Peter - First and Second

Nº 406

We are God’s own; to him, therefore, let us live and die. We are God’s own; therefore let His wisdom and will dominate all our actions. We are God’s own; therefore let every part of our existence be directed towards Him as our only legitimate goal. - John Calvin

Three decades of Peter’s life are missing. The Gospels put him front and center, and his epistles, written thirty years later, provide another wonderful picture. However, we have only a few glimpses of him after the early chapters of Acts.

The Peter we meet in the Gospels is strong, proud, brash, and impulsive. He walked on water and proclaimed Christ’s deity, yet he earned Jesus’ strong rebuke – “get behind me Satan” – and denied he ever knew Christ.

The Peter we see in the epistles remained strong, but thirty years later he had become humble, gracious, and controlled. That gives me hope. Maybe God can smooth my rough edges too.

How does this happen? Peter gives us some clues. Rid yourselves of all malice, and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up. (1 Peter 2:1-2)

Life-long transformation requires the daily grind of identifying and removing sinful practices while putting into our lives the truth of God’s Word. Peter goes on to explain the importance of prayer - coming to God and fellowship - connecting with other believers (1 Peter 2:4-5).

Take heart. Peter grew, so can we.

Excelsior,

Dan Bolin