Why Does 1 Peter 4:17 Talk About God's Judgment?

  What is the subject of 1 Peter?  It may be hard to figure out what it is.  But the Life-Studies make this and other background information about each book so clear. In the first couple  of chapters in this book, Witness Lee mentions that Peter’s Epistles center on God’s governmental judgment.    

My son took this when he was at Crater Lake this week.

   This week I read chapter 30 of the LIfe-Study of 1 Peter, and it gives a comprehensive view of God’s judgment from eternity past to eternity future.  I would strongly recommend that you read this Life-Study!   It’s definitely eye-opening in its presentation of this truth.  Here's the verse that opened up his fellowship:

For it is time for the judgment to begin from the house of God; and if first from us, what will be the end of those who disobey the gospel of God?  1 Peter 4:17

What helped me here was seeing the purpose of God’s judgment—I’m sharing  excerpts from  pages 267, 268, and 269:

The basic concept of God’s government is a basic thought in Peter’s composition of this Epistle….Of course in 1 and 2 Peter we cannot find the word “government.” But in these two books we see the means by which God carries out His government.  The means by which God carries out His government is by judging. Eventually after God’s judgment has been completed, there will be a new heaven and new earth wherein righteousness dwells....God’s judgment began to be exercised in the Old Testament, and it has been continually exercised through the generations. Today God is still judging. In the New Testament we see that God’s judgment begins from His own household and ends with the burning of the old heaven and old earth. That burning will be the last step of God’s judgment….By all these judgments the Lord God will clear up and purify the entire universe that He may have a new heaven and new earth for a new universe filled with His righteousness (2 Pet. 3:10) for His delight (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 Peter. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1982, Print).

Another view of Crater Lake in Winter

  Why does God have to judge? This may even go against your concept that how can a loving God judge in such a way?  I hope this overview helps you understand why God needs to judge.

 I learned  from reading the Life-Study of Genesis that when Satan rebelled and took 1/3 of the angels with him (2 Peter 2:4), he threw the universe into total chaos.  Ezekiel tells us that  God judged him by casting them to the earth (Ezek. 28:13-14).  The Bible tells us in Genesis 3 that after God created Adam and Eve, Satan brought this chaos into them through his tricking Eve.

   So  In 2 Peter 2:5-9 we’re reminded  that God judged people in the Old Testament times with things like the flood. Then in 1 Peter 1:17, 4:17, we learn that in the New Testament times God’s judgment begins from His house.  And Peter makes it very clear that all the believers in God’s spiritual house are being purified daily by fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12). It touched me when I read that God is doing this so that He can finally have a testimony on this earth that  defeats His enemy. 

   I could really see from this chapter that God's judgment on people and situations is not haphazard but with a definite goal.  And it touched me when he said that by working on us first, we become the Lord's stepping stones so that He can establish His kingdom on this earth. 

I like to listen to the Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking or typing. You can listen to live excerpts of these messages that were given in 1982 along with the outstanding commentary. 

What is the Sanctification of the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2?

What is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?

How Do Believers Grow According to 1 Peter 2:2?

How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?

What Does 1 Peter 4:1-2 Say About Sufferings?

What Does 1 Peter 4:1-2 Say About Sufferings?

     Why is this happening to me?  Many times I've asked God questions like this.  And I've gotten a lot of answers to this and similar kinds of questions as I've read through the Life- Studies of Witness Lee.  In chapter 19 of the Life-Study of 1 Peter Witness Lee points out that some believers were undergoing persecution from their masters, and this was probably stumbling them.  Perhaps their natural thought was I believe in God, so why are bad things happening to me now?  I think this is an age old problem. Here's what Peter says about suffering:

I took this last week while walking at a nearby lake.

Since Christ therefore has suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same mind (because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin), No longer to live the rest of the time in the flesh in the lusts of men, but ""in the will of God.  1 Peter 4:1-2

     I was listening to the radio program #20 on this chapter last week, and they talked about how a lot of Christians have the mistaken thought that believers should only receive blessings, kind of like the name it and claim it gospel you hear sometimes on the radio.  

On the broadcast Witness Lee shares this portion that is on page 233 of chapter 26 of the Life-Study of 1 Peter: 

"It is not easy to to stay away from lusts and do God's will when we are rich in material things.  This is the reason God assigns a certain portion of suffering to us.  These sufferings restrict our lusts and preserve us in the will of God.  In this sense we all should worship God for our sufferings….We should not be afraid that our sufferings will be too great.  The Lord knows how to assign sufferings to us….He will not assign either too little or too much.  His assignment will be in the right proportion: it will be exactly what we need" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 Peter. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1982  Print).

   This fellowship helped clear up this funny thought I pick up from certain books that when we follow the Lord, there should only be prosperity and blessing.  And if something terrible happens, that means something is wrong with us. This chapter helped give me a divine view about sufferings.  And what touches me is that each of our sufferings has been personally assigned to us by God. 

Blog Update 1-19-15:  Here's a beautiful song called He's My God that I found today on Youtube that's about God being with us in our sorrows.

I like to listen to the Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking or typing. You can listen to live excerpts of these messages that were given in 1982 along with some outstanding commentary. 

What is the Sanctification of the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2?
What is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?
How Do Believers Grow According to 1 Peter 2:2?
How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?
What Does 1 Peter 4:1-2 Say About Sufferings?
Why Does 1 Peter 4:17 Talk About God's Judgment?
What Does Partaking of the Divine Nature Mean in 2 Peter 1:4?
How Does the Prophetic Word in 2 Peter 1:19 Prepare Us For the Lord's Coming?

Other Life-Study Posts on Sufferings

From the Life-Study of 2 Corinthians:
What are Sufferings for in 2 Corinthians 4:7-15?
From the Life-Studies of 2 Corinthians - Did You Know That Pressures Cause Renewing in 2 Corinthians 4:16?
Why Didn't the Lord Remove Paul's Thorn in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9?

From the Life-Study of Philippians:
What's the Connection Between Forbearance & Anxiety in Philippians 4:5-6?

From the Life-Study of James:
Why Does the Epistle of James Open Up With Trials?
What's the Way to Resist Temptation in James 1:21?

How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?

    Can you believe that wood can become stone?  If you've ever been to a petrified forest, you know it's true.  Now can you believe that God is actually doing the same thing spiritually in you?  He is transforming your fallen, wooden nature into a precious stone. We know this is true because Peter boldly proclaims this in 1 Peter 2:5:

You yourselves also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.

      In chapter 18 of the Life-Study of 1 Peter Witness Lee shares how God made us all of clay--the name Adam even means red clay. Then when we were regenerated, the Bible tells us in Romans 8:16 God's divine life entered into our spirit.  Now as God's life gradually grows within us, it changes us bit by bit from clay to living stone.

      But it doesn't stop there because in this verse Peter connects our transformation into stone to God's spiritual house.  Brother Lee mentions here that Peter was probably recalling how the Lord changed his name from Simon to Peter, which means stone. And then he must have thought a lot about the Lord's word to Him recorded in Matthew 16:18.

  God is working on us because His goal is to have a spiritual house, which is the church. Often when brother Lee would speak about transformation, he would use the illustration of petrified wood to help his audience understand this process better. I have been to two petrified forests (the one in Arizona and the one in Eastern Washington), and if I hadn't seen entire logs turned to stone, it would be hard for me to believe that this could really happen.

On pages 152-154 he shares about how our transformation is similar to wood being petrified:

 This is a petrified log my brother saw in Northern Arizona.

 In Arizona there is a place called the petrified forest, an area that contains much petrified wood.  Over a long period of time, water has been flowing over wood and through it.  By means of this flow of water, the substance of the wood is changed into stone. On the one hand, the element of wood is carried way; on the other hand, the element of stone is brought in to replace the element of wood. In this way the wood becomes stone. 

The principle is the same with our experience of transformation. If we long for the milk of the word, this milk will be like a current of living water flowing within us. As we stay in this flow, the current will carry away our natural substance and replace it with heavenly, divine minerals.... Gradually, over a period of time, we shall be transformed or "petrified"; that is, we shall become precious stone.... Transformation cannot take place overnight. The petrified wood in Arizona required a very long time to be changed from wood into stone....God's goal in the believers is to have a house built up with living stones (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 Peter. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1982, Print).

I'm thankful for seeing how drinking the milk of the word  causes transformation for God's building!  

I like to listen to the Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking or typing. You can listen to live excerpts of these messages that were given in 1982 along with some outstanding commentary. 

What is the Sanctification of the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2?
What is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?
How Do Believers Grow According to 1 Peter 2:2?
How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?
What Does 1 Peter 4:1-2 Say About Sufferings?
Why Does 1 Peter 4:17 Talk About God's Judgment?
What Does Partaking of the Divine Nature Mean in 2 Peter 1:4?
How Does the Prophetic Word in 2 Peter 1:19 Prepare Us For the Lord's Coming?

How Do Believers Grow According to 1 Peter 2:2?

     Don't confuse spiritual growth with learning more Bible knowledge.  They're not the same.   Peter 2:2 shows us that spiritual growth comes from eating and drinking just like our human growth.

As newborn babes long for the guileless milk of the word, that by it you may grow unto salvation. 1 Peter 2:2



Ebey's Landing in December

     I really liked this excerpt on page 128-120 of chapter 15 of the Life-Study of 1 Peter because it shows the difference:

"We received the divine life through regeneration, and we need to grow in this life and with this life by being nourished with the milk received in the word of God....Many Christians think that to grow is to gain more knowledge....However, he may not hear a word that helps him to realize that through regeneration he has received the divine life and that now he needs to grow in life. He may only be helped to learn the stories in the Gospels and then the stories in the Old Testament.  Gradually, he may pick up more Bible knowledge and some may regard this as growth.  This concept of growth, however, is altogether contrary to that in the New Testament. According to the New Testament growth is the genuine increase in the measure of life. Knowledge does not help us to increase in the measure of life" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 Peter. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1982, Print). 

      After that Witness Lee points out that it is only through gradually receiving healthy nourishment over many years that a 6 pound infant can grow to be 180 pounds! Think about it.  God has really given us an excellent picture of what spiritual growth looks like. No mother would be so foolish as to just read menus to her kids or show them pictures of food.  Every mother is an expert in preparing nutritious meals for her children.  I felt this chapter was  calling me  to just come to God's word and get nourished. 

      Another amazing point that he brings out in this chapter is there's divine antibiotics in this spiritual milk!  I learned here that Peter uses the phrase guileless milk because it counteracts the guile that's in my fallen nature in the same way that a healthy immune system continually destroys cancerous cells in our bodies. 

I like to listen to the Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking or typing. You can listen to live excerpts of these messages that were given in 1982 along with some outstanding commentary. 

What is the Sanctification of the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2?
What is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?
How Do Believers Grow According to 1 Peter 2:2?
How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?
What Does 1 Peter 4:1-2 Say About Sufferings?
Why Does 1 Peter 4:17 Talk About God's Judgment?
What Does Partaking of the Divine Nature Mean in 2 Peter 1:4?
How Does the Prophetic Word in 2 Peter 1:19 Prepare Us For the Lord's Coming?

Other Posts on Spiritual Growth:

From the Collected Works of Witness Lee
What Causes the Seed to Grow in the Parable in Matthew 13?

From the Life-Study of Colossians
What Does Colossians 2:7 Say About Spiritual Growth?
What is the Goal of Spiritual Growth in Colossians 2:9?

From the Life-Study of James
How Spiritual Growth is Connected to the Lord's Coming in James 5:7-8

What Is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?

   The Bible is not a newspaper--they both have  dates, names, and events. But unlike a newspaper, the word of God conveys truth to us. But truth doesn't mean that you just know the facts, like a journalist giving a report. It means those facts are real to you. 

We took the father of one of our international students to
Deception Pass this week. This is the view off the bridge.

Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth and unfeigned brotherly love, love one another from the heart fervently.  1 Peter 1:22

     While I was reading  chapter 14 of the Life-Study of 1 Peter, I realized I never really got what  obedience to the truth means here.  I thought it was obeying commands like love one another, forgive one another, and bear one another, things like this.  Witness Lee's speaking on page 115 in this chapter made this more clear to me:

Truth here is the sanctifying truth, which is God's word of reality (John 17:17).  Truth in this verse does not mean doctrine.  Truth is the reality contained in God's word and conveyed by it.  For example, John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world." ….To read this word only in a doctrinal way is to have a natural understanding….When we read, "God so loved the world," we need to ask ourselves if we have experienced this love….Does this 'world' include me?  Does this word mean that God so loved me? Anyone who reads John 3:16 in this way will get saved.  Such a one would say, "O God, how I thank You that the world includes me.  For You to love the world means that You love me." This is to take John 3:16 as truth, as reality, and not merely as doctrine…
.We should not only receive doctrine from God's word--we should touch reality (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 Peter. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1982, Print).

     This fellowship sparked something inside of my heart--everything in the Bible needs to become real to me! But did you see in the above example, that it requires us to talk to the Lord about His word?  while I was typing this, I was listening  to a message on Living Stream Ministry's website. When I heard this sentence- "We need to pray His word back to Him." I thought this is exactly what brother Lee means by touching  the reality in God's word.  If we're not getting it, we  can tell Him, I need you to show me what this means.  He said that the Spirit will guide us into all the reality.

I like to listen to the Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking or typing. You can listen to live excerpts of these messages that were given in 1982 along with some outstanding commentary. 

What is the Sanctification of the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2?
What is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?
How Do Believers Grow According to 1 Peter 2:2?
How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?
What Does 1 Peter 4:1-2 Say About Sufferings?
Why Does 1 Peter 4:17 Talk About God's Judgment?
What Does Partaking of the Divine Nature Mean in 2 Peter 1:4?
How Does the Prophetic Word in 2 Peter 1:19 Prepare Us For the Lord's Coming?

What is the Sanctification of the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2?

   Have you ever thought about sanctification?  Does it sound like a word that only belongs in theology books?  Several years ago after listening to messages and reading Life Studies, the lights came on for me!  

I took this picture last week when I was out in the country.

This week I started reading the Life-Study of 1 Peter, and in chapter five Witness Lee spoke about two aspects of sanctification. (Did you even know there were two aspects?)  I've heard about this before, but I enjoyed hearing it again!  Here’s the verse in 1 Peter on sanctification that I read about:

 According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus.  1 Peter 1:2

On page 32-33  in chapter 4 of the Life-Study of 1 Peter brother Lee gives a clear explanation of what he learned under the Spirit’s enlightenment concerning this verse:

But in 1:2 Peter says that sanctification comes after the Father’s selection and before Christ’s redemption.  According to this verse the sanctification of the Spirit is unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ.  Surely this indicates that the sanctification of the Spirit precedes the redemption of Christ.  As I prayed over this verse and studied it, I was enlightened  to see that not only Christ’s redemption needs to be applied by the Spirit, but the Father’s selection also needs to be applied by the Spirit….in eternity past God selected us, but how could this selection be applied to us? …We all can testify of this from our experience. We were wandering on earth perhaps as those who never had a thought concerning God. But one day the “wind” of the Spirit “blew” us to a place where we heard the preaching of the gospel. While we were listening to the preaching of the gospel, faith was infused into us. In this way, God’s selection was applied to us (Lee. Witness. Life-Study of 1 Peter. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry.1982, Print).

    As I was thinking about this first aspect of sanctification that occurs before we're even saved, I thought back on a  Life-Study of Luke that likened the Spirit’s sanctifying work to a woman sweeping a house until she finds one lost coin (Luke 15). This parable illustrates the fact that the Spirit of God works tirelessly to arrange environments to bring people to the point where they receive the Lord as their Savior. My husband and I will often pray this way for ones on our hearts that the Spirit  would sweep in their hearts to prepare them for salvation.  

   But when a person finally prays and becomes a son of God (John 1:12), they begin a life-long process of sanctification. And this is the second aspect of sanctification that we mostly hear and read about. In these chapters he makes it so clear that the goal of sanctification is to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). And we need to see that the Spirit everything in our lives to carry out this process of sanctification.  And then he connects this process to John 17:17--Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. So not matter what keep coming to the word each day! 

I like to listen to the Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking or typing. You can listen to live excerpts of these messages that were given in 1982 along with some outstanding commentary. 

Other Posts on 1 & 2 Peter:

What is the Sanctification of the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2?
What is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?
How Do Believers Grow According to 1 Peter 2:2?
How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?
What Does 1 Peter 4:1-2 Say About Sufferings?
Why Does 1 Peter 4:17 Talk About God's Judgment?
What Does Partaking of the Divine Nature Mean in 2 Peter 1:4?
How Does the Prophetic Word in 2 Peter 1:19 Prepare Us For the Lord's Coming?

Other Posts on Sanctification: 

From the Life-Study of Romans:
What is Sanctification in the Book of Romans?

From the Life-Study of Ephesians:
How Does God Get a Glorious Church in Ephesians 5:27?

From the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians:
How Does God Preserve Us Complete in 1 Thessalonians 5:23?
What Does Salvation in Sanctification of the Spirit Mean in 2 Thessalonians 2:13?

From the Life-Study of Hebrews:
How Does the Lord Sanctify us in Hebrews 2:11?