The First Letter of Peter- 16

Subtitle: Our Witness before the World- Part 8

1 Peter 3:18-22.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, March 8, 2026.

Peter once again points us to Jesus and the example of how his suffering was used to accomplish our salvation.  You could say 1Peter 2:21-25 uses the example of Jesus to show us how to go through suffering.  In our passage today, Peter points to Jesus again.  He uses the suffering of Jesus to show us why suffering happens.

Following this, Peter will then challenge believers in Jesus to follow his example by having the same mindset towards suffering.  If we will join him in his suffering, then we will also join him in his coming glory.

Let’s look at our passage.

What Jesus accomplished through suffering (v. 18-22)

Jesus faced many threats of suffering in his years of ministry leading up to the cross.  Yet he embraced the suffering because of what it would accomplish.  This section walks through what was made possible through the suffering of Jesus.

We are first told that he was suffering for our sins (the just for the unjust).  This is clearly talking about his suffering on the cross, but it can be extended to the suffering of his whole mortal, human experience.  In fact, Peter emphasizes that Jesus suffered just once for our sins.

Unlike the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, the Lamb of God only needed to die once in order to atone for the sins of humanity.

Of course, lambs have nothing to say about being sacrifices.  Jesus did have something to say about it.  He could have refused, but instead, Jesus went through the suffering of the cross, of death, in order to cover our sins.

Though God uses suffering in our life, it is not His plan that we should only experience suffering.  Suffering has its season, but God always intends it to be followed by glory.  Think of it this way.  Is Jesus suffering today?  Of course, not!  We can make a case for an internal pain to watch so many refuse his offer of salvation, but that is another matter.

If we run away from suffering and expect God to remove it from our life, we are not paying close attention to the way Jesus made salvation possible for us.

It wasn’t fair for the “Just One” to be sacrificed for us unjust ones.  It wasn’t fair, but it was love.  In fairness, God would not help us.  In fairness, God would not become a man.  In fairness, He would not suffer in our place.  None of this is fair, but it is love! 

When we are tempted to complain about suffering for the sake of doing what is righteous, it is usually the unfairness of it that fuels our protest.  Yet Jesus was perfect, sinless.  I on the other hand cannot say that about myself.  What excuse do I have to reject the call of Jesus to pick up my cross and follow him?

How am I using my forgiven life?  Am I trying to get comfort and ease, or am I trying to bring sinners to repentance?  Am I suffering the painful things involved in sharing the Good News with others? 

Jesus embraced the suffering of the cross in order to bring us to God (v. 18).  Mankind had been separated from God in the Garden of Eden.  Originally, God had put humanity upon the earth to have dominion over it, in a way that imaged Him.  This imaging was based upon relationship.  This is why God would come down in the cool of the day and talk with them.  The Fall of chapter three fractured that relationship.  It put sin between us and God and affected our ability to image him.

Jesus becomes a means for healing that breech.  His suffering makes it possible first to be brought to God as spiritual children through a new, spiritual birth.  However, we are also going to be brought into the presence of God when we die.  Our souls will be allowed to enter into the presence of God as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:8. “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

This is the picture at the end of the book of Revelation.  It pictures God the Father dwelling with Jesus and the saints, never to be separated again.    This relationship could not be possible without the suffering of Christ.

Jesus was put to death to his mortal flesh, but then, made alive to his spiritual, resurrected life.  The emphasis here (v. 18) is on the heart of what Christ is doing.  He is not just dying for our sins.  He is making a new mode of living possible for humanity, at least those who put their faith in him.  Jesus made the way and showed the way to right relationship with God.  However, he also paved the way to a resurrected life in a spiritual body (see 1 Corinthians 15:35f.

It was suffering that moved Jesus from a mortal life to an immortal life.  Of course, this was not done instantaneously.  He suffered many things.  Even his suffering on the cross did not happen until the timing of the Father.  It also happened in the way that the Father intended.

We are called to follow this pattern.  Embrace whatever suffering we may have to face in this life for following Christ in order to be brought into a glorious, spiritual body at the time of God’s choosing.

We are next told (v. 19) that it was in this new state that Christ could go and preach to the disobedient spirits that were held in prison.  Some versions interpret “spirit” at the end of verse 18 as the Holy Spirit.  Thus, they open verse 19 with “by Whom.”  They emphasize that Jesus went to do this act of verse 19 by the Holy Spirit.  I don’t believe this is what Peter is saying.  As a mortal, Jesus could not go into the grave (Sheol/Hades).  However, he could go as a spirit being.  In fact, all human spirits would go into the grave at death and await the judgment.  So verse 19 should open with the phrase “by which.”

Who are these spirits in prison?  Verse 20 makes it clear that these were disobedient in the time leading up to The Flood of Genesis during Noah’s time.  Peter flies right on by the statement in verse 19 because the people of his day would know exactly what he is referencing.  Let me clear up a couple of things first.

The NKJV says that Jesus “preached” to the spirits in prison.  This makes it sound like they are being offered salvation.  However, the word is better translated as proclaimed or made a proclamation.  Jesus made some proclamation to these disobedient spirits held in prison.  A proclamation can be anything.  We will come back to this because I don’t want to lose sight of all that Jesus accomplished.  Let’s just say Jesus was able to proclaim something to some criminal spirits in the underworld because of his suffering.

Because this connects to the time of Noah, Peter makes another point about how our present salvation connects to the salvation that happened for Noah and his family.  The waters that destroyed others are the same waters that lift up Noah and his family to a new world.  This is all done by God’s wisdom.  Peter describes the waters of The Flood as being a picture of the waters of baptism that new followers of Jesus go through.  We will come back to this later as well.

Finally, in verse 22, Jesus in his resurrected, spiritual existence could now enter into the heavens, sit at the right hand of the Father, and have all angels, authorities and powers subordinated to him.  This doesn’t mean that none of them are still in rebellion, but that his presence at the right hand signifies his power and authority over everything, whether in the heavens or on the earth.

The angels are clearly spiritual beings.  The words “authorities” and “powers” are terms that speak to varying levels of position in a hierarchy.  This would clearly apply to other spiritual beings that were of varying levels of authority and power.  Yet these words can also be used of human authorities and powers. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, ““All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”  The only authority that would not be subordinated to Jesus is the Father Himself.  Think of it.  A human sits at the right hand of God the Father exercising authority and power in the Father’s place (imaging Him perfectly).

None of this could have been accomplished without a mindset that accepted suffering for what it was: the path to the salvation of God!  We cannot lose sight of this in our lives today.  Salvation is not possible without embracing a certain amount of suffering (emotionally and physically).  We can willingly choose to suffering things in order to reach our friends and loved ones for Christ.  Instead of complaining about the unfairness of it all, we are challenged to join Christ in this great purpose of saving “whosoever will.”  Of course, the suffering is not forever.  It will come to an end, and we will enter into the glory of those who suffered with Christ!

Two issues that need explanation

Let’s circle back and deal with these two issues that need further explanation.  First, let’s look at the flood and how it points to water baptism today (the end of verse 20 and all of verse 21).

Verse 21 opens with a statement that water baptism is a “figure” (KJV), “antitype” (NKJV), “symbolizes” (NIV) of The Flood.  These are all good interpretations.  A symbol always corresponds to something (singular or plural).  We have to ask ourselves how the waters of the Flood are picturing water baptism.

The Flood waters were a judgment upon all mankind. They brought destruction.  However, God’s grace used this same thing to save Noah and his family who represented the believing remnant at that point.  This is a key point.  The same thing used to destroy some is used to save some.  The waters were bad for the wicked and good for Noah and company.

We can question God’s grace when we are going through suffering.  We can only see how it is destroying our life.  However, if we trust God, our suffering can be used to save us and others, just like Jesus. 

In this sense, Jesus is the Greater Noah.  The seven family members symbolize the complete remnant of believers who are the family of Christ spiritually.  New believers are also new members of the family of Christ.  All new members are baptized in water.

Water baptism is a picture of several things.  Spiritually, it is a picture of dying to our old way of life and being raised up to live a mortal life like Jesus did, in obedience to the Father, the Word, and through the power of the Spirit.  Yet it is also a prophecy that my body will one day die.  The water is a symbol of being buried (put under the ground).  Jesus has the power and has promised to raise us up into spiritual, glorified bodies.  Water baptism declares that death will not be a destruction to us because we are going to be raised up in glory like Jesus was.

Death will take all humanity.  It will be destruction to many, but it will also be the path to the New Heavens and the New Earth that God is going to create.  It is the path into a new relationship between God the Father and all of remnant humanity.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 even points to the Red Sea crossing as a type, symbol, of water baptism.  The people of Israel were baptized by God when they went through the waters.  This was a path of life to Israel, but a path of death to those bent on wickedness, namely Pharaoh and his army.  On top of this, Paul also points to the cloud (water vapor) that followed them through the desert.  It too was a picture of water baptism.  The cloud becomes a protection to them in order to bring them to the Promised Land.

It may seem odd that Peter speaks of water baptism in this way, “which now saves us.”  Some have even taught that it is only the act of water baptism that regenerates a person.  However, Peter is not saying that the act of water baptism can save anybody by itself.  Look at the very next words: “not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.”  It is not the physical act that makes us belong to Christ.  It is the internal faith that we have placed upon Jesus.  We have responded to God’s raising up of Jesus to be our Savior.  We believed.  Because we have believed, we are then water baptized as a declaration to the world and to those rebellious spirits that we are leaving them behind and following Jesus!  Death will be our promotion, but it will be their undoing.

Let’s deal with the proclamation that Jesus made to the spirits in prison.  What is this.

We know that this is not an offer of salvation because they are in prison for their disobedience in the period leading up to The Flood.  Peter does not say that they are in the grave (Sheol/Hades), but rather, that they are in prison.  This seems to be the same thing that he mentions in his second letter (2 Peter 2:4).  “For God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to [the Greek is literally “Tartarus”] and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…”  Jude also mentions something similar in Jude 1:6. “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day…” 

The picture given of the underworld is that all human spirits go into the Grave (Sheol/Hades) which is a holding place for the human spirits until the judgment.  The Greeks pictured Tartarus as a prison that was as far below Hades as Hades was beneath the earth.  Tartarus is a prison for angels or spiritual being who rebelled in the days before The Flood.  This is was connected to the strange passage in Genesis 6.  The sons of God was a class of spiritual beings who took human wives and created giant offspring, an offspring that was part angel and part human.  They were imprisoned by God for this.

The Book of Enoch was a popular book in the days of Peter.  It was never considered to be Scripture, and there is no need to try and elevate it to that status.

In the Book of Enoch, these imprisoned spirits want to be pardoned.  They talk Enoch into asking God for a pardon.  God’s response is that they are going to stay in prison until the time of the judgment, aka, “No!”  Enoch then goes down to these spirits and proclaims to them God’s judgment.

Peter seems to be connecting Jesus to a similar, even greater, proclamation.  Jesus is the Greater Enoch proclaiming to the spirits in prison that their rebellion has not only failed, but that he has now secured the salvation and redemption of mankind.  In short, he proclaims that they have lost.

This is a common theme in Scripture.  Jesus is the Greater Adam, the Greater Enoch, the Greater Noah, the Greater David…ad infinitum.  Their lives were a fuzzy picture of the power and work that Messiah Jesus would do to save us.

Jesus not only proclaims defeat to the spirits in prison, but he also proclaims victory to the righteous human spirits stuck in the good side of the Grave.  He could now lead them into the presence of God the Father because he has paid the price for their redemption.  The rebellion against God’s plan with humanity had failed.  The perfect man had redeemed the inheritance for humanity.  The judgment of these spirits is sure and the salvation of those they sought to supplant is sure.

All of this was obtained because Jesus embraced the suffering that came from staying true to God the Father.  His is the glory of a victor and the glory of One who brings many sons with him into glory!  May God help us to line up in his wake, choosing to work for him through the suffering that may come our way.  We can overcome the threats of the wicked and the fears of our own flesh.  “Blessed are those who overcome because they will stand with the Great Overcomer, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the end!

Our Witness 8 audio

The First Letter of Peter- 3

Subtitle: The Joy of Our Salvation- part 2

1 Peter 1:8-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, November 30, 2025.

We continue in this letter as Peter has described the great salvation and inheritance that we have through Jesus.  Not only should it cause us to rejoice, but it should also stir up a love for Jesus that is wrapped up in our faith in him.

Let’s look at our passage.

Praise to God for His salvation (v. 8-9)

Peter had just described that they were rejoicing in this salvation in the midst of trials and tests.  They were able to do that because they had faith in God.  Verse 8 commends them for the way their faith led to a love of Christ. 

This is done by placing two statements in a parallel construction.  The first statement is this.  You love him even though you haven’t seen him.  The second is similar.  You believe in him though you do not see him now.  This brings up the issue of our faith and its relationship to what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present.

The majority of those embracing Jesus Christ in the first century did not see his ministry, death, and post resurrection appearances.  Yet, they had come to love the Lord Jesus regardless.

Of course, Peter had seen Jesus in all of these aspects.  He had further seen Jesus glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration and ascending into heaven later.  Peter’s love for Jesus was deep and involved a past relationship with Jesus.  However, these people (like everyone who believes today) did not have that. 

How can you love someone that you have never seen?  It starts with receiving the knowledge that Jesus had done something for you that is both great and unthinkable in its quantity and quality.  To hear that someone laid down their life for you so that you can live is a shocking understanding.  Of course, it will be based upon the faith you have in the trustworthiness of those telling you about him.  Men like Peter, Paul, James, John, and the others more than proved their trustworthiness.  In the face of threats, imprisonments, and even death, they held fast to the testimony of the teachings and resurrection of Jesus.  On top of this, the Holy Spirit did great signs and wonders through them which brings up another side of faith.  The work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of people helps them to both understand and embrace Jesus in faith.  Of course, this is not a coercion, but an influence that we can embrace or reject.

This is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 16.  Peter had declared that he believed Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Peter didn’t know the fullness of what those words meant, but he did believe.  Jesus commended him but notice what he says.  “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”  Jesus did not teach his disciples that he was the Messiah.  Rather, he did the works of Messiah and let the Spirit of God teach them.  Yes, they had seen Jesus, but in the end, they were putting their faith in what the Spirit of God was revealing to them.  To see Jesus or not to have seen Jesus is not what is crucial.  What is crucial is that we respond in faith to the evidence that is put before us by God.

Jesus knew that the majority of Christians throughout history would be in the position of believing in something they didn’t see.  The atheist believes that this is preposterous.  Yet, we believe in all kinds of things that we have never seen for ourselves.  It is how we are designed as human beings who don’t and can’t know everything.  Those who believe, without having the benefit of what Peter had seen, would be and are blessed even more.  This is why Peter is commending them.  Their faith in what Jesus had done led them to love him.

Yet, they cannot see what Jesus is presently doing for them.  Scripture tells us that he is seated at the right hand of the Father awaiting the command to take up the kingdoms of the earth.  Yet, he also intercedes on our behalf and sends forth the Holy Spirit for our enabling.  Technically, no one can see this naturally.  Stephen was given a vision of this, but he was being put to death.  Peter did see Jesus ascend into heaven and disappear out of his sight.  So again, believers through the ages have put their faith in a past and present work of Jesus, though they have not seen and do not see it for themselves.  They both believe in Jesus and love him.

I will say that, though we cannot see Jesus interceding and pouring out the Holy Spirit, we can see the effects of this through many powerful demonstrations of the grace of God, both in our life and in the testimony of countless believers through the centuries.

How can you say, no, to such a love?  How can we not reciprocate the love that God has lavished upon us through Jesus with our own hearts full of love for him?  We love Christ not just for what he has given us and will give us.  We love him because his heart is such that he not only gives us things, but he has ultimately given us himself.  His heart of salvation, that refuses to leave us in bondage to sin, was more than willing to pay an enormous price for us.  His greatest gift to us is a relationship of love that we can have with Him!

Verse 8 then describes that they greatly rejoiced with a joy inexpressible and full of glory.  How can one rejoice in the midst of trials?  Faith helps us to see what is on the other side of the trials.

How can it be said that our rejoicing is inexpressible and full of glory?  The glory is that which God attaches to our salvation by His grace.  It is the same glory of Christ who endured the ugliness of this world for our sakes and for the sake of the Father.  When he is revealed to the Lord in all of his glory, we will be at his side in glory as well.  We have nothing but glory ahead of us.  Though this world may heap shame and dishonor upon us, it is to our glory to carry that mocking, ridicule, and even persecution, as he did.  We walk the way of the cross by putting our feet into the footsteps of our loving Lord.  Even if we have the absolute worst experience and have been dealt the absolute worst hand in this life, none of that should matter to us.  What matters to us is what we do with it.  We must pick up our cross, our difficult lot in life, and carry it to the end for Jesus!

The joy of bonding with Jesus in his sufferings followed by glory is described as inexpressible not because we cannot attempt to describe it.  It is simply because our words fall short of the full reality and our vocabulary falls short of the description worthy of his love.  However, it is also because we do not know all the wonderful and good things that God has for us.  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”  (1 Corinthians 2:9). 

Of course, the goodness of God is not just something that is off in the future.  His work in our lives throughout this wilderness is filled with His love, grace, help, and more.  How great our rejoicing will be when we understand all that God has done, is doing, and even yet will do in demonstrating His love for us!

Verse 9 then speaks of the salvation of our souls that we receive as an outcome of our faith.  This is pictured as something that is happening now.  It is not that God is miserly giving us a small portion of salvation over time.  Rather, it is what we spoke about several sermons ago.  Salvation can be seen as something we receive instantaneously at our initial faith in Christ.  It is like a status: we are a person who has entered into God’s salvation.  It can also be seen in the sense that God gives us title to it.  It belongs to us and no one can take it away.

Yet, salvation can also be seen as something that God is doing in us throughout our life.  He is saving us from our past life of sin and our present temptations to sin.  We should think of salvation in this sense as a kind of healing.  The spiritual hurts and wounds of the past take time to be healed.  God uses this life, its trials and tests, to help us heal spiritually.  In that sense, we are daily obtaining the salvation of Christ in our life as we put our faith in him, his word, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Of course, salvation does have a completed sense that is in our future.  At death, my soul will be completely healed and saved from sin, and at the resurrection, by body will be completely healed and saved from sin.  I will see Jesus and know him because I will be like him!  All of this because we are trusting Jesus.

May God strengthen our faith.  May we also guard our hearts and be careful that our faith in Christ is not shipwrecked during these trying times.

Praise to God for His salvation (v. 10-12)

Peter takes some time to remind them of the grace of God that we are receiving in these days of Messiah.  In other words, let’s talk about this salvation that you have obtained!

This salvation that we are experiencing is the same salvation that the prophets of the Old Testament sought to understand.  They knew that God promised salvation to those who trusted in Him.  This was in the face of the failure of humanity as a whole from Adam to Abraham and the failure of Israel as a special nation to God.  They were curious in every generation about this salvation.  Thus, they searched the Scriptures that they had at the time, looking for any clues that would give understanding about the salvation of God.  They also inquired of God in prayer about this Messiah. 

Peter describes two questions that they were seeking to have explained.  The first had to do with what person, or manner of person, would be Messiah.  What would he be like?  How will we know him?  What exactly will he do?  And the question would go on and on.  The second question had to do with the timing.  The word for time that Peter uses is not so much about chronology as it is about seasons.  Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, do follow a clock-like chronology, but they also have a purpose that is for something greater than a particular amount of time.  There is a quality to those periods of time.  Similarly, God has seasons in His dealings with humanity.  Yes, He would save humanity, but it would be done in seasons, seasons that had particular purpose known to God.

These prophets sought to understand the greater arc of God’s purposes through time.  This would help them to understand why Messiah’s coming was so delayed, but also to recognize when his coming was close.

Over time, God revealed a little here and a little there.  Progressively over the generations, from Genesis 3 to Malachi 4, God revealed to them some answers to these questions.  Notice that Peter describes it as the “Spirit of Christ within them.”  The summation of all this revelation is that Messiah would first suffer and then his glories would follow.  Messiah would not just come to be great and make others suffer.  Rather, he comes to reject the things that we think are glorious.  He then ingloriously dies on our behalf, showing us the way.  God’s glory is not like our glory, and if we want to be glorified, we will be quick to jettison the desire for “our glory.”  Our glory is focused on self and does not care for others except for the ways that they can accentuate our glory.  God’s glory is about saving others out of shame and humility and bringing them back into the glory that He made for them.

Now is not the time for us to seek glory.  Now is the time for us to join our lord in his path of suffering, not for suffering’s sake, but for the saving of others who are trapped in sin.  We too have an allotment of suffering before our day of glory.

And yet, this life is not all suffering.  We enjoy God’s goodness in so many ways, but particularly in the fellowship we have with Him and fellow believers.  Even after being beaten and put in the stocks, Paul and Silas lifted their voices in songs of praise to God. How could they do this?  They could do this because they saw the smile of their Lord Jesus and the inheritance that he held securely for them.  They could do this because they knew they were not at the mercy of the magistrates of Philippi, nor a jailer and his guards.  They were at the mercy and steadfast love of God Himself!

So, Peter tells us that the prophets recognized that God was showing them things that they would not see in their time.  Instead, they wrote them down for the generation that would witness and follow the days of Messiah.  They lived faithfully not knowing fully the details of Messiah.  They lived by faith in the Coming Messiah though they did not see him or know fully what he would be and do.  This, of course, is similar in every age, even ours. 

Peter connects these believers to that long chain of the glories of Messiah Jesus which are only continuing today.  He connects them to the glories of the revelation of Jesus that will occur at his second coming.  These are the things that were announced to them by people like Peter who came preaching the Gospel of Jesus.  This was all through the work of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

Peter even adds that these are things that even angels are curious to know.  Notice that he puts that curiosity in the present tense.  Angels are not omniscient, though they surely know much more than we do.  Of course, the devil would have a vested interest in figuring out exactly what God is going to do and when, but I believe Peter is talking about the faithful angels, just as he had been talking about the faithful prophets.  These angels don’t understand everything about God’s purposes, but they do their work on God’s behalf ministering to humans who are being saved.  All of the faithful, in heaven and on earth, seek to find these things out.

This brings us to a great section regarding how we are to respond to such great salvation.  Yes, we respond in faith, but Peter is going to get into specifics.

Let me just close by challenging you.  Don’t let the enemy get into your head when you can’t figure out what God is doing.  The devil wants to undermine, to destroy, to steal your faith.  However, God is building your faith and making it a strong bulwark that the enemy cannot breakdown. 

Why does God require so much faith?  Perhaps, it is because He wants us to have the joy of discovery.  We have had much revealed to us about what the future holds, but we have not been given an exhaustive understanding.  It is enough for us to know that God is with us, helping us, and bringing us to a good thing that is better than what we can do for ourselves.  If God be for us, who can be against us?  Or, even better, what does it matter who is standing against us?  We can have the same joy that David had on that day that he grabbed the stones by faith and went out against Goliath.  What are you doing today, Lord!  Let’s go find out!

Joy of our Salvation audio 2

The Letter to the Colossian Church- 8

Subtitle: The Victory of Christ vs The Deceivers- 1

Colossians 2:16-19.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, August 31, 2025.

Paul has just warned them about those false teachers who would come around trying to draw them away from what they have in Christ.  Now, he moves to some practical commands regarding those teachers.

Let’s look at our passage.

Some practical implications of Christ’s victory

Verse 15 ended with a powerful statement of Christ’s victory over the spiritual powers of the heavens who are operating on the earth.  “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over theme through Him.” 

These hostile spiritual powers were impotent and unwitting while Christ was saving us at the cross.  In light of this victory over all authorities, our champion delivers us out from under their domain of darkness and allows us to enter his kingdom (Colossians 1:13).  This reality should affect how we live and act in this life.

Paul says in verse 16, “Let no one judge you in regard to…”  Before we get into the areas that he mentions, notice that these teachers are making judgments about what the Colossian Christians are doing, how they are living, and what they believe.  When he says not to let them judge you, he is talking about how we can let the judgments of others impact us; we can accept them and be influenced by them.  You cannot stop a person from judging you, but you can make a choice to ignore it. 

Of course, Paul is not talking about the judgments of godly teachers.  In fact, he is making a judgment about these false teachers and the Christians of Colossae listening to them.  This is not a theoretical banning of judgments, but rather, a situational rejection of the type of judgments that are made by these men.  Christians should never have an attitude that says, “I don’t have to listen to anyone!”  That kind of approach to the Christian life will get you into trouble quickly.  However, there is a flip-side to this issue of judgments that Paul is treating here.  These teachers are not standing on the teachings of Christ and his apostles.  Their judgments serve the purpose of pulling these Christians away from both the teachings of Christ and a true saving-relationship with him.

We do not need to fear judgments, but the Lord’s judgment is the only one that matters in the end.  We can trust God’s judgments because He does so for our good and to deliver us from evil.

One of the areas that these teachers loved to make judgments had to do with food and drink.  If a teacher had a Jewish background, this would involve the dietary restrictions of the Law and the traditions that were built up around them.  They would point to certain foods as forbidden.  However, some of the Greek philosophies and religions had similar ascetic ideas regarding food and drink.  Christ taught that a person is not defiled by any foods.  For Jews, the Messiah had cleansed the foods forbidden under the Law so that his followers could eat anything.  This was reiterated by Paul many times, but 1 Timothy 4:3-4 says it very succinctly.  Thus, Christians do not look to food and drink as the means by which we make ourselves acceptable to God.

The same point is then made concerning the area of special days.  These false teachers emphasized observing special days as a part of their judgments.  The Lord had given Israel seven feasts to observe, and of these, three required males to go to Jerusalem.  Judgments could be about observing the days, period, or about how well one observed them.

We could do the same thing today with special days within Christianity.  Is my relationship with Christ affected by how well I do Christmas or Easter?  The mentality that looks to such special days as a means of connection to God does not understand what Jesus has done.

We should celebrate what Christ has done by loving him with all our heart, mind and body and by serving his purposes and mission.  We should not require the observance of festivals and even Sabbaths.

We might ask why these things were in the Law of Moses if they would not continue to be important under the Messiah.  Paul explains the purpose of the food laws and the special day laws.  They were never about making Jews acceptable to God, i.e., there was never anything inherently good or bad about them.  They only became moral issues because God had commanded them.

This distinction within the Law of Moses is important.  Some laws were inherently moral such as the law, “You shall not murder.”  There will never be a time when this becomes okay.  Yet, the laws concerning foods and special days were only moral because it was God commanding them.  His purpose had to do with pointing forward to the Anointed One that He would send to save humanity. 

Paul uses the idea of a shadow.  A shadow requires something of substance to exist, but it is not that substance itself.  These things were shadows that were being cast from the One who is the Messiah.  We can picture that shadow being cast back in time from Jesus to the making of the Mosaic covenant.  However, since Jesus was “slain from the foundation of the earth,” we could also think of the shadow being cast forward from the beginning to that day.  Regardless, the food laws and special days were pointing to Messiah somehow.

What were they pointing out?  The special days all point to the critical redemptive work of Messiah among Israel and the Gentiles.  Acts 10 reveals that the food laws were symbolic of the defiled Gentile nations that had been dispossessed by God.  Until Messiah paid the price for sins, they were a defiling influence and Israel needed to guard themselves from that.  Yet, at the cross, Jesus makes it possible for the defiled person to be made clean.  The symbol is no longer needed because Jesus had fulfilled the thing that it was reflecting.

So, Christians should not let judgments about foods and special days be used as a means of coming between us and Jesus.  Yet, this does not mean a person cannot sin with food.  Gluttony is still wrong because a person’s affections are grossly connected to the food.  Such crossings of proper boundaries are a sign of idolatry.  I am asking the food to be something in my life that it was never created to be.

Paul then moves on to another practical implication.  He tells them to let no one be cheating them.  This is similar to judging, but it has a slightly different feel.  Imagine an umpire that keeps calling strikes when it is clearly a ball.  That umpire would be cheating you out of taking your base.   By listening to the judgments of these men, you would be letting them keep you from what God has for you.  They are not really authorized to umpire your life, but you can submit to them as an umpire.  Paul goes on to describe these cheaters so that they will be easily recognized.

These teachers delight in self-abasement.  This has the sense of a lowliness of mind, which is generally good.  But these men “delight” in looking humble.  Their intentions are wrong.  They would look lowly of mind to a novice, but they will not submit to the teachings of Christ.  Thus, they are not truly lowly.  They put on a superficial show of humility, but it is always self-serving.

They also delight in worshipping angels, or hierarchies of spiritual beings.  They would promote particular angels as intermediaries between God and man.  They loved to build systems of particular spiritual beings that were to be called upon and worshipped in order to please God.

Of course, they were condemned by the early Church.  Yet, down through the ages, the veneration of saints has reduplicated this penchant.  There is only one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus.  We need to get back to approaching Jesus alone as our means of approaching the Father.

They also were standing upon what they had seen.  Some version will supply the word vision, which is likely the point that Paul is making.  The problem isn’t the visions per se.  Didn’t the apostle Paul have visions?  The problem is that their visions are not connected to Christ, the Head, nor to His apostles.  Paul’s vision was firmly on the foundation of Christ and his apostles.  But these false teachers refuse to stand upon Christ.  Instead, they stand upon their own imaginations, detached  from the Truth of God, and contradictory to it.

These teachers are also “inflated without cause by [their] fleshly mind.”  They are not lowly of mind at all.  Instead, their fleshly mind has inflated their ego.  They have become puffed up, and their view of themselves is not connected to the Truth of God.

Lastly, these teachers do not hold fast to the Head, from whom the entire body grows the growth of God.  It is not enough to have a place in your system for Jesus, if it is diminished from who he really is.  Jesus is the one to whom we must hold fast.  He is the Head of the Church and believers.  He is the Head of the New Creation.  Thus, these teachers were not operating under his authority.

It is only our connection to the One True Head of the Church that supplies what is needed, and holds the body of Christ together.  When this is happening, then we can grow the growth of God as opposed to the growth of the world.  This is both individually and corporately.

These men have either detached from Christ, or were never attached in the first place.  Without Christ, there is no supply of life, no bond of the Spirit, and no growth of God.  May God help us to keep our eyes upon Christ, his apostles, and the Scriptures which detail their message and work.

Victory of Christ 1 audio

The Acts of the Apostles 42

Subtitle: A Tale of Two Visions

Acts 10:1-16.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Jesus in John 16:12-15 told his disciples that he had much more to say to them, but they would not be able to bear it, or handle it at that time.  However, he promised that the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, would come and teach them everything that they needed to know.  He would guide them into all truth- at least, all the truth that they would need.

These apostles are often referred to as the early leaders of the Church, but let us recognize up front that Jesus is the true leader of the Church.  The Apostles and any subsequent leaders are simply helpers, servants of the Lord, in his leadership.

In our passage today, we will be given a glimpse at what it looked like for the Spirit of Truth to lead the early Church.  The issue at hand was the status of Gentiles who would be coming to faith in Jesus.  What exactly did they need to do in order to become Christians?  Did they need to first adopt Judaism and its requirements and then believe on Jesus?

The book of Acts from chapter 10 to 15 gives a resounding, "No," to this question.  All of this features the Holy Spirit teaching the apostles.

Let's look at our passage.

The vision of a Gentile named Cornelius (v. 1-8)

As Peter continued to minister in Joppa, Luke brings our attention to a Gentile in Caesarea named Cornelius.  This city was 40 miles north on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and it was the headquarters for Rome's operations in the area, hence the name, Caesarea.

Cornelius is an officer in one of the Roman Legions, particularly the Italian Regiment, or Cohort.  He is a centurion, which generally means a command of 100 men or less (depending on losses in battle).  Of course, such a profession would not put Cornelius on the "nice list" with most Judeans.

Yet, verse 2 tells us that this Cornelius was a devout believer in the God of Israel.  It was not uncommon for there to be Gentiles who were sympathetic towards, and even convinced of the God of Israel as the One True God.  Most of them, however, did not want to be circumcised and officially become attached to Israel.  This created a group of people that were referred to as "God-fearers."  They were uncircumcised, but followed many of the customs and worship of Israel.

We are also told that Cornelius was very generous in alms, or charitable giving.  He had donated to particular issues that would help the people of Israel.

On this particular day, we are told that it was the ninth hour, or 3:00 pm.  Verse 30 will tell us later that he was praying and fasting.  This would be at the time of the evening sacrifice in Jerusalem.  All of this pictures a man who is worshiping God in Spirit and in truth.

Of course, prayer is a relationship with God, which begs the question.  What is his status with God?  We will talk more on this later.

As Cornelius is praying, he has a vision of an angel coming into the room.  A vision is commonly distinguished from a dream.  It is used of a person who is not asleep, and yet, sees something that may be as real as a dream, i.e., a day-dream.  It is a real spiritual interaction.  However, a vision is generally distinguished from an actual physical manifestation.  He mentally sees and hears the message of the angel.  If someone else had been there, they would not have seen or heard the angel.

Though Cornelius is startled, he addresses the angel with, "What is it, lord?"  Again in verse 30, he tells us that "a man stood before me in bright clothing."  This is common in biblical text.  Heavenly angels generally look like men when they appear to people.  However, something makes it clear that it is not an earthly messenger.  Here, the clothing of the man is glowing, he has a message that is from God, and it would not be easy for a mortal to slip into Cornelius' room.  There was no doubt it was an angel.

The angel tells Cornelius that his prayers and alms have come before God as a memorial.  That is important to note.  Whatever his status, God was taking notice of his prayers and charitable works.  The term "memorial" is a reference to a kind of sacrifice.   This can be seen in Revelation 8:4 where we see the heavenly temple.  Incense is burned before God along with "the prayers of the saints" by angels.  It is not clear exactly how this is done.  However, the truth is shown that the prayers of the saints are before God continually.

Of course, God doesn't need incense offered  with their prayers.  He sees it all.  Thus, the importance is a demonstration to the heavenly beings that humans are praying unto God, and that God is receiving their prayers.

I believe that his status was much like Abram's.  Yes, he is a gentile and is not in complete conformity to the Law of Moses.  Yet, he is approaching God in faith, and God is responding with grace.

We should note that Cornelius is not praying to see an angel.  He already has a lot of God's grace as he has heard the truth of God, and is serving near Israel.  Rather, it was in the midst of his being faithful to God in prayer that God said, "that's my man." 

The angel is not so much a response to good worship and prayer, but as a fulfillment of the purposes of God.  This was just the sort of man that the Lord would use to help the Church to understand that Gentiles were to be saved just like Judeans.  God's grace comes to us in many different ways.  It is not ours to worry about the way, but rather, it is ours to be thankful for whatever ways the grace of God materializes.

When you pray, you may feel like nothing big is happening.  However, at the least, your prayers are coming before God.  If you are discouraged in prayer because you want something specific to happen, be careful that you are not complaining about the grace of God you already have.  God has a timing for everything, and we can be guilty of overlooking the grace that He is already giving us each and every day.

Cornelius is then told to send to Joppa for a Simon Peter who was staying with Simon the Tanner.  Peter would then tell him what he "must do."

Couldn't the angel have told him what to do?  Yes, of course, the angel could have.  God Himself could do everything in the universe while we all stand on the sidelines cheering, "Go, God!"  But, God isn't looking for a cheerleader to cheer Him on.  That may stroke your ego, but God is looking for a bride who will join Him in the field of work.

It was important that an apostle of Jesus be involved in this critical juncture of Gentiles coming into the Church.  Though Paul would become the main apostle to the Gentiles, Peter would be an important link in convincing the Jerusalem Church that God was saving Gentiles too.  He would be critical in establishing what the status of Gentiles coming to Christ would be.

Though it was afternoon, Cornelius immediately calls two of his household along with a soldier who is also a devout believer from his personal detail.  He tells them the task and sends them to Joppa in order to fetch Simon Peter.

Let us note how important it is to respond to the promptings of the Lord as quickly as we can.  All of us can think of times where we were dilatory with the leading of God's Spirit.  God doesn't generally send angels to speak to us, though He can do so at any time.  Typically the Holy Spirit prompts us in our heart and mind as we pray.  The person who is devoutly praying to God will receive instruction from Him from time to time.  We need to be in a relationship with Jesus where we are seeking his leading, and responding quickly to the leading that He gives.  Don't be lazy, and don't be resistant, or rebellious.

Peter has a vision (v. 9-16)

As the men from Cornelius approach Simon the Tanner's house, Peter also has a vision around noon.  These two visions are basically the same, but they would hit those who first heard about it as a contrast.  Peter is a Jew, devout, and an apostle of Jesus.  Of course, we can picture him having a vision.  However, Cornelius is not a Jew nor a follower of Jesus.  Yet, the same God is working in them both for His singular purpose.

Peter is praying and becomes extremely hungry.  It appears that this has been made known to the house and they are fixing some food.  Meanwhile, he continues to pray on the roof of the house.  I don't know if God caused him to be hungrier than usual, but regardless, He uses Peter's hunger to emphasize a command that will be important in regards to Cornelius.

Verse 10 tells us that Peter "fell into a trance."  The difference between a trance and a vision is nothing.  They are the same thing described from two different angles.  The word "vision" focuses on the fact that he sees something.  It is the experience from the view of the person who sees it.  The word "trance" focuses on the fact that his mind is elsewhere at the time.  It is the experience from the view of a person watching the one having the vision.  In fact, in Acts 11:5, Peter will describe this event with both words.  He will say, "in a trance, I saw a vision."

The vision was of a sheet that is bound up on all the four corners creating a sling.  It is let down from heaven before him and is filled with unclean, or non-kosher, animals.  Unclean animals are such that the Law of Moses proscribed from being eaten by the people of Israel, and from being offered up as a sacrifice to Yahweh.

Of course, it is not the contents of the sheet that are the problem, but the content of the command that is given to him next.  Peter is told to rise up, kill and eat.  This picture is going to occur three times.  Peter protests that he had never eaten such animals before.  It appears that he also has no desire to do so even though he is quite hungry. 

God knew that he would respond this way, and He intends to use this to hammer home a point Peter needs to understand.  Before we get into the point, we should touch base on this whole issue of unclean and common as opposed to that which was clean and holy.

We often use unholy to mean something morally bad, but the foods themselves were not morally bad.  To be holy simply means that something, or someone, is set apart for a particular purpose of God.  To be unholy simply meant to be a thing, or one, that is not set apart for a particular purpose of God.  Israel was a holy nation.  They had been called to do a particular, special duty for God among the nations.  The other nations were unholy, or common.  Yet, within the nation of Israel, there were particular people who were called to serve as priests in the temple.  In this area, the priest would be holy, but the other Israelites would be common.  The same could be said of a temple bowl.  A common bowl could be used for any purpose you like.  It wasn't holy.  However, a bowl that had been consecrated to God's work in the temple could not be used for a common purpose.  Even among the priests, only one man could go into the Holy of Holies once a year.  None of the common priests could perform the work of the high priest.

At this point, it is important to note that the clean and unclean animals served an important purpose in Israel.  Yet, now God was directly connecting the concept of unclean animals versus clean animals with the concept of unclean peoples (i.e., Gentiles) and clean people (i.e., Israel).

Let me interject at this point that I run into people who make a big deal out of Christians changing the laws of the Old Testament.  Or, they will say something like God said it was bad and then He changed His mind and said it was good.  They underlying accusation is that God is whimsical or Christians are hypocritically changing the bible.  Neither are true.

Note what God says to Peter's protest.  "What God has cleansed you must not call common."  Do you see that.  Something has changed from the days of Moses to the vision of Peter.  God has actively "cleansed" these foods.  How did He do that?  The death and resurrection of Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the Old Covenant.  God would now establish a New Covenant with the remnant of Israel and whosoever will of the Gentile nations.  It was no longer necessary under the New Covenant to continue a restriction on foods because the truth that they pictured was now changed.  Gentiles were no longer considered common because of the work of Jesus.

Let's be clear here.  Common and holy here have to do with the ability to approach God and have our sins dealt with.  Yes, we can speak of the holiness of one who has had their sins removed.  But, the Old Testament had an additional concept of being able to approach the altar of the Lord and offer sacrifices for your sins.  Gentiles could not do this under the Old Covenant because they were unclean.  Now, through the work of Jesus, they have been made acceptable to enter God's presence and be cleansed.  This is not a whimsical or hypocritical change.  It is a very real sacrifice done once and for all by God's Anointed One, Jesus.

Under the New Covenant, Christians can eat any food without fear of defilement.  All foods are cleansed by the work of Jesus.  However, this is also a picture of the reality that any person from any tribe, tongue, or nation, can come to God in faith and be accepted at His altar.  There is no longer any distinction between a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian, other than heritage.

There is a sense of warning in this command, "you must not call common."  If God makes something holy, then no one should treat it as unholy, common.  This would apply to Jewish Christians like Peter who would tend to shrink away from treating Gentiles as completely clean in Christ.  However, it would also apply to the Corinthian Christians who were taking the Gospel of Jesus and the Gifts of the Spirit, and using them in a defiled way, unholy way.  Such people often have an attitude that says, "Jesus has paid the price so all things (i.e., even sin) are clean to us now."  Such a thing must not be done.  It is important for the Church to uphold this truth in a day and age that is transgressing this on both sides.

Do you believe that God is working in your life as He was in Peter's life, or Cornelius' life?  Yes, the scope of what God is doing is greater in them.  You may not see an angel, or even have a vision.

However, we need to recognize that as we are praying and serving Jesus, there comes times when He speaks to our heart and mind.  It might be something that you are intimidated by, or afraid to do.  It might be something that you are even unsure about.

This is why God has given us His Word, His Spirit, and a body of believers with the Gifts of the Spirit distributed as He wills.  Peter had great spiritual gifts placed in his life in order to help the early Church and even us today through the word.  We may not all experience everything that Peter did, but we are all the beneficiaries of what God did through him and the other apostles.

It is not the vision, or angelic visitation, that we should be seeking.  Rather, it is the purpose and presence of the Lord Jesus Himself that is our desire.  The help of the Holy Spirit is always happening and available for those who are seeking Him.  However, it is up to God the particular ways that His grace is given to us.  Let us be a people who are used of God to further His work of saving Gentiles and Jews in these last days!

Two Visions audio