In the first-century, the anchor was a symbol for hope and steadfastness for Christians suffering persecution. Anchors are found in many inscriptions in the catacombs of Rome, and they were worn by many Christians as a sign that their hope was in Christ alone. The source for this symbol is found in Hebrews 6:19,
“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.”
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Old Testament Reading – Ezekiel 36:22-32
New Testament Reading – 1 John 3:16-24
How Should We Then Live
“The Validation of Our Salvation” # 4
1 Peter 1:22-25
Pastor Wayne J. Edwards
Writing to Christians who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Apostle Peter challenged them to shift their focus from their temporal suffering to their eternal salvation. Thus far, we have looked at the:
- Definition of our salvation – “According to His abundant mercy [God] has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled.” 1 Peter 1:3-4
- Assurance of our salvation – “That does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:4-5
- Celebration of our salvation – “In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.” 1 Peter 1:6
- Validation of our salvation – “That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:7
- In 1 Peter 1:13-21, Peter said every believer owes God a proper response for what He has done to deliver us from the penalty of our sins, which is eternal death, and that the only adequate response is a life of hope, holiness, and honor.
- In 1 Peter 1:25-2:1, Peter said the believer’s proper response to himself would be to desire the pure milk of the Word so he can grow in his understanding of what God has done for him through Jesus Christ and to live his life in such a way that unbelievers see Christ in him, and be drawn to Christ to receive their gift of eternal salvation.
- In 1 Peter 1:22-25, Peter said the believer’s proper response to others is to love one another with the same kind and level of love the Father revealed to us in sending His own Son to give His life a ransom for our souls.
- John 13:34-35 – “By this shall all men know you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
- Romans 12:10 – Christians are to be “Devoted to one another in brotherly love.”
- Hebrews 13:1 – “Let the love of the brethren continue.”
- 1 John 3:11 – “This is the message which you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another.”
- Agape describes the love of God in sending His Son to be our Savior, and Peter said, the manifestation of such love for God, and others, is the validation of our salvation.
- Peter gave three reasons Christians are able to love one another fervently or with the “Love of the Lord!”
1. Because We Have Purified Our Souls – Vs. 22 – “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.”
The soul is the “person” that inhabits a human body – i.e., we don’t have a soul, we are a soul, and we have a body, for the body dies, but the soul lives forever.
- The souls of those who rejected God’s love while on earth are already living in hell, waiting for the day when they will face God’s final judgment.
- The souls of those who recognized their sins, their need for a Savior, and Jesus as the Savior they needed are in heaven, near the heart of God, waiting for nothing.
The soul is where all information is received, processed, and evaluated through our worldview. Then we express our feelings, and we exercise our will on all kinds of life issues.
- Peter said on the day we were born again, the Holy Spirit purged our soul from every sin, giving us the capacity and the ability to love others with the love of the Lord.
- In the perfect tense, the verb “purified” refers to an event in the past, but it also assumes a continuing action from that point forward.
- If we aren’t able to love one another today as we were on the day we were born again, we have allowed some impurity to enter into our soul, hindering the flow of God’s love through us to others.
- In 2 Peter 9-10, the Apostle said if those four qualities are not evident in a believer’s life, they have forgotten about the day the Holy Spirit purified them from their sins.
2. Because We Have Been Born Again – Vs. 23 – “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever.”
- Regardless of the spiritual question, the answer requires a review of one’s salvation experience.
- Those who are truly born again were given the supernatural ability to become all God designed and desired them to be and do all the things He calls them to do, including the ability to love others as He loves us.
- In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the Apostle Paul encouraged his readers to “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.”
- Did we recognize ourselves as sinners who were unable to redeem ourselves and cry out to God for His forgiveness?
- Did we genuinely confess and repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior?
- Did we fully die to ourselves and determine to walk in the newness of life?
- In Romans 5:5, the Apostle Paul said the instant we were born again, the love of God was “shed abroad” in our hearts, and at that moment, we were given the capacity and the ability to love one another the same way as God loves us.
- 1 Peter 1:22 – with a sincere love – not the love of the emotions, but the genuine fruit of the Holy Spirit.
- 1 Peter 1:22 – with a fervent love – stretching our love to the maximum – from the natural to the supernatural.
- 1 Peter 1:22 – from a pure heart – not because we are required to, but because we are inspired to, by the Holy Spirit Who dwells within us.
- 1 Peter 1:22 – love the brethren – and do it so lavishly unbelievers will see it and know we are Christians.
3. Because We Have Been Given a New Life – Vs. 23 – “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”
- Just as our physical birth came from the seed of our earthly father, which is perishable, our spiritual birth came from the Seed of God the Father, which is imperishable.
- The Seed of God the Father is the life-giving Word of God; the soul-saving gospel of Jesus Christ, which produces life within us that will never end, because the Word of God lives and abides forever.
- Since this eternal Seed is within us, we have the ability, and therefore, the obligation to love the brethren as commanded.
- In Matthew 22:37, Jesus said, loving others as we should begins with us loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and might – i.e., the more we love God, the more we will love others, beginning with the brethren.
