In this lesson the reader will find random comments on various topics.
For Whom Should I Vote?
(A comparison of policies)
Issue A B
Border Open to unvetted millions Control with fence & patrols
Education Socialists indoctrinate students Parents approve teachers
Finances Taxes spent to enrich elites Tariffs applied to support jobs
Elections No voter ID & no audits Voter ID, verifiable results
Pandemics Use as excuse to dictate behavior Preserve right of medical choice
Abortion Allow killing of viable fetuses Limit killing; prevent pregnancy
Crime Limited protection & punishment Prevent, arrest, confine, reform
Energy Depend on unreliable sources Use oil/gas but test alternatives
Race Foment division and turmoil Unity based on common values
Climate Hype problem; expand regulations Practical ways to limit pollution
Economy Print money; eliminate ownership Expand middle; ban oligarchy
Politics Marxist/Fascist dictatorship Caring capitalism & democracy
Family Parents serve governments Parental authority until age 18
Business Regulated by government Privately owned; minimal regs
Constitution No longer valued or heeded Esteemed as wise & adaptable
Military Employed by politicians Preserve peace; PTSD for enemy
Ethics Whatever human wizards decide Based mainly on New Testament
Media Subverted by globalist elites Fair investigative journalism
Truth Cancel, cover up, flip, persecute Scientific, public, common sense
Labor Low wages; profits for stocks Pay & benefits; profit-sharing
Healthcare Government controlled, welfare Workfare, competitive pricing
How We Got Here: A Summary
After declaring independence from England in 1776, winning it in the Revolutionary War and defending it in the War of 1812, slavery caused the Civil War in 1860 and then struggles for equality and the right for all citizens to vote threatened our unity. In the 1900s, dictators attacked freedom, provoking World War I in 1914, WWII in 1940 and the Korean War in 1950. Then the high cost and eventual loss of both the Vietnam War in 1973 and the War on Islamic Terrorists from 9-11-91 until 2019 divided and damaged our country. Today (2022) our nation that began as a republic established by the U.S. Constitution appears to be in danger of becoming an authoritarian socialist state.
While the history of wars against threats to our liberty is fairly well known, what is only recently becoming apparent is the threat our disunity will end in socialism, which now governs most of the world and almost every aspect of our society–education, entertainment, news, social media, banking and monopolistic businesses–corrupting politicians and elections. The main cause of this corruption is that following WWII America allowed subversive educators to infiltrate universities, including Herbert Marcuse and Marxist Saul Alinsky, whose book Rules for Radicals was dedicated to Satan and whose rules included deception and violence (the end justifies the means). The teachings of such radical professors has influenced many college students (including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama) to favor socialist policies. (See The War for America’s Soul by Gorka, p. 59-65.) Many Americans are oblivious to the slow disintegration of the Constitutional consensus, because the owners of most news media were similarly educated and sympathetic.
A main financier of the socialist movement has been George Soros, who became a billionaire, established a network called the Open Society Foundation to promote a global government, and since 2003 has been financing numerous socialist groups in the U.S. (See The Shadow Party by Horowitz & Poe, p. 78-95 & 177-82.) Another leader of the globalist cabal or “new world order” is Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum in 1971, which meets annually in Davos, Switzerland. He envisions a technological revolution that transforms the world (including America), converting humans who freely worship God into drones coerced by a fascist-communist state as in China. A prominent American participant in the WEF is Bill Gates. (See The Great Reset by A. Jones, p. 4-7, 28 & 95.)
The globalists began to conspire with communist China (the CCP) in 1978, when the Trilateral Commission befriended Chinese leaders and sought a New International Economic Order. Since then the CCP has pursued a clever strategy that has steadily weakened the U.S. as China gained power, currently on display as its military buildup, the COVID-19 pandemic, aggression against Taiwan and the “One Road One Belt” policy. It aims to surpass the U.S. and dominate Eurasia by the year 2049. (See Reset, p. 40-44 & War, p. 136.) And now, authoritative Biden administration dictates are weakening the U.S. and attempting to banish conservative Constitutionalist opposition. Much of the news media fail to report this truth, so that many people remain ignorant of the dissolution of the American dream of liberty for all (like frogs being boiled alive because the water temperature is raised slowly). Where will we go from here?
A Biblical Hermeneutic (cf. Lesson 2, Part IV.)
1.1PT 3:15 – “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”. How? By sharing our biography and our theology gleaned from biblical teachings.
2.MT 4:4&10 – “Man does not live by means of physical bread alone, but also by means of learning every word that comes from the mouth of God… It is also written”. IOW, we must learn God’s word (GW) and harmonize God’s words or teachings.
3.MT 4:17 & 28:19-20 – “Repent… Make disciples… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Cf. JN 16:12-13, “I have much more to say to you… When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
4.1THS 5:21 – “Test everything; hold onto the good.” Test = evaluate. Everything includes science or natural revelation (RM 1:20). Hold onto = accept or believe. Good = true.
5.1TM 2:3-5 – “God our Savior wants everyone to be saved and to learn the truth. There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” However, God permits people to reject the Gospel truth and believe Satan’s lies.
6.2THS 2:10-11 – “Evil deceives those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” Note that God’s permissive will is implied by the logical harmonization.
7.MK 9:24 – “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” Saving faith is an act of will. The opposite side of the same coin is doubt, which is overcome by learning the correct interpretation of GW. This brings us back to #2. Other important scriptural teachings include:
8.“God is just” (1THS 1:6a) – This means that God’s wrath is an expression of His love, as per HB 12:4-11.
9.God loves His enemies (RM 5:6-8). – God’s enemies include “the ungodly” or atheists.
10.Everyone lives by fallible faith. (2CR 5:7) – Thus, it is logical to have a propensity to believe in the best hope for heaven, which is the NT Gospel of Christ.
11.God’s Spirit is Love & Truth (1JN 4:8 & 5:6) – This means that all love in all people is God’s operation and all truth in all cultures is God’s revelation, although many may not realize it yet.
12.Both the world and inspired words manifest God’s Word or Logos (GN 1:3, JN 1:1-3, RM 1:20) Theologians refer to these as natural and special revelation.
13.Christians have the mind of Christ (1CR 2:10-16) – Our lifelong goal should be remaining filled or attaining the fullness of Christ by LGW (all of EPH, but especially 4:1-15&5:18).
14.Unfortunately, many will reject Christ/GW (MT 23:37, 13:14-15) – Because God’s normative means of conversion is persuasion rather than coercion (MT 12:39, 1CR 1:22). Jesus quotes Isaiah, whose reprimand began with the Jews. However, Paul taught that Christians are spiritual heirs of Abraham (RM 2:25-29, 3:29-30, 4:11-12&16).
HISTORICAL MISTAKES & MULLIGANS
World War II
Mistake #1 – Allowing Japan to attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Mulligan #1 – Maintain vigilance at all times by monitoring movement of Japanese aircraft carriers with our submarines.
Mistake #2 – Causing too many of our soldiers to die in the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944.
Mulligan #2 – After defeating Rommel in Africa in 1942 and Mussolini in Italy in September of 1943, continue attacking Germany from Rome along the Mediterranean coast into France and also along the Danube River from the Black Sea into Hungary. Then invade from England into the Netherlands or Belgium instead of onto the cliff-lined beaches of Normandy.
Korean War
Mistake #1 – Withdrawing our troops from South Korea in 1948, which allowed the communist attack in June of 1950.
Mulligan #1 – Maintain sufficient troop levels, especially along the border, to deter an invasion and insure secure elections (as we did in Germany after winning WWII).
Mistake #2 – Allowing the Chinese to invade Korea in November of 1949 almost to Pusan.
Mulligan #2 – Command General MacArthur to defend Korea by surging overwhelming support along the northern border (which he had reached by November of 1950) and then to bomb invading Chinese troops as soon as they crossed, if they dared to do so (which they did in November of 1951).
Vietnam War
Mistake #1 – Supporting the French in 1945 when it tried to reassert its subjugation of Viet Nam.
Mulligan #1 – Support the Viet Minh’s attempt to liberate the colony, thereby preventing or obviating the need of Ho Chi Minh to seek communist support.
Mistake #2 – After Vietnam was divided by the Geneva Accords in 1954, allowing the South to reject elections and then the North to infiltrate until we joined the war in 1965.
Mulligan #2 – Instead of gradually escalating or increasing our military effort and secretly trying to prevent infiltration from Cambodia and Laos, surge military support along the entire border in 1955, and bomb invaders immediately (cf. The Korean War). Then recall General MacArthur to lead the conquest of the North (preparing to bomb Chinese invaders if necessary– i.e., they did not learn from the Korean War).
War in Afghanistan (2001-21)
Mistake #1 – Failing to prevent the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Mulligan #1 – Prevent the 9-11 attacks by means of FBI and CIA involvement, and punish anyone who contributed to the tragedy because of their incompetence, beginning at the top. (President Bush had been briefed about a credible threat of aircraft hijacking by al-Qaeda.)
Mistake #2 – Failing to win the war in Afghanistan quickly with minimal casualties and cost.
Mulligan #2 – After the Taliban were defeated in November of 2001, continue surging military support especially along the borders to prevent the escape of Bin Laden and infiltration from Pakistan. Insure that the Bonn Agreement in December calls for increasingly locking down the country, holding secure elections by the end of 2003, and implementing something like the Marshall Plan by 2004. Do not depart until Afghanistan is stable for two years, but leave an adequate military presence to monitor the situation and deter terrorist attacks.
War in Iraq (2003-11)
Mistake #1 – Failure to prevent the need for active war in Iraq.
Mulligan #1 – Fire warmongers including Rumsfeld and Cheney. Utilize sanctions to prompt Saddam to allow inspections of suspected WMD locations. Punish his murderous behavior with appropriate consequences, such as no-fly zones or targeting him with precision guided missiles.
Mistake #2 – Failing to win the war in Iraq quickly with minimal casualties and cost.
Mulligan #2 – Using the win in Afghanistan as a model, after the initial invasion continue to surge military support until the country’s border with Iran cannot be infiltrated, weapons (or materiel for making IEDs) cannot be stolen from armories, key infrastructure is protected and insurgency is prevented. Instead of disbanding the Iraqi army, transform it with the help of cooperative officers into a peace-making mission between Sunnis and Shiites. After the capture of Saddam in December of 2003, continue surging support in order to prevent insurgent attacks (such as in Fallujah), insure secure elections (held in the fall of 2005), and implement something like the Marshall Plan by 2006. Maintain the surge (not begun by General Petraeus until 2007), until the country is stable for two years (giving PTSD to enemy elements), then withdraw except for an adequate military presence to monitor the situation and deter terrorist attacks.
The Cold War with Fascism-Communism-Globalism (FCG)
Mistake #1 – Failure to win the hot wars quickly (within 3 years each) in Afghanistan and Iraq with minimal loss of lives and materiel cost over 6,800 service members’ lives and 8 trillion dollars.
Mulligan #1 – Fight to win hot wars within 3 years and maintain stability for another 2 years, thereby saving many lives and trillions of dollars that can be spent on the Cold War.
Mistake #2 – Failure to minimize the risk of subversion of our country by FCG after WWII (thru 1964).
Mulligan #2 – Congress should have investigated whether America was being undermined in at least three ways. First, universities hiring FCG professors who promoted or advocated seditious ideology of FCG people like Marcuse and Alinsky, whose teachings encourage students to favor socialist policies over our Constitution. Second, FCG billionaires and oligarchs including George Soros and Klaus Schwab trying to undermine American values in an effort to create an authoritarian one- government world. Third, the FCG Chinese Communist Party subverting of our society by stealing technology, spying and bribing elected officials in order to achieve hegemony without firing a shot (“boiling the frog slowly”) by the year 2049.
I. Foibles committed by pundits
a. Not quoting exactly or not considering the totality of what someone has said, but instead bloviating about a part out of context,
b. Not valuing substance over style or policy over the way it may be stated,
c. Failing to acknowledge that socialism is a form of immorality, because it has hurt people wherever it has been implemented.
d. Failing to realize that the U.S. has been losing trade wars for years because of tariffs and limits being levied on U.S. imports by other countries.
e. Failing to learn lessons that history teaches, such as: The United States lost the Vietnam War when it entered on the side of the French subjugators, and it lost the Iraq War when it failed to surge from the beginning and lock down the country so there would be minimal losses due to IEDs. (When fighting just wars, the enemy should get PTSD.)
f. Failing to acknowledge that murderers need to be engaged as soon as possible, preferably by armed police, but possibly by citizens carrying concealed hand guns.
g. Saying “Look” when they begin an answer, or saying “No” when they agree with the questioner, or saying “Americans” want this or that instead of saying “most” (or some percentage),
h. Failing to “get into the weeds” and educate viewers, but rather opining/bloviating superficially,
I. Stating that a party “controls Congress”, when current Senate rules require 60 votes to end a filibuster,
j. Referring to Dems as Progressives, when progressive capitalism was a beneficial policy of the Pubs in the early 1900s, and socialist Dems are Regressives.
k. On the issue of abortion: Failing to define death and when sentient life begins. (Electro-encephalography activity begins to exhibit regular brain wave patterns around week 25.)
l. Ignoring the logic of semantics, such as NON-corroborated = INcredible, and INcredible means NOT compelling!
II. Counsel Yourself
1. What is happening? (I am getting… upset, angry, sad, bored, etc.)
2. Why am I feeling this way? (Because of what someone said or did, because of inactivity, because of being tired or hungry, etc.)
3. How can I cope with my feelings or resolve this situation in a good way? (By taking a nap, by exercising, by eating, by talking with a caring person, etc.)
4. How can I take responsibility for my happiness? (By thinking of fun things to do, by listening to pleasant music, by watching clean shows, by going to a church with a nice youth group, by reading an interesting book, by seeking new friendships, etc.).
5. How can I cope with negative thoughts, events and people? (By doing the following:)
a. Accentuate the positive while eliminating the negative (cf. Bing Crosby song).
b. Make a reasonable effort, so you have no reason to be ashamed of not trying, but do not try to be perfect or to work miracles.
c. Live one day at a time, letting painful memories fade while making good memories today and not worrying about what might happen tomorrow (cf. Joe Walsh song).
d. Pray the Serenity Prayer: “Lord grant me the courage to change the things I can, the patience and strength to endure the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to discern the difference.”
e. Work on what seems to be a big forest of problems by cutting down one tree at a time.
f. Count your blessings, compared with poor kids starving around the world, who would love to be in your shoes.
g. Realize that many people (and God) care about you and are willing to help, if you ask them.
h. Listen to music that makes you happy and supports positive thoughts and moral values.
i. Learn from mistakes, preferably those made by others (including parents), so you will not repeat them and thus will have a happier life.
j. When negative events occur, counsel yourself as above.
k. When people mistreat you, consider counseling them by saying, “I know I do not deserve this, so would you like to share what is really bothering you?
l. Adopt as a motto: “Love to learn, and learn to love.”
III. The Meaning of Marriage
Jesus taught about marriage in Matthew 19:4-6, saying “…at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” We see from this statement that marriage is a spiritual union of a man and woman until death. The marital commitment is—or should be—signified by sexual union or becoming “one flesh” (GN 2:24). There is no mention of legal matters such as licenses and traditional customs such as ceremonies, although these may be good to satisfy for the purpose of avoiding being “a stumbling block to the weak” (1CR 8:9), who do not understand the essence of marriage.
The phrase about leaving one’s father and mother indicates that a man (and presumably also a woman) should be ready for marriage by attaining a sufficient degree of independence from their parents, both financial and psychological. And since most methods of birth control are not completely effective, we can assume that they also should be prepared to become parents themselves, even if they hope not to have a child for awhile. Since parenting involves a lot more than procreation, readiness for parenthood implies a sufficient degree of spiritual maturity. Sex/marriage is not a natural right but rather a God-given responsibility.
Of course, readiness for marriage should be combined with willingness or the desire to get married. Although not many people desire life-long celibacy, we must assume that God enables people to remain celibate until they are married, because we know that fornication or extra-marital sexual activity is wrong. In MT 5:27 Jesus said “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery’. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” As Paul says in 1CR 7:9, “If they cannot control themselves [do not have the gift of life-long celibacy], they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion [lust].” God intends for sexual union to express marital love and commitment. Pornography that which encourages, recommends or promotes fornication, lust or extra-marital sexual activity. It is immoral because it subverts happy marriages and family values. Jesus sought to convey the severity of the sin of lust by saying it would be better to lose the offending part of the body (MT 5:29-30). However, many people seem to view masturbation as worse than fornication or even rape. The misery resulting from sexual immorality includes horrible illnesses, but ungodly people prefer to cure the physical disease rather than their spiritual sickness.
Jesus concluded his teaching on marriage in MT 19:6 by saying, “What God has joined together [made one], let man not separate.” Obviously, people are not permanently joined physically, so that which must not be separated refers to their spiritual unity. A man and woman are free to work out their marital relationship in the way that best fits their personalities, but let me point out that Eve was created from Adam’s side to be his partner rather than from his foot to be his slave (GN 2:20-24). Both male and female are created in God’s image (GN 1:27). In Christ, there is no male and female, but both are one (GL 3:28) or equal. And both husband and wife are commanded to submit to one another by Paul (in EPH 5:21).
In the same way that the essence of marriage is spiritual union, so the reality of divorce occurs when the man and wife become spiritually separated. This realization should motivate spouses to work on the quality of their communication before serious problems develop in their relationship, because spiritual divorce is the sin (of divorce). Not only that, but allowing unrighteous anger that leads to spiritual divorce is sinful. Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 4:26-27 to “not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil [demon divorce] a foothold.” [and do not get angry again the next morning!] IOW, a miserable marriage is akin to the sin of divorce, which refers to spiritual reality as much as legality. Jesus taught (in MT 5:31-32a and 19:6-9) that the only permissible reason for legal divorce is marital unfaithfulness or when the sin of spiritual divorce signified by adultery (a form of fornication) has already occurred. This leaves only celibacy or a happy marriage as permissible alternatives.
IV. New Year’s Day: Becoming Improved
Happy New Year! New Year is a holy day, because “newness” is characteristic of the Christian life per the following verses of Scripture:
IS 42:9-10 – See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare… Sing to the Lord a new song. [“new things” refers to the New Covenant foretold by JR] J
JR 31:31 – “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…” [the occasion for singing the “new song” in IS, which is discussed in Hebrews…]
HB 9:15 – For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance… [This new covenant is called a “new order” in 9:10. Paul referred to the “new order” using various terms…]
RM 7:6 – …we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. [The “new way of the Spirit” is the way of love, which is our Supreme Commander’s “intent” (cf. MT 22:37-40).]
GL 6:15 – …what counts is a new creation. [living by the Spirit per 5:16, or the new, improved self…]
EPH 4:23-24 – …be made new in the attitude of your minds; and (to) put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. [Cf. RM 12:2. This verse has a parallel or counterpart in Colossians, so that they interpret each other…]
CL 3:10 – …put on the new self, which is being renewed in the image of its Creator. [the “image” includes the moral qualities of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience… forgiveness…and…love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (3:12-14).
RV 21:5 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… [and] I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God… He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
We can see that the joyful Christian life is characterized by being made new, so it is appropriate that the words “happy” and “new” are put together, because becoming renewed is a big part of what makes life enjoyable. Newness or variety is indeed the spice of life! Why is childhood normally a happy time in life? Because kids are always growing or acquiring new physical abilities and learning or acquiring new mental capacities—and getting new things to play with! Humans seem to need newness to be happy, so newness is part of heaven.
Now let us consider how to become new or improved versions of ourselves. Enjoyment of the process of being renewed morally requires viewing guilt about sins as a good thing, because it lets us know something is wrong. Hopefully, we will never reach the point where we are so callous that we experience no guilt when we do wrong. God’s goal for our renewal is the attainment of Christ-like moral maturity and spiritual unity. Attaining spiritual unity requires the gift of encouraging others to become new without being divisive or having a judgmental spirit.
When truthseekers recognize the reality of God as the Creator of the universe who has a moral requirement, if they decide to worship Him they become like the OT believers, and if they have the opportunity to hear the gospel (1PT 3:19), they may decide to accept Jesus as Lord (JN 8:42, 1JN 1:3-4) at which time God’s Holy Spirit unites them with God as heavenly Father (RM 8:9) and with Christ’s worldwide body or “catholic” church (CL 1:18). This event is called “renewal” in TIT 3:5-6: “He (God) saved us because of his mercy… through renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” After this spiritual baptism (1CR 12:13) begins the lifelong period of being renewed daily as indicated in 2CR 4:16, “16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day; and in RM 12:2, “2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” [Cf. the song “New-Born Again”: 1. I’ve found free grace and dyin’ love; I’m new-born again…
V. God’s Valentine
Every day is God’s Valentine to us, according to scriptures on this topic:
JN 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son”. This verse is related to RM 5:8, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1JN 4:10 says “…God loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” God loved the world so much that He sent Messiah to die on behalf of sinful humanity—His enemies—so that those who repent might be forgiven and saved or resurrected to eternal joy in heaven. Jesus is God’s valentine to us.
Sometimes we may not feel loved by God and feel like crying out as Jesus did on the cross, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” (MT 27:46) However, when we walk by faith in God’s Word, we will take heart from the example of Paul, who said, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation . . . I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (PHP 4:12-13) Relying on God’s grace despite our troubles glorifies Christ (2CR 4:7-11), God’s Holy Spirit comforts those who suffer (MT 5:4, 2CR 1:3-4).
While not desiring to suffer or praying for problems, tribulations(1PT 4:13) only make mature Christians merely joyful rather than overjoyed, because they realize that suffering is only for a season and for good reason. As Paul wrote (in RM 5:3-4), “We (also) rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (of heaven, PHP 1:21, which is worth any grief occasioned by Faith, cf. 1PT 1:6-9, 2CR 4:16-18 & HB 12:2).
Yet, to the extent people manifest the love of God in Christ, this world can be heaven on earth. We are supposed to be God’s valentine to those we know and encounter: children should be raised by godly parents, childhood activities should revolve around whole-some groups. Collegians should fellowship with moral friends as they pray for the right person to become their spouse. Spouses should build a happy marriage and be a good example for children who are a joy to raise. This is God’s plan A. Are we God’s valentine? As we read in 1JN 4:11-13, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” Consider again JN 3:16:
“For God so loVed the world,
that He gAve
His onLy
begottEn
soN
That whosoever
believeth In Him
should Not perish,
but have Everlasting life.”
VI. Comparing Peter and Paul
Let us consider the similarities between Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians and 1 Peter, noting that Peter was familiar with the teachings and writings of Paul (per 2PT 3:15-16 & 1PT 5:12-13, cf. ACTS 15:40 & 2TM 4:11), and Paul refers to his personal interaction with Peter (in GL 1:18). Peter as a fisherman apparently had less formal education than Paul (cf. GL 1:14) and evidently wrote his epistles and died later than Paul. However, he had known Jesus and his teachings before the crucifixion, so Paul probably gleaned much of his teachings from Peter. The stylistic similarities of their epistles may be due to employing the same writers or amanuenses, perhaps Silas and Mark.
Let us begin by comparing the style in the introductions of both epistles (1PT 1:1-3, EPH 1:1-4):
1.Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ / Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
2.To God’s elect… thru the sanctifying work of the Spirit / To the saints
3.Grace and peace be yours / Grace and peace to you
4.Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ / (ditto)
5.who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God / For he chose us in him before the creation of the world (cf. 1PT 1:20, “He [Christ] was chosen before the creation of the world.”) [God chose to save all sinners who would repent and accept Christ, thereby becoming “in” him or “one with” him.]
Continuing our comparison of similarities between Peter and Paul in 1PT 2:1-10 & EPH:
6.Rid yourselves of all malice… and slander / (4:31) Get rid of all… slander, along with every form of malice
7.As you come to him, the living Stone / (2:20) …built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with C.J. himself as the chief cornerstone
8.Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God / (2:12&19) you were separate from X… [but now] you are fellow-citizens with God’s people [A couple of verses in this part of 1PT are interesting to compare with HB, which most likely was written by Paul (1PT 2:2-3 & HB 5:12-14 & 6:4-6 as follows:]
9.Like newborn babes, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation / You need milk, not solid food! …solid food is for the mature… [We see that Peter and Paul had different views about milk.] 10.now that you have tasted that the Lord is good / who have shared in the H.S., who have tasted the goodness of the word of God…
Now back to our comparison of similarities between 1PT (3:1-7, 2:18) & EPH (5:21-6:9):
11.Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect… / Slaves obey your earthly masters with respect… [Peter emphasized enduring suffering under harsh and unjust masters, whereas Paul instructs masters to treat their slaves as God treats people (in 6:9).
12.Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands / Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord…
13.Husbands, in the same way [?] be considerate… respect as the weaker partner… heirs with you / Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church… [Notice that wives are called partners and co-heirs by Peter. Also, in GL 3:28, Paul said there is neither male nor female in Christ.]
14.Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another… / Submit to one another…
At this point the similarity between 1PT and EPH ends, although one can occasionally find something by Peter related to Paul’s teachings in other epistles (as we noted regarding Hebrews). For example, 1PT 2:13 and RM 13:1 both say we should submit to governing authorities, both 1PT 3:9 and RM 12:17 say not to repay evil with evil, and both 1PT 4:9 & RM 12:13 say to practice hospitality.
VII. Who Will Answer?
“If the soul is darkened by a fear it cannot name,
If the mind is baffled when the rules don’t fit the game.
Who will answer…? Hallelujah…!”
This song (sung by Ed Ames) from the Vietnam Era asks a very important question, so let us endeavor to answer the question it asks.
The first verse says: “From the canyons of the mind we wander on and stumble blindly through the often tangled maze of starless nights and sunless days, while asking for some kind of clue, a road to lead us to the truth, but who will answer?”
The apostle Paul encountered people who were confused and searching in Athens. In ACTS 17:23, Paul says that he even found an altar with this inscription: To an unknown God. He told the people, “What you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Notice that this passage (thru v. 31) teaches God created human beings so that they would seek him and find him. As HB 11:6 says, “God rewards those who earnestly seek him.” And Jesus said in MT 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find…”.
Notice also that Paul quotes from Greek poets or philosophers who said “We are his offspring”, and then reasons from that using God-given logic to discover the truth. This teaches us to be eclectic, applying the words of 1THS 5:21, “Test everything; hold on to the good.” This is because God is the Spirit of truth, and all truth is God’s truth, even in cultures that are not Christian. This methodology was made famous by the philosopher, Hegel, who taught that more complete truth may be the synthesis of opposing views rather than either one or the other. So, who will answer or lead us to the truth? God, GW, His Logos and teachers who have His Holy Spirit.
The next verse asks: “Side by side two people stand together vowing hand in hand that love’s embedded in their hearts, but soon an empty feeling starts to overwhelm their hollow lives, and when they seek the hows and whys, who will answer?” Many children are raised by parents who have hollow lives, whose hearts are not filled with the love of God, who do not teach them by word and deed what to believe and how to behave, nor do they participate in a church where their kids will have Christian friends who will not pressure them to experiment with drugs and sex or to listen to ungodly rap music and watch pornographic movies. Then these parents wonder why their children become friends with kids who do these things, become involved in gangs and become enslaved by drugs and worship the idol of fornication. And who will answer them? God, GW, His teaching in EPH 5:18, “Do not get high on drugs, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit and enjoy sexual communion with your spouse in a wonderful life-long relationship. And again in 6:4, “Parents, do not exasperate your children [drive them away from the Lord]; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
The third verse asks: “On a strange and distant hill a young man’s lying very still; his arms will never hold his child because a bullet running wild has struck him down and now we cry dear God, oh why, but who will answer?” It is not just on foreign hills but also in American cities that bullets strike people down, including children. Why? Because of reasons already shared in connection with the first two verses. A movie entitled “American Me” portrays very well the decadence and downward spiral of our society, and where we are headed if we do not repent and turn to God and have spiritual revival or conversions to God by secular, atheistic and pseudo-Christian people.
The fourth verse asks: “High upon a lonely ledge a figurine is near the edge, and jeering crowds collect below to egg him on with ‘Go, man, go!’ But who will ask what led him to his private day of doom, and who will answer?” Jesus foretold in MT 24:10-11 that before the end many people will become atheists, hateful and wicked. People will even hate themselves and become so depressed or misguided that they will commit suicide, because they do not obey the TOJ to love oneself, each other and God in MT 22:37-40. Instead, they turn to drugs, sex, greed and other idols, which do not satisfy the need for God in our hearts.
Verse five says: “In the rooms with darkened shades the scent of sandalwood pervades the colored thoughts and muddled heads reclining in rumpled beds of unmade dreams that can’t come true, when we ask what we should do, who will answer?” Muddled heads is what Paul seeks to prevent when he says in EPH 4:14, “We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth [or muddled] by every wind of teaching…” How is this prevented? Verses 11-12 say by pastors and teachers preparing God’s people for works of service, or in the words of 2TM 3:16-17, “[GW] is able to make you wise… and is useful for teaching… so that [a person who LGW] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Verse six speaks of the threat of nuclear war: “Beneath the spreading mushroom tree, the world revolves in apathy, as overhead a row of specks roars on drowned out by discotheques, and if a secret button’s pressed because one man has been our guest, who will answer?” It was the apathy of Europe in the 1930s that allowed Hitler to gain power until he almost conquered the world. Yet, rather than learn from the mistakes of Hitler, western civilization again was apathetic as Osama bin Laden planned its destruction, and still people are blind to the threat of terrorism. May God open their eyes so they can see that we are God’s answer for the salvation of the world! If we do not liberate people so they are free to become Christians, Armageddon is assured.
The seventh verse asks: “Is our hope in walnut shells worn ‘round the neck with temple bells, or deep within some cloistered walls where hooded figures pray in halls, or in some books on dusty shelves or in our stars or in ourselves. who will answer?” It is amazing to me that people will reject the loving God of the NT and seek the answer in astrology or idolatry or philosophy or mystical cults or superstition. Then they may think they have found the answer and stop asking the question. In so doing they are betraying God’s Messiah; for them it would have been better if they had never been born. (MT 26:24)
“If the soul is darkened by a fear it cannot name,
if the mind is baffled when the rules don’t fit the game,
Who will answer…? Hallelujah…!” God will—and has!