Fleshly Lusts Which Wage War Against the Soul

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

1 Peter 2:11

Why does Peter say fleshly lusts wage war against the soul?  Because the result of war is death and the result of sin, fleshly lusts, is death.

Let’s go back to the first sin in human history.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

God had created a good world, given Adam and Eve everything they needed for an abundant life, put them together naked in paradise and essentially said, “Have fun!  Just don’t eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or you will die.”  Satan came along and told them they wouldn’t die but would be like God.  They believed Satan over God and chose death over life.  We’ve all been doing the same ever since.

Abstain from Fleshly Lusts

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

1 Peter 2:11

Paradox is defined as a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.  If you want to understand the Bible you must understand paradox.  Some examples:

Do you want to be first?  Be last.

Do you want to be the greatest? Be least.

Do you want to find life? Lose the one you have.

Have you wondered why people in the church fight over the “conflicting” ideas of election and free will?  Because evidence for both is in the Bible.

These are all examples of paradox.  There is also paradox in the fact that we cannot earn God’s favor or our salvation with our good behavior or service to the Kingdom of God, but that as recipients of God’s grace we are expected to behave in accordance with God’s commands and serve His Kingdom.

One of the major themes of Peter’s letter is the alien status of believers (addressed in the previous post, found here).  In this verse, which was just a sentence in the original letter without a chapter and verse to identify it, Peter is setting up an entire section on how we are to live in an environment hostile to the faith.  Here he reminds his readers that since we are only here for a short time, we should abstain from temporary sinful pleasures in expectation of something much greater. 

What are fleshly lusts? Read Galatians 5:19-21.

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We know from the whole of Scripture that when Paul writes “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” he does not mean that if you do these things you will not be saved or if you do not do any of these things you will be saved.  No, he is merely giving a list of the characteristics common to those who do not believe in Jesus, whose hearts are not being transformed by the Holy Spirit and conformed to the likeness of Christ.  There are many people who do not display any of these characteristics who will still not see Heaven because they have never known Jesus.    

Now contrast the above list with what Paul wrote in the next three verses of Galatians 5:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

This does not mean that Christians never sin or will always display the fruit of the Spirit.  In Romans 7 Paul detailed his ongoing battle between his old sin nature and new Christ nature.  The life of a believer should, however, be characterized by movement away from sinful desires towards the character of Christ, who was without sin; had compassion on the poor, the sick, etc.; and ultimately sacrificed His life for the church in submission to the will of the Father.      

In the verse from 1 Peter, Peter urges believers to abstain from fleshly lusts.  He would not have written those words if he assumed that no Christians would sin.  He is reminding his readers that we are in a battle.  Followers of Christ are playing a part in the ultimate battle between good and evil with nothing less than the salvation of people’s eternal souls at stake.  In the midst of the battle we all face an internal battle with sin in our own lives that affects our role in the larger battle. 

I’ll examine both of those battles in upcoming posts, but today I want to leave you with some questions: 

Which of the two lists above (the deeds of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit) is more characteristic of your life? 

Do you see a progression in your life being less like the first list and more like the second? 

As Aliens and Strangers

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

1 Peter 2:11

If you’re living for fleshly lusts you are wasting your life.

Why? Because everything you know right now apart from Jesus is temporary.  Pleasure is temporary.  Wealth is temporary.  Family relationships are temporary.  Achievements are temporary.  Status and fame are temporary.  Everything you can see, smell, touch, taste, hear, and feel, every thought and idea, everything but Jesus is temporary.

It’s not just that you can’t take it with you either.  Read 2 Peter 3:10.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

The Type of Guy You Should Want to Marry, Part 2

The following list was presented to the ladies of The Embassy by Julie Schulze on November 3.  What follows is a combination of her notes, Maggie’s notes, and my thoughts.  Today’s post contains numbers six through ten of ten characteristics you should want in a husband.  Numbers one through five were posted yesterday. 

6. You should want to marry a guy that inspires you to be the best “you” you can be.

I’m going to depart from Julie and Maggie’s notes here and give you the Bible teachers explanation of this statement.  Only Jesus can make you a better you.  You can’t.  Your boyfriend/fiancé/husband can’t.  You’re looking for a man who constantly points you to Jesus.

The Type of Guy You Should Want to Marry, Part 1

The following list was presented to the ladies of The Embassy by Julie Schulze on November 3.  What follows is a combination of her notes, Maggie’s notes, and my thoughts.  Today’s post contains numbers one through five of ten characteristics you should want in a husband.  Numbers six through ten will be posted tomorrow.  

1. You should want to marry a guy that displays a high level of commitment to your relationship.

Every couple will be “incompatible” in some areas.  I’ve heard it said that anybody who has been married for more than 15 minutes has grounds for divorce.  I told Maggie early in our dating relationship that I don’t believe in divorce.  Not that I don’t believe it happens, but that Biblically if we were to marry I don’t think we should ever divorce.  We’re committed to making the marriage work no matter what.  Ephesians 5:22-33 describes marriage as a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church.  Christ left eternal glory to live and then die a horrible death on the earth to restore the church’s broken relationship with God.  That is the standard that a husband should have for commitment to the relationship. 

How to Treat a Christian Sister with Absolute Purity

This is part two of a two part recap of the discussion points I brought up for guys night at The Embassy on November 3.  

 

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

 1 Timothy 5:1-2

How to treat a sister with absolute purity

Pursue with intentionality

Spend time in prayer before you take any action.  Ask God if there are any areas of your life you need to straighten out before you begin dating.  

If you have an interest in a girl, ask her for a date and make it clear you’re asking for a date.  Get to know her but don’t let things go to deep on the first date or the next two or three.  At some point early on you need to let her know what your intentions are.  This is awkward and scary, but you need to do it.  In doing this you are establishing yourself as the leader and you are protecting her emotions.  It may be a little scary for her at first, so be patient if she needs some time.  If she says no, respect that.

How to Not Treat Your Christian Sisters with Absolute Purity

This is part one of a two part recap of the discussion points I brought up for guys night at The Embassy on November 3.  

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

 1 Timothy 5:1-2

How to not treat a sister with absolute purity

Consistently send text messages, make phone calls, initiate one-on-one hangouts, invite her personally to group hangouts, or anything else along these lines without making it clear to her what your intentions are, especially if you don’t know what your intentions are.

There are differences across the many cultures represented in The Embassy, but I think across most cultures if you are consistently initiating conversations or one-on-one hangouts outside of group social gatherings you’re going to indicate to a woman that you have an interest.

Use some common sense with the above statement.  I am not saying that under no circumstances can you ever text, call, or hang out with a girl you’re not dating and haven’t asked for a date.  I am saying be careful that you don’t lead anyone on and don’t try to spinelessly backdoor your way into a relationship (one where you never state your intentions but hang out with a girl one-on-one for months and then act surprised when she asks if your relationship is going anywhere).  You’re the man, which means you initiate, you lead, and you take the risks.

Why Should I Study the Bible?

I grew up attending church almost every Sunday.  I’ve sat through hundreds, if not thousands, of Sunday school lessons, sermons, and Bible studies.  For much of my life I depended on the teaching of others to understand the Bible. 

About four years ago I began to study, not just read through, the Bible on my own.  What I’ve realized in the last four years is that many things that were taught when I was young are not in Scripture or contrary to the plain teaching of Scripture.  There are several examples I could cite, but for the sake of brevity I’ll choose one: alcohol.

Spiritual Growth - Studying the Word

This is part three of a three part series as a follow up from the message “Obedience to the Word Results in Growth” that I taught at The Embassy on October 13.

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

1 Peter 2:1-3

Spiritual Growth – Studying the Word

It’s interesting that in the passage above Peter doesn’t say to study the Word, memorize the Word, read the Word, or anything else like that.  He says long for it.  Desire it. Crave it, like a hungry baby craves its mother’s milk.  Spiritual growth does not result from changing your behavior.  Spiritual growth results from changing your desires.  If your desire is for sin your behavior will be sinful.  If your desire is God, you will still sin, but generally you will want the things of God and the spiritual disciplines like prayer and study will not be viewed as chores to check off a list, but the great privilege that they are.  Today I finish up this brief series with a look at the effective study of God’s Word.

Spiritual Growth - Prayer

This is part two of a three part series as a follow up from the message “Obedience to the Word Results in Growth” that I taught at The Embassy on October 13.

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

1 Peter 2:1-3

Spiritual Growth – Prayer

The passage above doesn’t mention prayer specifically, but prayer is one of the most vital aspects of the follower of Jesus’ life.  Unfortunately in my experience it has been one of the least taught subjects in church.  When I was a kid I thought prayer was only for times when something was wrong.  The idea of being in a personal relationship with God Himself was not taught until I was in my mid-teenage years.  Below is my advice for developing your prayer life.

Spiritual Growth - Dealing with Sin

This is part one of a three part series as a follow up from the message “Obedience to the Word Results in Growth” that I taught at The Embassy on October 13.

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

1 Peter 2:1-3

Spiritual Growth – Dealing with Sin

I hope that as a follower of Jesus you have a sincere desire to be free from sin.  The good news is that you one day will be.  The bad news is that that day has not yet come.  While we have already been set free from the penalty of sin through faith in Jesus, between now and the day we go home to be with the Lord we will continue to battle sin in our lives.  We are in a lifelong process of being set free from the power of sin in our lives and becoming more like Jesus, called sanctification.  This process is not always easy or fast.  Below are some practical guidelines for dealing with sin.