◆Four Recommendations II 1 Pet. 1:13-25

Continuing from the previous issue, we read 1 Peter 1:13-25. Four exhortations are given. Last time, we heard the first two, “Wait earnestly” and “Be holy. Today, we will focus on the remaining two exhortations: “You should live in fear of him,” or “live in awe,” as the Bible Society Interlinear puts it, and “love one another deeply with a pure heart. First, verse 17 speaks of God’s judgment. It says that God is the one who judges fairly according to the deeds of each person. The word “judge” has a negative connotation. It is a word used to describe judging sin or judging others. It is thought of in this way, as if a person is judged for his/her weakness or failure in faith. However, the word translated “judge” means “to judge. Then, first of all, the person’s sins will be judged, that is, whether or not he or she has believed in the gospel that Jesus Christ bore all his or her sins and went to the cross, while his or her righteousness is imputed to him or her, so that God forgives him or her. If the person has believed the gospel, then the judgment is already over. The sins are forgiven, and the judgment is made. If he did not believe in the gospel of Jesus, the sin is still with him. Therefore, he must be judged. It will happen that he will be forever separated from God’s grace, guidance, and peace, that is, from God Himself. The horror of this may be hard to imagine, but nothing could be more terrible. It is a fact. Now, what about those who have believed in Jesus? There will still be judgment and judgement. But this is a judgment of what reward will be given. What God sees most is not how much this person has sinned or has not sinned, but how much he or she has repented. God says that we are all sinners. Certainly, if we compare people with other people, some are honorable and virtuous, while others are the opposite. But that is like comparing a person who is 150 cm tall with a person who is 200 cm tall, saying, My head is closer to the moon than yours. That is why Jesus said, “As you have heard, men of old said, ‘Do not kill. For it is commanded, ‘He who kills will be judged. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be judged. Whoever is angry with his brother will receive judgment. Certainly there is a great distance between being angry and actually killing someone, but still on the same rail. One is certainly much further away, but they are on the same rail. This is God’s view. This is how God sees sin. Therefore, this awe is not fear, but reverence, as you can see from the words. This is how I am forgiven for my sins. I sin every day, but when I confess it before God, when I repent, God is truly pleased. That is awe. That is awe. The fourth exhortation was to “love one another deeply with a pure heart. This does not mean that we should always be at peace superficially, or that we should keep peace at the cost of compromise. 1 Corinthians 11:19, as read in the Bible Society’s Joint Translation, reads, “It may be necessary to have some division among you to make it clear who is qualified.” The New Common Translation translates, “Fellowship strife may also be inevitable.” Of course, we are not saying that quarreling and fighting are necessary. But we are saying that sometimes it is necessary to fight in order for the truth to be revealed. And while loving each other. How deep loving each other consists begins with distinguishing between being and doing with each other. Being is presence. Doing is an action, and the idea or philosophy that produces it. Japanese people are said to be vague about this distinction. Certainly, when we are warned about something, we may strongly feel that our personality has been attacked or denied. I have lived in the U.S. for a short time, and when I think back to that time, I think I hear more Japanese people say that they were hurt by that person. One reason is that when we caution or criticize others for their actions, we sometimes attack their personalities rather than their actions themselves. For one thing, when we criticize or warn others about their actions, we attack their personalities rather than their actions themselves. Another reason is that the person receiving the attention may take it as an attack on his or her character when it is not about his or her character but about his or her deeds. They think I am being attacked when I am not talking about “you,” but about your thoughts, your actions. They will then try to create a superficial sense of peace by being all sides to avoid getting hurt, by not expressing their own opinions, or by dismissing all opinions by saying, “Well, that’s one way to look at it. However, when we do this, quite often we tell others or speak ill of them. We come to terms with ourselves in such a strange way. We are loved by God. We are loved by God, and He continues to love us no matter what. Therefore, it is important to communicate the truth, or what we think, to each other on the foundation of that love. Once there was a problem in the church. Advice was given, but it was not heeded, and the church expelled the member from the church in the midst of suffering. But a year later, this person truly repented, and I was able to see the fruit of his repentance. At that time, the person who proposed expulsion proposed reinstatement. He was restored. I remember everyone hugging each one of us when we came to the church. This strengthened the love of the church through this suffering. If we had chosen not to see it or make it an issue, true love and true friendship would not have been realized. Proverbs 18:24. This reads, in a colloquial translation, “There are pretended friends in the world who seem to be friends, but there are friends who are more dependable than brothers.” Who is a pretended friend? They do not give advice for fear of reaction. They keep a superficial peace anyway. It is a friend who pretends to be. Who is a friend more dependable than a brother? It is the one who tells the truth with love and modesty. It is a person who firmly conveys the Word and will of God. I am sure you are thinking that this is not an easy thing to do. It really is not easy. However, we can love each other deeply with a pure heart in the true sense of the word only through the Holy Spirit’s presence with us. We will have to pray often, ask for the Holy Spirit’s help, and give advice when we should. And if it is the right advice by the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to accept it. We want to be a church with true love.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)