BiblicalInsights.net

The Word of God declares, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor. 3:18).
God made us in His image (Gen. 1:26-27) and this image is marred by our sin.  Christians are redeemed by the blood of Christ and undergo a new birth making them new creatures (Rom. 6:3-4).  This new life in Christ is characterized by imitation of His character and obedience to His teachings.  We behold His glory and bear His image as we become like Him.
Open Face
When Moses spoke with God on Mt. Sinai, He spoke with God without a vail and his countenance was affected by the glory of the LORD and his face did shine.  He spoke with God face to face and his countenance was transformed.  We approach Jesus with an “open face.”  Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the image of Christ.
The Glory of the Lord
Jesus’ glory is the glory of deity enveloped in humanity (Col. 2:9).  The glory of His nature, His character, His wisdom, His power, His sacrifice, and His redemptive work. It is the sum total of all that Jesus is and that He revealed to the world.  In particular, it is His deity, His humility, His obedience to the Father, His love, grace, and mercy, His perfect life and his authoritative teaching. Disciples of Jesus Christ follow His teaching and imitate His character.  This transformation begins at conversion and continues throughout life.
Our Glory
The word beholding indicates much more than a passing glance.  It is a stedfast stare.  A constant gaze.  Our glory is a reflection of His glory.  This is accomplished through His redemptive work and our imitation of Him and obedience to His teachings.  This produces our salvation and sanctification.  Our personal identity is derived not from exertion of self, but by self-denial that is intentional so that Christ can live in us (Gal. 2:20).  God works in us to accomplish His purposes for His pleasure (Phil. 2:13).
From Glory to Glory
The transformation begins from His glory to our glory.  It continues as we advance in progress toward becoming like Him.  It is step by step (incremental).  It is sometimes painful (difficult and challenging).  But, it is always progressive (spiritual growth toward perfection).  The process involves His Word in us and His life modeled by us through our love for Him and our faith in Him.  In this way, His Spirit works in us to produce fruit.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).  Character development is connected to discipleship.
The Christian life is a beautiful life reflecting the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His communicable perfections.  It is a transformed life–transformed by the beauty of the Lord.  As we begin a new year, may each of resolve to be more like Jesus.  This begins by becoming a disciple of Jesus through obedience to the gospel (Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38).  It continues as we deny self and permit the beauty of Jesus to be seen in us.

What is the word, that if we knew its answer, would make us know as much as God?  What is the word that righteous souls who believe in God and in God’s government of the world have spoken as they looked out over the world and saw the reign of injustice and wickedness?  What is the word that believing and afflicted souls have pronounced when God’s hand lay heavy upon them? What is the word that mothers have spoken over the lifeless bodies of their children?  What is the word that Gideon spoke when he saw Israel devastated by the Midianites?  What is the word that Job spoke when he was stripped of his possessions, his wealth, his health and was left desolate?
That word is “why”.  The word why is a symbol of the unknown and unknowable.  It is the cry of the human heart when calamity strikes.  It is associated with why me and why now.  The word is often asked of people who are in despair and who feel powerless in the face of difficult circumstances.  The word was asked by Gideon and also by Job.  Let’s consider each of their circumstances and see if we can discover the answer to this haunting question.

Gideon’s Why?
In Judges 6:11-13, a verbal exchange takes place between an angel of the Lord and Gideon.  “And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Oprah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon thrashed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, whey then is all this befallen us?  and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”  Israel was oppressed by the Midianites.  They raided the crops every year and so none dared to thresh his grain openly.  In a hidden glen under the oak of Oprah, Gideon was secretly threshing out the grain of his father’s farm.  An angel stood by him and said, “The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”  Gideon’s response indicated his keen sense that God had abandoned them and left them in despair.  He felt that God had forsaken His people.  However, on Gideon’s father’s farm, there was an altar to Baal– a clear indication of apostasy in Israel and even in Gideon’s own house.  God’s people had forsaken Him!  God is not to blame for Israel’s problems.  When Gideon asked, why?, he failed to see his own culpability.  Sin separates us from God.  The worship of Baal was prominent in Israel.  The sense that God had forsaken Israel was strong, but God was still where He always is and His power was the same as at anytime in Israel’s past.  The problem was not God.  The problem was sin in the hearts of the people.  Still, the question, why? remains.  The human soul often cries out why? The question probes what is unknown to us.  God does not answer the question.  He commissions Gideon.  God’s answer to Gideon is a command to action–a test of faith.  When faith in God is restored, then, God will fight for His people.  God told Gideon to destroy his father’s altar to Baal and build an altar to the LORD God.  Gideon did this proving his faith in God.  Then, God used Gideon to destroy the Midianites–120,000 of them (Judges 8:10).  This victory manifested God’s presence and power among His people.  Gideon’s question, “why then is all of this befallen us?” is answered.  God has not abandoned them, but they had abandoned God.  But, when faith in God is restored and the sin barrier removed, God will fight for His people and victory is assured.

Job’s Why?
In Job 3:11, Job says, “Why died I not from the womb?” Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of my mother’s belly?  Job is an eternal symbol of the mystery of human life.  Job was a man of Uz who feared God  and lived an upright and righteous life.  He had seven sons and three daughters.  His substance was great–seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred donkeys. Job was a great man.  He was blessed.
Job was put to a severe test of his faith in God.  Satan believed that Job served God because God had blessed Job so abundantly.  Satan reasoned that if all this prosperity were taken away from Job that he would turn away from God.  Swift calamities befell Job.  The Sabeans drove off his livestock.  His servants were slain with the sword.  Fire fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the shepherds watching them.  The Chaldeans drove of the camels and slew their drivers with the sword.  A whirlwind struck Job’s eldest son’s house and killed all of his children and their families.  In a single day, Job lost his possessions and his family.  Job’s response was, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb and naked shall I return thither.  The LORD gave, the LORD taketh away, blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Another test came.  Satan believed that if Job was afflicted personally, he would turn away from God.  “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life” (Job 2:4).  God permitted Satan to afflict Job but restricted him from taking Job’s life.  Job’s body was covered with boils from head to toe.  Job’s wife told him to, “curse God and die.”  Job said, “What? shall receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?  Job maintained his integrity.  Job’s three friends come to visit him–Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.  They sat in silence for seven days.  Then, Job lamented the day he was born.  “Why died I not from the womb?” (Job 3:11).  Job’s three friends could not answer the why?  Neither Elihu nor Job could answer the question why.  Then, God speaks to Job and God does not directly answer the question why.  But, God does affirm His sovereignty.  God extolled His glory and asked Job a series of questions Job could not answer.  The answer to Job’s why was twofold.  There is a sovereign God and He is worthy of our trust no matter how difficult the circumstances of life may be.  God’s promise to us is: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  God will never fail nor forsake His beloved people.  In the end, the mercy and grace of God was shown to Job and all of his possessions and his family were restored (James 5:11).

Our Why?
We may find ourselves in difficult circumstances that test our faith in God.  This world is a vale of soul-making.  God is working and satan is working.  God works to help us develop the qualities that will glorify Him.  Satan works to bring us to condemnation before God.  Every test must be met with faith in God!  God will never forsake those who love Him and are committed to His Will.  Let us permit God to be God and let us put our trust in Him in all things.  We may not know the answer to every why question.  But, we can answer every why question with faith in God: “I will trust in Him!”

The Fall of the year brings a new season for football.  People are excited to see their favorite team play and compete to be number one.  Teams are formed through a selection process involving potential players and coaches.  The best players are actively recruited by coaches.  Why?  Coaches want to win and they know that they can win if they have the best players on their team.  The best players generally choose teams with winning records.  How many really good football players do you know who want to play for losing teams?  How many good players want to be losers?  I don’t know of any.
Broaden the concept to include the “game of life.”  How many people do you know who strive to be unsuccessful in life?  If someone said, “My goal in life is to fail at everything I do,” we would be shocked.  Yet, many people have spiritual aims that will lead them to fail spiritually.  They have teamed up with satan to be on the losing team.
Satan has been:  judged, defeated, brought to ruin, and resigned to the lake of fire.  If you join up with him, you will lose your soul and be eternally separated from God.
Satan Has Been Judged
God knows that satan is real and has revealed such in His Holy Word (Gen. 3, Job 1, Matt. 4 (Jesus’ own encounter with satan).  In John 16:7-1, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples.  The Holy Spirit would: (1) Be involved in a teaching ministry, John 14:26); (2) Be involved in a reminding ministry, John 16:26; (3) Be involved in a testifying ministry, John 14:26; (4) Be involved in a convicting ministry, John 16:8; (5) Be involved in a convincing ministry, John 16:8,10; and (6) Be involved in a judging ministry, John 16:11.  “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will. not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”  Satan is the prince of this world.  He is the master deceiver.  But, the truth revealed by the Holy Spirit will counter every lie and provide the means of setting people free from the servitude to sin (John 8:32).   Truth provides the righteous standard for all judgment by God.  The Word of God is truth (John 17:17). Judgment is God’s justice administered to each person and is based upon their words and works and how they compare to His righteous standard.  The judgment of God against satan is utter condemnation.
Satan Has Been Defeated
Jesus declared in John 12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” When Jesus died upon the cross, He provided the means of removing the sting of death which is sin.  He provides for atonement for sin thereby making it possible for sin to be forgiven.  This effectively overcomes the power of sin (Heb. 2:14).  Jesus destroys him who had the power of death.  Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion.  He conquers both sin and death.  He destroys him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.  Satan cannot win over the power of God.  Christians are more than conquerors through Him that loved us (Rom. 8:37).  With God on our side, we cannot lose.
Satan Has Been Brought To Ruin
In I John 3:8, we read, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”  Those who sin join satan’s team.  However, satan’s works have been brought to ruin.  His works, such as temptations through lies, have been exposed through the example, teaching and the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  Those who name the name of Christ and depart from iniquity enter into oneness with Christ and will succeed in obtaining the crown of righteousness.
Satan Has Been Resigned to the Lake of Fire
In Rev. 20:10, the sacred text says, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”  The lake of fire and brimstone is another description for hell.  Satan’s destiny is an eternal hell.  In Rev. 20:15 we find out the fate of those who team up with satan, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”  Those who team up with satan will be punished eternally along with him.  Why would anyone team up with satan only to join a losing team and be utterly damned to an eternal hell?  Don’t join a losing team!

In Matthew 21:23, Jesus was asked, “By what authority doest thou these things?”  Jesus had cleansed the temple of money changers and those that sold animals (v. 12) and the chief priests and elders among the Jews wanted to know by what authority He acted.  It is a good question even though their motives were questionable.  Jesus asked them, “the baptism of John whence was it? from heaven, or of men? (v. 25).  They considered each alternative and, sensing the dilemma Jesus had put them in, refused to answer (we cannot tell).  Then, Jesus said, “neither tell I you by what authority I do these things” (v. 27).  Of course, Jesus knew that He acted by the authority intrinsic to His identity as the Son of God.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God!  He is the savior of the world.  He is sovereign.  He is the Lord Jesus Christ.  His sovereignty and His Lordship are the basis for the authority principle stated by Paul in Col. 3:16-17.  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
The Authority Principle Declared
The word “whatsoever” (ti ean) indicates that God is concerned about every word and deed of our lives down to the minute details.  Nothing falls outside of the umbrella of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  “Ye” is plural and refers to the Christians at Colosse to whom Paul writes.  However, in application, it refers to every New Testament Christian.  Once we become a Christian, our whole life falls under the sovereignty and Lordship of Jesus Christ.  The word “do” (poieo) indicates every action.  Paul then divides this general concept into two specific areas: word and deed.  The word “say) (lego) indicates all verbal communication.  Some communication is forbidden by Jesus Christ to Christians.  In Eph. 4:29,30, Paul mentions “corrupt communication.”  Corrupt communication is sinful and is exemplified by: lying, profanity, gossiping, some oaths, and false doctrine or teaching.  Corrupt communication grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).  Some speech is commended by Paul such as “edification” or that which is positive and builds up such as: speaking the truth, words of encouragement, exhortation, and instruction in righteousness.  The word “do” (ergos) refers to all actions including but not limited to: treatment of others, the way we handle our money, what we do with our time, what we watch on television or the internet, what we do in recreation, and how we behave at work or at home.  The words “do all” indicates fullness of consecration to God.  When we become Christians, we present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto the Lord (Rom. 12:1-2).  We are “all in” or 100 per cent committed to following the will of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The phrase “in the name of the Lord Jesus” indicates that everything we say and do must be in harmony with the will of the Lord Jesus and for His glory.  Paul refers to Jesus as “Lord.”  Jesus said, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46).  Jesus demands more than lip service from His followers.  He demands conformity to His will.  The word “Lord” is a reference to the sovereignty of Jesus due to the fact that He is the Son of God.  He possesses all authority (Matt. 28:18).  New Testament Christians live under His scrutiny and His jurisdiction no matter what they may be be doing or where they may be doing it.  And, all will be brought into judgment before Him in the last day (Acts 17:31, II Cor. 5:10).  That judgment will be based upon the righteous standard of His Word (John 12:48).  Consequently, everything that a Christian does must be done by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This eliminates compartmentalization of one’s life where we follow Jesus on Sunday, but we do whatever we want the rest of the week.  The authority of Jesus Christ is expressed in His Word (Col. 3:16).  Paul commands that Christians let the word of Christ dwell in them richly in all wisdom.  The Word of God contains the mind of God as it is revealed to the mind of men and women.  The Word of God contains the wisdom from above.  It contains the words of life.  It contains the knowledge of the sacred that repudiates the profane.
The Authority Principle Applied
The Christian life is completely under the guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ.  No area is omitted.  Consider the following passages that touch on various areas of the Christian life.  First, we assemble together in His name (Matt. 18:20; I Cor. 5:4).  We proclaim repentance in His name (Luke 24:47).  Third, we believe on His name (John 1:12; I John 5:13).  Fourth, we pray in His name (John 14:14).  Then, we speak in His Name (Acts 9:27 -preaching).  Sixth, we are justified in His name (I Cor. 6:11).  Seventh, we are baptized into His name (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38).  Finally, we give thanks in His name (Eph. 5:20).  Every Christian wears the name of Christ (I Pet. 4:14-16).  We are called by that name because everything we are and do is attributable to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We do all in His name to His glory.  If we do not act in His name, our actions are not to His glory.  “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:21-23).  Lip service to the Lord will never result in a heavenly abode.  Only those who live obediently to the Lord’s Will, out of love and faith in Him, will have the hope of everlasting life (Luke 6:46).  If Jesus is Lord, then, we must live obediently to His will at all times.

The Warren Christian Apologetics Center under the directorship of Charles Pugh III continues to promote and publish religious error.  I have published a review of Mac Deaver’s article, “Could God Create (ex nihilo) on the First Day?”  that appeared in Sufficient Evidence, Fall of 2020.  Sufficient Evidence is a publication of the Warren Christian Apologetics Center.  The basic affirmation of Mac Deaver is that it is not possible for anyone to know the age of the earth and so it is not a matter of faith or doctrine which could be a test of fellowship.  This position opens the door to cosmological evolution and geological evolution. This concept must be put to the test of truth.  Deaver argues that the creation of the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1) does not occur during the six days referenced by Moses in Exodus 20:11.  This brings up the question, “What is the relationship between Gen. 1:1 and Exodus 20:11?”   This is the question that I address in my reply to Deaver’s article.  You will find my reply under the page Biblical Articles.

The human mind is a terrible thing to waste!  We can fill our minds with mundane information that will not enhance our lives.  Or, we can fill our minds with useful, magnificent truths that will guide us through life and prepare us for eternity.  Almost everyone has heard the phrase, “just google it.”  The word google is used as a verb in that phrase.  But, Google is a noun that describes a search engine on the internet.  The noun Google is derived from the word googol which was named by Milton Sirotta, the nephew of the American mathematician Edward Kasner.  Kasner was working with very large numbers and in particular the number 10 to the 100th power (a 1 with 100 zeroes after it).  Kasner felt it deserved a name and so he asked his nephew to invent a word for the large number.  Milton made up the word googol and so the enormous word was given this descriptive term.  The name Google signifies how much information the originators believed they could catalog.  The information on the internet is a large collection of data that is not cohesive.  Information that lacks meaning.  Knowledge on the other hand is different.  Knowledge is information that has been processed into a cohesive whole.  We can further divide knowledge into two groups:  secular and sacred.  God’s Word is knowledge of God.  It is knowledge of the holy (II Tim. 3:15).  It is knowledge of truth (John 17:17).  It is essential knowledge (John 12:48) because it will be used in Judgment.  Knowledge of the sacred holds a higher place and is more significant than secular knowledge.  A person can know much information about various aspects of the world that we live in but that information does not save the soul from the servitude to and consequences of sin.  Only the knowledge of the sacred informs us of God’s plan of salvation and our part in that plan (II Tim. 3:15; James 1:21).  The Christian mind is rich with the sacred truths from God that will guide it to heaven.  The Christian mind is the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5-11).  There are three aspects of the mind of Christ that are worth considering.
First, truth vs. relativity.  If you don’t know the truth, you don’t know anything!  The opposite of truth is lies.  Lies can fill the human mind with a lot of information, but it is worthless and useless.  The basic idea of postmodernism is that you can create your own reality or your own truth.  Truth becomes subjective and is self-determined.  This leads to moral relativity and a redefinition of what it means to be human.  Some information is evil and detrimental to the human soul.  The human mind can become corrupted and deceived.  The corrupted mind is reflected in our present culture when we have lost the ability to define a man and a woman.  We have lost the basic ability to discern gender identity.  Gender identity has become fluid and limitless in the postmodern mindset.  The truth of God’s Word declares that there are only two genders:  male and female (Mark 10:6).  The corrupted mind is seen in that we have lost the ability to determine right from wrong.  Moral relativity prevails in our present culture.  However, the Word of God is clear about what constitutes sin and what comprises righteousness (Gal. 5:19-23-the works of the flesh contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit).  The mind of Christ was saturated with truth. Truth is synonymous with the Word of God (John 17:17).  This body of sacred knowledge comes from God and is objective -not self-determined.   Jesus used the Scriptures authoritatively and decisively (Matt. 4:1-11; 13:1314-15; 22:29-32).  Jesus did not equivocate on gender identity (Mark 10:6).  He did not call evil good and good evil (Matt. 5-7).   God has spoken unto us through His Son (Heb. 1:1-3).  Jesus is the Son of God and possesses the authority to bind and loose.  Jesus is truth (John 14:14).  His life and His teaching give us knowledge of the sacred that can save us from condemnation and give us hope beyond this life.  Truth is corrective of the profane mind and transforms the mind so that it conforms to the thoughts and ideas of God (Rom. 12:1-2).
Second, spiritual vs. a carnal mind.    The Christian mind is spiritual not carnal.  The carnal mind pursues the flesh (lusts of the flesh) while the spiritual mind is led by the Spirit and follows the sacred things of God.  The carnal mind is worldly, sensual, devilish (James 3:15).  The carnal mind pursues the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).  The works of the flesh are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like.  Paul further exposes the carnal mind in I Cor. 3:1-3.  Strife, envyings and divisions flow from the carnal mind and are obstacles to the spiritual mind.  The spiritual mind is led by the Spirit of God through the word of God (Rom. 8:14).   The spiritual mind knows God.  It knows the truth revealed by God.  It knows Jesus Christ the savior of the world.  Jesus’ mind was saturated with spiritual promises and precepts.  He knew the will of God and acted on it with humility of heart and obedience (Phil. 2:5-11). This produced selflessness and service in sacred acts of sacrifice.  The Christian mind is selfless and sacrificial.
Third, righteous vs. reprobate.   In Rom. 1:28, Paul describes the profane mind that has rejected God as reprobate.  The word reprobate means morally reprehensible.  A mind that is sin-sick because it is sin-saturated.  If we reject God, God allows us to pursue every sinful, wicked and evil thing imaginable.  Later in Romans 1, Paul enumerates 23 sins (Rom. 1:28-32).  In contrast, the mind of Christ was holy, pure, and just.  Jesus’ mind is aptly described by Paul in Phil. 2:5-11 and in Phil. 4:8, he indicates the Christian mind which focuses on: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report…”  These things are virtuous.  These are the things that the human mind is enriched by and that enhance life now and prepare it for eternity.  Jesus lived a sinless life.  His mind had to be pure to produce a virtuous life of holiness (Heb. 4:15; I Pet. 2:22).  Only the pure in heart will see God (Matt. 5:8).
In 2005, the most popular Google searches were: Janet Jackson, Xbox 360, Brad Pitt, Michael Jackson, American Idol, and Angelina Jolie.  You can have a lot of information about these people, but it doesn’t rise above the mundane.  The human mind must be illuminated by the word of God in order to benefit from the wisdom which is from above and experience the sublime truths given to us from God.  All information is not profitable.  Some information is evil.  Knowledge of the secular may help you get a job.  But, only knowledge of the sacred will save your soul!

How would you define the good life?  Do you think that it would be to have plenty of money to do whatever you wanted to do?  More play and less work?  Self-indulgence, but not to the point of self-destruction? Being the envy of your neighbors?  Success, yes, but how do you define success?  What do you really want out of life?
God’s word defines the good life.  Psalm 34:11-14 and I Peter 3:10-11 point us in the right direction.  Psalm 34 was written by David and Peter wrote I Peter 3 and quoted David’s Psalm.  The Psalm invites us to consider the aspects of the good life.  There is the invitation, the explanation, the question and the answer.
First, the invitation is given.  “Come, ye children, hearken unto me….”  Are you interested?  Listen and learn.  Your life begins to be shaped by who you listen to.  What voice(s) direct your choices?  Each person is a collection of voices.  We have those voices in our memories and they affect our thinking and our decisions.  Most of us can recall what our parents have taught us.  We can remember the words of our grandparents or other family members.  Add the voices of good teachers and friends.  Who are you listening to?  The wisdom from above comes from God.  If we are not listening to God, can we say that we are pursuing the good life?  The invitation has been extended.  You have to answer.  What will your answer be?
Second, the explanation is given.  “I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”  This sounds like a great life lesson.  What does it mean?  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).  Knowledge of God, God’s Will, life itself, and the good life of course.  Life’s decisions are based on what we know.  When we know the truth and utilize it, our decisions become more attuned to God’s wisdom.  The fear of the LORD is a combination of love for God (adoration, affection, attachment and allegiance) and knowledge of God’s punitive power which produces reverence and godly fear (Heb. 12:28).  The good life is shaped by our attitude toward God.  The right attitude toward God is the pathway of wisdom.  The wrong attitude toward God is the pathway of fools.  The good life is shaped by the fear of the LORD.
Third, the question is given.  “What man is he that desireth life, and liveth many days, that he may see good?”  Let’s break this thought down.  “Desires life” means that he wants to live life to its fullest.  The optimal life is the spiritually optimal life (John 10:10).  Spiritual life comes from God and is given only by God to us.  Sin brings corruption, destruction, and death (both spiritual and physical).  Only God can redeem our soul and impart spiritual life.  Can we say we are living the good life if we are not spiritually regenerated?  “Loveth many days” refers to the length of life and its productivity.  The longer we live, the more fruitful we can be.  “See good” refers to experiencing the good.  God is good!  Good is defined by God.  God is morally perfect (holy).  God is infinite in goodness.  The goodness of God is the fountain of His grace toward us.  To be good is to be like God and manifest His nature and undefeatable, benevolent, goodwill.  Good is the opposite of evil.  God leads us in the pathway of righteousness.  If we are not following God, can we say that we are living the good life?
Fourth, the answer is presented to us.  There are four aspects to the answer.  “Keep thy tongue from evil” is the first aspect.  James 3:2-18 reveals that if we can control the tongue, we can control the entire body.  Self-control is an attribute of the good life.  All relationships depend upon being able to control the tongue.  Evil communications are destructive to the soul of man and destroy relationships with others and with God.  No wonder James says that the tongue is a fire and is set on fire of hell!  The good life must be characterized by speaking the truth and speaking words of encouragement and edification.  The second aspect is lips that speak no guile.  Guile is deceit.  Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34).  Out of an evil treasure, evil things are spoken.  Out of a good treasure, good things are spoken.  The good life is characterized by speaking the truth thus indicating a good heart.  Relationships are built upon trust and without truth there can be no trust.  The third aspect is departing from evil.  The only intrinsic evil is sin.  The good life is characterized by the pursuit of righteousness and godliness.  We must pursue love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (the fruits of the Spirit–Gal. 5:22-23).  We must reject every sinful attitude and behavior.  The good life is marked by Christlikeness.  Finally, David encourages us to seek peace and pursue it.  True peace is the tranquility of soul that fears nothing from God because it rests in God’s grace and love.  Spiritual peace is reconciliation to God.  Sinners live in enmity with God.  The righteous live in peace with God.  The good life is characterized by oneness with God where there is salvation, security, safety and peace.
The apostle Peter quotes this Psalm in I Pet. 3:10-11.  He defines the spiritually optimal life, indeed the Christian life, utilizing the words of David.  The good life is shaped by the voice of God.  It is shaped by an attitude of reverence and godly fear.  It is shaped by a pursuit of God and imitation of God.  It is shaped by self-control, a good heart, the pursuit of good not evil,  and peace with God through the redemption that was secured by the Lord Jesus Christ.  The good life is the Christian life.  All are invited to come and learn the wisdom from above that leads us to spiritual life now and eternal life in the world to come.