As Christians, we are fulfilled. We have everything we need, equipped on this earth, and equipped for a future existence with God. All of this is accomplished through the power of Jesus Christ. Through Him, we escape to eternity.
No matter our relative positions in life, when we are Christians, we are brethren.
Note also the benefit accrued to the Christian who prays, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
God desires that all men be saved, including both those in authority, and those who would benefit from their righteous rule.
Though Paul was impressed with their expressions of brotherly love, he exhorted them to more lofty heights; both in the expression of that love, and in their execution of the Christian life.
The power of God for our redemption works in Jesus Christ, a fact proven through our Lord’s resurrection. When God exalted His Son, He sat Him on the throne in Heaven, a place of dominion over the church and all things. In this God’s great scheme is fully accomplished.
The apostle’s words here give us a wonderful example of the attitude that should be present in a Christian when convicted of sin.
Note that their “works” were not “perfect before God.” God judges us by the things we do, whether good or bad (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10). He demands righteous and steadfast obedience to His will. This is a serious consideration as any congregation examines her standing before God.
Grace does not excuse us from personal responsibility. The idea of cheap grace, so popular today, is false. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Rom. 6:1-2). Rather, Paul says that grace teaches us to deny worldly lusts, and live “soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”
The Word, God’s Son, is behind the entirety of creation. “without Him nothing was made that was made.” Because of the positions He holds as Creator and Savior, He is worthy of our worship and devotion. As John so eloquently put it, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Consider carefully the person and position of your Lord.
The text consists of what is commonly called the Limited Commission, in contrast to the “Great Commission” recorded in Matthew 28:16-20. On both occasions the apostles were commanded to go and preach, but where the “Great Commission” had as its scope “all the nations,” the commission of Matthew 10 was limited to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Love is not defined as tolerance in scripture… rather obedience — to God and His Word. And if we love our brethren, we will seek to conform them to truth.
When we sin, we can not say that we are not responsible. It is not God’s fault, and the devil did not “make us do it.” It is not the fault of our mother or our father (cf. Ezekiel 18:20). It is our own fault.
As God is holy, and cannot countenance evil, it is required of his people that they be holy in all of their conduct as well. You can’t court the world and serve God!
We must “give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” To fail in this is to forfeit our eternal standing before God.
Because of who God is (His person and character) we can be assured that he will treat us fairly in judgment. That is a reason for the ungodly to fear, but it is a basis for our hope and comfort as we live righteously in His service.
