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Caution: Do not Reverse!

The first chapter of the New Testament letter of First Peter has a very simple outline. The first twelve verses are all about what God, in his mercy and grace, has done for us. Phrases in this section include words like, “mercy… new birth… living hope… inheritance… heaven… God’s power… rejoice… Jesus… salvation” (verses 1-12). The focus in this section of the letter is entirely on what God has done for us.

The second section focuses on our response to God. It contains phrases like, “Prepare your minds for action… obedient children… be holy… purified… love one another deeply from the heart” (verses 13-25).

It is absolutely essential to get those two sections in the proper order. First, God has given you the gift of salvation, forgiveness and hope through the death of his son Jesus. Then, in response to God’s love, you live a different life.

We make a huge mistake when we turn this teaching around and do not honor the order in which it is presented. Too many times, I have heard people say, “When I get my life sorted out, then I will come to church”. That is futile! You will never get your life together enough on your own to deserve the blessing of God! We live by Christian standards not to make God love us, but in response to the fact that he already does. That order is all important.

It is sort of like hooking up booster cables on your car. Connecting “positive to positive” is absolutely essential if you want the process to work. Turning those cables around will give you a very different result.

The wrong order says, “Be good enough to earn God’s love”. The Biblical order says, “In response to what God has already done for us, we trying to live in a way that honours him”.

Keeping that order straight is essential to hearing the real message of God’s word.

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