Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 4 Study # 3
June 7, 2009
Lincolnton, N.C.
1769 Translation:
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
1901 ASV Translation:
19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ:
20 who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of times for your sake,
21 who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.
- I. Peter's "Motivation" Principle.
- A. Redemption is cast by Peter into the mode of being the thing "known" that creates the motivation to "live in fear" while in this world.
- B. There must, therefore, be a significant "link" between "redemption" and "motivation" [See notes for May 31, 2009].
- C. The characteristics of the "redemption" principle.
- 1. It considers "silver" and "gold" as contemptible things. This is the automatic result of being "corruptible". Corruptible ultimately means "crawling with maggots". There are few, indeed, whose stomachs are not turned by that vision, but they seldom, if ever, see "silver" or "gold" in that light.
- 2. It considers the life that is fixed upon "saving" oneself from sacrifice a "vain" thing.
- 3. It rests upon "precious blood", that "of Christ" as of a lamb without blemish or spot.
- a. The imagery here is unmistakeable: the Old Testament focus upon the sacrifices of lambs.
- b. The sacrifice of lambs is first mentioned in Genesis 22:7, but the terminology is not specific to a "lamb" (it can refer to the young of either sheep or goats -- Exodus 12:5).
- c. There is a bit of an issue involved in the fact that this word is only used four times in the New Testament A more often used word is found on in John 21:15 and in the Revelation. One would think that "lambs" would show up more often when Jesus is introduced as such by John in John 1:29, 36. It may be that the "lamb", as the figure, faded pretty fast once the reality was come.
- d. The question is this: what is the "point" of the "lamb"? What impact did the "lamb" have upon the psyche of man when it was made the sacrifice of choice? In Acts 8:32 there are two issues that both relate backwards to one. The "one" is "dumbness" (not speaking); the "two" are "slaughter" and "shearing". These are related, in the culture, to "food" and "raiment" -- the two matters of focus that Jesus taught were not to be matters of heavy focus (1 Timothy 6:8) because they are matters of need that the "Father" knows we have and automatically addresses (Matthew 6:8 and 31-32 compared with Deuteronomy 10:18). That Jesus did not utter any words (of complaint) when He was humiliated, judged without justice, and put to death is the main point, but the greater point is that He came precisely to provide the food/raiment issues across the board of man's existence (body, soul, spirit). In other words, what food (nourishment) and raiment (protection) are to the body, Jesus came to provide for the body, the soul, and the spirit of man. It is interesting that we live in a creation wherein exist the dichotomies (pain/pleasure; danger/security; and humiliation/exaltation) on all levels and Jesus is the resolution of them all as "the Lamb of God" that sheds "precious blood" in "redemption" so that we can have no need. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). There is a huge distinction between "need" and "lusts for more and more and more".