I think Peter must understand how hard-hearted we can be, how dull our ears can be, how we don't always hear what God says the first time He says it. If you're a parent, you know that you know how many times you repeat the same things to your children. Sometimes with a little bit of irritation, you say, "How many times am I going to have to tell you that same thing?" Well, God's very patient and very kind and, through Peter, repeats themes here, and you see Peter going after the same thing in a different way, giving us a different way of understanding it and hearing it anew.
I want to talk about living like you're born again. And I would ask you this question if you would get out your iPhone or iPad and you would type into it, basically, your best portrait of what a life of a believer should look like, what would you put there? Let me read this helpful and convicting passage.
Having purified your souls by...obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.
And I'll stop there. Again, I like how Peter has this ability to combine things for us in a way that is clarifying. Remember, he combined Father and Judge in a way that clarifies the kind of fear that a believer should have? Well, he puts three things together in this passage that are very helpful. Here they are, obedience to the truth, sincere brotherly love, and the living and abiding Word of God. We must hold obedience and love and the Word together. That's the Christian life.
The Christian life is not just about obedience. It's about obedience that produces a life of love. And it's not just about a life of love. It's a life of love that's just defined by the clear teaching of the Word of God. What names itself as love isn't always love. What names itself as obedience isn't always loving. And so, I find it both helpful and convicting that Peter puts obedience, love, and God's Word all together; you have to hold those together.
If you're obedient to the truth, you will live a life of love. Let me say that again, if you are obedient to the truth, you will live a life of love.
I think of Paul saying, "The goal of our instruction is a love out of a sincere heart." If you love God's Word, you will live an obedient life. If you're committed to love, you'll want that defined by God's Word. This is the Christian life.
Truly loving people are obedient. Truly loving people love God's Word. Truly obedient people love to love. Truly obedient people love God's Word. People of the Word love to be obedient. People of the Word become people of love. Love, obedience, Word; love, obedience, Word; love, obedience, Word; love, obedience, Word; love obedience Word-that is the Christian life.
You can't love your way; God defines love. You can't say you're following God, but you're a graceless, unloving person. You can't say you're obedient if you don't love. You can't say you love God's Word if it doesn't produce a heart to obey and the heart of love. Love, obedience, the Word held together-that's the Christian life!
