Year 6, Day 216: 1 Peter 1

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from our Father.

Peter ends this chapter with a reminder that we are purified through our obedience to the truth.  Clearly, the idea of obedience was rather important to Peter.  It is our obedience that leads to our ability to have brotherly love within us.  It is our willingness to submit to God’s will that allows us to love others who are similarly submitted to God’s will.  In the end, our obedience is very important to our community.

How are we to be obedient?  We are to be like children, understanding that our Father knows and sees what is good for us far better than we do.  We are to be called holy, set apart for His work.  We are to work in fear, not phobia, but a fear in awe of the greatness of God and all that He can do beyond our ability to understand.

But why are we to obey Him?  He is the one who brought us into salvation.  He is the one who sent Christ to us.  Christ Himself was obedient to the will of the Father.  He is the one who raised Christ from the dead, why wouldn’t we be obedient to Him?  He is the one who fulfilled His own words.  Again, if He has the ability to speak truth into our future, why wouldn’t we obey Him?

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