Saving the Saved

Let me give you a sneak preview of one of Grace Theology Press’ upcoming publications. It is a commentary on 1 Peter written by Dr. Dave Anderson. Here’s an excerpt from the book.

LIFE SAVING 101
1 Peter 1:6-9

by: Dr. Dave Anderson

INTRODUCTION

In 1905 an engineer in Europe whose hobby was physics published five papers of far-reaching significance. One of those papers dealt with the study of light and its constancy, so he called his results the “principle of invariance.”[1] Later on, people called it relativity, so that was his paper on special relativity. He kept working on his theories, refined them, and pulling on every ounce of his genius, went on to create what is called his general theory of relativity in 1916. It dealt with the fact that the universe is expanding but also decelerating in the speed of its expansion.

The implications of these theories were immense. They were so immense they caused Albert Einstein, a former atheist, to believe in God. But he realized if the universe is expanding but also decelerating in the speed of its expansion, only one natural phenomenon could cause both features (the expansion and the deceleration): an explosion. If a hand grenade explodes, its particles expand outward, but the friction of the air as well as the force of gravity cause the particles to decelerate in their expansion. That’s the nature of an explosion. So, Einstein was the first scientist to propose the big bang. Later on, they realized it had to be a hot, big bang.

But Einstein initially resisted the implication of his theories, that is, if there was an explosion that began expansion of our universe, there had to be someone there to pull the plug. The simple law of cause and effect says there has to be a Prime Mover. Einstein resisted this conclusion, so much so that he created a theory to counter-act expansion of the universe known as the steady-state universe. Later suggestions by scientists who followed Einstein where the static-state universe and oscillating universe. All of these suggestions were in an effort to provide enough time for evolution, which requires near infinite time. The thirteen to twenty billion years scientists claim for the current age of universe is only a drop in the bucket of time required for evolution to be a viable option to explain life as we know it.

All of the biological arguments for or against evolution are really moot at this point. The Hubble telescope and COBE (Cosmic Background Radiation Explorer) have proved to the satisfaction of most astrophysicists in 1992 the hot big bang to be a fact as sure as the law of gravity. Einstein was persuaded by Hubble himself that his original theory of relativity was true and that the static state universe was false. So that’s when Einstein converted to become a theist, one who believes in God (1929). Being Jewish, rabbis living near him came to congratulate him on his new-found faith, but he interrupted them and said, “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I’m not saying I believe in your God. And I certainly don’t believe in the Christian God. I believe in a Supreme Intelligence that created everything, but in no way believe in the Judeo-Christian God, because that is a personal God.” They responded, “Well, if He is intelligent and all-powerful and created people, that certainly means a personal God and a personal being is superior to an impersonal being. And that would mean that your Supreme Being is not supreme and therefore not God.” Einstein retorted, “No, not so. For a personal God would not allow the kind of suffering we see in this world. It makes no sense whatsoever.”

Einstein wasn’t the first or last to be derailed from faith in a personal God by human suffering. I came to know Christ at a prep school in Chattanooga, Tennessee (The McCallie School). The founders of the school required everyone in the school to take a course in the Bible to graduate. It was through reading the Bible and conviction of my own sinfulness that I saw my need for a Savior and trusted Christ. One day, years after leaving the school, I was reading an article about one of its graduates that had gone on to become famous. I knew he used to be the head of the Christian Student Union at this little school and had intended on becoming a missionary. In his autobiography (Call Me Ted)[2] he claimed to have become a born-again Christian three times while at McCallie. However, watching his sister die a painful death while he was in college as well as the suicide of his father had shattered his faith, if he ever had it. And in an interview for a magazine article, Ted Turner said, “I was taught that God was a God of power and love. But a God of power and love would not allow the suffering I’ve seen in this world. It makes no sense.”

So more than one great thinker has stumbled over the problem of human suffering in this world. It just doesn’t seem to make sense. But for the unbeliever this suffering doesn’t disillusion him. He can’t be disillusioned because he didn’t have any faith to begin with. But many Jews and Christians have been knocked off the rails of Judaism or Christianity by the suffering either they have personally encountered, or they have witnessed in this world. So, let’s take a closer look at this paradox, the paradox of a loving, omnipotent God and human suffering. As we do, we shall see that human suffering is actually one of God’s paths to salvation, but not the kind of salvation we are usually have in mind.

The first book of the New Testament introduces us to different ways of understanding the biblical concept of salvation. Matthew does use the word “save” for forgiveness of sins in Matthew 1:21, but it goes on to use the word “save” in a number of other ways. Quite often it is about rescuing from physical death or healing from a physical disease. It is used of physical healing twice in Matthew 9:22 where a woman with an issue of blood for twelve years is healed (saved). But in Matthew 16:24-27 he talks about saving your life; being a life saver. The salvation comes through self-sacrifice. We don’t get the picture here of a free gift. We don’t get the picture here of grace, an undeserved favor. But we do get the picture of discipleship.

Jesus picked up His cross that I might receive the free gift of eternal life, and I pick up my cross that I might enjoy what we call the abundant life. Jesus picked up His cross that I might have heaven tomorrow, but I pick up my cross in order to enjoy a little of heaven on earth today, to whatever degree that is possible. For the ultimate end of this type of salvation is rewards given when Christ returns, as Matthew 16:27 makes clear: “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father and his angels and will reward each according to his works.” The first word in the verse (“for”) ties v. 27 with what precedes. It is explaining what it means to save one’s life. The salvation viewed in Matthew 16:24-27 is the salvation of our time on earth for His glory and His kingdom. The extent of that salvation will be revealed to believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3, 2 Corinthians 5, Romans 14).

The issue here is the salvation of our psychē, a noun used four ways in the New Testament. In this context it refers to our time on earth in our physical bodies or what we call our “life.” This is your life. What are you going to do with your life? Jesus says this life (our time on earth in our physical bodies) can be saved or lost. It is lost through selfishness and saved through selflessness for the Savior.

Now Peter was so impressed with this teaching of our Lord in Matthew 16 that it haunted him the rest of his life. In a sense Peter’s greatest triumph (his confession of Christ) and his greatest rebuke (“Get behind me, Satan”) came on the same day in the same setting. We usually remember what we learn through embarrassing failures longer than other lessons. So, Peter never forgot the lesson of Matthew 16:24-27. He not only never forgot it, he wrote a letter about it–1 Peter. 1 Peter is an expansion on the lesson he learned at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:24-27). And right after Matthew 16 comes, guess what, Matthew 17 (Mount of Transfiguration). Peter’s second letter is about what he learned on the Mount of Transfiguration. But back to 1 Peter.

Let’s go straight to 1 Peter 1:9. Here he says that the goal of our faith is the “salvation of our souls.” But that word for “souls” is psychē, the same word we had in Matthew 16:25-26 (4x) where it meant “life” (your time on earth). It is the same subject matter as Matthew 16:24-27. In 1 Peter we have a message to people that are already “born-again” (1:3, 23), but after being born again (heaven is locked up), the issue for them is how much of their time on earth will be saved for eternity, will count for eternity. That is the goal of their faith after they have been born again. And Peter tells them in the body of this letter three general ways they can save their lives for eternity: 1) Through Personal Sanctification–their Character (1:13-2:10); 2) Through Personal Submission–their Conduct (2:11-3:12); and 3) Through Personal Suffering–their Courage (3:13-4:19). So, through their character, and/or their conduct, and/or their courage in this life after becoming believers they can make their lives count for eternity (save their lives).

If the “end of your faith” in 1 Peter 1:9 were a reference to getting into heaven when we die, then we only get into heaven through enduring the grief of various trials in our lives (1:6-8). That’s what we call suffering. And most evangelicals would have to admit that if we only get in heaven because we have believed in Jesus and haven’t endured personal suffering through our trials without faltering, then that is salvation by faith plus works. But if the issue here is not getting into heaven when they died (since we believe that is it is a guarantee to all who are born-again—1:3, 23), then the “end of their faith” must be something other than entrance to heaven.

Of course, this is where Augustine got off track. He saw the people born again in 1:3, but unless they endured faithfully through the trials and grief from these trials after being born again, they could not receive the end of their faith, the salvation of their souls, which for Augustine met entrance to heaven. Therefore, he concluded that born-again people could be lost in the end, that is, not elect. This is why he taught that justification is a life-long process of infusing the character Christ into the life of the regenerated believer, but we would not find out if the regenerated believer had been sufficiently justified (made like Christ) until end of his life. The goal of his faith was to get into heaven, the salvation of his soul, according to Augustine and those who followed him.

But what if “salvation of the soul” is being used just as it was in Matthew 16? Then “the end of your faith” for the self-denying follower of Jesus was explained in Matthew 16:27. It was to receive the rewards accorded by Jesus to the faithful believer when he returns. It is our proposal this is exactly what Peter’s teaching, a lesson learned from our Lord himself. And this is what we call “life-saving” or “saving the saved.”

Let’s go back to the introduction to 1 Peter, his introduction to “life-saving.” It says these were Jewish believers of the diaspora. These are the Jews who were living in the land, trusting Christ as Savior, and then through the persecution of believers that began with Stephen were scattered abroad around the Mediterranean world. They were cut off from their former business connections, foreigners in a new territory, probably persecuted by the Gentiles for being Jewish and persecuted by the Jews for becoming Christians. They were hurting financially, socially, and politically. They were suffering, and it didn’t make sense. If Jesus was the Messiah, why didn’t He do something about their suffering? If He is God, if He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all loving, how could He allow this kind of suffering to come to His own chosen children? This is their problem. It’s a problem for the ages. How can a loving, omnipotent God and undeserved suffering coexist? Peter has an answer. It’s not the only answer. But it is more definitive and encouraging than most of the literature written on the subject that was supposed to encourage us. In this passage (1 Peter 1:6-9) we have: 1) The Requirement of Suffering, v.6; 2) The Reason for Suffering, vv. 7-8; and 3) The Rewards for Suffering, v. 9.

I. REQUIREMENT OF SUFFERING — v.6

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials . .

Peter says his readers’ suffering may be for just “a little while.” He is comparing this life to eternity. He isn’t comparing two years to seventy years. He is comparing seventy years to eternity—a little while. Our existence has three stages or phases. In the first stage we are in complete darkness—about nine months. We can’t see anything, but God is making eyes; we can’t hear anything, but God is making ears; we can’t smell anything, but God is developing the olfactory nerves. Why does God spend so much time developing physical senses we cannot use? Well, we all know the answer. These senses are being developed for use in the next stage of our existence. The second stage of our existence lasts seventy or eighty years (Psalm 90:10), if we are blessed.

If we become Christians during the second stage of existence, then this world serves as something of a womb. And during this stage God is building spiritual eyes to see Him, spiritual ears to hear His voice, spiritual taste buds to taste that His word is good, spiritual sensitivity to reach out to touch someone. But why? Right now, we get just little glimpses of the spiritual world. We know the answer. He is developing the spiritual senses we will use full-time in the third stage of our existence. Our time in the womb of this world is absolutely essential for the full development of the spiritual senses if we want to maximize the third stage of our existence where there will be no need for our physical senses.

This, then, brings us to an option in the second stage of existence we don’t have in the first. For all practical purposes, a baby does not self-abort. But in the second stage of our existence, we can abort God’s work. We can resist the Spirit. We can quench the Spirit. We can grieve the Spirit. We can harden our hearts.

Peter talks to us not about deserved suffering, but undeserved suffering. And it’s during this undeserved suffering I get most confused. If I’m one of God’s children and He loves his children, what did I do to deserve this? I’m tempted to drop out of the program. And I’m tempted to be disillusioned with God himself. It doesn’t make sense that the children He loves should go through this kind of intense suffering.

Peter goes on to say, “. . . if need be.” There’re four different ways in the Greek language to propose the condition “if.” One of these four means “if and it’s really true” (at least for the sake of argument). Some even translate this use as “since.” And you guessed it; that is the precise meaning of “if” in this verse. “If need be, and it really does need to be”—a statement of reality. What is he saying here? Just this: trials are not optional in the Christian life; they are inevitable. Suffering for the Christian is not optional; it’s part of program.

James also writes to the Jewish Christians of the Diaspora. And he opens his book talking about the inevitability of trials and suffering in the Christian life. He doesn’t say, “Count it all joy if you fall into various trials.” He says, “Counted all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2). Entering the Christian life is a lot like going to a military academy, like West Point or Annapolis. Everyone gets a free ride; everyone has a full scholarship. Someone else paid the price for an entrant to go to the university. But to graduate from the university this person will take some required courses and some elective courses. We usually like the elective courses; the required courses—not so much. When I went to Rice University in 1963, everyone got a free ride. William Marsh Rice paid the price for all the students to go free of charge. But once I was in and declared my major as premed, I thought I would just be taking science and math courses that I would enjoy. After all, Rice University used to be Rice Institute of Technology, like MIT or Caltech. But by entering the world of universities the powers that be wanted more well-rounded students. So, I had to take English and history and philosophy and psychology and German–all sorts of things that I didn’t particularly like or enjoy.

God’s University has a lot of courses we will really enjoy. But it also has some required courses if God is going to develop the full potential of His students. Some of those courses involve intense suffering. It’s very important if the One who paid the price for our education is going to be proud of us on graduation day that we not drop out of these required courses. Yes, Peter says suffering is a requirement in this stage of our existence. But he doesn’t leave us without some reasons for a suffering.

II. REASONS FOR SUFFERING — vv. 7-8

. . . 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, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory . . .

Peter speaks of the “genuineness” of our faith. The word used here (dokimos) was also used of putting a work of pottery into the kiln, bringing it out, and inspecting for cracks. If it had cracks, then they would stamp adokimos on that piece of pottery. That meant it was defective. The word was also used of testing a coin by biting it to see if it was genuine. But here the word is not being used to see whether the faith of the believer is real gold or fool’s gold, genuine faith or fake face, enough faith or insufficient faith. The assumption is that it is real gold. But real gold isn’t necessarily pure gold. Real gold can have impurities in it. So, you heat up the gold in order to get the impurities out. This is the story of Job. The quality of our faith can increase as its impurities are removed, and indeed, the strength of our faith can increase as we pass through the trials of suffering.

It’s not that you didn’t genuinely believe when you trusted in Christ. But God uses these times of difficulty to make our faith even better. When Christ comes back, what is He looking for? Will He find faith? Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). We make it our goal to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9, a verse that leads up to the Judgment Seat of Christ in v. 10). We do that by faith. The finer the faith, the greater the glory.

But suffering often doesn’t make sense. I read about one man who was put into solitary confinement in prison. He had been able to hide something in his mouth the guards did not notice. It was simply a marble. He had no books to read, no one to talk to. All he had was his marble. So, every day he would bounce his marble around the room. He liked to hear it carom off the walls. In the darkness he would search around until he found his marble. Then he was happy and would throw it out into the darkness again.

But one day he threw his marble up, but he heard no sound. His marble seemed to have evaporated into thin air. He searched every corner, every crevice, every nook and cranny of his cell, but he couldn’t find his marble. It didn’t make sense to him. And then he became so distraught he pulled his hair out, lost the rest of his marbles, and died.

When they found him dead in his cell, with the lights on, while cleaning up his cell, a guard looked up and saw the lost marble caught in a cobweb. He asked, “I wonder what this marble is doing here?” You see, it all made perfect sense—with the light on. But the prisoner was in darkness. Sometimes our trials plunge us unprepared into the darkness. It could be you’re holding on something like a marble which helps you keep your sanity. But, then, what happens if you lose your marble? Could your faith be shaken? Without faith we may drop out of the Christian life. Ever wonder why there are so few older people in most of our churches?

But perhaps this still isn’t making any sense to you. You see the Requirement for Suffering (v. 6) and the given Reasons for Suffering (vv. 7-8), but you need some motivation. Peter gives it. In 1:9 we read about the Reward for Suffering.

III. REWARD FOR SUFFERING — v.9

. . . receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

One key to unlocking this verse is the word translated “receiving.” The Greek word behind it has also spawned an English word that will help us. From komizō we get the word “commission.” Without exception the word means a reward for something earned.[3] Of course, we are not excluding grace from the picture. One of the great misunderstandings in Protestantism is to think that grace and works are mutually exclusive. Grace and works done through the energy of the flesh are mutually exclusive. But we were created for good works (Ephesians 2:10). It is grace and work done through the power of the Spirit that are not mutually exclusive. It is God who works in us to give us both the desire and the power to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). So, it is with grace and rewards.

At the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will receive back for the works we have done. Our works are judged. But those done with the wrong motive through the wrong power source are burned up (1 Corinthians 13:3). Those done with the right motive and through the power of the Holy Spirit come through the judgment as gold, silver, and precious stones. But, however we shake it out, this word “receiving” is a reference to our commission given for the work we have done.

The next word we need to take a look at is the word “end.” It comes from the Greek word we use for telephone, teleprompter, and telegram. It is the word telos, and it usually means “the goal, the result, the end.” It is very important that we understand what the goal of our faith is. Ever since the days of Augustine (died AD 430) the church has taught that the goal of our faith is to get into heaven when we die. Of course, we all want that. But may I submit to you that this is not the ultimate goal. It is a biblical starting block. But Peter isn’t talking about the starting blocks here. He is talking about the goal line. How silly to put the emphasis on the starting blocks.

It would be like watching the Olympics on TV. You want to watch the 400m race. You’re sitting in Texas, and the race is being run in Athens or Beijing. Everyone is loose, every runner is ready. They lineup; they get in their starting blocks. The gun goes off, and the race has begun. But the cameraman keeps a camera on the starting blocks. He never does aim his camera at the race. You want to see who wins the race, who breaks the tape, who reaches the goal line first. But alas, the crazy cameraman has the emphasis on the wrong place. His entire focus is on the starting blocks. He forgot about the race.

Western Christianity has done the same thing for the most part. We have turned the starting blocks into the goal line. That’s why there’s so little discipleship going on in most churches. “Getting saved” for most people means getting to go to heaven when they die. Don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing wrong with the starting blocks. If you don’t get into the starting blocks, you don’t get into the race. But the biblical emphasis, even in the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20), is on the race, not the starting blocks. And where is the focus of the people running the race? On the starting blocks? I don’t think so. It’s on the goal line.

The goal of the Christian life, the goal of our faith, is the salvation of our psychē. Unfortunately, the way that word is translated has fed into the idea that getting to heaven is the goal of Christianity. However, when we realize Peter is using the word the same way Jesus used it in Matthew 16:24-27, it all starts to make sense. This word psychē means “our time on earth”—our life. We find out how much of our life has been saved to bring glory to our Savior for all eternity at the Judgment Seat of Christ.[4] The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.[5]

CONCLUSION

When I was growing up my mother used to take us kids to musicals like South Pacific, West Side Story, Oklahoma, Brigadoon, and others. One of them was about a storyteller in Holland named Hans Christian Andersen. One of his stories was called “The Ugly Duckling.” Perhaps you remember it. One of the little ducks is bigger than his brothers and sisters, rather awkward, and certainly ugly. The other ducks were always poking fun. In the movie version Danny Kaye played Hans, and he turned the story into a song:

There once was an ugly duckling,

With feathers all shabby and brown,

And all the other birds, in so many words,

Said, “Scat, get out of town. Scat, get out,

Scat, get out, scat, get out of town.

Well, of course over the wintertime the ugly duckling turns out to be a swan, most beautiful bird on the pond.

When I was a youth pastor, we had an ugly duckling in our group. He had cystic fibrosis, a bad case of acne, weighed barely ninety pounds, walked with a limp, and sometimes had a bit of drool—something of an embarrassment to the other kids. After church on the first Sunday of the month we went to Love Field, a local airport in Dallas, Texas, to share our faith. Craig, our ugly duckling, never missed. We were never obnoxious or pushy. If we saw someone sitting alone waiting for their plane, we would ask them if they were willing to take a religious survey. Most of them were happy to have someone to talk to as they passed the time. At the end of the survey, if they indicated that they would like to have a more personal relationship with God, we would offer to show them how to do that. If they invited us to share, we did so.

We had Sunday evening church in those days, and the pastor always let the kids come up front to share what God had done that afternoon at Love Field. Anyone could come up. Most were pretty shy about sharing in front of a large crowd, but not Craig. He would limp down the center aisle and, in his gravelly voice, tell the crowd what the Holy Spirit had done. It was very humbling to listen to him.

After four years as his Youth Pastor, I graduated and moved out of Dallas to help start a new church. But Craig and I kept in touch. He would call now and then to tell me what was going on in his life. One night he called and said, “Dave, I can’t get a date. I know no one is going to marry me, but I just want someone to talk to.” I didn’t know what to tell him and can’t remember what I said. I’m sure it was inadequate. A few months later, when I hadn’t heard from Craig for a while, I called his mother. She said Craig had died.

Yes, Craig died an ugly duckling. But there is no doubt in my mind that when I see him in heaven he will be a swan, one of the most beautiful birds on the heavenly pond.

[1] Most of this information about the universe comes from Hugh Ross’s book The Creator and the Cosmos (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1993), chapters 3 and 6.

[2] Ted Turner, Call Me Ted (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2008).

[3] See Moulton and Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1930), 354.

[4] This concept of the saving of the life-soul in terms of living a life that is to be rewarded at the Bema seat (Judgement Seat; 2 Corinthians 5:9, Romans 14:10) has a long history. See Robert Govett, Reward According to Works (Miami Springs, FL: Schoettle Publishing Co.,1989), 11 and Kingdom Studies (Miami Springs, Florida, 1989), 6. Also see Watchmen Nee, Salvation of the Soul (1932), G.H. Lang, First Born Sons: Rights and Risks (Schoettle Publishing Co., 1997), Eric Sauer, The King of the Earth (Great Britain: The Paternoster Press, 1962), 186, Randolph Yaeger, The Renaissance New Testament: Matthew (Firebird Press, 1998), Zane Hodges, The Hungry Inherit (Chicago, IL: The Moody Press,1972), 66, The Gospel Under Siege: Faith and Works in Tension (Dallas, TX: Rendencion Viva, 1981), Grace in Eclipse (Dallas, TX: Rendencion Viva, 1985), 33, and First Peter: The Salvation of the Soul (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2017).