Friday, July 22, 2011
PRECIOUS PASSAGES FROM FIRST PETER
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
SET APART
Back when I was in high school we had a very rainy field day at the end of the year; the baseball field was flooded. Almost everyone had a great time slipping, sliding, and throwing the dirt and mud all around. There were a few, however, who had umbrellas and compared to the rest certainly stood out with their dry, clean clothes. In fact, they were potential targets for the rest of the muddy ones!
Repentant Christians stand out from the rest of the world in many ways. Among religions, Christianity is set apart from the rest of the world in that it is the only religion where its God totally takes care of the payment for sin and gives the free gift of eternal life. Christianity is set apart from the world because the actions of the followers of Christ are done on a "want to" not a "have to" basis. Christianity is set apart from the world because the morality of the Bible is in clear contrast to the general morality of this world. Christianity is set apart from the world in the fact that there is living proof for the central hope of its teachings: Christ was crucified for all sins and rose from the dead.
The Lord God sets apart His light of truth from the darkness of this wicked world. His Word is a target for the sinful world to throw mud at! So that word in the passage from Peter is special. It means "to set apart" from all else or "to make holy." That's quite a distinction! Jesus sets apart His teachings from the rest of the world's humanistic foolishness. But take special note of this my friend: Jesus has set you apart (He calls you holy) through His precious blood and makes you clean. Despite your own "wallowing in the mud," your Savior washes you and gives you His clothing of righteousness.
The Lord set you apart to share your hope. Doesn't knowing how Christ has set you apart (sanctified you) give a clearer understanding of this passage? Give Christ the priority He gave to you! Share that hope that you have! That's one reason why He gave it to you!
