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Q2. Why is Jesus' sinlessness important to understanding your salvation? In what way do you think Jesus suffered when your sins were poured into His soul? How could a sinless Man stand this kind of corruption? God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5), meaning that God is absolutely holy, absolutely righteous, and absolutely pure. Therefore, no person tainted with sin can interpose them between us and God - only One who is without sin can approach our Heavenly Father. Jesus was that One; only He, because He was sinless (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 5:21; 1 John 3:5) could approach God on our behalf. My salvation is dependent on the sinlessness of Jesus, since it only through His blood that my sins can be forgiven - all God's forgiveness is based on the blood of His Son that was shed at Calvary (1 John 1:7). Jesus suffered when my sins were unjustly poured into His soul. I know how I feel when I’ve been unjustly accused of something I did not do. I feel hurt and immediately think of retaliating. Yet my Lord and Saviour had to suffer the humiliation and pain of bearing my sins and the sins of the world. The only way Jesus could stand this was because of His obedience to His Father and because of His love for us all.

Q1. (2:21) According to 2:21, in what sense did Jesus suffer for you personally? Jesus’ suffering is very meaningful and personal to me, since He was without sin, and yet He died and suffered for my sins – my past, present, and future sins. At the same time, He died while I was still a sinner. He did this all to set me free from the stranglehold of sin, and to allow me to come to the Father. He died so that I may enter the Kingdom of Heaven, escape everlasting Damnation, and spend eternity with Him. To achieve all this, He who was pure and Holy, lived among sinners experiencing their abuse, hatred and unbelief. He was humiliated – wearing the crown of thorns (not the Crown of Glory), and the scarlet robe of contempt and mockery (not the robe of splendour). Subjected to scorn and pain. To be nailed to the Cross! It was a death reserved for slaves and criminals. This was a place of scorn, but it was also a place of pain. No death could be more full of agony than that of crucifixion. All of this for my sins! While living on earth, He was fully aware of the extreme suffering He would ultimately endure. On top of all this, His suffering would reach a climax when all the wrath of God against the sin of the world bore down upon Him. Surely, there is no greater love than this!

Q4. (2:21-23) How does Christ's example speak to your situation? How is your behavior going to be different because of what you see in Jesus' character in this passage? The kind of behaviour to which we have been called is not an option to a believer; it is expected of us by our Lord. Yet we do not need to live that kind of lifestyle without help or without an adequate example, since Jesus Christ is the source for both our help and our example. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to help us truly follow Jesus’ example. Jesus has told us that if we let our light shine so that our good works are seen, our Father in heaven will be glorified. Following Jesus’ example radically changes my actions. As an example, I must not retaliate when done an injustice or spoken harshly to. As a sinner saved by grace, there is so much work to be done as I react in love and follow the example of my Lord. To disobey even a harsh master is to sin, but to obey with bitterness or anger is also sin. Love is the only motive which is acceptable to God for any and all of our behavior (1Cor 13:1-3). Indeed, we should follow the steps of Christ who did everything with the motive of love. What a difference that makes in our attitude and conduct.

Q3. (2:18-20) How does being an employee "conscious of God" affect the way we act and react to injustice in the workplace? Can a conscientious Christian be a complainer? Why or why not? How do you usually react to prolonged, unfair treatment at your work? We are to stand bravely for Jesus and to reflect His love, no matter what. We as believers must be above any injustices at work and we are to be obedient and respectful to all. When we suffer unjustly, for doing good, we win God's approval. He is pleased when He finds us so conscious of our relation to Him that we endure undeserved pain without trying to fight back. However, it is only suffering patiently for well-doing that counts. It is so unnatural, and definitely not how the world would normally respond. This results in people being taken aback and noticing our Christian behaviour – resulting in glorifying our Lord. This does not mean we are never to complain if we come across any misconduct or wrongdoing. I think here we must take a moral stand and not overlook such occurrences. Fortunately, I have had my own business and I can honestly say I have tried to be honest and fair to all my employees and clients. However, I must have unknowingly slipped up some times, and I ask forgiveness if I have hurt anyone.

Q2. (2:18) If we are to submit to our employers and respect them, what is that saying about God's expectation that we do a good job? In what sense do we dishonour God when we don't give our full effort to our jobs? Being a Christian makes demands on us. We can only live a lifestyle of obedience by following our Lord Jesus Christ, and as we serve Christ we also serve others. We have to obey God’s commands and show love for our fellow workers and employers. In the workplace others must see us as living testimonies for God. However, normally we are in the minority and we will be placed under the spotlight, and people will be quick to criticize us. Not doing our best can bring dishonour to our Lord since it is being dishonest to our employer. We read in Genesis 1:31 when God looked upon His creation and saw everything was good. When we look upon our work, are we proud of what we have done? Can we honestly tell ourselves that this is the best I can do? Remember God was satisfied with His work, and we should have that same attitude. We are to do our best at work, and only this will all bring glory to our Heavenly Father. When we work for others, we should not do more merely to please them but rather we should work as unto the Lord Himself. In other words, we should not merely "get by" with what is expected of us by kind and gentle employers. To submit to employers who are good and gentle is not difficult, but we are also to submit to masters who are harsh. The most menial and commonplace tasks in life are ennobled and dignified when they are done for the glory of God. We endure grief and suffer because our deepest commitment is to Jesus Christ, and the ultimate purpose of our work is to please Him - to do all to His glory (1Cor 10:31). Excellence for God usually brings the approval and admiration of God from employers. I pray, dear Heavenly Father, thank you that I can be proud of my work. Help me to excel in my work to serve others and to honour You Lord.

Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious? It is by living a submissive and obedient life, that our light shines before others; letting them see our good works and so bring glory to our Father in heaven (Mat 5:16). The impact of our lives on others will not be lost when they see our good deeds, it may even result in turning unbelief to belief as they witness the obedience of His people. We have this paradox of Christian life; we are free yet we are slaves. This freedom cannot be used as an excuse for sin. If this happens we lose our freedom and once again we become entangled with the slavery of sin. Authentic freedom is ours only when we walk in the Spirit and Jesus Christ is reigning as the Lord of our lives, and it is to be used to glorify God. This we do when we serve Him faithfully. Since we are His slaves, our actions take place in the light of His presence, and we then must try to obey Him in all things. Of course, everything we do should be for the glory of the Lord and the good of His kingdom! It is when we start disobeying God that we dishonour Him and hurt Him. It is as if we have forgotten or have taken for granted the enormous cost of Jesus dying on the Cross for our sins – this must grieve our Lord tremendously. It’s like a slap in God’s face – we forget that God sent His only begotten Son into the world to suffer, be put to shame, and die for us to be saved from the consequences of our sins. We should also remember that when we wilfully disobey God and His laws, we become separated and alienated from Him. We no longer have fellowship with Him and because of this separation we no longer radiate His glory.

Q5. (2:12) How can the good deeds we commit by living openly as Christians increase God's praise? How does our "blending in" detract from God's praise? Our good deeds should encourage others to follow our example, and will result in an increase of God’s praise through our actions of love. He calls unbelievers to Himself. The Lord desires that we live holy and honourable lives, so that this conduct, as seen by unbelievers, should result in us glorifying God. As Jesus said (Matt 5:16), we should let our light so shine that as our good works are seen, they will glorify our Father in heaven. Here the emphasis is on the Christian character that Jesus expects of us in our relationship to God, and to our fellow men, as described in the beatitudes (Matt 5:3-12). Our lifestyle should be distinctly Christian. We are to be living testimonies of His love and mercy towards sinners. Later Peter gives us specific examples of the kind of lifestyle that we should be living. Our “blending in” will detract from God’s praise. Jesus has emphasized that His true followers, the citizens of God’s kingdom, were to be entirely different from others. We are not to follow the example of the people around us, but from Him, and so prove to be genuine children of our Heavenly Father. We are not to be like them (Matt 6:8). Our Christian value-system, and ethical standards are to be totally at variance with those of the world. Our conduct and deeds will be evaluated constantly by unbelievers who want to see if we are indeed living the Christian life. If not, we are labelled as hypocrites, and this will turn people away from our Lord. However, we will be criticised, whatever we do, and the only way we can disprove this is by doing good deeds. Ultimately our Lord will be glorified. Remember, that one of the most hurtful comments, we as Christians, can hear are the words “but you are no different from anybody else.”

Q4. (2:11) Read 1 Peter 2:11 carefully. The world tells us (1) to conform and (2) that sin won't hurt us. What does Peter tell us to combat these lies? How can this reminder help us? Just as Christian values and beliefs are rejected by the world, so are we to live apart from the immorality and sinful desires that surround us today in this fallen world. Peter is warning us about these sinful desires. Desires in itself are not wrong, but Peter warns us that evil desires can give rise to sin, and this ultimately gives rise to death (James 1:15). He writes that these sinful desires will wage war against our soul with the sole purpose of destroying it. Later on in 1 Pet 4:3 he goes on to mention these sinful desires as “living in debauchery, ****, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry”. They constantly wage war against our spiritual well-being, they deter spiritual growth, and finally will destroy the fellowship we have with our Heavenly Father. Fully aware of the danger these desires hold we must stay away from them; they only give us temporary satisfaction but damage our soul. This should serve as a reminder for us to stay close to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit help us fight this evil. Our good deeds will help to keep us focused on our Lord.

Q3. (2:9) What actions and attitudes should this idea of being part of God's own people inspire in us? Being God’s people should inspire us to tell everyone about His grace and mercies. It’s true, that the more we know the Lord Jesus, the more we can and want to proclaim Him. The world tends to read the Christian far more than they read the Bible, so it’s up to us to be model Christians reflecting the glory of our Lord Jesus. So we have a duty to let everyone know about our Lord Jesus, and what He has done in our life. As royal priests, we go out into the world to witness. This we do by our actions and by telling all about what Jesus has done in our life, Our attitude should be one of gratitude and by our actions all should see us living out the Christian life based on our being a special people belonging to God. At the same time there has to be great emphasis on us being salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We should not be mixing in with everyone else, but rather we should have a positive effect on society. Just as Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), so we should be reflecting His light, by making a difference.

Q2. (2:5) If your praise is primarily for God's benefit, not your own, how should you be offering praise? Our primary goal is to glorify our Heavenly Father. This has to be done through Jesus, as He is the only One who can make our offerings acceptable to God. We cannot have acceptance by God on the basis of who or what we are, it is only through Jesus Christ that God accepts our praises. The spiritual sacrifices we offer are our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1), a spiritual worship that is holy and pleasing to God. Our sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15), were we openly acknowledge His name. Our sacrifice of good works (Heb 13:16), we do good deeds on His behalf. Our sacrifice of possessions (Heb 13:16), were we use our material resources to share with others. Our sacrifice of service (Rom 15:16), were we proclaim the gospel. It is not a burden but a joy and privilege to praise our Heavenly Father.

Q1. (2.5) Christians often look at their relation to God as consumers, delighting in what God does for them. What is the mind-set of a priest towards God? What actions does this mind-set inspire in you? As believers, we are all priests and have instant access to the Throne of God – 24/7. This is a great privilege which we often abuse by selfishly making demands on our Lord for our material wellbeing. Rather, our attitude towards God should be one of humble obedience and gratitude, our main aim being to glorify Him. Our mind-set should be one of servanthood, and we do this by offering ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice to God, through Jesus our Mediator. This has to be done through Jesus, as He is the only One who can make our offerings acceptable to God. This is because everything we do is still flawed by sin, and our sacrifices have to go via Jesus who removes our sin making it perfectly acceptable to God. However, there is no need to offer sacrifices to remove sin and guilt as Jesus was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people (Heb 9:28). We offer ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice to God when we intercede for others, pray for the lost, and act on behalf of Jesus Christ to those who do not know Him. All this, and more, should not be a burden but a joy and privilege. Once I fully comprehend that Jesus has died for me, that He gave up His life for me while I was still a sinner, then the least I can do is live for Him, and no sacrifice is too great. At the same time my involvement in these actions inspire me to do even more for our Heavenly Father. Instead of relying on Him to serve me, it is up to me to acknowledge Him and serve Him!

Q4. (1:18-19) Have you ever felt you were of no worth or of no value? What does 1 Peter 1:18-19 say about your worth? What does it say about God's love for you? What does it indicate about the long-term value of your balance sheet and financial assets? What are your true long-term investments? Why? Yes, I think that perhaps we all feel this at some stage or other. For me it is, thankfully, usually only a fleeting thought. As soon as I realize the high cost of my salvation, the death of Jesus on the Cross for my sins, that I get an idea of the love God shows for me. It makes me think again about my worth. The value of the ransom paid by the precious blood of Jesus cannot be put in monetary terms – to die for all of us, for our sins of the past, present, and future must be the greatest purchase in history. All who have put their trust in His Son are free forever from the power and penalty of sin. What’s more, His resurrection is our assurance that every promise God has made can be trusted. For God to have done this shows His love for us. We know from 1 John 4:8 that ‘God is love”. There are various ways in which God loves us, but I think the divine love shown by saving sinners is the Gospel of Christ, the Good News (John 3:16). Our balance sheets and financial assets have no long-term value. There is no security in material things as all treasure here on earth can be destroyed or stolen. The only investments not subject to loss are treasures in heaven where they will last for eternity (Matt 6:19-20). There is also the danger that where our treasure is, there will our heart also be. Whereas if our treasures are in heaven, our interests will also be there – we will be more focused on heavenly things. Our true long-term investment is the promises our Lord made to us in salvation. It is an inheritance which includes all that the believer will enjoy in heaven for eternity. The inheritance is incorruptible and unspoiled and unfading and reserved for each one of us. In Rev 21:4 we can get a glimpse of our inheritance: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." We will be spending eternity with our Heavenly Father, everything will be made new, there will be no night there, because the eternal light of the Lamb will fill the new heaven and new earth and shine upon all the heirs of God.

Q3. (1:17) Why are people in our culture so upset when they sense they are being judged by someone else? How do you reconcile final judgment with God's love for the world? Why must final judgment be at the core of the Good News of Jesus Christ? What happens to the Gospel when final judgment is left out or ignored? They see our judgment as hypocritical, saying we often find fault when we ourselves are at fault. Often there is hardly any difference between our behaviour and theirs, and they are justified to ask us, who are we to judge. God created the universe and it is His world and He is justified in passing judgment on all the evil deeds ever committed. Remembering that He is a God of righteousness and that He hates sin. Since He is also a God of love, we know His judgment will be completely impartial, and we will all be treated fairly and equally. So, He will only judge justly with no favouritism. Our Heavenly Father has committed all the work of judgment to the Son (John 5:22). The reason God has given this authority to our Lord Jesus is that all should honour the Son as they honour the Father. Today many people claim to worship God, but deny that Jesus Christ is God. They say that He was a good man or more godlike than any other man who ever lived, but refuse to give Him the same honour which they give to God the Father. If a person does not honour the Son, then he does not honour the Father. We are to live in reverent fear before God because of the high cost of our salvation – Jesus spilt His precious blood on our behalf. Knowing we are to be judged will motivate us to obey God’s commands and not take lightly that which was purchased at so great a cost. If the final judgment is left out or ignored, people will not take the Gospel seriously. Unbelievers will think we, as Christians, have been making up these warnings about the terrible judgment to come. They will think the same about God being sovereign and that He intervenes in history, will punish the wicked, and destroy the earth. They say it’s all a lot of nonsense and they have nothing to fear! Perhaps this is why the world is in such a mess today.

Q2. (1:15-16) In your own words, how would you define "holiness"? In what sense are you (by definition) holy now? In what sense must you be obedient in order to become holy? What is your biggest struggle with holiness? Holiness means separation from sin and devoted to righteousness. God is absolute in holiness, and is, therefore, our pattern of holiness. Although we are to imitate Him, it is only upon our physical death that our soul and spirit are freed from sin and with our resurrection bodies we will come before Christ faultless and spotless. But, before that we have been set apart from the world to belong to Him and to obey Him – we are to be “holy” or “different” in outlook and behaviour. I read once that one of the most hurtful comments we, as Christians, can have are the words “but you are no different from anybody else.” In my case, holiness means being set apart by God for His purposes. This happened when I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Saviour, and since then He has set me apart and I belong to Him, body, soul and spirit. My sins have been forgiven, I’m obedient to His Word, I’m in a right relationship with God, I belong to Him - I’m by definition holy. However, there is still much work to be done before meeting my Saviour. Being a sinner saved by grace, I need the Holy Spirit’s help in the daily struggle to become more and more like Jesus. This is achieved by obeying all Jesus’ commands, not loving this world, living a righteous life and loving others. At the same time being holy in my thoughts, words, and deeds. We must live our lives in obedience to His Word if we are to become holy. Being Christ’s ambassadors, our lives must be holy, otherwise, we are misrepresenting Him. If we are the body of Christ, then our hands are His hands, our eyes are His eyes, and our feet are His feet. It by being obedient that we allow Jesus to speak, love, and serve through us. As we submit to the Holy Spirit we are taught to make holiness a way of life, and as we mature spiritually the more others should be able to recognize the Saviour in us. My biggest struggle is being judgmental of others. With all the evil going on in my country it is most difficult not to pass judgment on all the perpetrators of the corruption and evil happening on a daily basis here, but I’m praying and asking my Heavenly Father to change me and to forgive me.

Q1. (1:13) What about Christ's coming should get our undivided attention? Why should it inspire hope? Why should it inspire self-control and soberness? What happens in our lives when we don't really expect Christ to come soon? Our undivided attention should be on being prepared for Christ’s Second Coming. Peter says we are to prepare our minds for action, in other words we are to take the initiative in preparing our minds for a life of holiness. Our minds must be holy if our behaviour is to be holy. For this to happen, we must be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2), and not conformed to this world. We are also told to think on the things which are true and noble, just and pure, lovely and admirable (Php 4:8). This should inspire hope because of our faith in Him - remembering that we a have a living hope. Since our victory is assured, we should be living a life that is ready to meet our Saviour. We know His return is imminent and therefore we must be prepared. A part of the preparation for holy living is to live and enjoy the life of hope. This we do when we base our hope on the grace "that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1Pet 1:13). What a promise! There is a day that Jesus Christ shall be revealed in His fullness and power, and He shall reign as King of kings and Lord of lords! We should live every day with that marvellous hope. I read somewhere these words of hope: “Life with Christ is an endless hope, without Him a hopeless end." It should inspire self-control and soberness since our minds need to be under the control of the Holy Spirit and not under intoxication of any kind, for us to be prepared. We need to be truly self-controlled, and this can only occur when we are God-controlled. If we don’t really expect Christ to come soon, complacency can set in. Instead, our life should be motivated to live for Him. It would be wrong to think that we have a lot of time to live a worldly life, and that we can change our lifestyle later. We must be disciplined, alert, and focused on the coming of our Lord. Be ready!

Q5. (1:8-9) According to 1 Peter 1:8-9, what is the basis of Christian joy that is "inexpressible and glorious"? How does this joy interplay with human emotions? Is it essentially emotional? How does it differ from what is generally regarded as the pursuit of "happiness"? Extra Credit: How can you tell the genuine article of joy from the counterfeit? The basis of Christian joy is faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Through our love and trust in Him we experience joy in our Christian lives, accepting His gift of grace. Once we fully comprehend the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins, that is, our past, present, and future sins, we would be filled with the inexpressible and glorious joy which Peter describes here. When we truly abide in Him, we will know the fullness of His joy, since we often express our joy by loving God and by obeying His commands. As Jesus said, “if you love me you will keep my commands” (John 14:15). We read in Ecclesiastes how Solomon tried everything to find happiness and satisfaction apart from God. In his pursuit of happiness, he found that material things, knowledge, ****, and many other things, could not fill the vacuum in his soul, or the aching emptiness of his heart, or even give him peace of heart. Despite having been one of the wisest and richest persons of his day he could only conclude that there is nothing under the sun that can satisfy the deeper needs of the soul - everything is emptiness and a striving after the wind, if it is lived apart from God. From experience we know that when everything is going well, we are happy, whereas joy, is not a response to our circumstances. For even during hardship, suffering, trials, and even persecutions we can have great joy. Authentic joy is always dependent upon having a relationship with Jesus Christ – we have to have Christ in us – we must know Him, love Him, trust Him, and imitate Him. So we receive this gift when we put all our trust in God. However, God must empower us and this joy coexists with our faith. If we separate ourselves from the person of Christ, we lose the source of our joy - we must be “plugged in” to Jesus. If we cut off fellowship with Him; we cut off our source of joy. It cannot be contrived or fabricated, it is a gift we receive from God, being the work of the Holy Spirit in us. No way can these Christ like qualities be imitated.

Q4. (1:6-7) Can you remember any instances in which God used difficult circumstances to refine and purify your faith? What did God accomplish in your life? How, exactly, does genuine, tested faith bring glory to Jesus? This happened many times when I was younger, and in business. However, I did not at that time, have a personal relationship with our Lord. I knew of Him and that was all. I would battle on my own; not knowing help was nearby – all I had to do was hand over to Jesus. Little did I know that He was refining me, and preparing me to grow in faith and drawing me closer to Him. When these difficult times come it is easy to become disheartened, and it is only on reflecting back to these trials, did I see that He was always there for me, and that I came out of these a better person and much closer to the Lord - He taught me endurance. Our Heavenly Father also used these hardships as a refining fire to purify His children – bringing me to greater spiritual maturity. Once I realized that God brings benefit from our adversities, did I begin to face challenging times with the confidence that He always has my best interest in mind. I could then rejoice in the fact that He is building my endurance, purifying my heart, and teaching me to trust Him and acknowledge Him in all things. I now know He has a plan for each believer, and hardship is one of the necessary tools that prepare us to do His will. In the process, we will find that our faith has been strengthened. I can only thank Jesus for these and for seeing me through them. Our suffering in this life is only temporary, being an inconvenience, that God in His grace, allows us to endure for our ultimate benefit. But we should not be focusing upon our suffering, trials, and temptations. Instead we should realize that our perseverance, and our tested and refined faith makes us more like our Lord Jesus. This strength and genuineness of our faith will bring praise, honour, and glory to Christ when He comes again to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Q3. (1:5) According to 1 Peter 1:5, what is God's part in securing your salvation? What is your part? God’s part in securing my salvation, starts with His decision to choose me to be saved before the foundation of the world. Next I heard the gospel call, where He revealed the truth of His Word to me. I will always remember this day in 1982, when I responded to accept Jesus as my Saviour. I was regenerated by the Holy Spirit and given membership in God’s family. Since then I have been helped with growth in my Christian walk and to remain faithful to Himself throughout my life. What God has accomplished by pardoning my sins, giving me a new nature, and adopting me into His family - no one can undo. Since as a believer in Christ I’m eternally secure, knowing that God secures my salvation by shielding me by His power. My salvation needs nothing to be added since it is finished, perfect, and unchangeable, being kept for me by God Himself. My inheritance will be revealed at the last day, but it is ready for me now. My part was responding to the gospel call in faith and repentance, and at the same time, in obedience to His Word, growing spiritually by becoming daily more and more like Jesus Christ. I also have to continue keeping my faith, since it is through faith that I’m shielded and guarded. On my own, I could never earn my way into God’s family, nor could I pay my sin debt, but our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ willingly paid this penalty on my behalf, satisfying divine justice and the demands of the Law (Rom. 3:25-26). I know that my salvation is permanent and my faith will see to it that I live in obedience to my Lord. At the same time, by understanding the basis of my salvation - Jesus’ finished work on the cross – takes away all fears and fills me with hope.

Q2. (1:2) Why do forgiveness (sprinkling) and obedience come together as a package? Why is it deceptive to think you can have one without the other? Extra credit: If true faith requires obedience, how can we say that we are saved by grace rather than works? (Ephesians 2:8-10) For our sins to be forgiven there has to be the sprinkling of Jesus’ blood, since only His blood can wash away our sins. For this to happen we must sincerely repent of our sins and place our trust in Christ for our salvation. Once saved, the Holy Spirit causes us to obey by setting us apart unto obedience. It is now impossible to truly believe in Jesus and yet not obey His commands. So we cannot have forgiveness without obedience. Once we have been saved and have a personal relationship with our Saviour Jesus Christ, we will want to be obedient to His commands. If we are not obedient we should question our salvation. This does not include our occasional mishaps as we become more and more like Jesus. God choose us to be saved, not on account of any merit in us, but only because of His grace and mercy - it is all about grace and mercy. We do not receive the punishment we deserve – death (Rom 6:23a). In Eph 2:4-5 we read: “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5). Also, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23b) – and this, as sinners, is what we do not deserve, but receive as a free gift! Grace is receiving the salvation we do NOT deserve. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Our salvation is not by works, that is, it cannot be earned by any worthy deed we might do. So we see that we are only saved by our true faith in Christ and the Lord’s grace, and that our obedience does not earn us any merit with God, however, if our faith is genuine, it will produce obedience. Our Heavenly Father is so rich in mercy - He does not treat us the way we deserve to be treated!

Q1. (1:1) How would you describe the behavior of a Christian who identifies more with his present homeland than his heavenly one? Have you ever caught yourself doing this? What has to happen to get our spiritual priorities straight? Unfortunately, many so called Christians are preoccupied with gratifying their physical desires, seeking to accumulate as many possessions as possible, and even having an obsession with their own importance. Having fallen into a self-centred lifestyle, they prefer that the Lord conforms to their way of living and that He grants them their desires. Their focus is more on worldly goods and thoughts, to the detriment of their relationship with the Lord. Yes, in the past, I often found myself doing this. But then I was not fully committed to serve the Lord and could not have called myself a true Christian. It was only when I heard the Gospel Call that I started to put all my trust in the Lord Jesus and things changed. The Holy Spirit has made me realize that my citizenship is in Heaven, and that this world is not my home and that I’m merely a pilgrim passing through, and eventually I will have a new home, a home of righteousness (2 Pet 3:13). As Jesus Himself indicated (John 15:19) we are in the world but not of the world. To get our spiritual priorities straight, the first thing that has to happen is our realization that we must follow our Lord Jesus Christ in obedience and that we are here to serve Him. This is the only option for authentic Christian living. Central to the Christian way of life, should be servanthood, since we are called to be obedient servants. However, we cannot do this by our own strength, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. When we begin to live by the Spirit we will develop the attitudes that make up the Christian personality - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). In the beatitudes (Matt 5:3-12) Jesus mentions eight principal marks of Christian character and conduct. We are to be meek and merciful, poor in spirit and pure in heart, mourning and hungry, peacemakers and persecuted. These are Christ’s own specifications of what every Christian ought to be. Christian behaviour should be for the glory of our Heavenly Father. If we remember what Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). So obedience is not difficult, it is not a law, it is not a demand - it is love.

Q4. (Psalm 27:8) What does it mean "to seek His face"? What is necessary in us to have a desire for that? How did talking to God "face to face" change Moses? How will it change us? What does it cost us to actively seek Him? Is it worth it? How does seeking His face relate to our theme of the Glorious Kingdom? To seek His face is to seek His presence – to spend intimate time with our Heavenly Father. It is necessary to have a hunger for God – to seek Him. This hunger is a divine instinct God gives to the elect. We are not initially aware of this but later as a saved sinner we come to realise that it was our Lord who sought us! While spending time with God, Moses absorbs some of God’s glory; he starts to radiate this derived glory, which lasts while he is in God’s presence, but gradually fades. It will also change us as we receive His glory – our spiritual life will have begun. It will absolutely be worth it! Our whole mind-set will change as He delivers us from all our fears, the fear of the unknown, and the fear of dying with our sins unforgiven. Our whole life will change as the Holy Spirit does His work in us, chipping away all the rough edges. We will want to glorify our Lord by doing good deeds. It will all be worth it when having put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we hear the words “Your sins are forgiven; go in peace!”. Knowing we will be spending eternity in His presence – fellowshipping with Him while serving Him in ruling and reigning in His Glorious Kingdom.

Q3. Based on John's vision of the Bride, the Holy City, in Revelation 21, how would you describe in your own words the glory we will experience? In the New Heaven we will live with God Himself as His people. There will be a new order of things, with no more pain, nor death, nor any crying or mourning. Our Heavenly Father will have made everything new. None of the evil doers or unbelievers will be invited to live here. That is, nothing impure will ever enter – only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be allowed in. This will be a Glorious Kingdom that will last forever, and being lit by the glory of God – incredible brilliance and glory. It is a Kingdom in which we will rule and reign with our Lord Jesus Christ. It will be of such magnificence that our finite minds cannot grasp it or even try to understand or even explain it. We do not have the words to describe it. Hallelujah.

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:12a) What does it mean to "rule and reign" with Christ now, in this life? What do you think it will mean after Christ returns? How does this relate to our theme of the Glorious Kingdom? We will rule and reign with Christ now, in this life, by the authority given to us by Jesus Himself – even the right to use His name. The same applies when Christ returns – we will rule and reign with Jesus then. But this is true only if we truly belong to Him, He has genuinely come to dwell in us, and we persist in our Christian lifestyle setting ourselves against the temptations of this world. The extent of our rule will be determined by our faithfulness during this present life. More important than all the physical beauty of the Glorious Kingdom, more important than the fellowship we will enjoy eternally with all God's people from all nations and all periods in history, more important than our freedom from pain and sorrow and physical suffering, more important than reigning over God's kingdom, and more important by far than any of these will be the fact that we will be in the presence of God and enjoying unhindered fellowship with Him. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4)

Q1. What does Matthew 24:30-31 tell us will happen when Christ returns? How does this relate to Daniel's prophecy of the Son of Man? All nations will see our Lord coming on the clouds of heaven with power and glory. When He descends, He will send His angels throughout the earth to gather together His elect people, from all the earth they will gather to greet their Messiah and to enjoy His glorious reign. This same Jesus Christ is the “Son of Man” mentioned in Daniel’s prophecy.

Q4. (Matthew 6:10) In what sense are we to rule and reign in Christ's Kingdom administration now, in this life? What would your world be like if a majority of believers took this seriously? What do you think ruling and reigning with Christ will consist of after He returns? During our reign we will defeat all the forces of evil. We will do this by resorting to prayer, the Word of God, and the power of a spirit-filled life. The weapons we will use in this spiritual warfare, will not be worldly, but will have divine power to destroy evil strongholds (2 Cor 10:4). The world will be administered by God, through believers, and not by Satan. We will be living with eternity’s values in view, and not by focusing on an uncertain future of this earth as it is now. Since we will be first seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all our future needs will be provided for by our Heavenly Father (Matt 6:33), and we will never lack any of the necessities of life. We have messed up big-time here on earth. So the first thing that will be done is to undo and fix all that is evil and broken – everything will be made new. Then, things will be done here on earth as they are done in heaven. Thank you Lord!