Introduction

As I write this, it is just a week after Thanksgiving, and this means many things. Among them, this is the week of leftovers. (Years ago, I got into some trouble when I made some less than complimentary comments about leftovers, so I’ll try to do better this time.) Hopefully this will help us to identify with our text in Mark’s Gospel, supplemented by the parallel account in Matthew, chapter 15. But in this marvelous text in the Gospel of Mark we see that God had some important lessons to teach the disciples, and us, from the leftovers:

51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, 52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened (Mark 6:51-52, NAU).

16 They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18 "HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." 20 "When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." 21 And He was saying to them, "Do you not yet understand?" (Mark 8:16-21)

Both early on, and later in our text, Mark calls our attention to the leftovers. In both instances, Jesus gently rebukes the disciples for being hard-hearted, so that they failed to grasp what the leftovers from the loaves should have taught them. To make things more challenging for his readers, Mark does not include an explanation of what it is that the disciples should have learned. So, we are left to figure it out, too. To do so will greatly encourage us in our daily Christian walk, and also change the way we read the Old Testament Scriptures. So then, with this in mind let us look to the Spirit of God to open our eyes to the truth that is here for those who have ears to hear it.

TWO KEYS TO THIS TEXT

As I have studied this passage over a number of years, I have concluded that there are two keys to the proper interpretation of this text. Strangely enough, the first key is the word “bread” (or, more literally, “loaves”). This word is found twenty times in the Gospel of Mark,1 and eighteen of these appearances in Mark are found in chapters 6-8. Unfortunately, several translations find the term “loaves” so insignificant that they omit it in their translation of Mark 7:5. As we proceed, let us pay very close attention to this word, rendered either “bread” or “loaf/loaves.”

The second key is our Lord’s persistent use of parables as a teaching tool. We might conclude that “parables” were a momentary teaching device used from time to time by our Lord. But this would ignore the very clear language of the Gospels:

33 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples (Mark 4:33-34; see also Matthew 13:34).2

Mark has already set the stage for us, because he devoted nearly all of the fourth chapter of his gospel to giving us a record of some of our Lord’s parables. When it comes to defining the term “parable” I would suggest that you might be able to describe what a parable is with only one word, “like.” A parable sets forth something that we are familiar with, and then lays it alongside something less understood. In this way, we can better understand something that is somewhat obscure, and therefore in need of further clarification. This sometimes happens without the word “parable” actually being used. Such is often the case in Proverbs:3

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know over what they stumble (Proverbs 4:18-19).

Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,

And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

. . . Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

So is the lazy one to those who send him (Proverbs 10:23, 26).

Based upon my study of this portion of Mark’s gospel, I am inclined to suggest that the Scriptures may employ what might be called “living parables.” These are parables that are real life events which are recorded in Scripture, which also serve as examples or illustrations of important truths, and yet they are not identified as parables.4 If this is the case, this could greatly impact our study and application of God’s Word.

As we move forward with our study, let us keep in mind the importance (and prominence) of the term “loaves” or “bread,” and look for what might be “living parables.”

THE SETTING FOR OUR TEXT

When Jesus commenced His public ministry, many came to Him for healing. I believe that His teaching was often interrupted by someone seeking a healing. But the end result was that the authority of our Lord’s teaching was underscored by the miracles that accompanied it:

22 They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are-- the Holy One of God!" 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" 26 Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him" (Mark 1:22-27).[5

It wasn’t the way Jesus raised His voice, or waved His hands, it was the fact that Jesus paused His teaching to perform miracles, and these miracles set Him apart from the rest of those who taught.

Because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the Pharisees quickly looked upon Him as a Sabbath-breaker, and so it was not long before they resolved among themselves to put Him to death (Mark 3:6). That, however, did not discourage the crowds from flocking to Him for teaching and healing.6

Jesus chose His twelve apostles (3:13-19), and sadly, His family concluded that He was out of His mind (3:20-21).

The Pharisees sought to dismiss Jesus and His teaching by calling attention to the fact that He “broke” the Sabbath, at least by their definition. But how could they explain the miracles He was doing, which were undeniable? And so, they devised an explanation which, they hoped, would acknowledge His miracles, but which would also discredit Him. And thus, they granted that He performed miracles, but attributed them to the power of the devil:

The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons" (Mark 3:22).

Jesus quickly and easily dismissed this accusation, but pointed out that this was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11), and also the One who also quickens hearts that are dead, bringing them to life (John 3:5-8; 6:63; 1 Peter 3:18). Blaspheming the Holy Spirit insults the only means by which men are saved, and therefore results in their eternal condemnation. As a result of this blasphemy, Jesus began to teach by means of parables, not to make the gospel clear to these blasphemers, but to conceal the truth from them,7 thereby sealing their fate:

28 "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin "-- 30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit" (Mark 3:28-30).

10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12 so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN" (Mark 4:10-12).

Mark focused on Jesus’ parables in the fourth chapter of his gospel. After this, He stilled a storm on the Sea of Galilee, which caused His disciples to fear Him:

39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" (Mark 4:39-41).

This is followed by the casting out of Legion’s demons into the herd of hogs, the healing of the woman with a flow of blood (by touching Jesus’ garments), and the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5).

Jesus then went to His home town, where He taught in the synagogue. Sadly, the people were not able to connect the dots. One the one hand, they were amazed at the depth of His teaching, underscored by countless miracles, which were evidence of His authority. But on the other hand, they were perplexed by His humble human origins (as they perceived them). He was the son of a carpenter, and Mary, and the brother of several siblings. How could someone like this be a prophet, or the Promised Messiah?

Jesus then sent out the twelve as His forerunners, to prepare the people for His ministry. In His instructions to them, He told them not to take any provisions, so that they would learn to depend on Him.^[8] This prohibition included taking a provision of food (literally bread).9

Mark then turns his attention to John the Baptist, who had just been put to death by Herod.10 The disciples’ fatigue, combined with the death of John,11 was such that the disciples needed some time alone with Jesus.

At this point, we should note two things about food, which set the stage for the feeding of the 5,000. First, the disciples were weary from their ministry when they returned. In fact, they were so busy that they, like Jesus,12 did not even have time to eat.[13 It would seem obvious, then, that the disciples were hungry. Second, when Jesus took His disciples apart from the crowds to a deserted place, they took no food with them. Remember that the only food they had on hand was what a young lad had brought – five loaves and two small fish. Jesus was now practicing, on a very large scale, what He had instructed His disciples to do on a smaller scale, when He sent them out to preach. They would have to rely on our Lord to provide for their needs. This brings us to the feeding of the 5,000.

Act 1
The Feeding Of The 5,000
Mark 6:30-52

My sense is that by the time the disciples arrived at this private place there in the wilderness, their stomachs were growling. John’s gospel tells us that Jesus raised the issue of how they would feed the crowds very early, in fact just as they were stepping out of the boat.14 While they did not exactly say it, I suspect that by the end of that day the disciples not only wanted Jesus to send the crowds away so that these folks could find food (on their own), but also so that they (His hungry disciples) could find something to eat for themselves. The problem was that there was not sufficient food there for either.

My purpose is not to focus on the actual feeding of this crowd, other than to point out that Jesus dealt with this situation so that the bread that was distributed by passing it through the disciples’ hands.15 The crowd is fed, thanks to the five loaves and two fish, which a young lad had brought.16 The entire crowd of 10,000 or more (5,000 men, plus women and children), ate heartily. Mark tells us that they were completely satisfied: “No thanks, I couldn’t eat one more bite!”17 And so, 12 baskets of leftovers were taken up. As we shall soon see, these leftovers were intended to serve as a lesson (a parable?), especially for the disciples.

After the meal, Jesus made18 His disciples go back to the boat, and proceed ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus then dismissed the crowd19 and went up on the mountain to pray, alone.

That evening, when Jesus went down to the Sea of Galilee, He was alone, because everyone had been dismissed by Jesus and had left. As He looked out, He took note of the disciples’ distress, as they struggled against the wind and the waves. He knew that it was not going well for them. I think it was for this reason that Jesus set out toward them, walking on the water. How else was He to get to them in their time of need?

This is the point at which we must come to terms with a statement that Mark included in his account:

Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them (Mark 6:48).

Up to this statement, every indication was that Jesus noted their distress, and set out to come to their aid, or at least their comfort. Suffice it to say for now that Jesus seems to have intended to pass the disciples by, and thus to reach His destination, and theirs, alone.

But when the disciples saw Jesus, they were terrified. Perhaps there was a mist on the lake; at the very least it was dark, and this shadowy figure would indeed have been frightening. Who would have expected anyone to pass by, walking on the sea, and especially a sea as stormy as it was? When the disciples cried out, thinking Him to be a ghost, Jesus spoke to them, putting their hearts at ease. And once in the boat, the winds ceased. John tells us even more. He writes that when Jesus got into the boat, they immediately reached their destination.20

This brings us to another puzzling statement, one which points us to the lesson of the leftover loaves:

51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, 52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened (Mark 6:51-52).

It wasn’t the disciples’ fear to which Mark calls our attention, but their amazement. They were amazed that Jesus walked on the water, and that the winds ceased when He got into the boat. And their hardness of heart revealed that they failed to get the point, the lesson, of the leftovers from the loaves.

Act Two
The Feeding Of The 4,000
Mark 8:1-10[21

Mark has informed us that the disciples were not able to make the connection between the feeding of the 5,000 and the leftover loaves with His walking on the water. I believe that this is why Jesus chose to give His disciples a second chance to “get it.” He virtually reproduces the same circumstances, so that the solution should have been a “no-brainer” for the disciples. Here they were, once again, in the wilderness with a large crowd of hungry people and no food on hand to feed them. What to do? Isn’t it obvious? They should do what they had done only a short time before22 -- feed the crowd. This time, the need was even greater, because the crowd had been without food for three days, not just one.23

Once again, our Lord makes this a problem for His disciples to solve, and they seem absolutely clueless as to what they should do, as though they had never experienced anything like this before. It was as though the feeding of the 5,000 had not even taken place. Jesus had to ask them how many loaves they had on hand. And once again, Jesus breaks the loaves, and then the fish, and the disciples distributed the food.

This time, it was 4,000 men who were fed, but we should not consider the 7 baskets of leftovers insignificant when compared to the 12 baskets that were collected earlier. Here, Mark is careful to describe these baskets as “large baskets” (8:8).24 In other words, the amount of leftovers remaining after the feeding of the 4,000 could have been even greater than what was left after the feeding of the 5,000.25

There is no indication that the disciples “got it.” In fact, it is obvious that they did not. When the feeding was done, and the leftovers were collected, the disciples got into the boat with Jesus and made their way to the district of Dalmanutha.

Act Three
Who Forgot The Sandwiches?
Mark 8:14-21

Mark briefly mentions the demand of the Pharisees for a sign (8:11-13). Is it not incredible that Jesus’ miracles were not sufficient proof of His identity? Nevertheless, shortly after this we find the disciples with Jesus in a boat:

14 And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. 15 And He was giving orders to them, saying, "Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." 16 They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18 "HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." 20 "When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." 21 And He was saying to them, "Do you not yet understand?" (Mark 8:14-21)26

Like the Pharisees, the disciples were not doing well at “connecting the dots.” When Jesus symbolically referred to the teaching of the Pharisees as “leaven” all they could do was connect “leaven” with yeast, and thus with “bread.” And the mere thought of “bread” prompted the disciples to think about lunch. They took note of the fact that they had but one “loaf” in the boat with them. “What to do?” Here we are once again, on a much smaller scale. One loaf, twelve disciples, and Jesus, and no lunch. Do you see the irony in all this?

Let’s pause for a moment to reflect on what is happening here. Twice, Jesus and His disciples have been with a very large crowd in the wilderness. There was barely any food on hand at all, and certainly not enough for these large crowds. The crowds were miraculously feed by Jesus, assisted by His disciples, and even after everyone was filled, there was a large quantity of leftovers. And then, to top it off, Jesus walked on the water after the feeding of the 5,000, to be with His disciples. Getting into the boat, Jesus calmed the winds and stilled the sea.

Now, take a moment to ponder these details:

• There is a very large crowd of hungry people.
• They are stranded, as it were, in a desolate place, a wilderness.
• This crowd was miraculously fed, with bountiful baskets of leftovers (loaves).
• Jesus crosses the sea, walking on the water.

Have we ever seen anything like this before? Yes, we have. It was like this at the exodus, when God led the Israelites as they fled from Egypt into the wilderness, and then sojourned in the wilderness for forty years. He fed them “bread” for 40 years, and provided water from a rock. And to get there, God led them through the Red Sea, on dry ground. Should the disciples not have made this connection? And had they done so, should they really have been amazed that Jesus would walk on water and still the winds?

Now think of the current situation, after the feeding of the 5,000, followed by the feeding of the 4,000. The disciples were worried about lunch, with a loaf and bread and the Son of God with them in the boat. Imagine it, a mere twelve sandwiches were needed, and they were distressed because they had not brought lunch along with them!

It seems foolish, doesn’t it? So here we are today, recovering from a covid pandemic, struggling with supply chain issues and rising inflation. Are we, so to speak, worried about a few sandwiches, when the God of the exodus is with us, when He has promised to supply all our needs?27 Twice He gave the disciples a great harvest of fish, just before they went out with the gospel.28 Twice Jesus feed a large crowd in the wilderness, with a bounty of leftovers. Are we not like the disciples, worried about lunch when the God of the universe is in the boat with us?

Do we not have the same problem as the disciples? Do we fail to see the connection between our present circumstances and what we read in the Bible? Is what we read merely Bible history to us, only reports from long ago and far away? Or, are these things a kind of living parable, so that when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances we can be reminded about Whom it is that we have entrusted with our eternal well-being? These two feedings were not just for the disciples; they are for us, and for every saint. The abundance of the leftovers is to remind us that God, unlike our government and many of us, does not operate “in the red,” with a deficit budget. His provisions are abundant and He never fails to abundantly supply what we need to accomplish His purposes.29

Act Four
And Now, Back To Chapter Seven
From The Ridiculous To The Sublime

Let’s start with the ridiculous – the Pharisees. One might wrongly conclude that our theme of “bread” somehow does not occur in this paragraph about the Pharisees. Well, it does: 30

1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?" 6 And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' 8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." 9 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. 10 "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH'; 11 but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),' 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that." 14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man" (Mark 7:1-23).31

To the disciples’ credit, they at least perceived some kind of connection between “leaven” and “bread,” albeit a literal one. The Pharisees saw no connection at all, because their eyes were fixed, not on the bread, but on the ceremonially unwashed hands of the disciples. This was because they were more committed to their traditions than they were to the Scriptures. One such tradition was that of a ritual ceremonial hand washing, a washing never commanded in Scripture. This was not just a washing of one’s hands before meals, like your mother would have required; this was a ceremonial washing that was added to the Scriptures as an inviolable tradition. And the Pharisees held even more earnestly to these traditions than they did to the instructions of the Word of God – the Old Testament.

Consequently, their distorted devotion to strictly observing their traditions caused them to fix their attention on the hands holding the bread, rather than on the bread itself. And so, we find them here, objecting that the Lord’s disciples ate their bread with ceremonially unwashed hands. They saw this as a “gross violation of their traditions,” something equal to, or greater than, a deliberate violation of the Law of Moses.

Jesus first rebuked them for their hypocrisy, for in their fervent devotion to their traditions they actually overruled the Law. Their tradition facilitated, indeed encouraged, disobedience to the Law of Moses. In doing so, they were guilty of hypocrisy. Jesus does not deal with this matter in mere generalities; He cites a specific example of their hypocrisy -- their tradition of the Corban. The practice of Corban permitted a person to designate some of their assets as “devoted to God.” In practice, this enabled one to set aside some assets in a way that made them inaccessible for other purposes, such as taking care of one’s parents (which was a biblical command).

So it all boils down to this. The “leaven of the Pharisees” (to which Jesus refers in chapter 8) is their distorted teaching of the Scriptures, so that their traditions overrule or set aside God’s commands. This was evident not only in their fixation on the ceremonial washing of hands, but also in the practice of Corban.

But Jesus is not done with this matter of “bread,” or “foods.” Not at all. In dealing with this Pharisaic accusation, Jesus sets forth an important principle regarding defilement (which was such a huge issue with the Pharisees). Notice that Jesus does this by proclaiming a monumental principle to the crowds.

“Defilement comes from within, and not from without” (Mark 7:15).

It is only later, after our Lord’s death and resurrection, and Pentecost, that the significance of these words will become evident, but the matter is literally earth shaking in its implications, as we will see in Acts 10 and 11, and again in Galatians 2. Is the matter of food (“bread”) important? It surely was to Jesus, as it would be to the Jews and early Christians in the Book of Acts, and thereafter.

The point I wish to make here is that these “scholars of the law” were the dullest of all when it came to grasping the meaning of Jesus’ actions and words. Not so with the Gentile woman, the subject of our next inquiry.

Act 5
Jesus And The Gentile Woman
Mark 7:24-30

24 Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. 25 But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter (Mark 7:24-26).

21 And Jesus went away from there, and withdrew[32 into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region, and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came to Him and kept asking Him, saying, "Send her away, for she is shouting out after us." 24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26 And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; be it done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once (Matthew 15:21-28).

I love this story in Mark’s gospel, which is greatly enhanced by the additional details provided by Matthew. This woman is truly remarkable! In strictly human terms, she would have been considered “least likely to succeed” by a Jew. But in biblical terms, her faith is entirely consistent with how God works.33 She is a Gentile woman, and beyond that, she is a Canaanite.34 She has no standing as a Jew, and in the past, she would have been a mortal enemy of Israel. She would have been slain by the Israelites when they took possession of the Promised Land.35 Her knowledge of Jesus had to be much more limited than that of the disciples. Indeed, she was a woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon:36

20 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 "Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you (Matthew 11:20-22).

Besides all this, she was trying to get an audience with Jesus at a point in time when He was seeking to be inaccessible.37 Indeed, she singlehandedly undermined Jesus’ efforts to remain anonymous.38 Her persistent shouting out to Jesus, calling Him “Lord” and “Son of David” certainly did not help Jesus to remain inconspicuous. And, if this doesn’t make things difficult enough for her, the disciples were so irritated with her persistence that they pressed Jesus to send her away.39 Chances of her obtaining what she desired did not look good for this desperate woman.

Quite frankly, Jesus’ own words did not seem to be encouraging. Initially, He did not even respond to her appeals, and when He finally did, it was to inform her that He had come, first and foremost, to minister to the Jews (not exactly her heritage).40

But this did not deter her from pursuing her mission. So, what kept her going, when the disciples had enough of her ceaseless cries for mercy, and even Jesus did not seem inclined to help? I believe that we can see the reason for her urgency from her own words, and from Jesus’ final response to them. She began by calling Jesus “Lord,” and “the Son of David,” which strongly suggests that she believed in Jesus as the Promised (Jewish) Messiah, or was well on her way to doing so.41

Our Lord’s final response to this woman is very different from His response to the hardness of heart on the part of the Pharisees,42 and even His disciples:

17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18 "HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." 20 "When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." 21 And He was saying to them, "Do you not yet understand?" (Mark 8:17-21)

Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; be it done for you as you wish" (Matthew 15:28).

So let’s see if we can follow this woman’s reasoning, which resulted in our Lord’s granting her request.

First and foremost, she had a good grasp of who Jesus was.43 To this woman, Jesus was Lord, and He was also “the Son of David.” Does she understand this fully, along with all of its implications? Surely not. Neither did the disciples, even after declaring Jesus to be the Promised Messiah.44 But she definitely understood more than the Pharisees and scribes, and more than the disciples, at this moment in time.

I am also convinced that she was assured, not only of the sufficiency of our Lord to grant her request, but also of His predisposition to do so. He loved mercy and compassion in others, because He, Himself, was merciful and compassionate (Matthew 9:13, 36; 12:7, 14; 15:32; 20:34; Luke 7:13). She was bold to ask for what she believed our Lord was not only able to do, but also what He desired to do – show mercy and compassion.

But beyond this, she recognized our Lord’s reference to “bread” as symbolic, and she, unlike the disciples, was able to play out the implications of His words. Did Jesus speak of “bread” and of “children” (and of dogs)? Then she would appeal to Him on the basis of “leftovers.” In effect, she would reason as the disciples should have done, based upon their recent experience at the two feedings of the masses. Picking up on Jesus’ words, she believed that “the children, sitting at the table,” were well fed by His bread. But assuming that He always provided abundantly, there must be more than enough to feed them, with some left over. All she was asking for was for some of the leftovers, “the crumbs,” to meet the needs of the “puppies” under the table.

This woman’s faith was great indeed, and thus it was welcomed and commended by our Lord, and so her request was granted. I think it is safe to say that this woman stands head and shoulders, above everyone else in our text. She is surely the key, for us, and for the disciples, to understand the meaning of “the loaves,” and yet, so far as we know, she was not even there when Jesus fed the masses and the leftovers were gathered.

Let’s Talk About Some Immediate Applications Of Our Text, And Some Abuses

We know where to look for the primary lesson of our text. In chapter 7 Mark put the issue before us at the outset of this text:

51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, 52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened (Mark 6:51-52).

And then, at the end of our text we read these words of our Lord:

17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18 "HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." 20 "When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." 21 And He was saying to them, "Do you not yet understand?" (Mark 8:17-21)

So, what is the lesson of the loaves? I believe that the “loaves” are the clue God has given to remind the disciples, and us, that we serve the God of the exodus, the God who provided for the needs of the Israelites for forty years. The similarity of the disciples’ experience to that of the ancient Israelites should have been obvious. There was a miraculous crossing of the Red Sea; Jesus miraculously crossed over the Sea of Galilee. From the Red Sea Moses led the Israelites into a desert wilderness, and there God provided bread for what must have been nearly 1 million people,45 for forty years. Jesus effectively “led” thousands into the wilderness, and provided for them there. Is this not a kind of “living parable,” where one event is remarkably similar to another?

And beyond this, the leftovers taken up from our Lord’s feeding were abundant, to show us that His provisions are abundant. Mark’s words indicate to us that the disciples’ amazement was due to their failure to rightly appraise what had just taken place when Jesus provided bread in the wilderness, and to connect this with Jesus’ walking on the water.

Surely this means that we should not be like the disciples, worried about lunch for twelve, when the Master has just fed thousands. Supply shortages, inflation, and other hindrances are but a small matter for our God, who provides abundantly so that His servants can carry out His will for them.

The story of the Canaanite woman, told alongside the interaction of Jesus and the Pharisees, is a beautiful illustration (parable?) of the gospel. The Pharisees are those who think that they have something to “bring to the table” (so to speak). They look on their Jewish heritage, their position, and their scholarship as a kind of “leg up” with God. In fact, they are so smug and self-confident they don’t see themselves as hopelessly lost and in need of salvation. Rather, they see themselves as worthy to judge Jesus and find Him guilty of breaking their rules. No wonder the bread means nothing to them, but the ceremonially clean hands their (unbiblical) traditions required was first and foremost on their minds.

And then comes this marvelous woman, who has absolutely nothing to commend her before our Lord, or to give her some claim on His power and provisions. But that is the point. She must cast herself on Jesus, on His mercy and grace, undeserving though she is. And, in this regard, this woman is not the exception; she is the rule. That is the way every lost sinner must come to Jesus. We have nothing to commend us to Him. We have nothing to contribute to His saving grace. We must cast ourselves on Him, knowing that He is not only able, but willing to save. And what Jesus delights in is our faith in Him, rather than in ourselves. This woman illustrates the gospel, beautifully.

This said, there is also the need for a word of warning, because there are always those who would twist the truth in order to justify something which is contrary to God’s word.46

As I was preparing this message, I asked myself this question: “How will someone take the truths of this passage and turn them into something that is sinful?” I did not have to think about this for very long before one answer became very clear to me: THOSE WHO ADVOCATE A PROSPERITY GOSPEL WILL EMBRACE THIS PASSAGE AS A PROOFTEXT FOR THEIR FALSE MESSAGE.

This text does teach the abundance of our Lord’s provision for His servants, which will enable them to carry out His work. But a further look at our text has much to teach us about why we should ask God to provide for us, and for what purposes we should ask Him to abundantly provide.

My first clues came from our Lord Jesus. I could not understand why Jesus would intend to walk past47 His disciples, as He made His way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. I believe that Jesus would have preferred to remain in solitude at this critical moment in time,48 but the thought of His disciples being left to themselves to fight the wind and the waves prompted Him to draw near, and to get into the boat with them.49

Then there are the two times when Jesus must have been weary from teaching and healing many, but nevertheless, out of His infinite compassion, He chose to expend His energy to feed the crowds.

And, finally, there is Jesus’ response to the pleas of this Canaanite woman. Mark clearly indicates that Jesus was trying not to be visible and accessible.50 Jesus’ disciples were none too happy to have this woman disturbing their peace in her persistent pleas for help for her daughter. But Jesus, once again, set aside self-interest and ministered to this woman by delivering her daughter from her demon possession. Jesus gave, literally gave Himself, for others.

Another clue came, thanks to this marvelous Canaanite woman. She did not ask the Lord for that which personally benefitted her; she asked Jesus to pour out His abundant mercy on her daughter.51 She didn’t ask for herself, but for her daughter.

And this reminded me of that Gentile centurion described in Matthew chapter eight:

5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented." 7 Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." 10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment (Matthew 8:1-13 NAU)

He, too, is commended by Jesus for his faith, a faith which seems to have surpassed any Jewish faith at the time. But this centurion did not ask Jesus for himself; he asked Jesus for the sake of his servant. I believe that Jesus not only delighted in his faith, but also in the fact that he did not ask for himself.

All of this becomes more evident when contrasted with those who thought only of themselves. The crowds, who (especially in John chapter 6) wanted Jesus to provide meals for them forever. And the disciples, who were weary, and wanted Jesus to send both crowds, and the Canaanite woman, away. The disciples could only agonize about their lunch. Self-interest, pure and simple.

How different this selfless “asking” of the Canaanite woman is from that which the prosperity preachers proclaim. You can be assured they will say that in order to get you must first give. And almost without exception, it will be to them. In order to “tap in” to the abundance of God’s resources, you must give, so that you can get. That was not true of the Canaanite woman, nor of the centurion in Matthew chapter 8. They had nothing they could give in order to gain the blessings that our Lord had to give.

The Bible turns, “You must first give in order to get,” into something vastly different: “You should get in order to give.” How many times we see this in the Scriptures.

I think first of the Abrahamic Covenant, in which God promises to bless Abraham and his “seed” so that they may bless others:

1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3).

I am also reminded of Solomon’s prayer, and God’s pleasure in what he asked for:

10 It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 13 "I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days” (1 Kings 3:10-13).

Then there is the teaching and example of our Lord:

12 And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. 13 "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous" (Luke 14:12-14).

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Paul not only preached this; he practiced it:

17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share (1 Timothy 6:17-18).

"You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me (Acts 20:34).

James puts it this way:

2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures (James 4:2-3).

So, putting two thoughts together, the feeding of the 5,000, followed by the feeding of the 4,000 reminds us that our Lord is the God of the exodus, and that His power and abundance has not diminished, from Old Testament times to New, or from New Testament times to the present. This should give us great confidence in His adequacy and abundance to meet our needs as we seek to serve Him.

And, we should also see that God gives so that we may give. It is not about giving to get, but about getting, to give. That getting may come about through hard work, as we see in Paul’s life, or it may come in answer to our selfless prayers, as we ask for His resources to share with others.

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need (Ephesians 4:28).

17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

But Wait, There’s More

We dare not leave this passage, assuming that we have learned all that there is from our brief study. This text in Mark (and Matthew) is one which we should think long and hard about. Let me suggest some avenues of thought.

FIRST, ARE YOU IN THE BOAT WITH JESUS? Are you assured that you are in the boat with our Lord Jesus, and that he is in the boat with you? Christmas is soon to be here. May I suggest that the birth of our Lord, the incarnation, is Jesus “getting into the boat” with us.

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham (Hebrews 2:14-16).

Obviously, this is a metaphor, but it is a good one, I think. By our sins, our many sins against God, we have, so to speak, jumped ship. Because of our sin, we are destined for destruction. Our Lord Jesus recognized our great need to be rescued, and so He came to this earth, fully God, and fully human (but free from sin). As such, He took the sinner’s place, bearing the punishment we deserve. And then He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, so that we can be partakers of eternal life. If you do not understand this, please feel free to ask someone who knows Jesus as Savior. You can’t be assured of God’s abundant spiritual blessings52 without being in the boat with Him.

SECOND, OUR TEXT BEAUTIFULLY INFORMS US THAT GOD’S SAVING PLAN INCLUDED GENTILES. Here is something the Jews of Jesus’ day were adamantly opposed to.53 But God had made this purpose clear in Genesis 12:1-3 and at various times (as is evident in the genealogy of our Lord in Luke 3:22-38.54 We should not avoid the obvious fact that in our text, as well as in Matthew 8:5-13, these Gentile believers had greater faith than their Jewish counterparts.

NEXT (AND I SAY THIS WITH CAUTION), THIS TEXT SHOULD CAUSE US TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO ASSUME THAT JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS A SCHOLAR THAT HE HAS SOME KIND OF INSIDE TRACK ON TRUTH. I say this based upon something that seems glaringly clear in our text, and which is supported elsewhere in Scripture. THE SCHOLARS OF JESUS’ DAY WERE HIS GREATEST ADVERSARIES, AND THEY WERE THE LEAST LIKELY TO GRASP WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE HAD COME TO DO.

Within our text, Mark has placed his account of the accusation made by the Pharisees (and scribes) that Jesus’ disciples ate their bread with unwashed hands. These “biblical scholars” were so dull that they could not make any meaningful connection with the bread, or with Jesus’ teaching. They could not see the connection between Jesus’ teaching and His miracles that He performed while He taught. Jesus therefore accused them of not being able to “connect the dots”:

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3 "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them and went away (Matthew 16:1-4).

And then, in the preceding chapter (in Matthew), this Canaanite “connected the dots” beautifully, much more than the disciples.

How was it that scholars could not see something that a Canaanite woman did see? I think the answer is found in 1 Corinthians 2:

7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words (1 Corinthians 2:7-13).

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not seeking to undermine the benefit we can receive from godly scholars. But please don’t assume that their spiritual insight comes from merely human scholarly effort. Biblical wisdom comes through the Holy Spirit, and not necessarily through those with impressive degrees.

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply (Acts 4:13-14; see also 1 Timothy 1:3-7; Titus 1:10-16).

FINALLY, OUR TEXT HAS MUCH TO TEACH US ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD STUDY OUR BIBLES. Mark 6-8 (and its parallel text in Matthew 14-16) teaches us that God expects those who trust in Him to “connect the dots,” and to see the relationship between what we are experiencing and what God has done in the past. If God can do this (part the Red Sea, so that an entire nation can pass through it on dry ground, and feed multitudes in the wilderness), then He can surely do that (walk on water, and provide a few sandwiches for His disciples). This means that the Old and New Testaments are more relevant to us than we might think.

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. 6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY." 8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come (1 Corinthians 10:1-11).

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit (James 5:16-18).

HOPEFULLY, YOU MIGHT GIVE SOME THOUGHT TO WHAT I HAVE CALLED “LIVING PARABLES.” Parables teach us by placing two things alongside, and showing us ways in which the two are alike. I fear that when many of us read the Old Testament we do so with the presupposition that what we read will somehow be different than what we read in the New. I would like to challenge this assumption, because our text in Mark 6-8 does so. It shows us that the situation experienced by the disciples on the Sea of Galilee was like that experienced by the ancient Israelites.

We should beware of thinking of the Old Testament, its teaching, and its events as “long ago and far away.” It seems clear to me that Jesus expected His disciples to make the connection to the Israel in the wilderness at the exodus. We also need to be careful not to think that the link between Old Testament and the New is limited to clear and direct prophecy. There are, of course, such instances, like Micah 5:2, but there are also similarities that are instructive, such as Hagar and Sarah in Galatians 4:21-31, Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37-50, and Abraham and his faith in God’s power to give life to the dead in Romans 4 and Hebrews 11.

At times, there are links from the New Testament to the Old which are unexpected and less than direct prophecy (see Hosea 11:1, cited in Matthew 2:15). We also need to keep in mind that often in the Gospels the disciples and others failed to understand Jesus because they limited His meaning to literal matters, rather than things more spiritual. That was the case in our text with regard to the term bread. It was also true that the multitudes did not get Jesus’ reference to “bread,” “flesh,” and “blood” in John 6 (see John 6:30-66). When Jesus said that Lazarus was “asleep,” He did not mean that literally, which Jesus had to explain to His disciples (John 11:11-14). Let us look to the Holy Spirit to see more than we have, because it is there. And, let us be careful not to see things in Scripture which are not there.

May God grant us greater understanding of this great text of Scripture, of God’s mercy and abundant provision for His saints, and of the magnitude of this Canaanite woman’s faith.

Copyright © 2022 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

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The question you have raised is not my area of expertise, but the Norman Willis' theory is on the one hand, speculation, and on the other, a veiled attempt to exalt the Old Testament and the Old (Mosaic) Covenant above the New. The Book of Hebrews was written to dispute folks like this, by constantly showing how Christ and the New Covenant was "better" than the old.

To my knowledge, it is almost universally accepted that Jesus and His disciples spoke in Aramaic. The theory that the New Testament was written in Hebrew is without basis, though I believe that I have heard some suggest that some of the sources may have been in Aramaic. The simple fact is that the Jews lost their facility in Hebrew. That is why the Old Testament had to be translated into the Greek language (this translation is known as the Septuagint). You will remember that when Jesus cried out from the cross, "Eli, Eli, LAMA, SABACHTHANI"(Matthew 27:46-47). Jesus was citing the Hebrew text of Psalm 22:1, and no one there seemed to understood it. They thought Jesus was calling for Elijah. How could this fellow’s theory hold up if no one at the cross could understand the Hebrew words Jesus spoke. (Hebrew and Aramaic are related languages, but not the same.)

Our Lord came, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He lived a perfect life, under the law, so that His sacrificial death would pay the penalty for our sins, and not His own. His death instituted the New Covenant (Luke 22:20) which was foretold in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31).

Notice that this fellow's conclusions are reached without evidence (there are no Hebrew manuscripts of the New Testament books, only Greek manuscripts). He uses phrases like, "I starting thinking about it. . . something didn't add up" and "I began to wonder. . ." and so on, indicating that all of his theories originated in his own mind. I did not have the time to read all of his words carefully, but I did not see him quote any respected scholarship.

The New Testament gives us many warnings about the Judaisers – those who wish to bring us back under law, rather than under grace. Galatians is the strongest indictment against this heresy. But Paul often warns about Jewish speculation and myth (see 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:14-26; 4:2-4; Titus 1:9-14).

Mr. Willis starts by saying that he was taught certain things, all of which were justified by the fact that the New Testament was inspired and written in Hebrew. I have never heard this argument before. He is seeking to refute Christian doctrine on the basis of some falsehood that he heard. In Romans 9-11 we find the inspired version of the relationship of Jews and Gentiles in the program of God (especially chapter 11). The same subject is addressed in Ephesians chapter 2. Mr. Willis should give special attention to Paul's view of his "Jewish good works" in Philippians 3:1-16, especially verses 7-10.

Mr. Willis' words are so filled with error that one could spend countless hours refuting his every point. I don’t have the time, so let me give you an example, which seems to suggest that Mr. Willis is not really a student of the New Testament. His statements regarding the New Testament seem second-hand:

The "gentiles" and "Greeks" that we have always been told that Sha'ul's was sent to minister to were in actual fact Diaspora Israelites of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (the Lost Ten Tribes), and the Hellenized Jews of the Diaspora and the Babylonian Exile, respectively. They are not the same as what we in Christian culture think of as Greeks and gentiles at all.

 

I looked up every reference to "Gentiles" in all four Gospels and Acts. Not one time was "Gentile" used for a Greek speaking Jew. Look at these instances, where Gentiles are contrasted with Jews:

Luke 2:32; Acts 4:27; 9:15: 13:48-50; 14:2, 5; 17:17; 21:21; 22:21-22; 26:17, 23; 28:17-29.

The arguments he puts forth reveal a gross ignorance of the New Testament, and should not be taken seriously.

Willis spends a great deal of time trying to convince his reader that the New Testament was not written in Greek, but in Hebrew. That's false, but so what? His real heresy is his denial of the gospel:

As long as we get it in to our heads that Yahshua came not to replace Israel and the Torah, but to show people how better to keep the Torah, then we have a chance of getting it right. He came not to replace what He Himself handed down to Moses in the Wilderness, but to clarify it. Otherwise, when Yahshua, Moses and Elijah (Eliyahu) were all standing there together in the transfiguration on the Mount of Olives, talking amongst one another, why did Yahshua not rebuke them for teaching the wrong thing?

 

In other words, Jesus came to show us how to better keep the law. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus showed that keeping the law of Moses was impossible. In Romans 3 Paul concludes that law-keeping can save no one, for we must keep the whole law, without violating one point (see James 2:10 as well). Paul shows us that the law cannot save anyone; it can only condemn us (Romans 3:9-20). Apart from the Law, the righteousness of God was manifested in Christ. It is His sacrificial death for our sins that saves us, and not our efforts to keep the law.

Willis' bottom line is wrong, dead wrong; heresy.

It is that simple.

Editor’s Note: This original QA was asked and written prior to 2002. Since then Norman Willis has continued to write, clarify, and codify his beliefs under the “Nazarene Israel” title and website. It has become clear since then that some updates and clarifications were warranted from the original reply. Since the original author of this post is no longer alive this brief addendum (3/20/2023) will be added rather than reworking what someone else wrote.

• Despite all of Mr. Willis’ insistence and focus on the need for believers to keep details of the Mosaic law he does make it a point to say [under 2b. Other Issues, point #6 of his doctrine page (about 9/10ths of the way down the page)] that “Salvation is by Favor (Grace) Through Faith, not Works, Yet Good Works Are Evidence of True Salvation.”1
• Mr. Willis denies orthodox Trinitarianism and advocates baptism in Jesus’ name only. He believes in manifestations of one God and not three persons (Modalism).2
• Mr. Willis denies the eternal pre-existent nature of Jesus and views Him as a created “manifestation” who is worthy of worship, but not prayer. In his view this creation occurred in Genesis 1:1 within the use of the Hebrew object marker Aleph-Tav since Jesus is the Alpha and Omega (or Aleph-Tav in Hebrew).3
• Mr. Willis denies the complete and equal inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. He views the words of the apostles as “never ‘equal’ to the words of Yahweh.” The rest of the Words of Scripture are important in his view, but still “words of men.” Thus he differentiates between sections of God’s Word and their level of inspiration and inerrancy.4

In light of all this Mr. Willis’ views of salvation and Scripture are heretical as they depart from the faith once delivered to the saints by making a novel Jesus who is a manifestation of the Father and not a true person, and by destroying inerrancy and inspiration by prioritizing one part of Scripture over others.

For helpful resources on the Trinity see:

• https://bible.org/article/trinity-triunity-god
• https://bible.org/seriespage/trinity
• https://bible.org/seriespage/three-one

See Also: The Doctrine of God, by Gerald Bray, The Person of Christ, by Donald Macleod, and The Holy Spirit, by Sinclair Ferguson, and Making Sense Of The Trinity, by Millard Erickson.

For helpful resources on Inspiration and Inerrancy see:

• Bible.org’s Inerrancy Topic page: https://bible.org/topics/418/Inerrancy
• Bible.org’s Inspiration Topic page: https://bible.org/topics/417/Inspiration

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Peter’s first epistle focuses on suffering as a Christian. He addresses this topic in the context of the foundation of Christian salvation, the future of Christian hope, and how that all plays out in the Christian life. The purpose of the epistle is to encourage his readers, who were experiencing dire suffering for being Christians, and to stimulate the growth of their trust in God and their obedience to him despite their circumstances. Peter points to what God has done for them in Christ and applies that to their lives in their present situation. Thus, the three main themes of the epistle are: (1) Suffering as a Christian; (2) Trusting God; and (3) Doing good.

The basis for being able to sustain unjust suffering as a Christian is our salvation. Thus, the cross is central to this epistle. Even in suffering, Christians can and should praise God because of our salvation in Christ – (1) a salvation that grants us the reality of a living hope, (2) a salvation that guarantees us the reward of an eternal inheritance, (3) a salvation that generates in us the results of genuine faith.

Our subject in this passage (1 Peter 1:3-12) is “Praise to God for our Salvation” and the overriding lesson in our passage is that because of our salvation, we can rejoice and praise God even in the midst of deep trials.

So what can we and should we praise God for?

I. We Praise God For Our Salvation That Grants Us The Reality Of A Living Hope (1:3)

This passage is in fact one long sentence from v. 3 to v. 9 in the form of a doxology for our salvation: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

All our blessings are rooted in our present salvation…

1. The source of our salvation is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3a). We do not and cannot save ourselves. Our salvation is all of God, a salvation which Peter calls new birth. God alone has “caused us to be born again.” Our salvation is a spiritual rebirth, a rebirth which is rooted in the redemptive plan of God, which he planned in a past eternity and which he brought into effect in time, so that our salvation is a present possession.

God alone designed and initiated the plan of salvation. That’s the basis of our new birth, which God fulfilled in his Son, Jesus Christ, at the cross. That’s how we are “born again” and because we are born again we can call God our Father. “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” is our Father because the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is our Saviour. Thus, only Christians can call God our Father and only Christians can confess “Jesus Christ” as “Lord,” by which address we are also confessing that Jesus is God, and because Jesus is God he alone is our Saviour. No one else other than God himself could have effected our salvation for only Jesus Christ could offer to God an acceptable sacrifice for our sins.

So, our salvation has as its source the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And…

2. The basis of our salvation is God’s “great mercy” (1:3b). At the heart of God’s saving act in Christ is “his great mercy.” As the apostle Paul puts it: “⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4-5). What Paul makes clear is that God’s rich mercy is rooted in his great love. For the God who is love is the One who loved the world to such a degree and in such a manner that “he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).

So, our salvation has as its source the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our salvation has as its basis God’s great mercy. And…

3. The object of our salvation is “a living hope” (1:3c). When we receive new life in Christ we also receive a new reason for living – what Peter calls “a living hope.” The Christian hope is not abstract, wishful thinking but an absolute certainty, a firmly-rooted anticipation of what will certainly come to pass at the return of Christ – namely, the completion of our salvation (see v. 9).

For the Christian, hope is the present anticipation of future glory and blessing. It is therefore both a future certainty and a present reality. That’s why it is called a “living” hope. It’s a living hope because it is alive in us. It is a living hope precisely because God has rebirthed us, given us new spiritual life in Christ by which we have this living, active, abiding hope. That’s our assurance, our confidence, our hope both now and to the end. That’s why we are encouraged to be “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13). It’s a living hope because it is grounded on “the living and abiding Word of God” (1 Pet. 1:23). It’s a living hope because it is rooted in our salvation - we trust a living Savior who rose from the dead.

Ours is a living hope - not a dead hope that can never be realized. It’s a living hope - therefore it is active not passive, not just something to be believed but something to be lived out. It’s a living hope - therefore it endures beyond this life: “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19). It’s a living hope – therefore, it is permanent and eternal. It is the “hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (Tit. 1:2). As Hebrews 6:19 says, “…this hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast.” Because it is sure and steadfast we need to cling to it, to persevere in it - “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Col. 1:23).

4. The security of our salvation is “the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1:3d). His resurrection is the guarantee of our living hope. If Christ had not risen from the dead we would have no hope because we could not be born again. And if we are not born again our hope would be useless, empty. As surely as He rose from the dead, so shall we. That’s the reality of our living hope. As Simon Kistemaker puts it: “Without the resurrection of Christ, our rebirth would be impossible and our hope would be meaningless” (1 Peter, 41). Because our Saviour rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven, we have a living hope. Because our Saviour is alive, we have a living hope.

It’s the reality of this living hope that distinguishes Christianity from all other religions and distinguishes Christians from non-Christians, who have “no hope” for they are “without God and in the world” (Eph. 2:12). Instead of turning to God they turn to the occult, drugs, mysticism, and cults, all of which are merely vain attempts to escape their inner emptiness. Is there any hope at all for such a generation? Yes, indeed – there is hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we know him, life has meaning and purpose, a firm foundation for eternal hope.

So the means of our rock-solid hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That’s why we praise God for our salvation that grants us the reality of a living hope. And…

II. We Praise God For Our Salvation That Guarantees Us The Reward Of Our Future Inheritance (4-5)

God has caused us not only to be born again to a living hope but also “born again…to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1:4).

1. Our future inheritance is guaranteed (1:4). Our rebirth into God’s family brings us into an eternal “inheritance.” This is the completion of our salvation, the redemption of our bodies, when we are translated to heaven at Jesus’ return.

An inheritance is a future benefit which you acquire when someone dies and names you in their will. We have this eternal inheritance not only because Christ died but more importantly because he rose again. This is an inheritance like no other because it’s an inheritance based on Christ’s death and his resurrection. It is eternally secure and we have the present possession of it in the one who died and rose again.

Notice these four unique characteristics of our future heavenly inheritance, which is unlike any earthly inheritance…

First, our heavenly inheritance is “imperishable.” Unlike earthly possessions that rust, fade, and decay, our heavenly inheritance will never decay and is not subject to death or destruction. Therefore it is permanent, eternal, imperishable, nothing can destroy it.

Second, our heavenly inheritance is “undefiled.” It cannot be stained or cheapened. It is totally unspoiled, unpolluted by sin, with no blemish or impurity but absolutely pure.

Third, our heavenly inheritance is “unfading.” It never loses its luster or beauty or freshness. It never fades away or grows old. It doesn’t wear out and it will never disappoint us.

Fourth, our heavenly inheritance is “kept (reserved) in heaven for you.” Though we cannot see it, our inheritance is eternally secure – it is “reserved in heaven.” A reservation is a guarantee - it has your name on it! No one else can take your inheritance from you because it is “reserved in heaven for you.” As Ephesians 1:14 says, “The promised Holy Spirit… is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” In other words, there is a period of time between being named an heir and the time when we come into the possession of that inheritance. During that in-between time, the Holy Spirit guarantees that this inheritance is ours. Nothing can take it away because it is “kept / reserved in heaven for you.”

Our future inheritance is guaranteed. And…

2. We, the beneficiaries, are eternally secure (1:5). Our eternal inheritance is “kept / reserved in heaven for you” and, at the same time, we “by God’s power are being guarded / kept through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Our inheritance is kept for us in heaven and while we wait for it we are being guarded by God’s power so that we will never lose it! This is our assurance of eternal life. We are constantly guarded by God’s power, assuring us that we will arrive safely in heaven to enter into our inheritance. Thank God we are not kept by our own efforts or power, but “by God’s power.” We are thoroughly united with Christ such that his power now guards and guides us until that day when we enter into our eternal inheritance.

Everything about the Christian’s future is based on faith in Christ and his death and resurrection by which our future inheritance is eternally secure in heaven for us. And we “by God’s power are being guarded through faith for salvation.” This is double security – our salvation is secure and so are we.

To be “guarded / shielded by God’s power” has the sense that our present salvation and our future inheritance are protected so that no opposing force of evil can ever touch, mar, or take them from us. God, for his part, sovereignly guards us “by his power” and we, for our part, are responsible to exercise “faith” in his word, faith “for (in view of the coming) salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1:5). This looks forward to the completion of our salvation when we enter into the reward of our eternal inheritance when Jesus comes again and translates us to heaven, “a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

We are living in “the last time.” The return of our Lord Jesus Christ can happen at any moment. It’s imminent! At that moment, we will be translated to heaven “in a twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52). Our bodies will be transformed into bodies of glory like his body of glory. Our salvation will be complete and we will enter into our eternal inheritance through faith in the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ and his resurrection. There is nothing more that needs to happen in order for him to come back again. This emboldens our faith and enlivens our hope, especially in the face of suffering.

So, we praise God for our salvation that (1) grants us the reality of a living hope, (2) that guarantees us the reward of a future inheritance, and…

III. We Praise God For Our Salvation That Generates In Us The Results Of Genuine Faith (1:6-12)

We enjoy two results of genuine faith…

1. We are enabled to rejoice even in the midst of trials (1:6-7). “In this you rejoice” (1:6a). What does “this” refer to? “This” refers to all that Peter has been talking about in vv. 3-5, namely, our present salvation (new birth) and our future inheritance, everything we have and are in Christ.

Our salvation should be the cause and object of great rejoicing. If you do not greatly rejoice about your salvation, then, I ask, are you truly saved? Now in the case of Peter’s readers, he exhorts them to rejoice in their salvation, “though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1:6b). To rejoice in the midst of afflictions, trials, and persecutions isn’t easy, is it? This is the practical ramification of our salvation and hope, that we can “rejoice” even in the midst of “trials.”

Only Christians can respond this way. To rejoice in the midst of trials is only possible for those who have a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” those “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for salvation.” Our salvation grants us a living hope, guarantees our future inheritance, and generates in us the ability to rejoice even in the midst of trials and sufferings.

Peter’s readers were enduring enormous affliction for their faith. They had been driven out of their homeland because of their faith and dispersed throughout Asia Minor. They had lost their homes, were separated from their families and friends, and were now living in a foreign country amongst people of different religious backgrounds, languages, and customs. They were suffering from various and grievous trials.

To rejoice in the midst of trials is a distinctly Christian response. But how could they rejoice under such circumstances? The security of their present salvation and the guarantee of their future inheritance made it possible for them to rejoice in the midst of all this mistreatment and displacement and upheaval and sorrow. The basis of their joyful attitude even in the midst of trials was their salvation, and the motivation to joyfully persevere in the midst of their trials was the imminent realization of their inheritance. That’s why Peter assures them that their suffering was only “for a little while.” It’s a little while because life on earth is short in relation to eternity. Any trials or suffering for your faith that you may endure here on earth is only for “a little while” because Jesus is coming, the end of suffering in this world is at hand, our inheritance is about to be realized.

The apostle Paul describes these trials as “this light momentary affliction” which “is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unsee. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18). And again in Romans 8:18 he writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

This is our motivation to persevere joyfully even in the midst of trials of the deepest kind. Despite being deeply “grieved by various trials” we can rejoice! How? By keeping our eye of faith firmly fixed on our salvation and on our inheritance. We are born again to a hope that is alive and active in us. Our salvation is the beginning and our inheritance is the end. We need to have the end view, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). The apostle Paul had the end in view when said, “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). That’s the end we must have in view.

These trials which we experience often grieve us. Peter is not denying reality. These trials certainly do cause us sadness and sorrow and suffering. Adverse circumstances do cause deep distress, depression, and confusion. But remember, they are only for “a little while.” Trials that test our faith are temporary and even then Peter qualifies them with “if necessary.” Strange as it may seem, suffering as a Christian is a divine necessity (cf. James 1:2; Col. 1:24). Based on the Greek grammar used here, this should probably read “since it is necessary” (not “if”) because this is a first class conditional clause - i.e. there is no doubt about it. There is a “needs be” to suffering as a Christian and that necessity was already being played out in Peter’s audience’s lives.

But, you ask, why are such trials necessary? They are necessary because they are part of God’s sovereign purposes for our lives. He is actively involved in them. He is the One who tests our faith when “necessary.” God always has a purpose for our trials. Trials are not arbitrary, random, uncontrolled. There are circumstances and reasons why God passes us through trials, as Peter’s readers were experiencing at that time. To know that there is a purpose in trials helps us endure them. Trials should motivate us to look for the return of our Lord, to live in the daily consciousness that this could be the day when he returns again. Well, it’s one thing to know that God is in control, what is their purpose?

The purpose of trials is to prove the genuineness of our faith (1:7). To “rejoice” is the Christian response to trials and the purpose of trials is to “test” the genuineness of our faith. The testing of our faith is like the testing of gold. Gold is arguably the most precious commodity on earth. It is generally considered the standard of wealth and security. But genuine faith is “more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire” (1:7a). Note that it is genuine faith which is more precious than gold not the testing. In other words, “which is more precious” qualifies “faith” not “testing.” When gold is tested (refined) by fire, its impurities are removed and its value increases. Yet eventually, gold “perishes” – it may be lost, or stolen, or worn away with handling, or in other ways comes to an end. But genuine faith when it is tested is “more precious” than the most refined, 24 karat, purest gold.

How is refined faith more precious than refined gold? It is more precious than refined gold because God’s ultimate purpose in testing your faith is that “the tested genuineness of your faith…may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:7b). That’s the ultimate purpose of the testing of our faith, (1) that when Christ appears you will be there, having stood the test of your faith and come through victorious; (2) that such victory over trials will result in “praise” for who he is and what he has done in your life through your genuine faith; (3) that when Christ appears, we will enter into His heavenly “glory” having been refined by the testing of our faith; (4) that he will receive all the “honor” due to his name from those whose faith has been proven to be genuine.

So, we praise God for our salvation that generates in us the results of genuine faith. First, we are enabled to rejoice even in the midst of trials. And…

2. We are enabled to love and trust him even though he is invisible (1:8-12). “Though you have not seen him, you love him” (1:8a). Their faith had been tested and proven genuine through the manifestation of their love for Christ, even though they had not seen him. The clause “though you have not seen him” is in the past tense, the implication being that “you have not seen him as I (Peter) have when he lived here on earth.” It’s much easier to love someone you have come to know through personal contact and conversation - you learn so much about them from experience. But your love for Christ whom you have not yet seen is precisely the purpose and evidence of genuine faith. Peter had seen the Lord; his readers had not. This makes their love for Christ all the more powerful and genuine.

Though we have not seen him, nevertheless by faith we love him. To love someone whom you have never seen or met or spoken to demands faith in who they are - their integrity and character. But we have not met the Lord Jesus Christ yet. We know him only through the gospel, which God, by the apostles, inscribed in holy Scripture. That’s how we know him – through a written document which God enabled us by faith to believe and embrace. Undoubtedly that’s why Jesus promised a special blessing for “those who have not seen and yet have believed” (Jn. 20:29). What a wonderful commendation, then, from Jesus and here from Peter, who evidently recognized the superiority of the faith of those who have not seen Jesus and yet love him. This is the evidence of genuine faith – love for Christ.

We have not seen Christ in the past here on earth nor do we see him now in the present. “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him” (1:8b). Not only do we love the One whom we have never seen, but we also “believe in him.” The physical revelation of Jesus Christ is still future, for that reason we cannot see him. But by faith we are enabled to believe in Christ even though we do not now see him. This is the purpose and evidence of genuine faith – belief in Christ even though we have not seen him.

The present result of such genuine faith is that we “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1:8c). So the theme of joy in trials continues, now with the emphasis on joy in loving and believing in Him who is invisible. It’s “inexpressible” because such joy can’t put it into words – it is too great to be described. And it is “filled with glory” because such joy is heavenly. Here and now, though we have not seen him and still do not see him, nevertheless we experience a love for him and belief in him which infuses us with this inexpressible and glorious joy. We can’t see him or talk to him but in its place we have this inexpressible joy in the imminent completion of the salvation of our souls. In other words, our salvation is made real in our present experience and results “inexpressible and glorious joy.”

If inexpressible joy is the present result and evidence of genuine faith, then the future and final result of genuine faith is “obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1:9). The present experience of those who suffer from various trials of faith, who in the midst of suffering rejoice in Christ, love him and believe in him, is not only that they have the present possession of eternal life and rejoice in their relationship with Christ here and now, but they also rejoice in and anticipate “obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Here Peter is evidently referring to the completion of our redemption at the return of Christ, when we will receive the transformation of our bodies and our translation from earth to heaven.

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully” (1:10). The basis of our newfound joy, love, and faith is the salvation of our souls, which Peter describes as “The grace that was to be yours,” for our salvation is God’s grace to us in Christ. The entire scope of redemption is summed up in “the grace of God” which “has appeared in Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:11), concerning which the O.T. prophets “searched and inquired carefully.” Indeed, the O.T. prophets “prophesied” about our salvation and Jesus affirmed their prophecies, for example to the two on the Emmaus road: “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk. 24:27). Their O.T. predictions have now been fulfilled in Jesus.

The O.T. prophets searched and inquired carefully as to “what person or time, the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories” (1:11). Though the O.T. prophets knew by “the Spirit of Christ” about “the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories,” and though they made diligent and careful inquiry about such matters, they didn’t know the details – they didn’t know by “what person or time” this would come about. What faith those O.T. prophets had to search so diligently for something that they did not see or prove or discover, but they did so because it concerned salvation!

Thus, despite their investigations and despite what the Holy Spirit revealed to them concerning the sufferings of Christ and his subsequent glories, such knowledge was still beyond their comprehension. They knew about it in general terms but they didn’t know the details of who or when this salvation would be fulfilled. What they did know, by revelation of the Holy Spirit, was the purpose of their search and inquiry. “It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you” (1:12a). Their divinely revealed prophecies did not serve themselves but us, future generations of N.T. believers, and they knew by revelation that such was their role. As we think about this, we realize afresh how greatly we have been blessed to be able to look back at the fulfillment of prophecy rather than look forward to its fulfillment.

The “things that have now been announced to you” is the gospel of our salvation (“the grace that was to be yours”), accomplished through the sufferings and glorification of Christ as the O.T. prophets predicted. What they didn’t know back them, we know now for their prophecies have now been fulfilled in Jesus. Their prophecy was directed to and for the benefit of Peter’s readers and the subsequent church at large, which includes us in the 21^st century. Thus, we are the recipients and beneficiaries of their proclamation and search. Just as the Holy Spirit informed the O.T. prophets about the things concerning the future coming and work of Christ, so he enabled the N.T. apostles and their colleagues to announce to Peter’s readers the fulfillment of those prophecies - “those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven (1:12b).

It's remarkable in many respects that the angels, despite their God-given abilities and responsibilities, do not have the full knowledge of these things, “things into which angels long to look” (1:12c). That’s apparently all the angels can do - look into the things pertaining to salvation, for they themselves do not participate in it. They take great pleasure in God’s salvation, for example rejoicing over one sinner brought to repentance (Luke 15:7, 10), but they themselves are not redeemed. They are merely distant observers of such things (cf. Eph. 3:10). We, on the other hand, experience it.

Who, then, were these faithful, godly O.T. prophets? Peter doesn’t say but we know that Isaiah prophesied of Jesus’ birth (7:14; 9:6; 11:1), his life (11:2-5; 35:4-6; 61:1-2) and his death (52:13-53:12). We also know that Micah prophesied of the exact place where Jesus would be born (5:2). All of this they were able to do through “the Spirit of Christ in them.” Thus, long before it came to pass, Christ revealed to these men by his Spirit what would be the nature of his coming – his life, death, resurrection ascension, and glorification.

Final Remarks

This, then, is the first glimpse into the centrality of the cross, the solid foundation of our salvation, in 1 Peter. The work of Christ on the cross is the basis on which we are able to sustain suffering as a Christian and still be able to praise God.

So, let me ask you, is your love for Christ sufficiently deep and your belief in him sufficiently stable that you are able to sustain opposition for your faith while still rejoicing in Christ and anticipating the end result of your faith? Do you implicitly trust him for your salvation? If so, you should know and abide in a joy that no non-Christian can ever know. Yet, I think, so many Christians are not abiding in the love of Christ and as a result they are pretty miserable people.

What we have learned from this text is that, because of our salvation, we can rejoice and praise God even in the midst of deep trials. No matter what you may suffer as a Christian - perhaps it’s bullying at school because you are a Christian; perhaps it’s ridicule for your faith or shunning because you don’t do what others do; or perhaps you are facing awful circumstances that have nothing to do with being a Christian but everything to do with living as a Christian in a fallen world, be it illness or grief or a divided family or a rebellious child - remember that no matter what your circumstances may be Christians should be the most joyful people on earth because we have an absolutely secure salvation (1) that grants us the reality of a living hope; (2) that guarantees us the reward of a future inheritance; and (3) that generates in us the results of genuine faith.

And for that we join Peter in saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” For in and through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ we have the present possession of eternal life; we have the daily reality of hope beyond the grave; we have the guarantee of an eternally secure future, because it is kept for us in heaven (no one can steal it) and because God preserves us here on earth (you cannot lose it). Its that faith that enables us to rejoice even though we may be tested by fiery trials. It’s that faith that enables us to love and believe in Christ whom we have not and cannot now see.

Peter is painting an enormously positive picture of the Christian life, a life of absolute security for time and eternity, a life of absolute confidence in God and his Word. Now that’s something worth living for! That’s something to rejoice about! The world is full of bad news, turmoil, and fear, but we, as Christians, have everything to rejoice in despite the chaos, despite the terror, despite the suffering. Remember our thesis: Because of our salvation, we can rejoice and praise God even in the midst of deep trials.

Fear! That’s an emotion that all of us at certain times experience. Mysophobia is the fear of dirt. Hydrophobia is the fear of water. Nyctophobia is the fear of darkness. Acrophobia is fear of high places. Taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive. Xenophobia is the fear of strangers. Necrophobia is the fear of the dead. Claustrophobia is the fear of confined places. Incredibly, triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13.

So many people suffer from debilitating fears, some from psychological illnesses, others from frightening experiences. I experienced real, deep-seated fear many years ago when I went skiing for the first time in western Canada. When I got off the gondola and looked down the ski slope in front of me, it looked like a suicidal, vertical drop in front of me. My chest immediately went tight with fear.

We are talking about fear in this article, not fear of heights or down-hill skiing, but something far more important - the fear of God. In today’s passage, Peter is focusing our attention on the Christian lifestyle, the kind of lifestyle that ought to characterize those who are “elect… according to the foreknowledge of God” (1:1-2) and, who have been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1:3).

In 1:13-25, Peter summarizes the expected conduct of God’s holy and elect people in four imperatives: Be hopeful! (13); Be holy! (14-16); Be fearful! (17-21); and Be loving! (22-25). Our passage today deals with the third imperative, “Be fearful” in the context of having been ransomed from our previous lifestyle before we were saved. This is a continuation of Peter’s plea for holy conduct (1:15-16).

The subject of this passage is how to live as exiles in a foreign land. The dominant theme of the passage is that: Believers ought to fear God by pursuing a holy lifestyle that is consistent with their salvation. Because of the prospect of our ultimate salvation at the return of Christ, our lives should be radically changed. You cannot remain the same as you were before you were saved. Who you are and what you stand for - your values, hopes, ethics, goals, priorities – are radically changed by Christ’s redemption. In this regard, Peter has already given two imperatives - now, here is the third imperative: “If (since) you call on him (God) as Father…conduct yourselves with fear (1:17a).

Grammatically, this entire passage is actually a first class conditional sentence. Verse 17a is the “if” (protasis) part of the sentence and vv. 17b-21 form the “then” (apodosis) part of the sentence. It’s a first class conditional sentence because it really says: “If you call on him as Father (and you certainly do), then conduct yourselves with fear…” The following verses 18-21 then provide the basis (reasons) for the “then” conditions. Because of this grammatical structure, “if” should probably be thought of as “since.”

Just as the Father has “called” us in 1:15, so we “call on Him.” We call on Him in prayer because he is our Father and we are his children. We enjoy a relationship with God as children to a loving faithful Father. Membership in God’s family is a great privilege but every privilege comes with responsibilities. Because you call on God as your Father, do not presume on His grace. Just as the Father has called us to “be holy in all our conduct” (1:15), so we are called to “conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile” (1:17b). God the Father is utterly holy and therefore will hold us to his holy standard and correct us when we need it. Do not expect God to be like an indulgent human father who lets you get away with all kinds of bad choices and ill behavior with impunity. Disobedience will not pass unnoticed or undisciplined.

So, why then should we fear Him? Notice two reasons why we should fear God…

I. Fear God Because He is Our Judge (1:17)

1. The Standard Of God’s Judgement. The Father judges each person “according to each one’s deeds.” This verb is best understood as continuous – i.e. God is continuously exercising ongoing discipline, judgement. As his children, God disciplines us now so that sin does not damage our relationship with him (Heb. 12:7-11). We need to be serious about sin and about holy living because God is the Judge.

Non-Christians will be judged at the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:11-15). This is a judgement of condemnation: “Depart from me…” (Matt. 7:23; 25:41). This is the condemnation of eternal separation from God. But Christians, too, are subject to God’s judgement. We experience God’s judgement at the present time in the sense of his disciplinary acts as the Father of disobedient children. Fear of God’s discipline is a good, proper, healthy attitude toward God.

So, Christians experience God’s judgement now and we will experience God’s judgement in the future at the judgement seat of Christ. This is a judgement not for condemnation but for commendation, to cast into the fire those deeds that have no eternal value and to commend those deeds that we have done for God. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). “¹³ Each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ¹⁴ If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire (1 Cor. 3:13-15). “Then each one will receive his commendation from God” (1 Cor. 4:5). That’s when we will hear God say, “Well done…”

Now you can understand why the focus on the return of Christ is so important. Not only because of the rewards we will receive but also because of the judgement. Our pardon from sin is not a license to live anyway we want.

Here then is the standard of God’s judgement - he judges each person according to their deeds. Then there is…

2. The Basis Of God’s Judgement. He judges each person’s deeds “impartially.” As the judge, he shows no favoritism, even to His own children (Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9). When you call on the Father, remember that you are calling on an impartial Judge. That God judges impartially means that no one is excluded from his scrutiny, that he is not swayed by who you are or what you may have accomplished, and that he owes you no favors. God’s discipline is individual and personal and it applies to all people, even though in this context believers specifically are in view. That is a judge’s task – to impartially assess liability and the appropriate consequence.

I don’t know what is going on in your life. Perhaps you’ve cheated on your exams or engaged in business dealings that aren’t upright and honest. Perhaps you didn’t declare all your income on your tax return or you’re dabbling in an illicit relationship outside your marriage. Whatever the case may be, you need to repent, confess, and abandon your sin.

I was washing our cars in our driveway one day. Both of them were filthy dirty. I sprayed water on them and immediately they looked clean. But if I left them that way, dirt would show up again as soon as they dried. To get them clean, you have to use a sponge and some turtle wax soap and a chamois. Sin is like that. Sometimes you’re tempted to spray water on it by going to church, saying the right things, looking good from the outside, but you’re still dirty. The only remedy for sin is “repentance before God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).

Since you call on God who is your Father and Judge, “conduct yourselves with fear (1:17c). Just as the Father who has called us is “holy” so we are called to be holy in all our conduct (1:15). The thought of God’s holiness and our call to be like him in holiness should cause us to “conduct ourselves with fear.” “Fear” means the fear of God. This fear is not to be diluted to an abstract “awe” or “reverence,” even though we must view God in awe and reverence. No, that’s too comfortable, too reductionistic.

This is the fear of who God is. He is the “Father who judges.” He is the absolutely holy One who cannot look upon sin. That should cause us to fear. This is the fear of not living a holy life to which God has called us, of dishonoring God, of falling short of God’s standard, of coming under God’s discipline.

He is the all-powerful One, the all-knowing one, the ever-present one. He made us and we are his creatures. He knows all about us, sees everything we do, and hears everything we say. That should cause us to fear lest we sin against him. We must remember that we live our lives in the presence and under the all-seeing gaze of a holy God.

Fear of God is not to be confused with loving God or of his loving us. It is exactly because He loves us that he disciplines and judges us, so that nothing comes between us and Him, so that we become the people He wants us to be. That’s love!

Fear of God is not to be confused with the dread of God’s wrath. The fear of eternal punishment is for those who do not know God. That’s entirely different from “godly fear” which is essential to holiness (Rev. 11:18; 15:4; 19:5). This is the fear of who God is. And…

This is the fear of displeasing our Father. We understand from our earthly family relationships what disruption and unpleasantness can be caused by displeasing our father. His displeasure may be caused by our breaking certain rules of the home or by our behavior which is inconsistent with the family’s values and reputation. In a similar way, we can displease our heavenly Father. God is utterly holy and hates sin. Thus if we sin, we displease him. We should have a holy fear of displeasing him, a fear based on deep gratitude for what God has done for us, and fear of offending him, fear of disobeying the one who is not to be trifled with or presumed upon.

To dismiss the concept of the fear of the Lord as an O.T. concept is to neglect many N. T. passages and to impoverish our spiritual lives. Fear of God is connected with growth in holiness (2 Cor. 7:1; Phil. 2:12). To fear God is to grow in maturity and in the blessings of God. Remember the Christians in the early church who “walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:31). Adam and Eve feared God because of their sin and they hid from God. We, too, should fear God because of our sin that will be exposed and judged at the judgement seat of Christ. Franklin Roosevelt said: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I don’t think that is true – the only thing to fear is God’s judgment. Abraham Lincoln said: “My great concern is not whether God is on our side; my great concern is to be on God’s side.” That’s proper fear of God. Someone said: “To be free from all fear, we must have but one fear – the fear of God.” Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).

So, this is the fear of who God is. This is the fear of displeasing our Father. And…

This is a fear that extends throughout our lifetime. We are spiritual exiles, strangers in a foreign land, pilgrims who are passing through this life. Throughout our time on earth we should live in fear of who God is (his absolute holiness, his demand that we be holy even as he is holy), in fear of sinning against God, in fear of displeasing God, in the fear of misrepresenting God to unbelievers around us. They are watching everything we say and do, so we must act as true children of God so that God is manifest in us to them such that our lives become more holy and more like him.

Remember, he is your Judge. So, every day, pray to God to make you sensitive to and aware of sin in your life, cry to God for a pure heart, live in fear of offending God and his holiness.

First, then we should fear the Lord because He is our Judge…

II. Fear God Because He Is Our Redeemer (1:18-21)

Live in accordance your redemption. “^17b Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ^18a knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers (1:17b-18a).

You were “ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers” at such great cost. So, fear the Lord lest you fall back into those futile ways from which you have been redeemed. Fear that you might return to empty religious rituals and traditions. Fear that you might be dragged into the ways of the world around you in this foreign land and become more like it rather than an exile. You were “ransomed” from this at such great cost.

A “ransom” is the price paid for someone’s freedom. This term was used to describe the purchase of a slave’s freedom (Lev. 25:47-49). We were held in slavery by Satan himself, our archenemy. He held us in his power and Christ ransomed us from it. This is why we must fear the Lord - because we have been ransomed, bought back from our self-willed rebellion against God.

Prior to their conversion, Peter’s audience had been living a futile, aimless manner of life. Their ancient traditions had no meaning, no purpose – they were empty, worthless, with no lasting results. But now they had abandoned their ancient customs, even though they had been inherited from their ancestors after generations of tradition. Remember, Peter says, that you were ransomed from sin, the world and Satan.

Never forget the cost of your redemption, for you were ransomed “not with perishable things such as silver or gold” (1:18b). Silver and gold are probably the two precious metals that come to mind when we think of the least perishable commodities. But silver tarnishes and even gold will lose its value and luster. Furthermore, the most precious commodities on earth could not ransom us from our pagan, ritualistic, rebellious, self-willed ways which we “inherited” from our forefathers. Silver and gold don’t have the value or power to do that! No earthly possession could ransom us from our sinful pattern of life and radically convert us to a life of holiness and obedience to God. No! You were not ransomed with silver or gold “but with the precious blood of Christ…” (1:19a). That was the cost of your redemption - your ransom price! That was the price God paid to redeem you from the slavery of sin - not the price of a mere slave purchased in the marketplace, nor the value of silver or gold, but “the precious blood of Christ” (1:19a). It cost God the blood of his own precious Son to buy us back from the slave market of sin.

Someone has said, “The most precious commodity in the world could not have accomplished your redemption from sin - only God by His mighty sacrifice could do that… So, conduct yourselves in fear that you do nothing that would despise or make light of that awful price paid by your Redeemer.” That should cause us to live in fear, shouldn’t it? Fear of despising the great sacrifice that Christ paid for our sins; fear of undervaluing the cost of our redemption; fear of denying Christ by failing to be loyal to him in view of all that he has done for us; fear of watering down the value and scope and efficacy of the death of Christ; fear of actually abandoning the historic Christian doctrines you once held which are at the heart of the gospel. We see this happening all around us. New teachings and new practices are cropping up in so-called evangelical churches. Let us fear lest we fall into the trap of watering down the authority of God’s word. Let us fear lest we fall into the trap of removing Christ’s penal substitution from his atoning work on the cross. These false teachings go right to the heart of the gospel! We should fear the Lord that this could happen to us.

The work of Christ has set us free (Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:14). The hereditary chain of sin has been broken. Our conversion is life changing. What the most valued commodity in the world could not do the blood of Christ has done. What the world considers to be precious is in fact in God’s sight merely “perishable” - it wears out and decays. But the blood of Christ is of more value than gold or silver. It is not “perishable” but it is truly “precious.” Why? Because of the value that God places on it.

Only the blood of Christ has true redemptive value in the sight of God. It is the only ransom that God could accept for our sins. Not only does the blood of Christ ransoms us from our sin, but it cleanses our consciences (Heb. 9:14), it gives us bold access to God in worship and prayer (Heb. 10:19), it continuously cleanses us from repeated sin (1 Jn. 1:7), it enables us to conquer the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:11), it rescues us from our sinful way of life (1 Pet. 1:19).

Christ’s blood is “like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1:19b). He took our place - he was our substitutionary sacrifice. That’s why his blood is so precious, because in shedding his blood Christ died the death that we deserved on account of our sins. He was the perfect, spotless lamb to which all the O. T. sacrifices pointed. The Passover lamb (Ex. 12:5) and the many other O.T. sacrifices required a spotless lamb (Num. 6:14; 28:3, 9). The Passover was that special Jewish ritual by which each family had to kill a perfect lamb and sprinkle its blood on the two door posts and lintel in order to be sheltered from the destroying angel of death. And from that time forward, they have carried out this ritual every year at the time of Passover as a constant reminder of their redemption from Egypt. That imperfect ritual points forward to the perfect “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29), the one who “bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24), the one “who offered himself without blemish to God” (Heb. 9:14), the one who was “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7), the one who “entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12), the one who in heaven will be the subject and object of the eternal praise of the redeemed: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9).

Such is the value of the blood of this Lamb that we should live in fear! Fear that we would ever harbor sin from which he redeemed us by his blood. Fear that we would ever derive enjoyment from sin which caused his agony and death.

We have been ransomed with the precious blood of Christ who “was foreknown before the foundation of the world” (1:20a). “Foreknown” here has the sense of predestined, chosen by God. In a past eternity, before the world even existed, God foreordained Jesus to be our substitutionary sacrifice. In eternity past the Godhead agreed that the Son would come to earth to be the Saviour of the world.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world “but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you” (1:20b). Notice the contrast here between the foreordination of Christ concerning our redemption and his manifestation “in the last time.” God decreed in a past eternity to send his Son to be our substitute on the cross, but his decree remained unfulfilled until Christ was “manifest in these last times.” Through Jesus’ birth he entered the world in time, having been foreordained in eternity to be our Savior. Why was the plan of God delayed so long? – “for you,” Peter says. This long-awaited appearance of the Messiah was “for the sake of you.” He came to redeem “you” - the elect (1:1), the chosen of God (2:9).

He came in “the last times,” that period when the history of the world is coming to an end, the period that began with Christ’s incarnation and will end at his second coming. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have an enormously privileged position. You just may be living at the time when Christ will appear the second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (Heb. 9:28).

He was made manifest in the last times for you “who through him are believers in God” (1:21a). That’s who Christ came to redeem – those who believe in God. Through his manifestation on earth and his completed work of redemption at the cross we believe God. We don’t believe in him because of any merit of our own but solely because of what he has done as our Redeemer. Through the manifestation of Jesus Christ and our trust in Him we now are “believers in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory (1:21b). The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6). The God who planned our redemption is now the object of our trust. Our belief in God is not due to blind faith, nor does it belong exclusively to some sort of esoteric group of people but to those who through faith in Christ believe in God, on the empirical evidence that God “raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory.” That’s why we believe in God.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation stone of Christian belief, for “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). The basis of our belief in Christ is that God raised him from the dead, even to his own right hand, giving him honour and “glory.” To give him “glory” means that God glorified him by exalting him to his own right hand, the place of supreme power and exaltation: “⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).

The result of this wonderful truth – the manifestation of Christ in these last times and his subsequent resurrection and glorification - is “that your faith and hope are in God” (1:21c). “Your faith and hope are in God” because just as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by God’s power so shall we. This is the gospel in which “faith and hope” are inseparably linked. In fact, that has been the basis of Peter’s thesis thus far in this epistle (cf. 1:3, 5, 7, 9, 13).

Final Remarks

What a wonderful way to draw this exhortation to a close. The God whom we fear is also the God whom we trust forever. After telling us to live holy lives (1:14-16) and to fear God’s discipline and displeasure if we disobey Him (1:17), especially considering that God redeemed us from sin at such great cost (1:18-19), Peter concludes by reminding us that the God whom we fear as Judge is also the God whom we trust as Savior. The sequence of thought goes like this: In the counsels of eternity past, God foreordained our redemption in these last times through the incarnation and manifestation of Christ (1:20), through whom we believe in God who raised Christ from the dead and glorified him, the consequence of which is that we place all our trust and hope in God (1:21).

What a privilege to live in this age when we can know God as Savior through Christ. What a motivation for holy living - to fear the Lord because He is our Judge and because he is our Redeemer.

Here then again, we se the centrality of the cross in Peter’s first epistle. The entirety of who we are as the redeemed people of God is dependent upon the work of Christ on the cross. Apart from his saving sacrifice on the cross, we would be forever lost. We would never know God, much less fear him. But in and through Christ, we have drawn near. “¹¹ Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— ¹² remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have bene brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:11-13).

Remember our thesis: Believers ought to fear God by pursuing a holy lifestyle that is consistent with our salvation. Who of you would knowingly lead sinful lives in the light of who God is? Who of you would cheapen the grace of God by indulging in sin from which you have been redeemed at such great cost? Do you remember God’s eternal decree to send His Son to be our Savior? Do you remember what Christ did in shedding his blood to purchase our freedom? Will you resolve, in response to such great salvation, to obey God and live holy lives for His glory and to do so in the fear of God because He is your Judge and your Redeemer? Remember, “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:20). Amen!