There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
For the supports and comforts of this life, which have thus far made the land of our pilgrimage easy and pleasant to us.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears me up; God is my salvation. Psalm 68:19(ESV)
You make me lie down in green pastures; you feed me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2(ESV) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head, and my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5(ESV)
It may be I was sent out with no moneybag or knapsack, but did I lack anything? Nothing, Lord. Luke 22:35(ESV)
The lamp of God has shone upon my head, and by his light I have walked through darkness, and the friendship of God has been upon my tent. Job 29:3-4(ESV)
You have richly provided me with everything to enjoy, 1 Timothy 6:17(ESV) and have brought plentifully into my hand. Job 12:6(KJV)
Many a time I have eaten and been filled, and have delighted myself in your great goodness. Nehemiah 9:25(ESV)
When I remember all the ways that the LORD my God has led me for so many years in this wilderness, Deuteronomy 8:2(ESV) I must here set up a stone and call it Ebenezer, for till now the LORD has helped me. 1 Samuel 7:12(ESV)
Angels have a lot to do, especially for those who have eyes to see. I believe that most of their work goes on behind the scenes where they are usually not noticed. Let me give you a short Biblical primer on the nature and work of angels.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Roger Barrier went to be with the Lord on February 16th, 2024. Dr. Barrier’s family is honoring his legacy by continuing the ministry of Ask Roger and preachitteachit.org for years to come as they share more than two thousand still-unpublished sermons and Ask Roger articles. All articles authored by Dr. Barrier that are published and republished are done posthumously.
Dear Roger, What do we really know about angels, and how do they reveal themselves to us? How do angels appear to people in the Bible?
3 Ways Angels Appear in the Bible
Angels appeared to people in the Bible in three ways. First, some angels appeared to people in a recognizable form, even seeming to be human. For example, the angel that announced the virgin birth to Mary appeared in some kind of recognizable form (Luke 1:26-38), as did the angel who appeared to the shepherds and the angelic multitude who praised God (Luke 2:8-15). The angels who appeared to Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18-19 were humans from the men’s standpoint.
Second, other angels appeared to people in dreams. This was especially true surrounding the birth of Jesus. An angel appeared to Joseph, the man engaged or betrothed to Mary, in a dream to tell him to take Mary as his wife and that their son would be Jesus, the Messiah (Matthew 1:20-21). An angel also appeared to Joseph in another dream to warn him to flee to Egypt with his family (Matthew 2:13).
Third, some angels appeared to people in visions. This was true of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1 and 10), as well as John’s vision in Revelation. These visions were distinct from dreams, as they took place when the individuals were awake. However, these visions were also different from appearances in which angels came to people in a recognizable way, or as humans, and could be seen by others.
Most of us seem to know very little about the existence and ministry of Angels. We use them to decorate our Christmas trees, to wear as jewelry, to decorate our nurseries or carve into our tombstones. Children don cherub costumes for Christmas programs.
Angels have a lot to do, especially for those who have eyes to see. I believe that most of their work goes on behind the scenes where they are usually not noticed.
Let me give you a short Biblical primer on the nature and work of angels.
16 Things We Know about Angels
1. God created the angels before He created anything else in the universe.
The angels watched God work and shouted for joy at the results of the creation (Job 38:4-7).
2. All of the angels were created simultaneously.
They are unable to procreate (Matthew 22:28). The number of angels has always been constant.
3. The number of angels is incomprehensible.
Revelation 5:11 records the number of Angels: “Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands and thousands.”
4. Some angels rebelled against God.
Lucifer, who was in charge of guarding the throne of God and with bringing God praise and worship, chose to rebel (Isaiah 14).
A huge number of angels rebelled with him. Fallen angels (demons) live in one of two places today: (1) On earth, attacking and discouraging humans; and (2) In Tartarus, a prison cell in the lowest hell, waiting to be released during the Great Tribulation.
5. Angels are powerful.
Only one angel was needed to wipe out 185,000 Assyrians in a single night (2 Kings 19).
6. Angels were created to praise and worship God around His throne.
Revelation 5:11-12: “In a loud voice they sang, “Worthy is the Lamb, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
7. Angels are charged with the responsibility of guiding the affairs of nations.
We learn from Daniel 10 that angels are intricately involved in guiding our heads of state. Every nation also has a demon charged with the responsibility of bringing that nation to destruction (Ezekiel).
Daniel also revealed that every nation has a demonic spirit assigned to it to bring pain and destruction.
8. Angels fight Satan and his demons until the victory is won at the end of time.
Revelation 12:7-9: “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back…”
9. Every church is assigned an angel to watch over it and to help protect it.
Revelation 1:20: “The mystery of the seven stars . . . the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
10. Angels will separate the wheat from the weeds at the final judgment (the saved from the lost).
Matthew 13:38-42: “The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.”
11. Angels minister to those who believe in Christ.
Jacob’s dream of a ladder, by which angels ascended and descended between heaven and earth, is a beautiful picture of their incessant activity for us (Genesis 28:12).
12. Angels provide for the physical needs of believers as in the case of Elijah under his juniper tree (1 Kings 19:5-7).
After a Wednesday night service several years ago, a lady told me of an angelic protection. Driving on a lonely desert road in her VW with her children the car’s engine caught fire. She stopped and tried to open the hood. She couldn’t; it was too hot. Suddenly, another car pulled up behind her. She thought that this was strange because she’d seen no other cars on the road.
He pulled out this big pair of asbestos gloves, opened the hood, and used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze. She turned to thank the man and he was gone. Both he and the car had disappeared.
13. Angels protect believers from danger.
As in the case of watching over the three Hebrews in the furnace (Daniel Chapter 3), or by watching over Daniel in the lions’ den (Daniel chapter 6).
Once when Brianna, our oldest daughter, was just learning crawl, Julie heard me yell from the back bathroom. “Julie, come quickly!” At the same time, I heard Julie call from the back bathroom, “Roger, come quickly.” We both ran quickly to discover Brianna about to tumble headlong onto the tile of our three-foot-deep sunken tub. We grabbed her just in time.
Julie said, “I’m sure glad you called me to get back here quickly.”
“I didn’t call you,” I said. “You called me.”
“I didn’t call you,” she said.
We had an angelic visitation from Brie’s guardian angel!”
Experiences like these make Psalm 34:7 come alive: “The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear God and deliver them.”
Luke 17:22: “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.”
A cold chill runs up many of our backs to think that sometime in the future, and perhaps in the very near future for some of us, the Death Angel will be dispatched from Heaven to Earth.
If we are Christians, we need not be afraid of the Death Angel. They may be our rod and staff which brings us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
D.L. Moody, a Billy Graham type evangelist from a previous generation, saw angels on his death bed: “Earth recedes, Heaven opens before me… this is no dream, it is beautiful… angels, usher me into the presence of God. God’s allowing me to see beyond the veil that separated this life from the next. I see the faces of loved ones long lost.”
Dying patients today are given so many drugs that we don’t seem to hear many stories like these anymore. But to those who face death in Christ, it is a glorious experience. It’s a guaranteed angelic escorted journey into the presence of God.
16. Not all angels are good.
Galatians 1:8-11: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned. …I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”
This reminds me of the story of the Angel Maroni giving to Joseph Smith the golden plates upon which Mormonism stands. I have no doubt that an angel appeared to Smith. However, the angel was not from God.
How do you know? The Angel was preaching another gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ which Paul was preaching!
Have you ever wondered about guardian angels?
Matthew 18:10: “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”
I pray often for my guarding angel. I pray for him/her (it?) to be “strong” on my behalf in the spiritual battles that I fight. When I am praying for someone about to undergo surgery, I never fail to pray for their guardian angel, assigned to them at birth, to help guide the hand of the surgeon for a successful surgery. I want him/her (it?) and me to be good friends. I am looking forward to seeing him/her (it?) in heaven.
I hope that this short primer on angelology is helpful to you in understanding the work and ministry of angels.
Sincerely, Roger
Related Resource: What Does the Bible Say about Angels?
From the cult classic “Touched by an Angel” television show to the widely held concept of “guardian angels,” many of us have conceptions of angels that are formed more by the culture around us than what the Bible has to say. But what does the Bible have to say about angels? What is their purpose? What do they look like, and how do they operate in the world––in both a spiritual and a physical sense? In this episode of Kainos Project, we dive into the different kinds of spiritual beings described in Scripture and how they fit into God’s plan. We also make a surprising number of musical references in the process.
Dr. Roger Barrier went to be with the Lord on Friday, February 16th, 2024. He was a faithful servant of Christ with a lifetime worth of ministry and mentorship. Dr. Barrier held degrees from Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Golden Gate Seminary in Greek, religion, theology, and pastoral care. He used his immense expertise daily to guide and mentor others in their spiritual walks. He had a global impact with his book Listening to the Voice of God, which is available in both Thai and Portuguese. His newest book, written with his daughter Brianna Barrier Wetherbee, is Look Like Jesus: A Guide to Spiritual Growth. He and his wife, Dr. Julie Barrier, founded Preach It, Teach It, a pastoral teaching site that provides countless resources, including articles, sermons, podcasts, sermon starters, Bible studies, and devotionals. His family will honor Dr. Barrier’s legacy by continuing the ministry of Ask Roger and preachitteachit.org for years to come as they share more than two thousand still-unpublished sermons and Ask Roger articles.
This Ask Roger article may feature insights from Roger’s wife, Dr. Julie Barrier, co-founder of Preach It, Teach It, worship minister, concert artist, and adjunct professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, or his daughter,Brie Barrier Wetherbee, a sought-after Bible teacher and conference speaker, author, analyst, and Christian theologian.
“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:19
Paul’s God is our God and will supply all our need. Paul felt sure of this in reference to the Philippians, and we feel sure of it as to ourselves. God will do it, for it is like Him: He loves us, He delights to bless us, and it will glorify Him to do so. His pity, His power, His love, His faithfulness, all work together that we be not famished. What a measure doth the LORD go by: “According to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The riches of His grace are large, but what shall we say of the riches of His glory? His “riches of glory by Christ Jesus“-who shall form an estimate of this? According to this immeasurable measure will God fill up the immense abyss of our necessities. He makes the LORD Jesus the receptacle and the channel of His fullness, and then He imparts to us His wealth of love in its highest form. Hallelujah! The writer knows what it is to be tried in the work of the LORD. Fidelity has been recompensed with anger, and liberal givers have stopped their subscriptions; but he whom they sought to oppress has not been one penny the poorer, nay, rather he has been the richer; for this promise has been true, “My God shall supply all your need.” God’s supplies are surer than any bank.
After Cain murdered his brother Abel, there was a dramatic expansion of evil throughout the earth. Yet Noah walked with God. In this message, R.C. Sproul discusses the gracious promises that God made in the Noahic covenant.
Many are applying modern legal maneuvers to the Resurrection but Dr. Craig shows why that’s not the way to examine history.
For more resources visit: https://www.reasonablefaith.org
To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (3:8–12)
The Declaration of Independence contains the well-known phrase “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” which its author Thomas Jefferson listed as among the “unalienable rights” God gave to people. For most in today’s postmodern society, pursuit of that Jeffersonian ideal means primarily chasing after objects of self-gratification such as money, houses, cars, vacations, fine clothes, gourmet food, the best seats at sporting and entertainment events, and health and fitness. Sometimes this pursuit includes the baser aspects of hedonistic living such as promiscuous sex, frequent alcohol consumption, and the unfettered use of so-called recreational drugs (e.g., marijuana, crack cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamines). The sad reality, however, is that such things are merely a temporary rush that falls far short of the genuine good life that really satisfies the heart. One of the most notorious twentieth-century personifications of the hedonistic life was famed novelist Ernest Hemingway. The author of noted literary works such as The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway also became notorious for his avant-garde lifestyle. He had little regard for the teachings of the Bible or traditional systems of morality. He pursued the “good life” with a vengeance. His literary talent brought him fame, prestige, and money, which allowed him to seek pleasure all over the world through hunting and fishing expeditions, celebrity parties and gatherings, heavy drinking, fighting in and reporting on several wars and revolutions, and sleeping with women wherever he went. However none of that ultimately gave Hemingway any lasting or genuine satisfaction. His life ended tragically one day in 1961 when he inflicted himself with a fatal shotgun blast to the head. Even the pages of Scripture contain examples of men who pursued the good life in all the wrong places. Solomon had incredible wealth in the form of land, palaces, chariots and horses, gold and silver, and many beautiful women. Because he was king over Israel, he also had great power and influence. He seemed to possess everything that constituted the good life. In fact, 2 Chronicles 9:3–4 says that when the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon and observed his immense wealth, power, and imposing presence she was breathless. But toward the end of his life, Solomon was not content and failed to experience life to the fullest. In Ecclesiastes 2:17 he wrote, “So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.” Solomon came to realize that the good life is not found in great accomplishments or much education (Eccl. 1:12–14, 16). Neither did he find it in pleasure (2:3) or material possessions (2:4–11). He finally rendered this sobering conclusion that life was really more oppressive than good:
Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun. (Eccl. 4:1–3)
Believers should love the life God has granted them and enjoy its goodness day by day, but many do not. Peter recognized that believers are not exempt from serious and varied difficulties that steal joy (1:6). As discussed earlier in this volume, believers’ faith identifies them as aliens in an aggressively hostile society (2:11), making persecution and suffering an integral part of living in an ungodly environment (2:20–21; 3:14–15, 17; 4:1, 12, 19; 5:10). Still, in spite of the suffering, Peter in this passage addresses the believer as “the one who desires life, to love and see good days” (v. 10) and instructs him on how to realize that desire. Here one can easily discern Peter’s four basic admonitions for living and loving the good life, even in the midst of present and menacing trouble: have the right attitude, have the right response, have the right standard, and have the right incentive. The apostle concludes his discussion on the Christian’s conduct in an ungodly world, which began in 2:11, starting with the phrase in 3:8a to sum up (to de telos), which actually could be translated by the single word “finally.” It does not signal the end of the letter, but the conclusion of the current section. After specific references to civil relationships (2:13–17), workplace relationships (2:18–20), and relationships to unsaved spouses (3:1–7), Peter gives all believers a general exhortation, which will open them to the life of blessing God desires for them to enjoy.
HAVING THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
… all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; (3:8b)
Everything begins with the right attitude. Five spiritual virtues constitute this God-honoring perspective. First, believers are to be harmonious. The compound word rendered harmonious (homophrones) literally means “same think.” Believers are to live in harmony together, maintaining a common commitment to the truth that produces an inward unity of heart with one another (cf. Rom. 12:5, 16; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:12; Gal. 3:28; Phil. 2:1–5). They must not be in conflict with each other, even under severe persecution:
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. (Phil. 1:27–28)
Jesus instructed the disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35). In His high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed earnestly for the spiritual unity of all believers (John 17:20–23), which prayer was answered. Believers are all one in Christ (Eph. 4:4–6; cf. 1 Cor. 6:17; 8:6). This spiritual reality should be the basis for the church’s visible harmony. The early church was a model of visible oneness (Acts 2:42–47). Sympathetic, the second factor in experiencing the fullness of Christian life, is virtually a transliteration of sumpatheis, which means “sharing the same feeling.” Christians are to be united on the truth, but also ready to sympathize with the pain of others, even of those they do not know (cf. Matt. 25:34–40; Heb. 13:3; James 1:27). Like Christ, the sympathetic high priest (Heb. 4:15), they must share in the feelings of others, in their sorrows as well as their joys (Rom. 12:15; 1 Cor. 12:26; 2 Cor. 2:3; Col. 3:12; cf. John 11:35; James 5:11). Believers must not be insensitive, indifferent, and censorious, even toward the lost in their pain of struggling anxiously with the issues of life (cf. Matt. 9:36; Luke 13:34–35; 19:41). Saints must come alongside them with empathy to declare God’s saving truth (cf. Acts 8:26–37). Third, Peter used the term philadelphoi, translated here as brotherly. The first part of the word stems from the verb phileō, “to love,” and refers to affection among people who are closely related in some way. Those who demonstrate that affection will do so by unselfish service for one another (Acts 20:35; Rom. 14:19; 15:2; 2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:14–16; 1 Thess. 5:11, 14; 3 John 6). Such service begins in the church among believers and extends out to the world. Kindhearted translates eusplagchnoi, the root of which refers to one’s internal organs and is sometimes translated “bowels” or “intestines” (e.g., Acts 1:18). Affections and emotions have a visceral impact, hence this word signifies a powerful kind of feeling (Eph. 4:32; cf. 2 Cor. 7:15; 1 Thess. 2:8). Much like sympathetic, the expression calls for being so affected by the pain of others as to feel it deeply, following the kind of tenderhearted compassion God, through His Son, has for sinners (cf. Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34; 19:41–42; John 11:35). The final factor in Peter’s list for enjoying the goodness of the Christian life, humble in spirit, is actually one word in the Greek, tapeinophrones (“humble-minded”). Humility is arguably the most essential, all-encompassing virtue of the Christian life (5:5; Matt. 5:3; 18:4; Luke 14:11; 18:14; Eph. 4:1–2; Col. 3:12; James 4:6; cf. Ps. 34:2; Prov. 3:34; 15:33; 22:4). Paul used a form of this Greek word in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” Years earlier Jesus demonstrated the importance of His own example of humility when He said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:29; cf. Phil. 2:5–8). The joys of their lives in Christ are maximized when believers are united in truth and life with one another, peaceful in disposition, gracious toward those who need the gospel, sensitive to the pains of fallen sinners, sacrificial in loving service to all, compassionate instead of harsh, and above all humble like their Savior.
HAVING THE RIGHT RESPONSE
not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. (3:9)
A godly approach to life incorporates not only the right action motivated by the right attitude, but the proper reaction when mistreated. Not returning evil for evil begins with an imperative present participle expressing a negative command (mē apodidontes), which can also mean “stop returning.” If a believer is not retaliating to evil with more evil, he must not start; if he is, he must stop (cf. Lev. 19:18; Deut. 32:35–36; Prov. 20:22; 24:29; Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30). Evil is from kakos, which denotes the inherent quality of badness, not just bad words or actions. When mistreated by someone with a wicked disposition, believers must not retaliate. Peter echoes what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount:
You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 5:38–45a; cf. Isa. 53:7; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; Rom. 12:14, 17; 1 Cor. 4:12; 1 Thess. 5:15)
And again, as with the right attitude (v. 8), Christ is the example (see discussion of 2:21–23 in chapter 15 of this volume). Turning to the matter of speech, Peter warned his readers not to return insult for insult. The term insult (loidoria) means “an abusive railing against,” “cursing,” or “speaking evil of” someone and is the root of the word translated “reviled” in 2:23. To engage in such vengeance is an unacceptable response for believers (Eph. 4:29; Col. 3:8; cf. Prov. 4:24; 19:1; Eccl. 5:6). The apostle Paul sought to have the right verbal response to enemies, “When we are reviled, we bless” (1 Cor. 4:12), and warned other believers not to revile (6:10) or even associate with those who do (5:11). There is one occasion, recorded in Acts 23:1–5, when Paul was guilty of giving a retaliating insult:
Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” But the bystanders said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
Rather than retaliating when treated in a hostile way, believers are to respond by giving a blessing instead. The term translated blessing is the word from which the English word eulogy derives. It means to praise or speak well of others (cf. Luke 1:42). Peter’s admonition suggests several practical applications. First, believers can bless people by loving them unconditionally (John 13:34; 15:12; Rom. 12:9–10; Col. 2:2; 3:14; 1 Thess. 4:9; James 2:8; 1 John 3:23; 4:7). Second, they can give a blessing by praying for the salvation of an unbeliever (cf. Matt. 5:44; 1 Tim. 2:1–4) or the sanctification of a fellow believer. Third, believers can bless people by expressing gratitude for them (Rom. 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:4; 2 Cor. 1:11; Phil. 1:3–5; Col. 1:3–6; 2 Thess. 1:3). Finally, and most crucial, believers are to forgive those who persecute them (4:8; Mark 11:25; Luke 17:4; Col. 3:13; cf. Gen. 50:20–21; 2 Sam. 18:5; Prov. 19:11). Jesus perfectly illustrated the motive for such forgiveness in the parable of Matthew 18:21–35,
Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
It is unthinkable for believers to live by the kind of blatant double standard that the unforgiving servant in the parable displayed. Peter makes that clear by stating that believers have been called for the very purpose that they might inherit (freely receive) a blessing (a gift). The apostle’s point is that believers have received the divine, unmerited, and eternal blessing of complete forgiveness of an unpayable debt to a holy God and heavenly life forever with Him (Matt. 1:21; John 10:28; Rom. 5:8–9; 6:23; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; 2:13–14; 1 Thess. 5:9; 1 John 4:9–10), rather than His deserved wrath and vengeance for sin. A believer’s freely granting forgiveness to someone who has offended him should be an easy consequence, since both that believer and the offense are so small compared to God’s greatness and how He has been offended.
HAVING THE RIGHT STANDARD
For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. (3:10–11)
Robertson McQuilkin wrote the following about a crucial presupposition and conviction all believers must have concerning the nature and use of Scripture:
Since God is the author, the Bible is authoritative. It is absolute in its authority for human thought and behavior. “As the Scripture has said” is a recurring theme throughout the New Testament. In fact, the New Testament contains more than two hundred direct quotations of the Old Testament. In addition, the New Testament has a large and uncertain number of allusions to the Old. New Testament writers, following the example of Jesus Christ, built their theology on the Old Testament. For Christ and the apostles, to quote the Bible was to settle an issue. (Understanding and Applying the Bible, rev. ed. [Chicago: Moody, 1983, 1992], 20)
Just as Christ and the apostles lived and ministered by the ultimate standard of Holy Scripture, so also must believers who would enjoy God’s gift of life (Prov. 6:23; Matt. 4:4; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12). Peter illustrates that principle here by quoting from a psalm to defend what he just taught. The word for at the beginning of verse 10 connects verses 8 and 9 to Peter’s quotes from Psalm 34:12–14, supporting his exhortation that believers must have a right response to hostility. A Christian—described here as the one who desires life, to love and see good days—must refrain from speaking anything that comes from the underlying evil of an immoral disposition. The tongue is often unruly and prone to sin: “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell” (James 3:6; cf. 1:26; 3:9–10; Ps. 12:3; Prov. 12:18; 15:2, 4). In addition to refraining from verbal retaliation, believers must stop their lips from speaking deceit. They must be absolutely committed to the truth (Ps. 51:6; Prov. 3:3; 23:23; 1 Cor. 13:6; Phil. 4:8; cf. Josh. 24:14; 1 Sam. 12:24) and opposed to all lying, deception, and hypocrisy (Ex. 20:16; Prov. 6:16–19; 10:18; 12:17, 19, 22; Zech. 8:16; Eph. 4:25; Col. 3:9). These matters of speech are controlled, not at the mouth, but on the inside—as Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Verse 11, drawn from Psalm 34:14, contains four straightforward imperative commands. First, believers are to turn away from evil (cf. Prov. 3:7; 16:6, 17; Isa. 1:16–17; 1 Thess. 5:22). The verb turn away (ekklinatō) connotes an intensely strong rejection of what is sinful—in this context, sinful treatment of others, even those who persecute the saints (cf. Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:14). Second, Peter commanded his readers to do good, what is excellent in quality, what expresses deep-down virtue. That contrasts sharply with the contemporary notion of the good life as “doing one’s own thing,” whatever feels good (illicit sex, drugs, alcohol, excessive and mindless entertainment) at the expense of obeying God’s will. (An examination of several words in the earlier phrase the one who desires life, to love and see good days further sharpens the contrast between a worldly view of the good life and a biblical view. Life [zōēn, rather than bios] connotes all the experience and richness of living to the fullest, not merely living as opposed to dying. Love [agapan] is from the strongest word for that emotion and denotes a strong-willed affection or desire [e.g., Matt. 22:37–39; John 13:34–35; 14:15, 23; 21:15–17; Rom. 5:8; 8:35, 39; 1 Cor. 13:1–4, 8, 13; Eph. 2:4; 5:25; 1 John 3:1, 16] The third and fourth imperatives appear together in the command for believers to seek peace and pursue it. The verbs translated seek and pursue both convey an intensity and aggressiveness of action. (Implicit in the phrase is the analogy of the hunter vigorously tracking down his prey.) Peace (eirēnēn) denotes a constant condition of tranquility that produces permanent joy and happiness (cf. Luke 2:14; 8:48; 19:38; John 14:27; 16:33; Rom. 5:1; 8:6; 15:13; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15; 2 Thess. 3:16). Christians are to seek peace and hunt for it aggressively, even peace with their persecutors and others who do not know Christ (cf. Rom. 12:18; 14:19; 1 Thess. 5:13; 2 Thess. 3:16). They are to be known in the world as peacemakers, those who strive for harmony with others as much as possible without compromising the truth (cf. Matt. 5:9; Rom. 12:18; 14:17, 19; 2 Cor. 13:11; 2 Tim. 2:22; James 3:17).
HAVING THE RIGHT INCENTIVE
For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (3:12)
Peter’s quote here of Psalm 34:15–16 vividly fixes the reality that ought to motivate believers to live lives pleasing to God. The psalmist’s words describe a sovereign, ruling God (Pss. 90:2; 102:25–27; Dan. 4:35; Eph. 3:11) who sees all (Job 28:24; Prov. 5:21), knows all (Ps. 147:5; Rom. 11:33), holds people accountable for their behavior (Gen. 2:16–17; Rom. 1:20), and threatens punishment for disobedience (Ezek. 18:4; Rom. 6:23). But for Peter, the primary issue here is not judgment but God’s gracious care for His people. The eyes of the Lord is a common Old Testament phrase that relates to God’s special, caring watchfulness over His people (Prov. 5:21; Zech. 4:10). Sometimes the phrase indicates God’s judgmental watchfulness (Amos 9:8; cf. Prov. 15:3), but here the emphasis is on His omniscient awareness of every detail of believers’ lives (cf. Ps. 139:1–6). God is also looking toward the righteous so that He can attend to their prayer. The word translated prayer (deēsin) means “entreaty,” “petition,” or “supplication,” and relates to believers’ crying out for God to meet their needs (Ps. 5:2; Matt. 7:7; Phil. 4:6; 1 John 5:14–15). God is always fully aware of everything in the lives of His children. It ought to be a great incentive for believers to live as Peter has outlined, knowing that they can have confidence that the Lord is always watching and waiting, ready to hear and answer their prayers (4:7; Pss. 50:15; 65:2; 138:3; Rom. 8:26; Heb. 4:16). On the other hand, the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. In contrast to the eyes of the Lord, which refers to watchfulness, the Old Testament concept face of the Lord refers to judgment (cf. Gen. 19:13; Lam. 4:16). His eyes represent His all-seeing omniscience, whereas His face in this context represents the manifestation of His anger and displeasure (cf. Ps. 76:6–8). God’s wrath is against those who do evil and those who disobey His Word (cf. Rev. 6:16). Christians, whether today or in Peter’s time, have always had to contend with a hostile world. But they can live humbly, respond to persecution in a Christlike manner, and adhere to God’s standard of authority because they have the promise that even in the midst of trying circumstances God is watching over them, protecting them, and ready to extend His blessings.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2004). 1 Peter (pp. 185–194). Moody Publishers.
THE GOOD LIFE, THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM
1 Peter 3:8–12
Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. (1 Peter 3:10–11)
First Peter 3:8–12 begins with a phrase that sounds as though the author were wrapping something up: “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Peter 3:8 ESV). Indeed, Peter is concluding something—not his entire epistle, but his survey of the principal duties of Christians, which he began in 1 Peter 1:13. Peter has moved from general duties to specific obligations and back to general duties. Because God is holy, we are to be holy (1:16). Because Jesus ransomed us from a vain life and because we tasted his goodness, we put away specific sins, such as malice and deceit (1:18–2:3). Because of God’s redemptive work, we are his chosen people, a holy nation that abstains from the passions of the flesh and maintains good conduct (2:4–12). Holiness also manifests itself in life’s several social structures. Every believer submits to governing authorities, whether local or global (2:13–17). Servants submit to masters, whether they merit respect or not, for Jesus submitted in the same way (2:18–25). Finally, husbands and wives live together in grace and mutual honor (3:1–7).
ATTRACTIVE CHRISTIAN TRAITS
If we act in these ways, Peter says that we can ordinarily expect to live well and enjoy God’s favor. He asks, “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?” (1 Peter 3:13). The next section admits that it is possible to suffer harm for doing good (3:14–17). If we live by God’s standards, we will never quite fit into any human culture. This was true in the empire, where the Christians’ allegiance to Jesus as Lord and refusal to worship the emperor could be taken as a sign of dissent. Today, there is always a moral cause, often involving sexual ethics, in which evangelical Christians take the minority view. To the secularist, the Christian position might sound judgmental, intolerant, or bigoted, so we court disfavor. Nonetheless, 1 Peter 3:8–13 states the norm. A good life allows peace. Whatever we may say about life in an alien culture, under hostile authorities, the greater part of the Christian life concerns the character and disciplines that shape daily actions and our universal responsibilities. So Peter describes the virtues that bless everyone: harmony, sympathy, love, compassion, and humility. Later he mentions forgiveness, hospitality, and generosity (4:8–10). Earlier Peter said that holy women used to adorn themselves with the “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (3:4–5). Now he mentions the traits that make everyone attractive.
Peace
We pay great attention to appearances when we first meet someone. With a glance, we assess gender, age, height, weight, and facial characteristics. We judge whether the person is confident or reticent, friendly or hostile, open or closed. We assess social status and strength by glancing at clothing, hair, and posture. Visual cues are vital at first. Yet as we discover the person’s skills and character, appearances matter less and less. Much more, the Lord looks at the heart and assesses our character. Peter says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Peter 3:8 ESV). At first glance, Peter seems to list five random virtues. On closer inspection, a pattern emerges. The first and last are mental or intellectual, the second and fourth are emotional, and brotherly love stands at the center. Further, all these traits have a social dimension. Together, they keep relationships healthy.
Unity
Strong relationships begin with “unity of mind” (homophrones). To have one mind is not to have identical opinions about politics, philosophy, ethics, business, food, music, and leisure. Rather, unity means that we are “agreeable and sensitive to each other’s concerns.” Unity comes not from a creed or a law laid upon us, nor from a pretense that we agree when we actually disagree, but from relationships, respectful dialogue, and common causes.
Love
First Peter 3:8 mentions three forms of love—sympathy, brotherly love, compassion. Sympathy and compassion are emotional virtues. Sympathy is the ability to feel what another feels, whether in joy or in sorrow. We must “rejoice with those who rejoice [and] mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15). If one suffers, all suffer. If one is honored, all rejoice (1 Cor. 12:26). To sympathize is to enter the experience of others and, if possible, to act on what we feel. Jesus sympathizes with us in our weakness. He “has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin,” so he knows our struggles (Heb. 4:15). Among humans, sympathy largely rests on shared pains, but Jesus is both strong and empathetic! He doesn’t merely sympathize with us in our battle against evil; he defeats Satan and the powers of evil. He feels with us and acts for us. The term translated “brotherly love” (philadelphos) could be rendered “brotherly affection.” The command to love one another is foundational (John 13:34–35; cf. 1 Thess. 4:9). Jesus set a high standard when he said, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). In his kindness, his insight into our souls, and his sacrifice for our sins, Jesus embodies love. Jesus identifies “Love your neighbor as yourself” as the second great command (Matt. 22:39). Paul agrees: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Rom. 12:10). A slight misconception of love has grown up in some Christian circles. Many are aware that Greek has four principal terms for love and that three of them appear in the New Testament. Among these, we ordinarily give pride of place to agapē, which we call divine love. We commonly say that agapē is the greatest or purest form of love, since God has this love even for his enemies. But the contrast between the various words for love isn’t sharp; the terms overlap and can be used interchangeably. Indeed, the verb phileō, from the same family as philia (typically, affectionate love), often appears in John’s gospel, where it describes the Father’s love for the Son (John 5:20), the Father’s love for us (16:27), and Jesus’ love for his disciples (11:36; 20:2). Further, the Septuagint uses agapaō for Amnon’s sexual passion for Tamar; we would expect a form of the word eros. Since agapē goes to enemies, it is based neither on feelings for the loved one nor on beauty or virtue that we see in that person. Indeed, we can make the case that agapē is greater than human or brotherly affection (philia), since agapē is indiscriminate and inclusive, going to every neighbor or stranger who crosses our path. Further, God himself is the source and model of agapē. By contrast, the love of human affection (which philia often, but not always, signifies) is exclusive and discriminating. It goes to friends, to the attractive, the skillful, the few. It would seem that such love rises from natural admiration, so that there is no need to require it. Nonetheless, Romans 12:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Hebrews 13:1; and 1 Peter 3:8 all bless and command brotherly, affectionate love. The apostles blessed tender affection between friends and family members. When Christians say that agapē is the highest form of love because it is Godlike and dispassionate, they probably mean that love for enemies is noble and amazing, which it is. And agapē is often the term for God’s love for unattractive sinners. But God wants, even expects, us to feel affection for each other. And we can show affection in a warm embrace and in acts of kindness. In short, love is not essentially dispassionate. It can be dispassionate—and it must be if we are to love someone who is misbehaving. But God created us with emotions, so we love emotionally. The final aspect of love in 1 Peter 3:8 is compassion. Compassion is the emotion or feeling of love, tenderness, generosity, and warmth. Compassion and sympathy come naturally to some. Others have to work to open themselves to it. Some of us are drawn to babies, lonely old people, and sad emotional stories. Others want to run away from all three. Few of us gladly listen to sorrowful friends. Eventually, we want to say, “Don’t be a baby. Toughen up. Your problems are nothing. You brought this on yourself. Fight through it and you’ll be stronger.” In short, whether by nature or nurture, many of us lack sympathy and compassion. In that case, we should question our inclinations, for God is compassionate (Ex. 34:6). Jesus is kind and tender, and he expects us to grow toward conformity to him (Eph. 4:32; Rom. 8:29).
Humility
The final blessed trait of 1 Peter 3:8 is humility. It is easy to see that humility, listed last, corresponds to unity, listed first. To be humble is to suppress the desire to be important and to put our interests first. Since most quarrels come from a desire to have our way, we see that humility fosters unity. Jesus is the supreme model of humility. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ‘Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant’ ” (Phil. 2:5–7). In book 7 of his Republic, Plato commented that the best governors are reluctant to hold power, not eager for it, so that the man who hungers to rule the republic is ipso facto unfit to rule it. George Washington exemplified this in 1788. He hoped to retire from public life and tend his farms, but when America needed a leader, all eyes turned to him and he agreed to serve again. The person who hungers for rule is unfit for rule. Humility must not be confused with a poor self-concept. It’s “a willingness to take the lower place, to perform the less exalted service,” and to put the interests of others ahead of our own. As John Calvin said, self-denial is a good summary of the Christian life. This has nothing to do with personal style. One can be humble and assertive. The problem is not assertion; it is self-assertion. When I was a young pastor, the CEO of a local company and former navy commander came to my small church. I was not yet thirty years old, and when we spoke I braced myself, even physically, standing with my feet wide apart, shoulders square, leaning toward him, so that his sheer will didn’t blow me against the nearest wall. He was very assertive, but because he didn’t assert himself, he was a humble man.
NONRETALIATION
First Peter 3:9 urges, “Do not pay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” First Peter 3:8 and 9 present contrasting commands. The opposite of love (3:8) is mean-spirited justice, the cycle of insult and counterinsult, blows and counterblows, retaliations and retaliation for prior retaliation (3:9). That describes life between many hostile groups that border on each other—Serbs and Bosnians, Israelis and Palestinians, Shiites and Sunnis, and many more. Instead of cursing, we should bless. There is a time for silence, as Jesus showed during his trial (Matt. 26:63). But ordinarily we should be ready to bless those who curse or persecute us (Rom. 12:14; 1 Cor. 4:12). In Scripture, this blessing could be a general word of kindness or the word of blessing, the gospel. Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, to pray for them, and so to bless them (Matt. 5:44). He practiced what he preached, speaking words of blessing from the cross. We can do the same in politics and work, in families and friendships. As Peter knows, it is human nature to do the opposite, repaying injury for injury. Some people even seem to delight in taking offense, feeling wounded, and claiming victim status, even if there is no real harm. A few years ago, I planned to go to Brazil to speak at a conference. Alas, I failed to realize that standards had shifted, so that my visa, which still had life on it from a prior conference, was invalid. I was turned away as I tried to board my plane, and the nearest Brazilian consulate could not set things right in time. Behind this shift in visa policy, I later learned, lay a diplomatic squabble. American officials had allegedly refused to admit some well-qualified Brazilians. The Brazilians took umbrage and retaliated by refusing entry to Americans. Who starts these skirmishes? Who ends them? Who gets hurt, without reason, in the interim? Peter declares, “Do not repay evil with evil,” but bless “that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9). In the Old Testament, the blessing was the Promised Land. In 1:4–7, Peter says that the blessing is now eternal life, which begins when Jesus returns. The principle of returning good for evil follows Jesus’ word: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you.… With the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:37–38). More than that, the prime example of nonretaliation is our conversion, for God called us when we were still his enemies. May we therefore seek ways to bless friend and foe, even if they fail us.
LIVING IN PEACE
First Peter 3:10–12 is essentially a long quotation from Psalm 34. David wrote it as praise: “I will extol the LORD.… Glorify the LORD with me” (Ps. 34:1–3). Yet the psalm moves from the blessing of God to the fear of God, and the fear of the Lord plays itself out in daily life. David’s God-fearing counsel for life nicely fits Peter’s interest in discipleship in difficult times. Peter knows that persecution causes troubles, but there are ways to minimize trouble; Peter quotes some from Psalm 34:
Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it. (1 Peter 3:10–11, quoting Ps. 34:12–14)
“Life” in 1 Peter 3:10 refers to life on earth. The prospect of “good days” shows that Peter momentarily put aside the specter of persecution. He considers how disciples might live when life is fair, when skies are blue, when justice and peace prevail. How might we keep the peace in ordinary times? Peter answers with a short blast of wisdom literature. If you love life and want good days, do things that facilitate peace. What Peter calls “good days” is roughly what we call happiness. Social scientists have studied happiness for years and have reached consistent conclusions. The poor are generally less happy, but once someone escapes poverty, his or her wealth, career success, and individual liberty add little to happiness. Arduous and constructive challenges are important, but “the daily activities most associated with happiness are all social” things such as a strong marriage and time spent with friends. First, then, to enjoy “good days”—and good relationships—we must control our tongues. Previously, 1 Peter mentioned verbal sins such as accusing, denouncing, blaspheming, and ridiculing. Here Peter mentions deceit and “evil” speech, which, judging by all Scripture, would include gossip, slander, boasting, bragging, lying, making false promises or vows, rudeness, and abuse of God’s name. The opposite is to speak the truth in love, to praise God, and to bless humanity. Second, we must “turn from evil and do good” (1 Peter 3:11). Peter talks about the right behavior of a disciple in two ways. First Peter 1 says that we must be holy because God is holy. Holiness signifies consecration to God and separation from sin (1:15–16; 2:5–9; 3:5). The statement “Be holy in all your conduct,” or way of life (1:15 ESV), provides a bridge to the other aspect of right behavior, which is doing good to others. The language of “doing good” appears just twelve times in the New Testament, and six of them are in Peter. Doing good is the active, outward-facing aspect of Christian conduct. Holiness signifies separation, even withdrawal, from the evils of this world. By contrast, when we do good we engage the world, seek to reverse evil. We put up buildings, create constructive institutions, perform music, and generally do whatever our skill and experience allows. To do good is to bring good to all. By doing good, Peter says, believers silence the accusations of foolish men (1 Peter 2:14–15). Three times Peter urges readers to continue doing good in the face of suffering (2:20; 3:17; 4:19). He also tells wives to follow Sarah and do good, whether their husbands share their faith or not (3:6). By doing good, we can frustrate the hostility of some and win others (2:15; 3:1). The good we enjoy follows the good we do. If we want a good life, we should “turn from evil and do good.” This is not a call to naiveté. When Jesus sent his disciples into a hostile society, he told them to be as wise as serpents. We should not needlessly expose ourselves to harm. But always, always, we strive to “do good to all people,” even if our special focus is “the family of believers” (Gal. 6:10). So, then, in normal times, if we do good we will live well. If we greet people warmly, they will be glad to see us. If we laugh away minor problems, we will have more friends. Third, life will be good if we “seek peace and pursue it.” This theme runs through New Testament epistles. Like Peter, Hebrews 12:14 links holiness and the pursuit of peace: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy.” Likewise, Paul tells us, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18). We notice the provisos. First, it might not be possible to attain peace. Second, peacemaking requires at least two parties. We can do only our part. Sadly, it is impossible to make peace with some people. So there is a time to give up the quest. And as Proverbs 26:17 warns, “Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.” To summarize, then, we find the good life when we follow Peter’s five imperatives: stop evil speech, turn from evil deeds, do good, seek peace, and pursue it. The core command is to do good to others. Then, Peter concludes, we will experience God’s favor: “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). This sounds much like the classic benediction of Numbers 6:24–26:
The LORD bless you
and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Yet we notice that there is more here than blessing. The Lord “is against those who do evil.” This is vindication, not vindictiveness. For the faithful to enjoy peace, their accusers must be silenced and their enemies stopped, even judged. In Beyond Good and Evil, Friedrich Nietzsche derides Christianity as one of the religions or ethics with the slave morality that praises charity, piety, restraint, smallness, and submission. It has none of the life-affirming boldness of great men, but rather a pitiful hope that God will later avenge suffering believers. But Nietzsche misconstrues the Christian ethic. We do good wherever we are, and we are realistic about the power structures of the world. We gain our freedom if we can (1 Cor. 7:21), we make peace if we can, and we entrust the results of all our actions to God, who is—this is realism—the Judge of all (1 Peter 2:23). So Peter has explained how we might find a good and peaceful life. If we avoid evil words and deeds, do good to all, and submit to proper authorities, it will ordinarily lead to a good life in the present. That does not always happen, as Peter soon points out. We might still do good and suffer for it. If so, at least we know that the Lord’s eyes see the righteous, that his ears hear our prayers, and that the same face that favors us opposes evil. These graces are ours by the faith in Jesus that unites us to him. That faith lets us live well, speak blessings, repay evil with good, and live in harmony, sympathy, love, compassion, and humility. When troubles come, we then have the assurance that we have done what we could to avoid them. And when they come, we know that the Lord hears our cry. That should be enough to move us to live faithfully in his kingdom.
Doriani, D. M. (2014). 1 Peter (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; pp. 124–133). P&R Publishing.
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.John 12:46
This world is dark as midnight; Jesus has come that by faith we may have light and may no longer sit in the gloom which covers all the rest of mankind.
Whosoever is a very wide term: it means you and me. If we trust in Jesus we shall no more sit in the dark shadow of death but shall enter into the warm light of a day which shall never end. Why do we not come out into the light at once?
A cloud may sometimes hover over us, but we shall not abide in darkness if we believe in Jesus. He has come to give us broad daylight. Shall He come in vain.’ If we have faith we have the privilege of sunlight: let us enjoy it. From the night of natural depravity, of ignorance, of doubt, of despair, of sin, of dread, Jesus has come to set us free; and all believers shall know that He no more comes in vain than the sun rises and fails to scatter his heat and light.
Shake off thy depression, dear brother. Abide not in the dark, but abide in the light. In Jesus is thy hope, thy joy, thy heaven, Look to Him, to Him only, and thou shalt rejoice as the birds rejoice at sunrise and as the angels rejoice before the throne.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (8:38–39)
This chapter closes with a beautiful summary of what has just been said. The apostle assures his readers that he was not teaching them anything about which he himself was not fully convinced. He was convinced first of all because of the nature of salvation, which God had revealed to him and which he presents so clearly in these first eight chapters. His counsel is also a personal testimony. He was convinced because he had experienced most of the things mentioned and they did not separate him from Christ. Both revelation and experience convinced him. Paul was saying to believers in Rome the same thing he would say some years later to Timothy: “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12). Paul begins his list with death, which, in our earthly life, we experience last. Even that supreme enemy cannot separate us from our Lord, because He has changed death’s sting from defeat to victory. We can therefore rejoice in the psalmist’s affirmation that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps. 116:15), and we can testify with David that “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). With Paul, we should “prefer rather to be absent from the body” because that will mean we are finally “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Donald Grey Barnhouse told a personal story that beautifully illustrates death’s powerlessness over Christians. When his wife died, his children were still quite young, and Dr. Barnhouse wondered how he could explain their mother’s death in a way their childish minds could understand. As they drove home from the funeral, a large truck passed them and briefly cast a dark shadow over the car. Immediately the father had the illustration he was looking for, and he asked the children, “Would you rather be run over by a truck or by the shadow of a truck?” “That’s easy, Daddy,” they replied. “We would rather get run over by the shadow, because that wouldn’t hurt.” Their father then said, “Well, children, your mother just went through the valley of the shadow of death, and there’s no pain there, either.” The second supposed hindrance does not seem like a hindrance at all. We think of life as something positive. But it is in our present earthly life that spiritual dangers lie. Not only does death itself hold no harm for believers, but it will bring the end of all harm. It is while we still have this life that we face tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword (8:35) and the many other trials that Paul could have mentioned. But because we have eternal life in Christ, the threats during our present life are empty. The third supposed threat is angels. Because the next danger on the list (principalities) doubtless refers to fallen angels, it seems likely that the ones mentioned here are holy angels. Paul’s reference here to angels presupposes a purely hypothetical and impossible situation, just as did one of his warnings to the Galatians. He told the Galatian believers to stand firm in their salvation through Christ’s shed blood on the cross and to refuse to accept any contrary gospel, even if preached, if that were possible, by an apostle or “an angel from heaven” (Gal. 1:8). The fourth supposed threat is not in the least hypothetical. As already noted, principalities seems to refer to evil beings, specifically demons. Like the Greek term (archē) behind it, principalities indicates neither good nor evil. But the obvious negative use of archē in such passages as Ephesians 6:12 (“rulers”), Colossians 2:15 (“rulers”), and Jude 6 (“own domain”)—as well as its apparent contrast with the term that precedes it here (angels)—seems to indicate fallen angels, the demons. If so, Paul is saying that no supernatural created being, good or evil, can sever our relationship to Christ. Things present and things to come represent everything we are experiencing and will yet experience. Powers translates dynamis, the ordinary Greek word for power. But in its plural form, as here, it often refers to miracles or mighty deeds. It was also used figuratively of persons in positions of authority and power. Regardless of the specific meaning Paul had in mind here, powers represents another obstacle that Christians need not fear. Paul may have used height and depth as astrological terms that were familiar in his day, hupsōma (height) referring to the high point, or zenith, of a star’s path, and bathos (depth) to its lowest point. If so, the idea is that Christ’s love secures a believer from the beginning to the end of life’s path. Or perhaps he used the terms to signify the infinity of space, which is endless in every direction. In either case, the basic meaning is that of totality. To leave no doubt that security is all-encompassing, Paul adds nor any other created thing. Since only God Himself is uncreated, everyone else and everything else is excluded. There is nothing anywhere at any time that shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is Christ Jesus our Lord. Our salvation was secured by God’s decree from eternity past and will be held secure by Christ’s love through all future time and throughout all eternity. Earlier in this epistle Paul declared that, “as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good.’ ” To make sure that no person could make an exception for himself, the apostle added, “there is not even one” (Rom. 3:10–12). In a similar way, Paul allows absolutely no exceptions in regard to the believer’s security in Christ. In this marvelous closing section of chapter 8, verses 31–34 focus on the love of God the Father, and verses 35–39 focus on the love of God the Son. One is reminded of Jesus’ high priestly prayer, in which He prays on behalf of believers, “that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; … And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am” (John 17:21–24). George Matheson was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1842. As a child he had only partial vision, and his sight became progressively worse, until it resulted in blindness by the time he was eighteen. Despite his handicap, he was a brilliant student and graduated from the University of Glasgow and later from seminary. He became pastor of several churches in Scotland, including a large church in Edinburgh, where he was greatly respected and loved. After he had been engaged to a young woman for a short while, she broke the engagement, having decided she could not be content married to a blind man. Some believe that this painful disappointment in romantic love led Matheson to write the beautiful hymn which begins with the following stanza:
O love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
Because our God is infinite in power and love, “we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?’ ” (Heb. 13:6). Because our God is infinite in power and love, we can say with David, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee” (Ps. 56:3) and, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me to dwell in safety” (Ps. 4:8). Because our God is infinite in power and love, we can say with Moses, “The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27). Because our God is infinite in power and love, we can say with the writer of Hebrews, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast” (Heb. 6:19).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (Vol. 1, pp. 515–518). Moody Press.
The Love of God in Christ Jesus
Romans 8:38–39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There are times in every Christian’s life when what is called for is a clear and ringing testimony, and there are times when what is most needed is a careful and persuasive argument supporting Christian truth. Overall, both are essential, for a personal testimony is no adequate substitute for an argument, when that is needed. Conversely, an argument is no substitute for a testimony, when that is needed. In today’s wishy-washy, subjective Christian climate we need arguments especially. But, and this is the point I am making, we need personal testimonies, too. I say this because of the final verses of our chapter. Paul has been offering arguments for why we who believe in Christ can consider ourselves eternally secure. Indeed, he seems to have brought out every possible argument he can think of. These are the arguments behind each of the five undeniable doctrines and five unanswerable questions of verses 28–37. They are basic to Christianity itself. But there is also a time for testimony and, being a good teacher and persuader, Paul does not forget it. That is why, in verses 38 and 39, he once again writes in the first person. It is the first time he has done so since verse 18. He has given his arguments. Now we are to hear his personal convictions. What does he write? “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What a glorious testimony! There is no false optimism here, for what Paul says is based upon the sound arguments of the preceding verses. But this is no mere academic presentation either. For, as anyone can immediately sense, it flows from a great and dedicated heart and is so passionate, so stirring, that most people instinctively regard this as both the climax of the chapter and the highest point of the entire letter. In this testimony Paul faces all the possible “separators” of Christians from the love of God in Christ he can think of—he lists ten of them—and then dismisses each one.
The Gates of Death
For most people in our age, as also in the past, the most fearful of all adversaries is death—and rightly so. Apart from what we are told about death and the afterlife in Scripture, death is an unknown, save that it ends our existence here and is inescapable. That is frightening. Francis Bacon wrote rightly, “Men fear death as children fear the dark.” They do. They tremble before it. Moreover, death is the greatest of all separators. Obviously it separates us from life itself. But it also separates us from places and people we love. And it separates the soul and the spirit from the body, and separates both from God if the individual is not saved. Terrible! Yes, but for the believer in Christ this is not the final word. Death does separate us from things of the world, including other people. But it can never separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. How do we know this? We know because Christ has conquered death. He has triumphed over it. Paul assured the Corinthians that, “ ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’ [cf. Isa. 25:8]. ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ [cf. Hos. 13:14]. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:54–57). Paul wrote to Timothy in the same fashion, saying that “our Savior, Christ Jesus, … has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to life through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). As a matter of fact, death, far from separating believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus, actually ushers them into an even closer relationship with him. Alexander Maclaren, who calls death “the separator,” puts it nicely: “The separator becomes the uniter; he rends us apart from the world that he may ‘bring us to God.’ ” We know God now, but only in part. In that day we shall know “fully,” even as we also are known (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12). And there shall be no soul “asleep” and no purgatory for those who are in Christ Jesus. Paul said that “to be away from the body” is to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). His personal testimony was: “… I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil 1:23). When William Borden of Yale lay dying in Egypt on his way to mission work in China, which he never reached, he left a farewell note that expressed a similar testimony. The note said, “No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets.” Of course not! Death did not separate Borden from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
Nor Even Life …
The second possible separator that Paul mentions is “life,” which at first glance seems to be a strange choice of word—until we remember that life sometimes seems even more cruel than death. It is why we sometimes call death a “release” or “mercy.” Life brings separations, just as death does. The political aftermaths of wars sometimes separate members of families from one another. This has happened in Eastern Europe, China, North and South Korea, and other divided countries in our lifetimes. Sometimes poverty forces people to move away from loved ones if they have to leave their homes to find jobs. And consider sickness or the encroaching limitations of old age. As we age, mobility becomes increasingly limited, eyesight and hearing fail, minds and memories dim. In these things we experience separation from the simple pleasures the world once offered us. But there is no separation from God’s love. Let me give you an example. In the week I prepared this study I received a letter from a man who had attended Tenth Presbyterian Church about twenty-five years ago. His story was a sad one. He had slipped into homosexuality in his youth, and by his own confession his lifestyle had cost him his family—he had a wife and children—his profession, and his health. This man now had AIDS, and he was writing to say that during his terrible illness he had found the Lord and wanted to receive the weekly cassette version of “The Bible Study Hour,” which he knew of and had found spiritually nourishing. Here is what he wrote: “Unfortunately, I am losing my eyesight due to AIDS. I’m reading your material as fast as I can, before I find myself unable to do so.… Your tapes will enable me to continue my studies after the light fails.… I have become obsessed with God. I can’t get enough of his Word. He literally has become my sole incentive to live. I have lost so much already and am losing everything else, but I cannot lose him. He is the only reason I hold on to life, miserable as it is. My living now is preparing me for eternity.” I found myself greatly touched by that letter, particularly at this point in our studies, since it is such a marvelous testimony to the truth that even life’s misery cannot separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
Neither Angels Nor Demons
When Paul mentions “angels” and “demons” as his next pair of possible separators, he confuses most readers, since we cannot be absolutely certain of what he is referring to. The word angels usually means “good angels,” but many have wondered how beneficent beings can be thought of as ever trying to separate believers from Christ. For that reason, some commentators have taken the word to refer to fallen angels or demons, and the second term to refer to the “principalities” or earthly “authorities” they are sometimes said to control. The King James Bible and some other versions translate this second word as “principalities.” The problem with this is that Paul seems to be deliberately introducing contrasting pairs of terms in these verses: four pairs, with two single terms thrown in. If that is his pattern, the contrast in this pair must be between good and bad angels. Can good angels ever try to separate us from Christ? No. But Paul may sometimes speak of them hypothetically as doing what we know they could never actually do, as in Galatians 1:8—“Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” I favor this view and judge that here Paul is not thinking so much in rationally exclusive terms as he is simply sweeping over all creation to deny that anything or anyone anywhere could ever succeed in destroying our eternal security in Christ. In the first pair of possible separators Paul has looked at our most immediate experiences: life and death. In the second he looks to the realm of spirit beings and declares that not one of them, whatever that being may be like, can separate us from the love of God in Christ. It is good for us to know this, because—although we do not fear the good angels (they are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation,” Heb. 1:14)—we are rightly on guard against the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). These forces create havoc among all types of people. They produce separations, because evil divides. Indeed, the very name “devil” (Greek, diabolos) means “separator.” But although the fallen angels can produce many kinds of divisions, there is nothing they can do that can ever separate us from Christ. How do we know this? We know it because Jesus has defeated these evil forces at the cross. Paul told the Colossians, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2:13–15).
The Tide of Time
Having addressed the experiences of life and death and expanded his circle of possible separators to include angelic forces, both good and evil, Paul now thinks in terms of time, arguing that neither present things nor future things can separate us from God’s love in Christ. “Time is powerless against believers,” says one commentator. The fact that Paul speaks of “present” and “future” and not “past” and “future” (which we might expect) shows that he is still thinking carefully, even though casting about in the broadest possible fashion. He does not say “past,” because nothing in the past has separated us from Christ. We are in Christ now. Ah, but what of the present? What about those hard things that are pressing in on us at this very moment? They cannot separate us from Christ, says Paul. Jesus is equal to them. What about the future? What about things to come? They cannot separate us from Christ either, Paul adds. In my judgment, there are two equally valid ways to think of this pair of words, and both may be correct. On the one hand, we might think solely of earthbound circumstances, what we regard as the flotsam and jetsam of history and our daily lives. We are buffeted by circumstances now, and we will be buffeted by circumstances in future days until we die. But none of these circumstances will separate us from the love of God in Christ, because the God who has loved us in his Son controls history. He is the God of circumstances. So there is nothing that has come into our lives, is already in our lives, or will come into our lives that has not been filtered through the perfect and loving will of our heavenly Father and been directed by him to our good. That is why Paul was able to say just verses earlier, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him …” (Rom. 8:28). Joseph said the same thing, in spite of the terrible experiences God allowed him to pass through. He told his brothers, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:19–20). On the other hand, Paul’s use of the words present and future may refer to what we would call “this life” and “the life to come.” Nothing here and nothing hereafter can separate us from God’s love. We have talked about “here.” What about “hereafter”? We remember a verse saying that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Ah, judgment! That is what lies in our hereafter and what we indeed must fear, if we are not in Christ. Yet how can we fear it if we are “in him”? In that case, we know there is nothing to fear, for Jesus has borne the judgment in our place. There are still judgments to come, true enough. But even these cannot separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
Nor Any Powers
It is hard to know what Paul is thinking of when he speaks of “powers,” particularly since he adds it as a freestanding term, without linking it to a matching word, as he has done with the other possible separators thus far. The word in Greek is dynameis, which can refer to miraculous signs or miracles, though here it would seem to mean heavenly or spiritual forces. The only problem is that we find it hard to think of spiritual powers that are not already included in the phrase “neither angels nor demons.” I suspect that in this context “powers” probably looks back to those that have already been mentioned—powers of death and life, powers of angels and demons, powers of the present and of the future—and says in summary fashion that there are no powers anywhere that can divide us from Christ. Can you think of any? Can any force anywhere separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus, if neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future can do so?
Neither Height Nor Depth
In the fourth (and last) of his matched pairs, Paul turns from human experience, spiritual powers, and time and considers space, saying that “neither height nor depth” will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. What does this pair of terms mean? If the words merely describe space, the phrase means that nothing above us and nothing below us can separate us from Christ. Alexander Maclaren takes this view, expressing it well. He says, “The love of God is everywhere.” If this is the meaning, it would be an expression of the thought found in the well-known verses of Psalm 139:7–10:
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
On the other hand, it may be significant that the Greek words translated “height” (hypsōma) and “depth” (bathos) were used in the ancient world in astrology to describe a point directly overhead, above the horizon, and a point directly downward, below the horizon. These points were used in forecasting horoscopes. Some commentators find this to be their meaning. If this is correct, the teaching is that even so-called astrological powers cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Nor Anything Else
After the sweeping terms of the first part of these verses the closing single item “nor anything else in all creation” is almost an anticlimax. But that is all right. In fact, it is effective precisely for that reason, for it is as if Paul has run out of words in his verbal search for possible “separators” and ends up saying simply, “nor anything else, anything else at all.” What does “anything else in all creation” include? The answer is that it includes everything that exists except God, since God has created all these other things. Thus, if God is for us and if God controls everything else, since he has made it, then absolutely nothing anywhere will be able to separate us from his love for us in Christ Jesus. That reminds me of the word we looked at briefly as we began this section, the word convinced. This is Paul’s personal testimony, as I said, but it is a testimony based on the soundest evidence, evidence that had persuaded Paul and should persuade us also. What are the grounds of this persuasion? Paul’s conviction is not based on the intensity of his feelings or a belief that the harsh circumstances of life are bound to improve or that any of these separating factors will somehow be dissolved or go away. Rather, it is based on the greatness of God’s love for us in Christ, and that awesome love has been made known in that God sent his Son to die in our place. There is nothing in all the universe greater or more steadfast than that love. Therefore, nothing in all the universe can separate us from it:
Not death, not life
Not angels, not demons
Not the present, not even the future
Not any power
Not height, not depth
Not anything else in all creation.
I do not know of anything greater than that. And I do not know of any better way of ending our studies of Romans 8 than to say again that this is Paul’s testimony, born out of his own careful study of the Scriptures and his own personal experience of the love and grace of God. So I ask of you: Is this your testimony? Have you been persuaded of these truths, as Paul was? Can you say, “I no longer have any doubts. I know that salvation is entirely of God and that he will keep me safe until the very end”? If you are not certain of these truths, it is because you are still looking at yourself. You are thinking of your own feeble powers and not of God and his omnipotence. As far as I am concerned, I am persuaded and I am glad I am. There is nothing in all of heaven and earth to compare to this assurance.
Boice, J. M. (1991–). Romans: The Reign of Grace (Vol. 2, pp. 999–1006). Baker Book House.
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What Will Republicans Do About ObamaCare? Brian Mark Weber Now that the Schumer Shutdown is over and Democrats failed in their demands, the GOP has an opportunity to finally lead on healthcare policy.
The High Price of Help Michael Smith Subsidies always inflate the price of what they’re meant to make affordable.
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Affordability Can Change Everything Nate Jackson After four long years of Bidenomics, most things feel unaffordable. So why are Democrats the ones benefitting from the debate over affordability?
The Continuing Decline — and Hypocrisy — of Joe Biden Michael Swartz The former president — Hunter Biden’s “Big Guy” — trotted out recently to give a lecture about how the Trumps are supposedly getting rich off the presidency.
Obama’s ‘Brutalist’ Monument to Himself Douglas Andrews The grotesque tower known as the Obama Presidential Center rises high above Chicago’s South Side and offends the sensibilities of everyone from architectural experts to environmentalists.
Thank You for My Service Jack DeVine Somehow, even in today’s incessantly angry social climate, we veterans seem to hear the words “thank you for your service” more frequently than ever before.
Behind the U.S. Military’s Recruitment Surge Thomas Gallatin We’re not quite a year into the Trump administration, and it’s worth a look at how the Armed Forces have turned around their dismal recruiting results.
Profiles of Valor: Brig Gen Robin Olds (USAF) Triple Ace Mark Alexander By the end of World War II, Olds had downed 12 German fighters and destroyed 11 others on the ground in strafing runs, the only pilot to make Ace in both his P-38 and his P-51, and would earn two Silver Stars for his actions.
QUOTES Straight From the Horse’s Mouth “I think that there is no reason to surrender now.” —Sen. Richard Blumenthal on the government shutdown Projection “[Republicans] are deliberately trying to make the shutdown as painful as possible. These are nihilists that we’re dealing with.” —Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) “Trump is in charge of the White House. He’s actually speaker of the House these days, as he alleges himself. And he’s pretty much in control of the Senate. He could stop this shutdown right now. … He’s choosing to inflict the most pain possible.” —Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) Useful Idiot “You cannot put on the American people that Democrats were the one that were hurting people, making this plight.” —actor Dylan Douglas The BIG Lies “The last 41 days have exposed the depths of Trump’s cruelty. He shut the government down longer than any president in American history. He took innocent kids, veterans, and federal workers as political hostages — all because he refuses to fix the healthcare crisis.” —Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “We have waged a battle on behalf of the American people. First of all, Donald Trump and Republicans are the ones who shut the government down.” —House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) “Trump is actively working to withhold SNAP funding — forcing families to food banks across the country.” —Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) Delusions of Grandeur “I certainly believe that … the overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have waged a valiant fight over the last seven weeks.” —Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Intraparty Squabbles “I can’t explain it because, to be frank, to me, it makes absolutely no sense. I am completely perplexed by [these] developments.” —Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) on reopening the government “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced.” —Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) “Working people want leaders whose word means something.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) “To my mind, this was a very, very bad vote.” —Sen Bernie Sanders (VT) “Pathetic.” —California Governor Gavin Newsom “I’m not coming in to punch anybody in the face, but I’m not pleased that, in the face of this invasive species that is Donald Trump, who’s completely changed the rules of the game, that we’re still playing by the old rules of the game.” —Gov. Gavin Newsom Save Our Democracy — by Ending It! “There’s obviously been this repeating phenomenon where a handful of Democrats crosses over and works with Republicans. I don’t know that you can save our democracy if [Democrats] aren’t united moving forward.” —Sen. Chris Murphy Spin Doctor “The Republican Party has done such a good job propagandizing that if you need anything from the government, you’re a lazy piece of s**t … when really the parasites and the parasitic people in the country are the billionaires.” —podcaster Jennifer Welch What Could Possibly Go Wrong? “Tuesday was nice, but we’ve got a lot of work to do. And your task is going to be not to impose litmus tests. We had Abigail Spanberger win and we had Zohran Mandani win, and they are all part of a vision for the future.” —Barack Obama Finger to the Wind “I say this as a Democrat: We need to own up to the fact that we ceded that ground. We walked away from this crisis of men and boys.” —Gov. Gavin Newsom “Hello, Gavin? It’s the High-Speed Rail Calling” “There’s not one goal the state of California has ever set that we haven’t achieved and did so early.” —Gov. Gavin Newsom Theater of the Absurd “They killed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Incredibly shortsighted. It’ll hurt mostly rural communities. Maybe that’s their intention. There’ll be news deserts.” —documentary filmmaker Ken Burns Lack of Self-Awareness Award “Conservatives are living in a completely different information world than liberals.” —CNN’s Abby Phillip Village Idiots “To get [crossdresser Bad Bunny] to want to be a part of our game, I think, is amazing. … I think the [NFL halftime] show’s going to be amazing. … We do everything we can to avoid politics. … This is about bringing people together.” —Dallas Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones “Oz has always been a queer place. A safe space for queer people, for every different color of the rainbow, for everybody. Read the L. Frank Baum books. It’s the truth. You’re safe with us. We love you so much. The gayer, the better.” —singer and actress Ariana Grande Hot Air “Pets have a pretty sizable climate impact. But not all carbon…pawprints…are created equal. So if you’re looking to get a pet, which ones emit the least? And if you’ve already got one, how do you make sure it has the smallest foot (or paw) print?” —Associated Press Belly Laughs of the Week “I was aware of [Donald Trump’s] strategy. … I understood the game that was being played. And I made a decision that I wasn’t gonna get played. … Three-dimensional chess!” —Kamala Harris “Jasmine Crockett is actually what the Democrats should be leaning into. Because she is a phenomenal messenger.” —radio host Charlamagne
International Hate Two BBC leaders resigned after a scandal over edited Trump video that made it appear as if Trump called for violence on January 6, 2021 … when he, in fact, did not. Amazing, isn’t it? Trump was hated from Great Britain. Bias from across the pond. Of course, bias on this side is more obvious … and no one is resigning. And we can expect that Trump may sue the BBC for it.
No Surprise It came as no surprise that the Supreme Court refused Kim Davis’s appeal to overturn their 2015 decision to make “same-sex mirage”1 the law of the land. As stupid as the notion is, we’re not backing off of it anytime soon. Have you seen those LGBT types? They’re scary when they’re mad.
You’re Fired Congress finally got around to restarting the government. After the longest shutdown ever, they finally found a way to compromise. Why did it take so long? Because they aren’t doing their jobs. They haven’t in a long time. They should be fired. But … they represent us. Maybe we should be.
No More “Power to the People” California’s Prop 50 was touted as an “anti-Trump” proposition. In fact, it was a redistricting proposition in direct response to Texas’s attempt to redistrict for Republican purposes. The double standard is deep with this one (on both sides). So now the Justice Department is suing to block the redistricting that would effectively lock out the vast areas of Republicans in the state and make California a purely Democrat state. So much for “looking out for the little guy.” “Power to the Democrats” is the only purpose.
When You Wish Upon a Star The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering banning biological males from competing in female sports in the 2028 Lost Angeles Olympics. (No, that wasn’t a typo. I was just making a point.) California (of course) has been pushing for inclusion of biological males competing against females as long as they say in a high voice, “But … I’m a real girl.” Is it the effect of Disneyland … you know … Fantasyland and the “Magic Kingdom”?
Your Best Source for Fake News Apparently the IOC watched an old episode of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood and discovered, “Your body’s fancy, and so is mine.” Now they’re considering banning biological males from competing against females. Thanks, Fred. Next, Trump is proposing a 50-year mortgage option to make payments more affordable (actual story). Lenders will require grandkids to so-sign the mortgages while some fear Trump’s eternal mortgage option. And … we’ve just learned that Democrats only agreed to end the shutdown in exchange for a 15% off coupon from Cracker Barrel. Shrewd … very shrewd.
Must be true; I read it on the internet.
________
1 I am not trying to be unkind with the use of the term “same-sex mirage”. I need to continually point out that there is a fundamental difference between “marriage” and what we are calling “marriage” when we put the term “same-sex”, “homosexual”, or “gay” in front of it. I am not objecting to it on moral grounds. I am objecting because they’re not the same thing, and I use “mirage” in its place to call that to your attention.
The news of the day and how it affects you as a Christian. It’s the Friday News Round-Up and Comment broadcast. Here’s a sample of what host Jim Schneider presented for listeners:
–The longest government shutdown in our history ended with the stroke of a pen by President Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday evening. He signed a spending package into law that will fund the government through the end of January.
–Members of Congress collected more than $20,000 apiece during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, as millions of Americans went without pay and essential services. The White House estimates that the shutdown inflicted roughly 15 billion dollars in weekly economic damage with 60,000 private sector jobs lost.
–Leftists, including some elected officials, reacted with rage Monday after 8 Senate Democrats caved to Senate Republicans by agreeing to vote to end the lengthy government shutdown. Despite voting against the deal, Chuck Schumer is emerging as the top target for not containing the defections.
–Paychecks to federal workers reportedly will be going out tomorrow.
–Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that the full SNAP benefits would be restored by Monday, November 17th.
–Rollins said that SNAP benefits are ripe with fraud and abuse.
–Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem handed out $10,000 bonus checks November 13th to thousands of frontline TSA officers who stayed on the job during the government shutdown.
–Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania surprised CNN’s Dana Bash as he explained how much crueler the political left has treated him compared to those on the right.
–New York City Mayor Elect Zohran Mamdani spoke unapologetically about his Muslim faith and Democratic socialist roots during his victory speech on election night.
–In the wake of the victory by Mamdani, Muslims are claiming New York for Islam.
–The city of Ithaca, New York, made history this week by electing a 20 year old member of the Communist Party USA to public office.
–Progressive candidate Katie Wilson was elected as the 58th mayor of Seattle.
–So far there are 47 members of Congress that are not seeking re-election.
–Representative Jasmine Crockett believes President Trump may potentially play with the voting machines for the mid-term elections.
–The New York Post is reporting that an NYPD exodus is already underway with a surge of officers quitting in the month leading up to Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving forward with a significant expansion of its enforcement operations, planning to hire private investigators, bounty hunters, and skip tracers to help locate immigrants for potential deportation.
Government documents reveal an urgent call for contractors who can carry out “enhanced location research,” including physical surveillance, residence verification, and collection of documents such as utility bills and photographs.
These contracts—amounting to as much as $180 million—task vendors with reviewing large batches of up to 50,000 addresses at a time. Investigators must produce time-stamped photographs and detailed reports to confirm an individual’s residence or employment location. Real-time tracking technologies may also be used, though vendors must comply with privacy and data-collection laws. The guidance stresses that home addresses should be the primary target for verification, resorting to workplace tracking only when necessary.
This initiative reflects a broader national effort to strengthen immigration law enforcement. The Trump administration has directed substantial funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, making ICE one of the most heavily resourced policing entities in the world. The Enforcement and Removal Operations division is simultaneously aiming to hire 10,000 additional agents, increasing the agency’s capacity for arrests, detention, and processing.
This development also highlights the need for discernment as the country considers how to balance lawful borders with humane treatment. Believers can pray that decisions at every level will reflect righteousness, clarity, and accountability, and that God will guide the nation toward policies rooted in truth and justice.
Share your prayers for the protection of ICE below.
This article was originally published at The National Pulse. Photo Credit: Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Flickr.
At the University of Mississippi, the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom seeks to give students a deeper, more accurate understanding of America’s founding principles and the freedoms on which the nation was built. Director Dr. Steven Skultety and Associate Director Dr.Rankin Sherling spoke with Fox News Digital about the Center’s mission and their concern that too few Americans receive a solid education on the nation’s founding — a gap they believe contributes to many of the challenges facing the country today.
Sherling said “it’s pure and utter ignorance” when it comes to the knowledge of founding documents among Americans. But he added it’s not their fault.
“They’ve been taught in a certain way. And then this is compounded over time so that the teachers themselves are ignorant of what’s actually in the founding documents… many of them haven’t read the founding documents without some sort of coaching as to what they mean,” he said.
“Every year, they do a whole bunch of studies and run a whole bunch of surveys, and they find year after year that students’ knowledge of American civics, and the American historical tradition of liberty and justice — it’s just not something students know very much about,” Skultety said.
A 2024 study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that among college students, only 31% knew that James Madison is the “Father of the Constitution.” And only 23% knew that the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people” comes from the Gettysburg Address.
Sherling believes the problem stems from students rarely reading or engaging directly with the founding documents.
“Unfortunately, most students never read the founding documents,” he said. “They’re told what those documents say.”
Sherling emphasized that the Center is working to equip students on knowledge about America’s founding documents: “We have classes on the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers.”
“I think that the American values are enshrined in our Judeo-Christian heritage and our Western heritage and both of those are really combined and found in the Declaration of Independence,” Sherling added.
The Cato Institute’s 2025 Fourth of July National Survey found that, among just over 2,000 Americans, 53% did not know that the Declaration of Independence was adopted to separate the colonies from Britain in 1776. However, 64% said they believe freedom is at risk in America and that the Founding Fathers would be disappointed in how the U.S. Constitution is being followed today.
According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center, approximately 70% of U.S. adults could name all three branches of government in a study published in September. Additionally, when asked which rights are guaranteed by the First Amendment, 79% said freedom of speech, while fewer than half named the other four rights. Freedom of religion was mentioned by only 48%.
Cato’s survey, however, found lower levels of civic knowledge, with more than one-third of Americans unable to name all three branches of government.
Sherling also emphasized that cancel culture continues to be a problem in academia nationwide.
“It has captured academia,” he said. “People are pushing back against that now, finally, but it’s still strong.”
Sherling doesn’t want Americans to believe that the founding of the U.S. was based off of oppression.
“America has all this really highfalutin language about liberty and justice and equality and all of that but really, that’s just, you know, a sleight of hand to cover up the fact that what they really wanted to do was continue the institution of slavery to continue the oppression of women and to further facilitate the taking of Native lands,” Sherling said. “I’m not saying that those things didn’t happen, but to say that the United States of America is about that, that’s what it’s about… That is absolutely just untrue. And if you sit with the founding documents, you’ll be able to defend against that charge.”
According to ACTA’s 2024 report, only 28% of college students knew that the 13th Amendment abolished slavery. In a 2021 ACTA study, researchers found that only 18% of four-year colleges and universities require a foundational course in U.S. history or government — a number that has declined over the past decade.
“The Declaration Center really focuses on making sure that students, faculty and citizens across the state of Mississippi have a chance to study our founding documents, but in particular, we want people to think about the importance and value of our tradition of American liberty,” Skultety said.
Fox News Digital also interviewed Emily Purifoy, a sophomore who is a Freedom Studies minor with the Declaration Center program, and discussed her experience.
“I’ve talked to students outside of class and found that there’s a lot of people that agree with me. They just don’t really know. They know they disagree, but they don’t fully know why,” Purifoy said. “I think that’s because of the lack of education.”
Purifoy explained how the Center has helped equip her with additional knowledge to defend her beliefs.
“I think I’m becoming more educated on what I believe. I grew up conservative, so I knew who to vote for and what my politics were, but I didn’t really know why. And I think the Declaration Center has really taught me that and is just a baseline for why America is important.”
Fox News Digital’s Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi contributed to this report.
Voters are concerned about corruption undermining elections, fake news, and extremist parties, a study has found
Some 45% of residents of Western nations believe that democracy in their countries is “broken,” Politico has reported, citing a poll by Ipsos.
The study which was shared with the outlet was carried out in September and involved 9,800 voters from the US, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Croatia, the Netherlands and Poland.
According to the poll, people in seven out of the nine surveyed nations are dissatisfied with how democracy is working, with Sweden and Poland being the only two countries where most of the respondents are confident in their system of self-governance, Politico said in an article on Friday.
Some 60% in France said that they were unhappy about the situation, followed by the US (53%), UK (51%) and Spain (51%), the study found. The respondents singled out disinformation, corruption, a lack of accountability for politicians, and the growing popularity of extremist parties as the main threats to the democratic process.
In the UK and Croatia, only 23% of those who participated in the poll said that they think that their governments are representing them effectively.
A clear majority in the surveyed countries, with the exception of Sweden, is worried that risks for self-governance will grow over the next five years, the study said.
Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK politics at Ipsos, told Politico that “there is widespread concern about the way democracy is working, with people feeling unrepresented particularly by their national governments. In most countries, there is a desire for radical change.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this year that “the so-called ruling elites in some Western countries are turning freedom, democracy, human rights and opportunities into window dressing, and are effectively ignoring the public opinion.”
The speaker of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, had suggested previously that Western European states were “turning into totalitarian regimes led by unpopular politicians and parties,” with their rivals, who are supported by the public, being put on trial and banned.
The designation of Germany’s AfD party as an extremist organization, France’s ban on Marine Le Pen running for public office, and the disqualification of Calin Georgescu from the Romanian presidential election last year were the most vivid examples of that, according to Volodin.
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