1 Peter 1:17- 2:10. Purify the soul by obeying Jesus Christ through the holy Spirit.

This study is a continuation of the previous one, in which we saw that God wants us to live a holy life, if we desire that God may adopt us as his children, so that we may have inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. The previous verses that we looked at are 1 Peter 1:15&16. "15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." In order to receive our own glory with our inheritance in heaven, God tells us to live a holy life. 'Can we become holy or not', will not be a debate to discus, but a child must be like the Father to be adopted and to inherit his kingdom. It is the condition of God the Father. "17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:" It is plain and simple. God the Father is neither biased nor prejudiced, he is not a respecter of persons. He looks at only what you do; and so, do your work diligently. "Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." God's good pleasure is to reward according to your work. Please remember that you are not his child until he adopts you, and it will not happen until you become holy. "18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;" Do you know where you learned to live by the traditions of godliness, which is religion; but not in holiness? Traditions are not holiness, but it is pretention of godliness. It is from our own church. Churches must be schoolmasters to show us the Lord Jesus Christ, who is in the omnipotent God Spirit. But by traditions, the churches take over your life for themselves, which is by subtle religiosity.

"19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." It is three verses together, a little long stretch, please bear with me. We all know that the lamb without blemish and spot is Jesus Christ. He was foreordained even before he has created the world and people. He himself became a man and died by the hands of men. Not only he is raised from death, but also is seated on his throne in the kingdom of heaven, so that we may also put our faith and hope on the same God the Father, who is not a respecter of persons, it is for our inheritance in the kingdom of God; and it is all for our inheritance. "22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:" How will you become holy? By purifying your soul. How to purify your soul? It is by obeying the truth. How to obey? It must be through the Spirit, which is the holy Spirit that we receive it from Jesus Christ and be born again. But almost everybody in the church say that they are born again! Yes! but they are fakes, but there are true born-again people also, who have proof, for the Spirit living in them. What is the proof? Unfeigned love towards the brethren in the Lord, but not toward the people of the world, who are rich, decent, and dignified. Your love will be pure and heavenly, by helping them in their needs, it must be mutual and intense. "23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." Now you are born again with proof because the living word of God came to you in person and in the Spirit. And the Word will live in you, that is abide in you forever. This Word will be from Jesus Christ; may be even the Word is Jesus Christ himself; abiding, that is living in you in the Spirit.

"24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:" All flesh means every person on earth; past, present, and future are all just as grass. Proud people will not admit this. If you are one of them, look in the history, which is the real fact; and look for the wisest man, the strongest man, the healthiest man, the most powerful dictators, or any such famous people; you will find that they all have died helplessly and miserably in fear. We have not seen them in person, but the facts remain, through history. You may accept it now, No! why?, it is because we are proud. Even all our future heroes and machos will end-up in the same helpless way. They all will die hopelessly. "25 But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." But if, the indestructible word of the Lord, who is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, lives in us, we will have inheritance in his kingdom, and we will be with him for ever and ever. So, be holy because our Father in heaven is holy. This is the gospel that we preach unto you. And so many other gospels are preached; gospel of grace, gospel of prosperity, gospel of love and peace, gospel of eternal security, and many other; and all are from the Old Serpent Satan. Which gospel do you listen with love and desire?

"1 Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings," Apostle Peter zeroed in the word of God and what the gospel is, by the first chapter. In the beginning of this chapter, he says that you will not do such as these things if you have received the word and the gospel. If you do such sins, you have not received the true word or the gospel. "2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" Peter says that God's word is sincere milk for a newborn baby, and so, desire the milk with eagerness and drink it, so that you may grow thereby. The true word of God is milk as well as it is meat. It is in 1Corinthians 3:1&2, and in Hebrews 5:12. ["1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: ... Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."] Children drink the word as milk to grow, and adults eat the word as strong meat to do even harder work. "3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." That is, you have just tasted the grace of God, which has imparted strength to you. Now please allow me to take verse 6 before 4&5, "6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded." It says that I lay in Sion, the chief corner stone. What is Sion and what is the Chief corner stone? Sion is the glorious house of God in heaven. "Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." Obadiah 1:17 and Mica 4:2 give the same prophesy. Jesus Christ dwells in spiritual Mount Sion, which is in the new heavens. The bride of the Lamb, that is bride of Christ, will also live in the Mount Sion with Jesus Christ. Sion is the most holy place even among the heavens. And the Chief Corner Stone is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, with all his glory of God Almighty. "4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious," This God of glory Jesus Christ, when he came as a man, he was disallowed by men, that is, he was rejected by men, but God the Father chose him, because he is precious. "5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." You are also, but not all of you, but only those who are born of the Spirit, who have received and are led by the holy Spirit, are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ as sons of God to be built with God in Sion. It is also in "Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." What is our holy priesthood and spiritual sacrifices that verse 5 says? It is in "Hebrews 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." That is, if we look for Sion or the heavens, we will and we must continue to love and serve the brethren in the lord in our real practical life in this world.

"7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner," Yes, we just saw that Jesus Christ is precious. Christians call him Lord, but they do not obey him, and openly confess they cannot do what he commands them to do. So, by disobeying him, they disallow him; but despite that, God the Father made him the chief corner stone. "8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed." So, the chief corner stone to us, became a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to them. The place appointed to them is hell and the lake of fire. "9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" Like we just saw, the precious obedient people will be with him in the marvelous house of God in heaven. "10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." In the world, we all began as sinners from our youth according to the scripture. But those who are converted now, have become God's people. So, we will be with God for ever.