A Theology From Peter?

WED., SEPT. 30, 1998, 11:18 AM
OFFICE, PULLIAM

Your Wednesday morning group has just finished the reading and discussion of two short letters from the Disciple Peter, the Rock on which We built Our Church. Peter originally was a fisherman, and he didn’t ever become a recognized theologian. He just was a disciple of action, not of inspiring words. It is important to discern the relevance of what he wrote to this day and this culture from that which may have been more vital to those early Christians.

Peter was convinced that this earth realm would last only a bit longer. “The end of the world is coming!” Obviously, nearly 2,000 years later this hasn’t happened. He preached and wrote that there would be fiery destruction of the whole “universe”, with life, presumably, reverting to pure spirit. He could have been wrong in what he got from Me… or I could have “changed My mind.” For you this is a question that need not be answered.

He was also convinced that only a few would be judged righteous enough to be close to Us for eternity. Therefore it was important to live a sinless life in a very humble fashion. This seems to recommend only one way of being as an ideal. Are you surprised that I still prefer diversity, even in this “judgment”. What does this mean?

Well, I do want a few humble, sinless folk in My “favorite realm”, which can be called heaven. But it would be boring to have only these. There would be some variety in that I would have called… chosen… elected some of these, but others would have developed this life-style “on their own”.

What is sin? Well, it certainly is wider in scope than “sexual indiscretions”. Some living circumstances encourage sinlessness. Most do not. In general, life in the earth is full of temptations to sin… sin broadly defined. This hasn’t happened “when I was away on a trip”. I am, finally, responsible for the way the earth… and the folk in it, in every generation… is/are.

What about repentance? I like this, so some in My heaven have been sinners, but have genuinely repented… of all their sins. But then there are those who repent of some sins, but not so easily of others. I like some of these folk, too, particularly those who, along with their sins, live lives of real service to others. (Some don’t realize they’re doing this, which makes some “encounters” with Me, at the time of bodily death, quite full of fun.)

Peter did voice the Calvinist/Puritan credo: work hard to show that you have been chosen/elected. So some of those close to Me have been hard workers in their earth lives. In the academic milieu you had a career with a lot of “hard work”… not of the physical sort. And now I am urging you to aspire to be at least a semi-monk, exchanging productive work for disciplined contemplation… with My Teachings to you (will We go over 3,000?) being a major focus. Does everyone in My favorite realm contemplate. No, but a few do.

And, finally, My death on the cross, as Jesus, was a propitiation for the sins of… whoever truly and fully accepts Me as the Christ (the ultimate Welfare). So I love some who aren’t very complete and sincere in their repentance from sins, but accept My Act, which was the ultimate in forgiveness.

So, how’s that for a diversity of souls with whom to interact? There are countless realms, each with a somewhat different mix of souls. And consider the diversity that comes with Hindus (devout and not-so), Moslems, Buddhists, Native Americans… and souls with more diverse experiences, sometimes in the earth.