THE ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PART
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on April 3, 2019 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group: April 3, 2019 from 1 Peter 5:10-11
Theme: This passage tells us about the five aspects of God’s part in keeping His people faithful to the end.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
When it comes to our salvation, how much of it is our part, and how much of it is God’s part? Certainly, we are personally responsible to believe on Jesus and live for Him. But it’s also true that we would never do so unless God gave us the faith to believe and kept His hand on us all the way to the end. So; is it right to say that it’s a 50/50 proposition?
It may not seem like good mathematics; but perhaps the best way say it that it’s 50/100 proposition. We have a part to play, to be sure. The Bible tells us, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). But the assurance that our salvation will be successfully brought to full completion—all the way to eternal glory—is 100% dependent upon God’s part. After all, we could never work out what God did not first work into us.
Peter speaks of God’s part in 1 Peter 5:10-11. In his closing blessing in this letter—in something like a ‘prayer/wish’ for his brothers and sisters—Peter expressed his confidence in God’s ability to keep His own dear redeemed ones; and wrote,
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 5:10-11).
In these two verses, we have the basis for the assurance of our salvation. If our salvation were a 50/50 proposition, we’d never be sure we had done enough of our part. But our small part—no matter how fallible—will be made successful because of God’s 100% portion of the work.
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In these two verses, we see five aspects of God’s part. Notice first …
1. THE ‘WHO’ OF GOD’S PART.
Peter begins by saying, “But may the God of all grace …” And that’s who our God is. Our assurance of ultimate victory in the end is because the God who does the 100% part for us is “the God of all grace”.
That word “grace” is one that can be translated “gift”—a freely-given benefit or endowment. And that’s one reason that His genuinely redeemed people can be assured that they will end in victory—because theirs is “the God of all grace”; and their salvation is not a matter of works. But there’s another dimension to the word “grace”. It can also speak of specific “help” supplied to us at a time of need. Our God is “the God of all grace” who supplies us with all the help we need. He gives us strength where strength is needed, or courage where courage is needed, or wisdom where wisdom is needed. As the writer of Hebrews has put it;
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).
If it were strictly up to us in our own resources to stand faithful for Jesus Christ in these difficult times, we’d never be able to do it. But we are assured that we can and will, because ours is “the God of all grace” who faithfully fulfills His 100% part in this matter.
Second, let’s notice . . .
2. THE ‘HOW’ OF GOD’S PART.
Our God of all grace is He “who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus …”
Consider that He “called” us. This is something that theologians often refer to as the “effectual call” of God. It’s called “effectual”, because it results in the one who is called actually coming to God in saving faith. When a little boy is playing outside, and it’s getting late, mother might stand in the doorway and call him in for dinner. Those first few “calls” aren’t always “effectual” though. But when she actually goes out, takes him by the hand, and brings him in to supper, then it was “effectual”. And that, in a sense, is what God has done for us who are His. He took the initiative and issued an “effectual call”; and He made us alive to Him, and we came in faith.
But that “effectual call” doesn’t just stop at saving faith. It goes all the way to complete glorification in Christ. Consider next what Peter tells us that God called us to; and that is “to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus”. Everyone that God calls, He justifies in Christ—that is, He declares them righteous in His sight. And everyone that He declares righteous in His sight, He finally glorifies in Christ. They become complete sharers together with the glory of His beloved Son Jesus in the glory that He enjoys before the Father. As the apostle Paul once wrote;
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified (Romans 8:28-30).
It’s the desire of the Father, and His sure and certain plan, to fully glorify everyone who is in a relationship by faith with His Son Jesus. And that’s not dependent our poor, meager, fallible 50% part of the work. It’s assured because of His 100% part; because He succeeds in all that He undertakes to do for us in Christ.
Next we see …
3. THE ‘WHEN’ OF GOD’S PART.
Peter wrote, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while …” Those words “after you have suffered a while” are a little hard to swallow, aren’t they? But they would have impacted the original readers of Peter’s letter; because they were suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus. Literally, Peter wrote of it as a matter of “suffering a little”—referring to either a ‘little time” or a ‘little degree’.
It often doesn’t feel like either a little time or a little degree when we suffer for Jesus. But do you remember how Peter began this wonderful letter? He wrote to these suffering Christians of the glorious heavenly inheritance that is theirs in Christ, and affirmed to them;
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7).
The praise, honor and glory comes after the suffering—after the faith has been tested and proven. And that suffering really is only ‘little’. It only lasts for a little while in comparison to eternity, and it is only to a little degree in comparison to the greatness of the glory that follows. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4;16-18,
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
And then, notice …
4. THE ‘WHAT’ OF GOD’S PART.
Peter writes to us that the God of all grace—who has called us to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus—will Himself, after a little suffering, “perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”
The precise meanings of these four words is a little hard to nail down; which is why different translations of the Bible have rendered them in a variety of different ways. (The NIV has “restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast”. The NASB has “perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish”. The ESV has “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish”. The Good News Bible has “perfect you and give you firmness, strength, and a sure foundation”.) Perhaps these hard-to-precisely-translate words are meant to show us, in a very broad way, that God Himself is the one who secures us in our faithfulness to Christ in every respect.
Based on the New King James Version, Peter says that God Himself ‘perfects‘ us. The word that Peter uses is one that he probably drew upon from his own profession as a fisherman; because it describes the work of mending fishing nets. That’s what God does for us in our times of suffering for Him. He mends what needs to be mended. He restores us. He heals all the broken spots that we didn’t even know were broken. He makes us complete. Then, Peter says God Himself ‘establishes‘ us. Without His help, we’d easily topple. We’d be easily moved from our position of faith. But through those times of testing, we become “confirmed”—bolted down in place in our position in Christ. Then he says that God ‘strengthens‘ us. He builds up the muscles of our resolve. He increases our endurance. And then, finally, he says that God Himself ‘settles‘ us. We become like the foundation stones of a building. We become unmovable.
It is God Himself who does this. His 100% part is to strengthen us in such a way that we are able to endure in the little part we play in remaining faithful to Him. As the apostle James said;
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4).
And finally, notice …
5. THE ‘WHY’ OF GOD’S PART.
Why does God do all that He does to make us to stand faithful to the very end? Peter says, “To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Or as some translations have it, “To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
The reason we can be assured that we, as His redeemed people, will stand faithful to the very end is because our little efforts are simply a part of His 100% work. And His 100% work will succeed because He has His name on us. He Himself is glorified in our faithfulness to the very end. As the apostle Paul put it;
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).
No wonder our victory is sure! It’s so that all the glory will be to Him!
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So; we definitely have a part to play in our salvation. We are responsible to believe on Jesus and stand strong in Him, and remain faithful to Him to the very end. But our part is only a ‘small portion’ of the whole—and really ends up only being made possible by God’s part.
God’s part is described in this morning’s passage. In spite of all the challenges and failings and pitfalls in the way, we who are truly “in Christ” will end up in victory—faithful to the end; because, as Peter says,
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 5:10-11).
We can be assured of it!
EA
