2 Peter 3:14-18 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
How should we live in these last days? As Peter said by quoting Joel’s prophesy at the day of Pentecost, we are and have been in the last days since Jesus died on the cross. The church of Christ has always faced the situation of living in the last days. Harassment, persecution, and death have continuously flamed up against God’s people of faith. Christians have faced devilish opposition in their living for Christ. Many believers have been martyred because they dared to mention the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior. The body of Jesus Christ rarely has existed within an environment of acceptance. Even today in America, some jobs are withheld from people with a strong belief in Christ Jesus as Savior. We do not see fundamentalist Christians occupying seats of power such as serving as a Supreme Court Justice. In our modern world, even in the most sophisticated and civilized societies, faith in Jesus Christ and his works is rejected and often mocked. Right now, at the time of this writing, people around the world are using the name of Jesus as a curse word. The devil knows Jesus’ name, and he knows the power of that name, so he uses his minions in the world to ridicule and deride it. The names of other prophets and so-called deities are accepted and honored, but the name of Jesus is demeaned. Expressing the name of Jesus with contempt is exactly what God’s enemies desire. Oftentimes, even Christians forget the power of Jesus’ name: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Jesus is the powerful gatekeeper to the domain of God. He is the Savior, the one who can wash away the stain of sin. As David beseeched God in Psalms 51: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. He goes on to say, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Jesus is the Creator! He emphatically told Nicodemus the Pharisee, you must be born again and receive a NEW HEART to be acceptable to God the Father. As Christians, we must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is divine—the Son of God! The secular world hates the fact we call ourselves Christians, followers of the divine One. Say anything else about Jesus and they may accept your words, but if you say, only the Divine One brings salvation, you face opposition, harsh words. Tell them that Jesus had SOME GOOD WORDS or insight into human behavior, and they will smile, “Yes, I grant you that.” But if you say He is the Savior and Creator of all things, negativity quickly comes your way. But if Jesus is not the Son of God, He is mere man—sometimes expressing wisdom and love, but other times irrational ideas about himself, God, and the world, even what we might consider a delusional man. Still the question remains for Christians in the last days, how should we live? We will walk in the footprints of Christians who for two millenniums have lived under the name of Christ, believing in Jesus’ works as denoted in the Bible. We have committed ourselves to the kingdom of faith, not to this kingdom of flesh. We will live by faith, even though our bodies die in the kingdom of flesh. Our hope is not in this world. We will not eat, drink, and be merry, thinking this world is all that there is for us who have breath. No, we will live in the kingdom of faith. Our eternal existence resides there as we await our eternal home.
What is the kingdom of faith? Faith in God requires action, a new and purposeful way of living. Faith is not merely believing there is a God or that Jesus is his Son. It is not merely tagging yourself with the name of Christian. A life of faith is full of action, dedication, and good works. What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. (James 2:14-17, NLV) If you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the gate to heaven, you will be obedient to him. You will perform good works as He did in his life. Yes, you will pray to God. You will be in constant contact with God because of the voice of the Holy Spirit within you, but the evidence of knowing God, of hearing God, is the good work and attitude that your life produces. James says quite clearly, if your life is void of good works and a positive attitude towards others, your faith, your belief in God, is nonexistent. It is dead! God has always accepted the faith of people that produces good works. Rahab, the prostitute found rightness with God when she hid the Israelite spies in her home. These Israelites were spying out Jericho. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. (James 2:25-26) She was considered a heathen by the Israelites, but God considered her right with him. We see a Roman soldier, Cornelius, being right with God by his works. He believed there was a God to serve. He served him reverently with good works. At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” (Acts 10:1-6) We see in these stories that God honored the good works of Rahab and Cornelius. God blessed them because of their faith. Abraham was called a friend of God because of his faith in God and his words. Christians who believe in Jesus Christ are to honor God by their works. What about salvation? We must believe. God brings Christ to those who honor him, for Christ is the gate to eternal life.
Paul’s preaching is all about faith in Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. Paul met Jesus outside of physically walking with him on earth as the disciples had. Paul saw Jesus in the spiritual context of eternal life. He did not see Jesus in the flesh, but he did see the light of the ETERNAL ONE on the road to Damascus. So his teaching was based on that manifestation of Christ. How should we live to enter into Christ’s eternal domain was the basis of his teaching. He was taught by the Holy Spirit that faith in Jesus Christ and his works would bring people eternally into the presence of God. This was a difficult concept for the people who came from the Jewish tradition. They could not easily believe that faith in Jesus Christ alone would bring eternal life to them. The secular heathen world based much of their religion on good works. But Paul emphasized a NEW CREATION came only through faith in Christ and his works. Of course, as Peter says, some distort the teachings of Paul and live in a lawless way, believing that just a nebulous belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God will be okay with God, naming Christ as their Savior but not following him. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort. But a mere halfhearted belief in Christ that does not initiate good works is dead. Paul taught that when he dealt with the wayward Corinthians, he told them that their lives must measure up to God’s holiness or they would be outside of the goodness of God and face judgment. He was very harsh with them, bringing them to sorrow. As with the apostles and Jesus, Paul’s life was one of works. He traveled thousands of miles to preach the gospel. Everywhere in the New Testament, we see people in action, moving and preaching the Good News as they went. To display Christ to the world demands action: good works. Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 NKJV) Our good works do not save us, but they show others the Christ that is within us. As people venture through life, they can smile or frown, love or hate, bring peace or war. How should we live in the last days? If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. — The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:13; 17-18; NLT) To live for Christ is to image God: his goodness and love. We image him by our actions and by our attitudes. When we are faithful servants of Christ, He walks into people’s lives when we walk into their lives. He sits and sups with them when we sit and sup with them. They hear his voice when we talk; they see his face when we smile. They know the love of God by our love for them. Regardless of the darkness of the day or the time of the end, we are to be lights in the world, the salt of the earth. How can they know that? They know THROUGH OUR ACTIONS AND LOVE.
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