Grace Means…Truth

1 Peter 5:12-14

The early Church had conflicts!

I know you are shocked, but they were human, just like us.

As the Church was starting, one of the first conflicts was over the subject or issue of circumcision. 

Circumcision is essential to the Jews. From the time of Abraham, Judaism emphasized circumcision as the sign of God’s covenant with the people and nation of Israel. 

The birth of the Church came from the Jews. God gave the Old Testament scriptures through the Jews, and Jesus was born a Jew according to the flesh, a descendent of David of the tribe of Judah. The first believers were all Jews. Then in Acts chapter 10, the Holy Spirit opened the door to the Gentiles. From that time until the present, the gospel has been preached to the non-Jewish, Gentile world. 

Preaching to the Gentiles bordered on the unthinkable for the Jews. And, in Judaism, any convert had to be circumcised, obey the law of Moses, and become a Jew in practice. So, going to the non-Jew with the gospel was a huge step.

The Church sent Paul and Barnabas out as the first missionaries to the Gentiles. And in a very un-Jewish way, they preached salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and did not require circumcision or the practice of the traditions of Judaism. Many Gentiles came to faith in Jesus through Paul and Barnabas’s ministry. Their success drew other would-be teachers to their ministry. Among these were certain Jews from Judaea who began teaching that the new believers had to be circumcised according to the traditions of Moses. Paul and Barnabas opposed this vehemently. 

Paul and Barnabas took this issue to the apostles and the elders of the Church in Jerusalem. This was a significant undertaking, requiring many months of travel and work. I point this out to emphasize how crucial this issue was. Acts 15 gives the account of what we call the Jerusalem Council. There the question of Christian circumcision was discussed.  The council decided that the only requirement for salvation was faith in Jesus Christ. They could not and would not add any other requirements to the Gospel.

Having made this decision, the Apostles and Elders sent Paul and Barnabas back to the Gentiles with the message that salvation was through faith in Jesus and nothing else is required, including circumcision. 

Since the conflict started between Jews from Judea and Paul and Barnabas, the council of Jerusalem sent Silas and Timothy with Paul and Barnabas as affirmation and validation of their message. That way, those who disagreed with Paul did not have to just take Paul’s word for it. Silas and Timothy were chosen for this role because they were respected leaders in the Church, and they were also Jews. So, the hope was that the Jews from Judea and the Church among the Gentiles would accept the decision. 

Thus, Silas is introduced to us in the role of confirming the message of Paul and Barnabas.

We next see Silas ministering with Paul and Timothy in Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth. Silas suffered persecution alongside Paul and Timothy, and Paul mentions Silas in his letters to Thessalonica and Corinth.

The question of the true gospel continues to be an issue. I recently read an article that argued that Paul twisted the message of Jesus and taught a different gospel. I have also spoken with Muslims, Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormons, who all teach a different gospel.

When Peter sent his letter to the Church scattered throughout Asia Minor, he did not use the Roman postal service. He had Silas carry the letter. This is why 1 Peter 5:12 says:

1 Peter 5:12 (NKJV)  By Silvanus [Silas], our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. 

“By Silvanus…I have written to you briefly” does not mean that Silas wrote the letter. “By Silvanus” means that Silas carried the letter. Please notice that Peter considers Silas a “faithful brother.” By using the word faithful, Peter says that Silas is trustworthy and that he is “full of faith.” In other words, Silas was a true believer. His status as a true believer is also confirmed by Peter calling him a “brother.”

Peter says he wrote briefly “exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.”

Peter was writing to give his testimony to the truth of the gospel as it was being preached. By including Silas, he tied his teaching to the teaching ministry of the Apostle Paul. In this action, He gives his support and affirmation to what Paul and Silas were teaching. He shows that he and Paul are in agreement. In case there is any question, Peter says, “our faithful brother as I consider him.”

However, Peter’s concern went beyond his agreement with Paul. He wrote a second letter, and in that letter, he speaks of one way the devil devours people. In this, he reveals his overriding concern.

2 Peter 2:1–3 (NKJV) ¹But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ²And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Please look at these verses carefully! “There will be” means “there are” now since we are living in the future Peter was pointing to. Verse 2 says, “And many will follow their destructive ways.” 

This is true. It is a present reality in the world. Throughout the earth, wherever you look, false teaching abounds. This is why the admonishment of 1 Peter 5:8 is so crucial.

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We must be sober and vigilant concerning the teaching we listen to and believe. Look again at 1 Peter 5:12.

1 Peter 5:12 (NKJV)  By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. 

Concerning the true grace of God, Peter exhorts us. “Exhort” can be translated “beg,” Peter begs (exhorts) us three times in 1 Peter.

First, in 1 Peter 2:11, he begs us to abstain from fleshly lusts because they war against our souls. Second, he begs elders to shepherd the flock in 1 Peter 5:1-4. And now, he urges us to continue standing in the true grace he has written about.

Along with his appeal, Peter testifies to the truth. His purpose in writing was to testify to the truth. Peter was an eyewitness to the events of Jesus’ life. He was with Jesus from the beginning of His public meeting, starting with the days following Jesus’ baptism by John. In 2 Peter 1:16, he says this about his experience:

2 Peter 1:16 (NKJV) For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

However, Peter did not trust his eyes alone. He also says:

2 Peter 1:19–21 (NKJV) ¹⁹And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The prophetic word confirmed by what Peter saw with his eyes is the Old Testament.

We have the testimony of eyewitnesses in the New Testament. The Bible was compiled over the years as Moses, Samuel, and the prophets wrote. Then as Jesus fulfilled the prophecies given through Moses and the writers of the Old Testament, the witnesses of those events wrote them down. These things are all a matter of history. They are not fiction because the historical record exists. In the present, we are seeing prophecy being fulfilled in the Middle East. Thus, we know that we are not following cleverly devised fables.

The Bible is the word of God, and it is the authority upon which our faith is built. Because of this, the Bible is the most published and most attacked book on the planet. But it is okay, as God’s word, the Bible will not fall. And, there is an important truth stated in Isaiah:

Isaiah 8:20 (NKJV) To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Look again at 2 Peter 1:19 -21.

2 Peter 1:19–21 (NKJV) ¹⁹And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

We are not free to attach any meaning we want to the words of the Bible. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to work to discern what God is telling us. Many times I have heard it said that a person can make the Bible say anything they want it to. And this is true. And this is exactly why we must read and know the Bible for ourselves. Please remember the admonition of 1 John 2:26-27.

1 John 2:26–27 (NKJV) ²⁶These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. ²⁷But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

Would you please notice that John is speaking about those who try to deceive us? Just like Peter, John knew there are false teachers, and we must know and understand the truth, which is why Peter writes. He says:

1 Peter 5:12 (NKJV)  By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul tells us:

Ephesians 6:13–14 (NKJV) …and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.

It is urgent and essential that we stand firm in the truth. The evil one, the roaring lion of 1 Peter 5:8, is making a three-pronged attack on us. The first is through the deceitfulness of false teaching, the second is through temptation (fleshly lusts that wage war against the soul), and the third is through persecution.

 At the time Peter wrote 1 Peter, Rome was persecuting the Church. Persecution was responsible, in part, for the dispersion that Peter talks about in the opening verses of his letter.  As Peter closes the letter, we see evidence of persecution. He says:

1 Peter 5:13-14 (NKJV) ¹³She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. ¹⁴Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

“She who is in Babylon” is a reference to the Church in Rome. Tradition has it that Peter died in Rome under Nero. It was not safe or wise to alert the government in Rome to a large number of believers living in the city. So, the early Church began to call Rome “Babylon” because Babylon represented the kingdom of Satan and the values of the world.

This is true even in the present. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one and thus is opposed to the true grace of God.

We need the truth to stand in the face of the temptations we experience, the persecution we endure, and the lies we confront. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We meet Him and know Him through the pages of the Bible. The Old Testament told of His coming, and the New Testament speaks of His life. Whether you are a believer or a skeptic, you must read the Bible to know the truth.