Focus

1 Kings 19:13-18                  1 Peter 4:1-11                           Matthew 6:1-18

Focus

There’s a wonderful story about Elijah in 1 Kings 19. You might remember him challenging and triumphing over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. You might also remember that the threats of a mortal queen caused the great prophet to totally lose focus on his almighty God and the result was a fear that sent him running for cover. As you no doubt know, he eventually walked all the way down to Mount Horeb where he hid in a cave. There God spoke to him asking him a simple question. “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 

Elijah replied, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” Now before you say, “tsk, tsk, naughty prophet”, put yourself in his sandals. Jezebel was a wicked queen who wielded great power…one who murdered all those who opposed her. The threat was very real and Elijah knew that. But that was not the problem. The problem was that he focused on that.

So God redirects his focus and tells him to go back, reminding him that he was not, as he apparently thought alone. There were still seven thousand in Israel whose knees had not bowed to Baal, and whose mouths had not kissed him. 

You see, focusing on God – who he is, what he has done, and what he is doing – instead of your problems can provide a powerful corrective to fear and despair and helplessness. 

As we have seen in our previous talks on the first epistle of Peter, the life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus is the foundation upon which our lives are built. Now, in chapter 4 he once more gives us another sign that points us in the right direction. “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.” In other words, because we have this example of the suffering of Jesus, we must embrace his same assertive approach to faithful obedient living in a hostile environment.

I think, this is the same point Paul was trying to make in Philippians 2. That we should cultivate the mind or the attitude of Jesus, who emptied himself, took on the form of a servant, and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross. But he went on to say that because of his obedience despite suffering, opposition, and violent rejection God highly exalted him. 

And that’s what Peter is getting at here…because of the example Jesus has provided…because Jesus has given us a road map, if you will, of how to navigate life in a hostile world…we must arm ourselves with his way of thinking. In this world, Jesus said, we will suffer, but we ought to rejoice in the fact that he has overcome the world. In the realm of the flesh, Jesus suffered and died, but because of his obedience to the will of the Father, he triumphed over it all through the power of the Spirit.

This metaphor, “arm yourselves”, is a military one that anticipates a battle. In this case it is not only a battle against our own fallen fleshly or human passions or the fallen fleshly or human passions of those who oppose us, but also it’s also a battle against the devil, whom Peter describes as a roaring or a prowling lion in 5:8. 

I think what Peter is saying is that as born again, recreated, new creatures, and as citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, who remain in the world for the sole purpose of fulfilling the ministry of reconciliation that began with the death and resurrection of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5)…because of all these present realities, we wage war against whatever stands in opposition to God and his kingdom. We are not only to resist all fleshy temptations, especially the temptation to give up when struggles and trials seem to overwhelm us…but we are also meant to resist the devil, to bind the strong man, to prevail against the very portals of hell so that we might plunder his defeated kingdom despite heavy resistance and conflict. 

In this sense, we are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and crush Satan under our feet. You see, in choosing life instead of death believers cease from sin (not necessarily cease to sin) because in Jesus we have moved from the old to the new. In Jesus we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). In Jesus we have come to the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22). In Jesus we have been raised up together with him and we have been seated in heavenly places with him. In Jesus we are citizens of his kingdom 

(Ephesians 2:6). The old has passed away, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The world we battle is marked by the flesh, sin, and human desires; but the realm in which faithful believers now live is shaped by the mind of Christ and the will of God. This contrast echoes Jesus’ words to Peter in Mark 8:33: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Whether we recognise it or not, believers live on a battlefield. Yet we are armed with a different mindset from our opponents – one that enables us to endure suffering and move toward victory, because Jesus has already overcome everything set against us. And if God is for us, who can stand against us?

Although we might not always be aware of it, depending on what we are focussing on, the old realm of the flesh is presently being dismantled. Because of who we are in Jesus we have entered a spiritual sphere for Christian living and therefore the various categories of sin outlined here by Peter are no longer fitting – they are completely inconsistent and incompatible with who we are in Jesus and therefore we ought no longer to practice them…we are to stand against them, fight against them, and defeat them…that is the fleshly part of the battle we face daily. 

Of course, as we seek to live lives that reflect our new standing in Jesus, our behaviour will seem odd to those of the old order. They will mock us and slander us. They will go out of their way to tempt us and trip us up. They will oppose us and reject us and perhaps even seek to violently suppress us. But that is why we must live faultless lives so that their accusations will be unfounded. 

Peter has told us repeatedly throughout his epistle that the life of a believer ought to imitate the life of Jesus…our suffering replicates his suffering. Therefore slander against us recalls slander against Jesus. And as they oppose us, they oppose him, and therefore their actions are blasphemous and they will have to give an account to God for their resistance.

There is an interesting possible echo here of what Peter said in chapter 3:15, in that while believers need to be ready to give an account to others for their behaviour when they are judged, nonbelievers will give an account to God for their behaviour when they are judged by him. Whether this echo was intentional or not it does emphasize that, in both cases, God is the ultimate and only truly righteous judge of the living and the dead. 

This highlights the universality of judgment as God is the creator and owner of everything in existence. As such, when Peter reminds us of this fact, he gives us hope to persevere as we faithfully press on against all that resists us in the flesh and in the spirit. In many ways, as long as we are on this side of eternity, we straddle two domains – the domain of the flesh in which we struggle against our own fallen human desires and in which we suffer the slander of those who remain dead in their trespasses and sins – as well as the domain of the spirit in which we stand reconciled, restored, resurrected, recreated, and revived. But our focus must always remain on the domain of the spirit if we are to live in the spirit.

Now, verse 7, “The end of all things is at hand,” is more often than not interpreted in terms of the end of time. And liberals have a field day with this type of interpretation as they point out that if that is the meaning of the text (that Peter believed the Second Coming of Jesus was imminent), then Peter was obvious wrong and therefore his words are fallible and that train of thought often leads to a denial of the reliability of Scripture. But besides that, this interpretation seems to contradict the clear teaching of Jesus regarding the unexpected and unknowable moment of the end of the age. 

So, some scholars have either opted to say that this verse can mean the definitive turning point of the ages introduced by Christ's first coming, placing all believers throughout time in a permanent "last days" era. While others have said that the phrase "at hand" functions to create a permanent posture of readiness and moral seriousness for every generation of believers, regardless of the exact date on the calendar. Still others connect the "end of all things" to the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (that occurred in AD 70), which radically upended the old Jewish religious order.

But given the context of this passage, I wonder if what Peter meant was that their current situation was to end soon. Remember, in chapter 1:6 he says, “In this you rejoice, though now (and here comes the relevant bit) for a little while, you have been grieved by various trials…so that the tested genuineness of your faith…may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 

Also, in chapter 5:10, Peter alludes to a limited time of affliction. “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” It seems clear to me that Peter believed that their period of trial and tribulation would soon end…he was expecting deliverance from suffering, not the second coming of Jesus. 

So, if we then read, in the light of what he said about a limited period of trial in chapter 1 and in chapter 5, if we then read what he says here in chapter 4:7, “The end of all things is at hand, therefore be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers,” is it not possible that he is simply encouraging them to hang in there, to not lose focus, to concentrate on living out the genuineness of their faith, because the trial they are currently enduring won’t last forever?

We know of at least the ending of two serious outbursts of persecution that were recorded in the book of Acts. The first was the persecution that started after the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 8:1) and ended with the conversion of Saul who later became Paul (Acts 9:31). The second was the persecution started by Herod (Acts 12:1) that ended with the violent death of Herod (Acts 12:23) as divine judgement. In both cases, it was the Lord himself who stopped the persecution…one could say he prevailed as judge over both Saul and Herod. Other persecutions recorded in Acts were also sporadic and short lived. Even the great tribulation under the Emperor Nero which is not recorded in Acts ended with the suicide of Nero. 

The early Jewish believers in what is modern northern Turkey needed to be encouraged so that they might navigate the painful geopolitical and religious shifts of their time. So, could it be that Peter's call for them to be "self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers" was a practical and urgent command for them to endure their fiery trials as none of them would be permanent? 

Could it be that he is saying something similar to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 where he writes that "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all", in other words, encouraging his readers to look at things that are eternal rather than the things that are temporary? Or something like what he says in Romans 8:18 that "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us"? 

From my own personal experience, I think what helps most believers through times of suffering is the knowledge that it is temporary. Even if suffering follows us all the days of our earthly life, we know that ultimately, we will live on for eternity in a place where suffering is no more. No more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more sickness, no more death.

So, in my humble opinion, I believe this is what Peter is telling us here in 4:7. Don’t focus on what is transitory. Focus on what is eternal. Otherwise our prayers will be skewed or hindered because our focus will be on the darkness and not on the light or on lies and not on truth or on people rather than on God.

This renewed focus is the basis upon which we build community in the here and now. We live as those who have already inherited that which is to be. If we are living stones being built up as a spiritual house with Jesus as our cornerstone…if we are a holy priesthood…if we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God…if we are to be his own personal possession…if we are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvellous light…then it seems obvious to me that we ought to live in a manner that will achieve these things, don’t you? 

God is love and anyone born of God loves as he loves…so we must love each other earnestly…forgiving one another, covering or smothering sin through love.

And because we are stewards of everything we own, whether these are physical things or spiritual things, we must freely and selflessly share them with each other. I think that’s what Peter means when he strings together these commands to be hospitable (the sharing of physical things such as shelter and food) and to serve one another through the exercising of our spiritual gifts (the sharing of spiritual things such as the various forms of teaching and serving). 

We ought to do all these things…love each other and serve each other…because our aim is to glorify God in everything we do in the name of Jesus. We must always remember that our actions proclaim a message…either a message that blasphemes the name of our God or a message that honours the name of our God.

In many ways, Peter is simply repeating what Jesus says…that people will know that we are his followers by our love for one another.

And since it is God who gives us everything we have…salvation, sanctification, spiritual gifts and the strength to practice them…since everything we are and everything we ever will be is because of who God is and what he has done and what he is doing…it is God who must receive glory. 

Since God is the source and culmination of all things…since he is the author and finisher of our faith…since he is the beginning and the end of all things…since he is the giver of all things…since he is the perfector of all things…all glory and dominion belongs to him for ever and ever.

Focusing on God, who he is, what he has done, and what he is doing, rather than on our problems, struggles, trials, or the hurtful things others may say or do, requires an intentional renewing of the mind. It means preparing our minds for action by turning our attention away from fear and toward the truth of God’s character and promises. 

When life feels heavy, we can redirect our focus through simple, faithful practices:

Praise God for who he is, remembering his goodness, his kindness, his compassion, his grace, his mercy, his forgiveness, his power, his faithfulness, and his love. 

Surrender control to him, trusting that he is at work even when circumstances remain difficult. 

Meditate on Scripture, allowing the truth of God’s Word to shape our thoughts, prayers, and responses. 

And finally, practice daily habits of prayer, thanksgiving, and obedience that keep our eyes fixed on what is eternal.

The way you live is determined by the way you think, and the way you think is determined by what you believe, and what you believe is determined by what Scripture teaches us about God and his ways. 

Ultimately, it’s all a matter of focus.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2026

A New Behaviour Based on A New Beginning

Psalm 34:12-16                           1 Peter 3:8–22                               Matthew 5:38-48

A New Behaviour Based on A New Beginning

For the past few weeks we have been working through the first epistle of Peter. So far, we have seen that Peter is writing to newborn, infant Jewish believers living in what is today northern Turkey. They were likely converted, and perhaps initially discipled, in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church and more than 3,000 Jews and proselytes from across the world were brought into the kingdom of God.

Peter has already laid the foundation for their new behaviour: the astounding grace of God, revealed at the cross through the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf. Because of this grace, believers are called to abandon everything that fails to reflect the holy character of God, for we have been called out of darkness into his marvellous light.

Because of our new identity as living stones being built into a holy habitation for a holy God, we are to live as his holy priesthood. Our lives should reflect his character so clearly that those who observe us are led to glorify God.

Peter then gives practical guidance for believers seeking to live out their Christian witness in difficult circumstances, including slavery and unequally yoked marriages. In each case, he presents the silent suffering of Jesus as the supreme example of selfless conduct for the sake of the salvation of others.

In today’s passage, Peter now addresses the whole church as he concludes his discussion of appropriate social relations, both among believers within the covenant community and toward those outside it. Verse 8 is actually written as a series of participles rather than direct imperatives and is perhaps better rendered as descriptive instead of prescriptive. In other words, this is who you are as believers therefore you ought to behave in a manner fitting your true identity. 

So, the verse could therefore be translated as: “Finally, being united in mind, and being a sympathetic, loving, tender-hearted, and humble community, do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult. Rather, bless others, knowing that you were called to this, so that you may inherit blessing.” In the previous section, slaves, wives, and husbands are enjoined to repay opposition or even ill-treatment with a non-retaliatory response, so here, Peter reminds us that because we are a community founded upon the life of a non-retaliatory, loving, tender-hearted, and humble Saviour, we ought to follow his example in how we relate to others, especially those who oppose us or oppress us. 

This corresponds to our Lord’s own teaching in Matthew 5:38-42: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”  

Or as Paul teaches in Romans 12:19-21: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” 

The correlation between our blessing others (especially our enemies, abusers, oppressors, and persecutors) and then receiving blessing ourselves is also based on then teaching of our Lord. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” 

So, it seems plausible that what Peter is telling us here is that just as our Lord was called to suffer for the salvation of his enemies, so too are we called to suffer to make this salvation known to our enemies. Therein lies our inheritance of blessing. 

Again, it is possible that Isaiah 53:12 is in the background here: "Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he will divide the booty with the strong; because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors". This prophecy states that because Jesus suffered death and bore sin, God gave him a great reward and portion. Or as the author to the Hebrews says: While it is true that we don’t yet see the subjugation of all things, “we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death". Once again, the death and suffering of Jesus led to his inheriting the crown of glory. 

But ultimately, it is the nations that are to be his inheritance. “Ask of me,” the Lord says in Psalm 2, “and I will give you the nations as your inheritance.” So, here in Peter’s talk about the inheritance of a blessing, we hear an echo of Matthew 28:18-20. “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me,” Jesus says. “Therefore, wherever you may go, make the nations my disciples…” Bring all under my authority. 

You see, God has called us to be images of Jesus in this hostile world, and that may very well involve suffering in silence.

In quoting Psalm 34:12-16, Peter provides a summary of all he said so far. We do not give evil for evil but commit ourselves to the one who will deal justly with those who seek to harm us. Remember, Peter is writing to a community who is suffering not only slander but some form of hostile reaction and he is seeking to remind them, and us, that as we are followers of a suffering saviour, our response to evil must be to bless.

In one sense, we ought not to fear harm if we follow the teaching of Scripture as our behaviour will be centred on the good of others, but Peter is realistic and therefore adds that if we do suffer unjustly, we should not lose hope because we are blessed…and nothing can ever take away our state of blessedness. It is possible that he is alluding to Matthew 5:11-12 where Jesus says: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

And as we fear God rather than humanity, we ought to sanctify him in our hearts by showing in our behaviour that Jesus is our Lord…that we are not governed by the things unbelievers fear and therefore do not need to retaliate as they do. However, we ought at all times to be ready to witness to our faith when our opponents demand that we explain ourselves. But again, note that our witness is governed by the example of Jesus…we present our defence in gentleness and humility, not in arrogance or anger.

Peter’s appeal to a clear conscience once more highlights the injunction that if we do suffer it must not be deserved. The shame on their opposition (the heaping of burning coals on their heads in the words of the Psalmist) must be because they have brought charges against the innocent.

Those who suffer because of their faith in God know that they are not suffering because of any fault in their behaviour, especially when it is their good behaviour on behalf of others that is the catalyst for opposition or persecution. In fact, insofar as we can discern God’s hand in our suffering, we are able to rejoice. This may sound strange to our 21st century ears, but the Scriptures are full of allusions to the sacredness of suffering…indeed, it is through suffering that we have received salvation. 

During the later persecutions in Rome under the emperor Nero, it was the non-retaliatory endurance of believers, and their steadfast faith in Jesus despite facing some of the worst forms of torture imaginable, that turned relentless persecution into a powerful pulpit. As Tertulian wrote in about AD 200: “"The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed." 

Now you may ask, “Why would God will our suffering for good conduct?” Good question!

The answer, I think, lies in what our suffering proclaims. In our suffering, we participate in and proclaim the redemptive suffering of our Saviour. Jesus suffered so that we might live, the sinless for the sinful, the righteous for the unrighteous. And because we are in him, because we are his representatives in the world, there is a sense in which we too suffer so that others might see the Gospel in and through us and subsequently come to faith in him and live.

Just as God reconciled the world to himself through the suffering of Jesus, so we have been given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-6:1). And that ministry requires us to sacrifice much of what the world considers valuable, secure, or worthy, for the sake of the reconciliation of others.

And this is where Peter takes us next. He says in verses 18-22:

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit. In the Spirit he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison who had formerly been disobedient during the days of Noah, when God’s patience waited while the ark was being prepared. In that ark, a few, that is, eight persons, were rescued through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not by washing away fleshly pollution, but by an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.”

Now, these verses are notoriously difficult to interpret, and I do not want to pretend that they are simpler than they are. But I think Peter is drawing our attention to something much bigger than the question of what precisely happened to Jesus between his death and resurrection.

He is drawing together the stories of Noah, the Flood, baptism, death, resurrection, and new creation…of creation, de-creation, and re-creation.

Think about what happens in the Flood. There is, in a sense, a global de-creation. The waters cover the earth once again, just as they had before God separated the waters and dry land appeared (so that human beings, plants, and land animals might live) in the Creation account. But during the Flood, this is reversed. The world as it was known is overwhelmed. Human beings, plants, and land animals perish beneath the waters. This is an image of de-creation.

But the Flood is not the end of the story.

Through the ark, a remnant passes safely through the waters, and when the waters recede, a renewed or re-created world emerges on the other side. Creation begins again. Noah steps out onto a cleansed earth, and God gives humanity once again the command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. (This is equally true of the Israelites passing through the Red Sea and the Jordan River, but that is a sermon for another time.)

But what is important for us to note at this point, is that there is a de-creation and a re-creation. Death gives way to new life, and I think that is the connection Peter wants us to see because the pattern appears again in Jesus.

The death of Jesus is itself a kind of de-creation. Here is the one who is utterly without sin, the one Paul calls the Second Adam. The first Adam brought death into God's good creation through disobedience; the Second Adam enters into death while remaining completely obedient to God or sinless, and therefore death cannot hold him.

But here’s the imagery. Jesus dies. He is buried. He descends into the realm of the dead. It is a de-creation image just as with the Flood, but, as with Noah, death does not have the final word.

The resurrection of Jesus (his emerging from the depths of the waters that smother life, if you will) becomes the beginning of a new creation. He is, as Paul calls him, “the firstborn from the dead.” The one who entered into death emerges from it into resurrection life.

And there is an important parallel here. Noah's message was rejected by those around him, yet the Flood vindicated what Noah had proclaimed. And in the same way, Jesus was rejected, condemned, and crucified, yet his resurrection vindicated the message that had been rejected. The resurrection reveals that what appeared to be defeat was actually the beginning of something new.

And this, I believe, helps us understand why Peter suddenly connects the Flood with baptism.

Baptism is not merely about getting washed. It is not simply a symbolic washing away of what pollutes the flesh. Peter is deliberately drawing our attention to the deeper pattern: death and life, judgment and salvation, de-creation and re-creation. The old world passes through the waters, and something new emerges.

In fact, this connection between Noah, the Flood, and baptism is not merely something we find in Peter. It became part of the visual language of the early and later Christian Church. Ancient baptisteries were often decorated with scenes of Noah and the Flood, sometimes in fresco and sometimes in mosaic, precisely because the Flood was understood as a biblical prefiguration of baptism. The great Baptistery of St John in Florence, for example, places Noah and the Flood within its Genesis cycle, and the baptistery's own interpretation explicitly connects the Flood with the meaning of baptism.

That is significant. Imagine entering a baptistery to be immersed in water and looking up at images of the Flood. The message is almost impossible to miss: the water that brought judgment upon the old world becomes, through God's saving purpose, the means through which Noah passes into a renewed world. And that is precisely the imagery Peter is using.

Paul makes the same connection in Colossians 2:11–12: “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision [or death] of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

And again in Romans 6:3-4: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Notice the movement again: death, burial, and resurrection. De-creation and re-creation.

In baptism, we participate symbolically in the death and burial of Jesus, and we are raised with him into new life. What the rite of circumcision anticipated…the putting off of the flesh from the organ of procreation through the shedding of blood …is fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus and is portrayed in our baptism.

So baptism takes us back to Creation. It takes us through the de-creation of the Flood. It takes us forward to the re-creation that emerged when Noah stepped out of the ark. (And you can add here the re-creation of the enslaved people of Israel through the waters of the Red Sea, but that’s Paul’s image in 1 Corinthians 10, not Peter’s here.) But ultimately, baptism takes us to the Gospel itself…to the death and resurrection of Jesus…through de-creation and re-creation…through which God has begun his new creation in and through us.

And that brings us back to the question with which we began: why would God will our suffering for good conduct?

Because we are not simply people waiting to escape this world. We are people who belong to the new creation, living in the midst of the old creation and bearing witness to the One through whom God is making all things new.

Through Jesus, we have been given new life and just as Adam was given the task of filling the earth and exercising dominion over the earth, and just as Noah was given the task of doing the same again after the Flood, so those who have been made new in Jesus are given a task. 

We are to go into the world and make disciples of all the nations. We have been given the ministry Jesus began in his death and resurrection…the ministry of reconciliation…a ministry that may demand the same type of suffering…the same type of self-sacrificial living…as that of Jesus.

And suddenly the whole passage, and, indeed, much of Peter's letter so far, begins to come together. We have been reborn, so we are to live differently. We no longer live in the realm of darkness; we live in the realm of light. We no longer live in the realm of death; we live in the realm of life. We are no longer defined by the old creation; we belong to the new creation. And because we belong to the new creation that is ours in Jesus, we are entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation.

As Paul says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ (or through the death and resurrection of Jesus) reconciled us to himself and (then) gave us the ministry of reconciliation…”

That is where Peter's argument takes us. Our suffering is not meaningless because our suffering also bears witness to the Gospel.

Our suffering proclaims the pattern we see throughout Scripture: death does not have the final word. The waters of judgment become the waters through which God brings his people into a new beginning. The cross becomes the doorway to resurrection. And those who have been raised with Jesus are now sent into the world as ambassadors of the new creation.

We suffer, not because God has abandoned us, but because we belong to the One whose suffering brought life to the world. And our calling as re-created beings, is to live that new life and to invite others into it.

 Our suffering in this world takes on a whole new meaning once we understand that our citizenship is in heaven…that we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. And because our citizenship is secure above, we not only look forward to the return of Jesus Christ at the end of all things, but our primary loyalty and identity belong to heaven right now, not just in the future. God views us as part of his heavenly kingdom while we still live on Earth.

So I challenge you all to prayerfully meditate on these passages, asking the Holy Spirit to transform your old negative way of thinking so that your new positive way of thinking will match what the Word says about your identity and your status and your position and your citizenship. Ask God to help you comprehend this glorious truth and then ask him to help you respond appropriately as his new creations living as witnesses in a world being made new one heart at a time.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2026

Our Identity in Jesus

Isaiah 53:4-7, 9                        1 Peter 2:11-3:7                          Matthew 5:13-16

Our Identity in Jesus

We live in a world that is deeply confused about identity. Many people are told to define themselves by their desires, achievements, wounds (professionally diagnosed or self-diagnosed), politics, tribe, work, sexuality (take your pick from a mindboggling smorgasbord of possible gender definitions), family background, nationality, success, suffering, or social media image. The result is often not freedom but fragmentation. If the self must be invented from within, defended before others, and constantly revised according to the expectations of the age, then identity becomes a burden too heavy to carry.

Peter writes to Christians who were living under immense pressure. They were misunderstood, misrepresented, and sometimes slandered. They were accused of being socially dangerous, disrespectful, unpatriotic, and strange. Later Roman writers such as Tacitus and Suetonius would describe Christians as hated for their “abominations” or as followers of a “new and impious superstition.” Yet Peter does not tell the Church to answer confusion with panic, hostility, withdrawal, or self-protection. He calls them to remember who they are: beloved by God, chosen in Christ, exiles in the world, servants of God, and witnesses to the glory of the Father.

This is the central movement of 1 Peter 2:11-3:7. Christian conduct flows from Christian identity. We do not serve in order to become someone; we serve because in Jesus Christ we already know who we are. We are free, yet servants of God. We are citizens of earthly nations, yet our final allegiance belongs to the kingdom of heaven. We are called to honour others, love the family of believers, fear God, and honour our leaders. However, we are not shaped by the confusion around us, but by the crucified and risen Lord who bore our sins and healed our mortal wounds.

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” And then he added, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Christian service, then, is not a performance for applause; it is the visible expression of a settled identity in Christ.

Peter begins, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” As I said last week, the word “beloved” comes first. Before Peter speaks about abstaining, submitting, suffering, serving, or witnessing, he reminds believers who they are: that they are loved. Their identity does not begin with social rejection but with divine acceptance. They are not spiritual orphans trying to earn a place in God’s household. They belong there because they are his adopted children. They are his beloved.

Yet at the same time, they are also “sojourners and exiles.” That means that although Christians live in the world, they do not belong to the world’s ultimate order. We participate in society, work, family life, civic responsibility, and public service, but we do so as people whose identity is found in God. This creates a holy tension. There are two spheres, two value systems, two visions of life: the kingdom of self and the kingdom of God; the darkness of disordered desire and the clarity that is ours in the light of Jesus.

Peter does not tell Christians to withdraw into private spirituality. He says, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honourable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” The Church’s answer to slander is not argument but visible holiness. The goal is not personal vindication. The goal is that observers may one day glorify God because of what they observe in our behaviour.

This matters because the early Christians were frequently accused of undermining society. In Acts, Stephen was accused of speaking against the temple and the law; Paul was accused of persuading people to worship God “contrary to the law”; and in Jerusalem the crowd claimed that he taught against the people, the law, and the holy place. Such accusations were not merely theological. They implied that Christian faith produced social disorder. Peter’s answer is that Christian identity should produce the opposite: honourable conduct, faithful citizenship, disciplined desire, and public good.

Peter continues, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” This does not mean that the state is ultimate, righteous in all its actions, or worthy of worship. No, it means that because God is the Creator and Judge, Christians should not be lawless, rebellious, or careless citizens. Romans 13 teaches us that governing authorities have a real, though limited, role under God: to restrain evil and commend what is good. Daniel 2:21 reminds us that it is God who “removes kings and sets up kings,” and Psalm 75 teaches that political or civic promotion does not finally come from east or west, but from the Lord who judges.

And in this light, the Christian motive is crucial: we are to be subject to earthly authorities “for the Lord’s sake.” We obey earthly authority because we are first under God’s authority. Therefore, Christian submission is never servile worship of power. It is disciplined obedience under the lordship of Jesus. When the state does what is proper, we honour it. When the state commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands, we obey God rather than human beings. The choice may be clear, even though the application of that choice may not be quite so straightforward…and the cost may be high. 

Peter summarizes Christian public life in four short commands: “Honour everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the emperor.” Notice the order and distinction. Everyone is to be honoured because all people bear the image of God. The family of believers is to be loved with covenant loyalty. God alone is to be feared. And while the emperor is to be honoured, he is not to be feared as God. While Proverbs 24:21 instructs us to “fear the Lord and the king,” Peter sharpens the Christian confession: fear God; honour the emperor.

This speaks powerfully to modern Christian service. In public life, Christians should be known neither for blind loyalty to political power nor for reflexive contempt. We should be honest citizens, careful voters, truthful speakers, diligent taxpayers, faithful neighbours, and courageous witnesses. We pray “for kings and all who are in high positions,” as 1 Timothy 2 says, so that we may live peaceful, godly, and dignified lives. Our service in society is rooted not in fear of losing influence but in confidence that Christ is Lord.

Peter then addresses household slaves. Now, at this point I think that it is important to say clearly that Peter is not condoning slavery. What he is doing is instructing believers who are already trapped within a harsh social order how to live faithfully before God. In the first-century world, slaves could be treated as property, exposed to exploitation, and punished severely for rebellion. While some skilled slaves could gain freedom, many lived with little security and few rights. Peter speaks into that painful reality without pretending it is good.

His instruction is not based on the worthiness of the master but on the example of Jesus. “For this is a gracious thing,” Peter says, “when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.” There is no glory in suffering for wrongdoing. But when someone does good and suffers for it, and endures because of conscience toward God, that endurance becomes a witness.

Then Peter takes us to the cross: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” Christian service is cruciform. It takes the shape of Jesus, Peter tells us. He who “committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” Here Peter draws from Isaiah 53: “He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” Jesus was innocent, yet he suffered. He was reviled yet did not revile in return. He suffered yet uttered no threats because he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.

Isaiah had said, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows”; “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities”; “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” For Peter, the suffering of Jesus is not only for our salvation, but it is also our pattern. The silence of Jesus was not weakness; it was trust. His refusal to retaliate was not passivity; it was obedience. And consequently, his wounds were not signs of defeat; they were signs of healing.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” Sin separates us from the source of life. Isaiah 59 says, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” Death is not merely a penalty imposed from outside; it is the consequence of being cut off from life itself. But Jesus, the sinless One, entered our death so that we might receive his life. He is the wounded Healer whose wounds heal wounded sinners.

Therefore, the bad behaviour of the world is never an excuse for the bad behaviour of the Church. Retaliation may feel natural, but it does not reveal Christ. Jesus was silent before his accusers and before those who mocked him. He blessed rather than cursed. He entrusted judgment to God. In the same spirit, Jesus taught, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you,” and Paul wrote, “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat.” Indeed, we pray to be forgiven in the same way as we forgive and, in many ways, we are called to forgive because we are forgiven.

Peter’s teaching here can be applied today in workplaces, schools, hospitals, businesses, farms, offices, shops, public service, ministry teams, volunteer organisations, and homes. Christian employees should work with integrity not only when supervisors are fair but also when circumstances are difficult. Christian leaders should exercise authority as stewardship, not domination. Christian volunteers should serve without needing constant recognition. Christian citizens should seek the good of their communities even when misunderstood. We do not serve because people always deserve it. We serve because Jesus is our Lord, and because others may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

Peter next speaks to wives and husbands, some of whom have become Christians, but have remained married to unbelieving spouses. Now, I think we must handle these verses carefully. The passage is not general, but specific, nor is it a licence for domestic tyranny, spiritual manipulation, or the subjugation of women. Just as Peter’s words to slaves do not condone slavery, his words to those who are married do not condone oppression. He is addressing Christians living in very difficult situations, in this case, those who were married to unbelieving spouses, and he is showing them how their conduct can become a witness to Christ.

The word “likewise” connects this section to the behaviour of slaves based on the example of Jesus. Wives with unbelieving husbands are called to live in such a way that their husbands “may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.” This does not mean words never matter. It means that persistent argument cannot replace holy character. The beauty Peter commends is not merely external adornment but “the hidden person of the heart” with “the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

In the ancient world, external adornment, hairstyles, clothing, and jewellery could communicate status, wealth, and social identity. Peter’s point is not that beauty, clothing, or cultural signs are evil. His point is that Christian identity is not finally displayed by social symbols but by a heart formed by hope in God. The wedding ring, the title, the uniform, the job description, the public profile, or the family role may say something about us, but none of them can carry the weight of our truest identity. That belongs to Jesus.

Peter also speaks to husbands: “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honour to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” In that culture, women were socially vulnerable, often as vulnerable as children and slaves. Peter does not exploit that vulnerability; he commands husbands to honour their wives. He reminds them that women are heirs with them of the grace of life. Before God, husband and wife stand together as recipients of grace.

This is a searching word for every Christian household. Spirituality cannot be separated from the way we treat the people closest to us. Peter says that a husband’s prayers may be hindered by dishonourable behaviour toward his wife. James says that we may ask and not receive because we ask wrongly, to spend it on our passions. Prayer is nourished by humility, faithfulness, and self-giving love; it is hindered by selfishness, cruelty, and contempt.

This means that Christian service transcends our circumstances. If our identity is in Jesus, then our homes and our places of employment must become places where the grace of life is visible: in patience, listening, repentance, forgiveness, protection, faithfulness, and honour.

What, then, does this passage say to us today? It says that Christian service is not primarily a strategy for influence, or a method for gaining approval, or a way to prove our worth. Christian service is the overflow of our identity in Jesus. We serve as beloved exiles. We serve as free servants of God. We serve as people healed by the self-sacrificial wounds of Jesus. We serve as citizens of heaven who seek the good of the earth. We serve as people whose final vindication rests with the righteous Judge.

So the modern equivalents are everywhere. In the workplace, the Christian employee refuses dishonesty, gossip, laziness, and revenge, and instead works as one serving the Lord. In leadership, the Christian employer or manager refuses exploitation and uses authority to protect, bless, and build up. In public life, the Christian citizen refuses both idolatry of the state and contempt for order, and instead honours all, fears God, and seeks justice for all with humility. In marriage and family, the Christian refuses domination, neglect, and selfishness, and instead embodies honour, understanding, and sacrificial love. In online spaces, the Christian refuses slander, outrage, and identity-performance, and instead speaks truth with gentleness and reverence.

None of this is weakness. It is the strength of people who know who they are. The world often says, “Assert yourself or disappear.” But Jesus says, “Lose your life for my sake, and you will find it.” The world says, “Your identity is whatever you can construct and defend.” But the gospel says, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” The world says, “Defend your rights!” Peter says, “Follow Jesus, who entrusted himself to the One who judges justly.”

Yes, Peter’s call here is demanding – it is counter-cultural in so many ways – but it is also deeply liberating. We do not have to manufacture an identity out of the fragments of a confused age. We have received our identity in Jesus. We were straying like sheep, but now we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. We were mortally wounded by sin, but by his wounds we have been eternally healed. We were alienated from God, but in Jesus we have been brought home.

Therefore, we can serve without fear. We can honour without worshipping human power. We can submit without surrendering conscience. We can suffer without despair. We can speak truth without hatred. We can be silent without cowardice. We can do good even when misunderstood, because the cross has already defined us and the resurrection has already secured our future.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” A confused world does not need a Church that mirrors its confusion. It needs a Church that knows its Lord. It needs Christians whose identity is so secure in Jesus that they are free to serve, free to forgive, free to honour, free to suffer for righteousness, and free to love without needing applause.

So let us keep our conduct honourable. Let us live as beloved exiles. Let us serve as free servants of God. Let us follow in the steps of the suffering Christ. And let our light shine before others, so that when they see our good works, they may not glorify us, but our Father who is in heaven.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2026

Standing in the Gap: A Call to Prayer for Europe

Johann and Louise: Training Disciples to Make Disciples in the Netherlands As we look back over the past few months, Louise and I have much for which to give thanks to God. In fact, before we say anything about the challenges before us, we want to begin with praise! Louise continues to be cancer free, and we are profoundly grateful for every prayer that has been offered on her behalf. We do not take this good news for granted but give thanks to the Lord for His mercy and faithfulness. I have also recently received a very encouraging report from the cardiology department. My heart is doing so well that the doctors have taken me off some of my medication because I no longer need it! This is especially significant when I remember what life was like in Africa. There, I was experiencing episodes of atrial fibrillation almost every day, sometimes two or three times a day, and some would last for hours, leaving me completely exhausted. Since moving to the Netherlands, I have experienced only a few very brief episodes, sometimes lasting just seconds, and even those are becoming less frequent. Health-wise, our move to the Netherlands has proved to be a very wise and timely one. But I have come to believe that our move here was about much more than our physical health. Europe is a remarkable continent. Its history has shaped much of the modern world, but it has also been marked by enormous suffering. Two devastating World Wars were fought across this soil. Yet there is another battle taking place…one that cannot be seen on a physical battlefield or measured by military strength and is yet devastatingly real. Europe has become a spiritual battleground. As the number of people who actively follow Jesus continues to decline in many parts of Europe, a spiritual vacuum is developing. Increasingly, as people are turning to humanistic philosophies and alternative spiritualities, other religions are becoming increasingly visible through immigration and demographic change. But we do not believe that Europe is beyond the reach of God. Quite the opposite. We believe God has sent us here to shine the light of Jesus into a place where that light is desperately needed. The odds may sometimes seem overwhelming. The few remaining churches are often small. Christian influence appears to be diminishing. Many believers have laboured faithfully for years without seeing the fruit they long for. But the gospel has never depended upon favourable circumstances. After Jesus' resurrection, the disciples gathered together and devoted themselves to prayer. Then, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out, thousands were added to the Church, and the missionary movement that followed spread throughout the world. A handful of ordinary disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, turned the world upside down in the first century (Acts 17:16). However, it is no coincidence that prayer preceded the outpouring of the Spirit and the pouring out of the Spirit filled. One of the things we sense God doing increasingly in our own lives and ministry is calling us to pray more earnestly and intentionally than ever before. It is fascinating to see how many 24/7 prayer movements and prayer communities are being raised up around the world, and particularly here in Europe. Centres devoted to prayer, meditation, creativity, hospitality and biblical learning are emerging in cities and rural communities alike. Even in our little church here in Heiloo, we sense the Lord drawing us towards a deeper commitment to prayer. We need you to pray with us. Not simply to pray for us, but to pray with us, to stand with us before the throne of God and ask Him to do what only He can do. •    Please pray that God will reveal Himself to the unbelievers around us. •    Pray that He will turn hearts towards Jesus. •    Pray that He will grant true repentance and faith. •    Pray that He will pour out His Holy Spirit upon individuals, churches and communities throughout Europe. •    Pray especially for discouraged believers who have laboured faithfully for years without seeing substantial fruit from their work. Ask God to renew their strength and give them fresh hope. •    And pray that we might see a genuine spiritual awakening…a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will awaken the Church and draw people who have never known Jesus into His kingdom. Jesus told His disciples that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. He spoke of binding the strong man and plundering his house. These are not merely theological ideas for us. They are a call to spiritual engagement. So we are asking you: stand in the gap with us. Pray. Persevere. Believe God for Europe. And we don't want to give the impression that we are simply looking at darkness and despair. Quite the opposite. We are seeing encouraging signs of God's grace. This has been an exceptionally busy summer for us. We have had opportunities to stand in for ministers who have taken their summer holidays, as well as continuing to serve in our own congregation here in Heiloo. Louise and I have been grateful for every opportunity to serve, preach, teach and encourage God's people. We also recently had a wonderful Vacation Bible School, with 18 children attending! It was a joy to see young lives being exposed to the gospel and to watch the enthusiasm of those who helped make the week possible. And then there is another particularly encouraging answer to prayer. A young man who has recently come to faith in Jesus after a background in Humanism and Buddhism has asked to be baptised! What a testimony to the grace of God. Please pray especially for his wife and son, that they too will encounter Jesus and come to know Him personally. These may seem like small things when measured against the spiritual needs of an entire continent. But the kingdom of God often begins with what looks small: one person, one family, one church, one prayer, one act of obedience. We are asking God to multiply those small beginnings. Will you stand with us? Ministry in Europe is not something we can do alone. We are deeply conscious that every prayer, every word of encouragement and every financial gift makes it possible for us to remain here and continue the work to which God has called us. Some of you have supported us faithfully and sacrificially for many years. Thank you. We genuinely could not do this without you. But we are also asking you to consider whether God might be calling you to deepen your involvement with us in this season. Perhaps that means praying more intentionally for Europe. Perhaps it means sharing our prayer requests with your church or small group. Perhaps it means asking someone else to join you in praying. We do not make this appeal lightly. We know that everyone faces personal pressures and that support is a matter of prayer and obedience before God. But we also know that ministry requires partners, people who are willing to stand alongside those who have been sent. Paul reminded the Philippians that their partnership in the gospel was precious to him. Mission has always been a partnership between those who go and those who send, between those who labour on the front lines and those who faithfully hold the ropes. We need you to stand in the gap with us. Europe desperately needs the gospel. We believe God has placed us here for such a time as this. And we believe that what He is doing is far greater than anything Louise and I could accomplish on our own. So would you join us? Pray with us. Give with us. Stand with us. Believe with us. Let us ask God for nothing less than a spiritual awakening across Europe…for churches to be renewed, for discouraged Christians to receive fresh courage, for the lost to encounter Jesus, and for the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into this ancient continent. The battle is real, but so is the power of God. And so is our hope. With gratitude for your partnership and with great expectation for what God may yet do, Johann & Louise van der Bij Support Us Johann and Louise spent two years helping to develop the St. Frumentius Seminary in Gambella, Ethiopia. They then worked in Southern Africa, serving in seven southern African countries, while continuing to work with the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa through engaging in a disciple making movement in order to grow the body of Christ. They are now serving in Heiloo, the Netherlands. We are sent  through the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, a missionary sending community, engaging in building relationships with the worldwide church to experience the broken restored, the wounded healed, the hungry fed, and the lost found through the love and power of Jesus Christ.  Support SAMS Copyright © 2016 Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, All rights reserved. www.sams-usa.org      Our mailing address is: PO Box 399 Ambridge PA 15003 Attention to: Johann and Louise van der Bijl Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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Being a Grace-Shaped Church

Psalm 34:8–18          1 Peter 2:1–12          Matthew 5:31–37

Being a Grace-Shaped Church

One of the many blessings of walking a well-marked trail is the reassurance it gives. Even if the path becomes steep, the weather changes, or the way ahead feels uncertain, the signs keep you oriented. They remind you where you are, where you have come from, and where you are going. Scripture does something similar for the people of God. When life becomes painful, confusing, or even hostile, God’s Word gives us the signs we need to keep walking in faith. 

Peter’s first readers needed those signs. They were new believers who had already endured various trials because of their faith in Jesus. Yet Peter does not begin by telling them simply to grow up, buck up, or keep quiet. He begins by lifting their eyes to the grace of God. In the opening chapter of his letter, he reminds them of the God who saved them, the mercy by which they were born again, the inheritance kept for them, and the living hope secured through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Only after Peter has saturated them in the greatness of the gospel does he turn to address their response. His pattern is important: grace comes before obedience. Identity comes before behaviour. God’s saving work comes before our faithful walk. So when Peter says, “Therefore,” he is not merely using a transition word; he is pointing us back to everything God has already done. Because God has acted in grace, his people are now called to live as a grace-shaped community.

This passage is also filled with Old Testament quotations and allusions. Peter is writing to believers who knew the Scriptures deeply. A single phrase from the Psalms, the Prophets, or the Torah could call an entire passage to mind. In that sense, Peter places trail markers throughout this text. Each one says, in effect: remember God’s grace; remember your deliverance; remember who you have become in Christ.

You see, the Christian life never graduates from grace. Every call to obedience is an invitation to begin again where salvation began…with God’s gracious initiative. 

So, Peter retells the story of Israel in the light of Jesus. God delivers his people, God calls them to be holy, God forms them into a priestly people, and finally God sends them to display his glory among the nations. 

The Church, in many ways, is living the Exodus story again, now fulfilled and centred in Jesus.

This pattern of the Exodus gives our passage from 1 Peter its shape:

In the Exodus, God delivers his people by grace.

At Sinai, God calls them to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests.

In the wilderness, they must learn to leave behind the habits of Egypt.

Among the nations, they are called to display the glory of God.

So, Peter begins: “Therefore, laying aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes long for the pure milk of God’s Word, that you may grow up into salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” The “therefore” here reaches back to chapter 1. Because you have been born again, because you have been redeemed, because you have received an imperishable inheritance, and because you have been purified by the living and abiding Word of God, you must now put away the habits that belong to the old life.

Again, this is the pattern of the Exodus before Sinai. The commandments did not create the new life; rather they described the life that already belonged to those whom God had already made new. God had already taken them out of Egypt and brought them to himself to be his own treasured possession – his own community. 

So, it is not surprising then that Peter begins by naming five sins that destroy community: malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. It is striking that he begins with relational sins. These are the sins that quietly poison God’s community from within. So, a grace-shaped church cannot cling to the habits that contradict grace…that is self-contradictory.

But notice that Peter does not merely say, “Stop behaving badly.” Rather, he contrasts these destructive sins with a new appetite: “like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of God’s Word.” 

Just as newborn children do not need to be persuaded to desire milk…just as life creates an appetite for life…so grace creates a hunger for the Word of God. 

You see, obedience is not manufactured by guilt; obedience grows from new life. Sinai never comes before the Exodus.

Now, Peter grounds this call on a quotation from Psalm 34: “now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” 

Psalm 34 speaks of the Lord’s faithful deliverance of his servant. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good,” the psalmist says. “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” 

Yet the same psalm immediately connects the experience of God’s goodness with a transformed life, which perhaps is the backdrop to what Peter says here: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit,” the Psalmist says. “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” 

Of course Peter expects his readers to hear the whole psalm behind the single phrase. “Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” Those who have tasted the goodness of the Lord must now become people whose speech, desires, and relationships bear witness to that goodness. 

You see, grace does not merely comfort us; it changes us. The Lord who has delivered us now also teaches us to seek peace and pursue it.

This is why I believe that verses 4–10 form the heart of this passage. Everything before this leads here, and everything after it flows from here. Peter now gathers some of the greatest images of the Old Testament and shows how they come to fulfilment in Christ and in the people joined to him.

Peter says that Jesus is a living stone rejected by men but that is, in the sight of God, chosen and precious. He is drawing on a statement from Isaiah 28: “Behold, I am the one.” God says, “who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line.” In its original setting, Isaiah speaks of judgement on false security. God himself lays the only foundation that will stand.

But Peter is also quoting from Psalm 118: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Again for his First Century readers, Jewish believers who were primarily oral learners and who had no doubt memorised huge portions of the Old Testament, one line would summon the whole psalm. 

And Psalm 118 is a song of deliverance from oppression, and it is the psalm echoed by the crowds when Jesus entered Jerusalem. The leaders rejected him, but God made him the cornerstone. What human builders dismissed, God established as the foundation of his new creation.

But then comes the astonishing part: believers become what they are joined to. Christ is the Living Stone, and those who come to him become “living stones” being built into a spiritual house. The temple in Jerusalem was built from magnificent but lifeless stones. In stark contrast, God’s new temple is built from living people. His dwelling place is now his redeemed community.

This also recalls the promise of the new covenant. God no longer writes his law merely on tablets of stone. But by his Spirit, he writes his law on living hearts. Ezekiel speaks of this gracious transformation: “I will take you from the nations (remember Peter uses the word ‘exiles’ to describe his readers in chapter 1:1) and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses... And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you... and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (or a living heart). And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes.”

But Jeremiah builds on the same thought: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

So, notice the contrast. God’s law was written on tablets of lifeless stone and the Temple in Jerusalem was built from magnificent but lifeless stones. Peter says God's new temple is built from living people who have the law written on our hearts.

But Peter does not stop with the image of the temple. He also says that believers are its priests: we are “a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Israel had been called to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” at Sinai. Although there was a particular priestly order within Israel, the nation as a whole was called to display God’s holy presence before the world. But now Peter applies that calling to all who are united to Christ.

He gathers the language of Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah into one glorious declaration: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 

In Exodus 19, God says, “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” In Deuteronomy, he tells Israel, “You are a people holy to the Lord your God... the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession.” Isaiah speaks of a people formed for God’s praise. Peter now declares that this identity belongs to the people gathered in and around Jesus.

This is not a break in God’s purposes but rather their fulfilment. Everything Israel was called to become reaches its goal in Jesus and in the people united to him. The Church is chosen, not for pride, but for proclamation; the Church is holy, not for isolation, but for witness; the Church is a kingdom of priests, not for privilege, but for service…for a witness to the nations.

Peter then reaches into the book of Hosea. “Once,” he says, “you were not a people, but now you are God’s people.” Remember, Hosea had named one of his children Lo-Ammi, “Not My People,” as a sign of Israel’s judgement. And yet in the very same text, the Lord also promised restoration: “In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’” Again he says, “I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people,’ and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”

Peter then adds a second allusion also taken from the book of Hosea: “Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Remember, Hosea’s daughter was named Lo-Ruhamah, “No Mercy,” because judgement had come upon a faithless people. Yet God’s final word is not rejection but covenant mercy. What had been “not mine” became “my people.” What had been “no mercy” became “mercy received.”

That is pure grace. Nothing changed because the people had earned it. God acted in covenant love. Peter says that this same story is now our story. Every Christian has been moved by grace from slavery to freedom, from estrangement into belonging, from judgement into mercy, from darkness into God’s marvellous light.

But Peter does not end with identity alone. He ends with what identity leads towards. He ends with mission. After declaring who the Church is, he shows us how the Church must live: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” Notice the order: “Beloved” comes before “I urge you.” Grace comes before command. Identity comes before behaviour.

Peter calls them sojourners and exiles. That takes us back to the Exodus once more. Israel had been delivered from Egypt but had not yet entered the fullness of the inheritance. The wilderness was not their home. But neither is this present world our final home. Like Peter’s First Century readers, we too are elect exiles of the dispersion. We no longer belong to the kingdom from which we have been rescued, and while it is true that we dwell in the world, we are not of the world.

Just as Israel had been delivered from Egypt, but had not yet entered their inheritance, and the wilderness was not their home, neither is this world as it is now ours. We no longer belong to the kingdom from which we have been rescued, nor do we belong to the wilderness in which we are currently wandering. We are citizens of the promised heavenly kingdom.

Therefore, Peter says, abstain from sinful desires. Not because such desires have the power to undo God’s grace, but because they belong to the former life of slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Grace has changed our citizenship. Grace has changed our appetites. Grace has changed our destination. We are living stones built on Christ. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and we are God’s own people. Our lives must now witness to the truth of what and who we are.

And then finally, Peter turns outward: “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honourable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” The Church exists to make God’s grace visible. We do not live faithfully merely so that the world will admire us. We live faithfully so that, even when misunderstood or opposed, our lives may bear witness to the God who called us out of darkness into his marvellous light.

So, throughout this passage Peter weaves together two threads: grace and obedience. But we must notice which thread carries the weight. Grace does. Every command hangs from a reminder of what God has already done. Every “therefore,” every quotation, and every allusion sends us back before it sends us forward.

Back to God’s gracious deliverance. Back to the cross. Back to the resurrection. Back to the mercy that made us God’s people. Back to the grace that gave us new birth. You see, the Christian life is not a journey away from grace toward maturity. No, it is a life built on grace and based on grace, out of which true maturity grows.

So what kind of church displays God’s grace most clearly? Well, not a church that merely knows the right doctrines, though doctrine matters. Not a church that merely follows the right rules, though obedience matters. 

No, the kind of church that displays God’s grace most clearly is a church built of living stones upon Christ the cornerstone; a church that has tasted the goodness of the Lord and therefore puts away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander; a church that knows it has received mercy and therefore becomes merciful; a church that lives sacrificially as a holy priesthood in the world so that others may see its good works and glorify God. 

That is a grace-shaped church: rescued by grace, formed by grace, sustained by grace, and sent out by grace to proclaim the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness into his marvellous light.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2026