Seeds for 04/19/2024 - 1 Peter 1:22
Scripture:
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
Observation:
John Calvin said, “True knowledge of God is born out of obedience.”
I’m a Wesleyan-Methodist Christian, not a Calvinist, but I agree with that assertion. Life in God involves hands-on training—an apprenticeship, not a classroom. We learn the Word of God for the purpose of transformation, not information. Transformation requires practicing new life, not only thinking about biblical truth.
When Jesus gave the eleven remaining disciples the Great Commission, Peter was there. Jesus told them to make disciples by “baptizing them… and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Peter says that “sincere love for each other” is a result of “purifying yourselves by obeying the truth.”
Purification is about removing the blemishes, burning off the corrosion. Obedience to Jesus’ commands is hard but over time it excises certain behaviors and attitudes from our lives. If we are obedient, we do what Jesus commands before we feel like it. Prioritizing authenticity can sometimes be a way of avoiding obedience. But if we prioritize obedience and faithfulness to Jesus, our feelings are more likely to follow eventually. This reminds me of the saying, “We more often act ourselves into a way of thinking rather than think ourselves into a way of acting.”
Spiritual transformation comes from practice, and practice is what you do both when you’re not good at something yet and when you want to improve and stay sharp.
Peter speaks of Christian love like this: “sincere,” “deeply,” “from the heart.” This highlights that our Christian growth is not only in beliefs and behavior, but in affections as well. Our hearts become more like His when we grow through obedience to Him. As a result, we have a greater love—the love of Jesus—to share with Christian sisters and brothers, and with the world as well.
Application:
What opportunities do you have to practice obedience to Jesus in your relationships?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for imparting your love and truth to me. Mold in me a heart like yours. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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