Comparing Paul’s Ephesians
With 1 Pet 1
PART II
Comparing Paul’s
Ephesians With 1 Pet 1
PART II
JAN LILLEBY
We had a look at Paul’s Ephesians and Peter’s first epistle in the first article I wrote.
In this Part II we shall just re-visit 1 Pet 1, so we can learn that Peter and his eleven fellow apostles actually based their doctrine of faith upon the Tora, combined with the New Covenant to Israel.
If you read through 1 Pet 1 in my first article, you must have noticed how Peter referred to the Tora. But for you who might have missed out on that Biblical truth, I have marked in Red Text below his Tora quotations.
1 Peter 1, NASB,
“1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made * careful * searches and inquiries,
11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow *.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven -things into which angels long to look.
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you
21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,
25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.”
This commandment in verse 16 – to be Holy is found in the Tora;
more specific it is Leviticus 19:2, NASB,
"Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”
ESV says the same,
“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”
AMP says the same,
“Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”
We notice that these words of commandment were addressed to ‘the people of Israel’ – which is same as ‘to the children of Israel’.
It is a non-negotiable Biblical truth and a fact, that Peter clearly ministered to Israel’s people, the children of Israel, like I mentioned in the first article.
But we cannot find as much as a small clue to Tora doctrine in Paul’s Ephesians. The Law is not quoted at all.
How so?
Paul explained it to his readers in Eph. 2:14-16, NASB,
“14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.” (My emphasize)
Instead of coming with certain quotes of the Law, we find Paul – as opposed to Peter’s epistle – telling of the Law of Moses having been ABOLISHED, as Christ let the Law die on the cross with Him. Christ had it put to death it says!
Only, - Christ kept it a secret throughout Acts timeline, and revealed this only to Paul as he sat in jail in Rome 63-67 CE. It was hidden from the Messianic assembly and all the apostles during Acts. This is also why we find that they all were ‘..zealous for the Law..’ when Paul arrived at Jerusalem in 58 CE meeting with the leaders (Acts 21:20).
Paul’s Grace-Gospel is entirely free of everything affiliated with Jewish customs, traditions and Law. The Gospel to the entire international world is a free salvation, a gift of God by faith in Christ.
PETERS FIRST EPISTLE HAS MORE ON THEIR
LAW BASED DOCTRINE OF FAITH
Another Tora quote from Peter’s hand is found in 1 Pet 2:9-12, NASB,
“9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
My emphasized verse 9 shows to be a direct quote from Ex. 19:5, 6, NASB,
5 'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."
The Hebrews stood on the plain right below Mt. Horeb as the Lord spoke to Moses and to them – even with a strong audible voice, and the mountain trembled and smoke came from its peak. The people was taken with fear and awe at this mighty presence of the Lord (Ex. 19:18-20).
I have to try to hold back a ‘smirk’ or a slight grin; whenever I hear preachers quote 1 Pet 2:9 from the pulpits. They really don’t understand that these words were spoken ONLY to the children of Israel. They are of no validity to the Church, the ‘One new Man’ – we who are believers in Christ. The Church is NOT Israel, and it never was. We cannot have the Law preached in Church: The Law was only for Israel (Rom. 2:14)
Peter quoted these words to his fellow believers in the diaspora outside Israel. They were Jews among the Gentiles, says verse 12: Peter urged them to keep a worthy lifestyle in ‘Holiness’ and showing forth GOOD DEEDS, which here is the same as ‘works’. They were to be ‘Excellent among the Gentiles’ he wrote.
So, the Bible shows us that Peter was not an apostle sent to the Church. For in the Church we find Jews and Gentiles made into ONE BODY by faith in Christ. Peter ministered to his own people, the Jews…and Acts history proves this. We cannot find Peter going abroad; or any of the eleven.
Paul was the only apostle Christ sent out to us Gentiles, Eph. 3:1, NASB,
“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles –“
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