Bless You...

In our class in Peter I felt like I missed an important point the other week, it was in chapter 3:8-9. To sum up, let all be harmonious. sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit: not returning evil for evil. or insult for insult but giving a blessing... "

I want you to focus on the phrase "giving a blessing^," (NAS).

The first thing that might come to your mind when you see that phrase is some religious clergyman saying some special words over a layman. Or a priest in a Catholic church laying hands on someone to bless. That is how our society thinks anyway. Religion is an institution and in this institution are special holy administrators who have some authority or power to bless the lesser important people.

But in the New Testament and especially in Peter, he classifies all Christians as God's priests (see I Peter 2:4, 9). One way Christians are to live their priestly lives is to be holy in all their behavior. separate from sin, just as priests in the Old Testament were to avoid things that defiled them, made them unholy (Leviticus 10). Christians are to be in the world, but not of the world. We once lived in lusts of our flesh Peter says, but now that is over, now we are to live lives according to God's will (1 Peter 4:2-6).

But a priest's job was not what he was to avoid, it was in what he was to do. In the New Testament. Peter picks up on the idea that we are a priestly nation and tells us we have responsibility to give a blessing to those around us.

I think of three ways that we are to give a blessing as priests of God:

One is to pray for people. The whole world is in need of someone to speak to God on behalf of them. Paul said, "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving thanks be made for all men" (1 Tim. 2: 1). He also indicated we should pray for those lost in sin that the gospel reach them (1 Tim. 2:6). How much time do I spend in prayer on behalf of others`? Do we recognize the significance of our role? It is so easy to just think about me, what I need, what I want. But what about others, especially people who are lost and who have no right to come before the throne of God.

Secondly, we are to share our physical blessings with others. "Do not steal, but labor with your hands that you might have something to share with others" (Ephesians 4:28). Tabitha blessed others with what she could do (Acts 9). The early church blessed one another by sharing its possessions with those among them in need (Acts 4:32). And disciples were called to do good even to those who hate you (Luke 6:27). to those from whom you expect to receive nothing in return (Luke 6:35). Peter spends much time talking about the Christians doing good deeds (1 Peter 2:13). We just don't put it into the context of the work of a priest, bestowing blessing. But that is exactly what Peter is pointing at in chapter 3:8-9.

Three, we are to share the spiritual blessings of the gospel with others. In the Old Testament the Levitical priests were the teachers of Israel. But the nation itself is called a priestly nation (Ex. 19:6). They were to be a light to the world to share God's blessings with all men. Peter says we are a royal priesthood, that we might proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light ( I Pt. 2:9). Do you know how many people do not share our blessings? We cannot keep them to ourselves. We were called for this very purpose – to declare the Christ to the nations.

We well know Peter's expression of our inheritance in chapter 1:5 (incorruptible, undefiled, will not fade away). But he adds in chapter 3:9, that inheriting that blessing is contingent on us being a blessing to others. Let us be diligent to be a blessing that we might receive the blessing.

Mike