (Gal.2:7-8). The "circumcision" is any son of Jacob, whether living in Israel or scattered throughout the nations. Peter calls them "strangers". This indicates that they are those of the diaspora. They are strangers to the Foreign Land they live in through Gods chastisement of Israel. But from the following verses we can deduce that they have heard the gospel and have believed on Jesus. They have been "begotten" and "sanctified" by obedience to the word of the redemption by Christ's blood. So, in respect of their sins being put away, their rebirth, having eternal life and avoiding the Lake of Fire, they ARE (presently) saved.

But then in verse 4, Peter introduces the reason for this grand event - their "inheritance". Now, to a Jew, and as confirmed by its almost exclusive use in the Old Testament, A Jew's inheritance is the Land of Canaan. There is one exception - the Levite. His inheritance is God. And through God the Levite will possess the seat of a judge over Israel in matters of Law, he will dwell in any of 48 cities and he will take tithes from the rest of Israel. This mention of "inheritance" by Peter, a Jew himself, means possession of the Good Land. The "inheritance" in the first instance is the restoration of Israel to their Land under an equitous king and be safe from their enemies. But the Promises to Abraham were more than that.

The promises to Abraham included the promise that Abraham's seed would "possess the gates of his enemies". Now, while Israel would occupy and rule Canaan, what about their enemies as far as Assyria, Persia and Rome? For this TWO different seed are promised - one earthly "as the sand of the sea shore" and one heavenly "as the stars of heaven". That is, the seed of Abraham would occupy and dominate Canaan, but a contingent of them would rule far and wide. This is seen in Romans 4:13.

But this dual inheritance must wait. Why? Because Abraham is told that although he is promised these things, he will die before ever receiving them. That is, he would only receive them in resurrection. Resurrection has many implications, but one of the most important is that the body is made fit for the "Kingdom of God" (1st Corinthians 15:50-54). That is, to inherit Canaan circumcision is enough, but to inherit the earth he must be changed by having a body with "celestial glory".

Even though one be "begotten" and have eternal life, and though an inheritance is waiting in heaven - a birth-right, and though one can expect a body with celestial glory from a body prepared in heaven (2nd Cor.5:1-5), will this man be found fit to rule his enemies and be part of a Kingdom where God is OBEYED (Matt.7:21-23). God cannot afford to have rebels as His kings. He cannot afford to have the slightest tendency to corruption, politics and unrighteousness. The problem of the flesh is solved at resurrection, but what of the SOUL. What of our disposition - what we think, what we feel and what we decide? Will we be fanatically for God's will? "Thy Kingdom come. Thy WILL be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven", is the prayer of Jesus. So a man must not only be changed bodily, but he must be "saved" from his old self. How is this achieved?

It is achieved by the same way a soldier is changed from a wilful teenager to a man who will obey his officers under fire - by SUFFERINGS. There is nothing like trial and tribulation to knock the corners off a man. The best troops in the world are the ones where they learn to cope with the most pain - and still function. A man, even the MAN JESUS "learns OBEDIENCE by sufferings" (Heb.5:8). Though He was born with God's life, though He is the Heir, though He is without sin, He had to experience first-hand what it costs to OBEY. His poverty, His wilderness and temptation, His rejection, His Gethsemane, His cross - were all lessons in the price of obedience. And the student or slave is NOT ABOVE HIS MASTER. The Christian, to be saved from his old disposition, must go through the "heaviness of manifold trials".

The heirs of God's Kingdom must not only be born again and baptized (Jn.3:3-5) but he must be sent through trials for the changing of his SOUL. It takes the rest of the Christian's life. It is no short work. Paul, in Philippians 3, says that he is not sure of having made the standard. Paul had three years of life left as he wrote this. He had served His Master faithfully. He has been stoned and beaten and shipwrecked for Christ's sake. But he would not guarantee his "crown". Are we better than Paul?

But trial's and suffering are particularly offensive to the Jew. He has lived for 1,500 years under a Law given by God that promised safety, health and wealth for obeying. Now he is told that if he obeys on the highest level - that of the gospel of Christ - THE OPPOSITE WILL HAPPEN! His obedience will cause his enemies to persecute him and steal his goods and even murder him. For this huge change he will need FAITH - the faith that is commended in Hebrews 11 for those "who died NOT having received the Promises". This is the only way to please God. You must believe what He has said. The heirs to the promises must be "those who, by faith, live".

So which "salvation" have we discovered in 1st Peter Chapter 1? It is evident that ALL "salvations" are mentioned here - all of those numbered above except number 1. But which salvation is (i) reserved in heaven, (ii) will be revealed in the last time, and (iii) which angels desire to look into. Our rebirth is past. We are being transformed in our souls now. So these two are not for the future. Resurrection is future but not an inheritance. The "salvation" which lies ahead and is reserved for the last time is THE KINGDOM. In Luke 19:17-19 Christians are REWARDED by being kings of cities - WHEN CHRIST RETURNS. To be a future king in God's Kingdom on earth MUST BE ATTAINED TO! All the other "salvations" are for this salvation - that one is found worthy of being appointed a co-king with Christ.

Why will the angels desire to look int it? Because up to Adam the "Principalities in heavenly places ruled". They are populated by ANGELS. Lucifer is an angel and through his defeat of Adam he is able to offer the kingdoms of this world to Christ in Luke 4. He says that they are his to give, and our Lord Jesus must wait till Revelation Chapter 11 to legally take possession of them - at the end of the Great Tribulation. Then only are the angels cast from heaven. And only AFTER Armageddon do we get to "judge angels" (1st Cor.6). Those ex-Jews that Peter is addressing will be "seed of Abraham who occupy the Gates of God's enemies". This is the great inheritance of the Christian, and this must be our GOAL like it was Paul's and Peter's. Paul seeks a "crown" and Peter says in his 2nd letter that we must go through a process where WE ADD attributes to DISPOSITION. For what reason? 

 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2nd Pet 1:11)

Any Christian, whether ex-Jew or ex-Gentile, who does not achieve this high calling has MISSED "the salvation that will be revealed in the last time". As Matthew 19 says; "who then can be SAVED?" Riches take away suffering. Riches weaken your faith. Riches remove your dependence on God. Riches deceive you. A rich man is at a huge disadvantage UNLESS GOD INTERVENES. He can be born again and baptized. He can be an heir. He can be resurrected with a celestial body. BUT HE WILL NOT BE FOUND FIT FOR KINGSHIP IN GOD'S COMING KINGDOM.

WILL YOU? WILL I?

[Not me]

@Josheb @AdHoc

Hello to you both, and thank you for your thoughts….. May the God to whom we belong continue to bless with all good work and word, as we continue to search in and after Him….

Be so very blessed in your relationship(s) with Him…

 

A fellow follower of His, Not me 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Not me

[AdHoc]

4 hours ago, Josheb said:

Is that a reference to Luke 9:26? 

Luke 9:62
But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

 

I did not have it in mind when I posted, but it applies - together with dozens of other direct statements and parables. But I am aware of your differing view of the Kingdom.

[AdHoc]

50 minutes ago, Not me said:

@Josheb @AdHoc

Hello to you both, and thank you for your thoughts….. May the God to whom we belong continue to bless with all good work and word, as we continue to search in and after Him….

Be so very blessed in your relationship(s) with Him…

 

A fellow follower of His, Not me 

Thanks for your kind words.

[AdHoc]

32 minutes ago, Josheb said:

Regardless of our differing views on the kingdom, we should be able to agree Luke 9:62 is the only place in the gospels where Jesus speaks explicitly about fitness for the kingdom using the phrase "fit for the kingdom." As far as I know that phrase is not used in the epistolary. Hence my question. We should also agree that he was not speaking to Christians, but Jews. We should also be able to agree he was speaking specifically to his disciples about their being disciples (especially James and John), and doing so in a pre-Calvary, pre-Pentecost set of conditions. We should also be able to agree all of it would change at Calvary and Jesus knew what lay ahead for twelve of the disciples. We ought also to be able to agree those who are born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus are royal priests. 

 

With so much to agree upon why are the differences being cited? 

 

There are not dozens of direct statements about "fit for the kingdom," and I can't find a single verse specifically about "fit for kingship in God's coming kingdom." 

Hence my question: Is Luke 9:26 the reference? 

 

Also, do you mean to turn the discussion of this op into eschatology? If so, why? What is it in this op that is eschatological? If that's not the purpose in mentioning "fit for kingship in God's coming kingdom"? Especially since there are differences of position on "God's coming kingdom". If that was not intended to turn the thread into an eschatological discussion, then do please ignore my inquiry about it. We can certainly discuss fitness for the kingdom without being eschatological, especially since the op appears to be soteriological in emphasis. Your op-reply was very good, up until that last line. There are a few places where I disagree with the post (such as there being no mention of the millennium in Matthew 19 and satan being a king) but, overall, it's good reply to the op. 

I trust we can also agree not everything is about eschatology.

Your objections are noted. If the use of the word "fit" in a commentary is offending, I apologize.