Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another with a pure heart fervently; Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever. I Peter 1:22-23
These verses come on the heels of, and in the context of, the text's discussion of the necessity of being holy "in all manner of conversation," and invoking the Old Testament commandment to "be you holy, for I the LORD your God am holy".
What's being holy all about? It's about loving the brethren. It's impossible to read the New Testament much at all and miss this; the New Testament brings it up time... and time... and time... and time... and time again.
But take careful note of the first part of verse 22, and in particular the leading words, Seeing you have. The verse does not implore the reader to purify their souls, like many Christian Life-type books do. The verse assumes that the reader's soul has already been purified, and how? Three things that we absolutely, positively cannot divorce one another:
1. In obeying the truth;
2. Through the Spirit;
3. Unto unfeigned love of the brethren.
It's great, because there's something there for non-Calvinists* to like and something for Calvinists to like! (The entire New Testament is like that, actually.) The non-Calvinists (or anti-Calvinists) can latch onto In obeying the truth; see, that's something I'm responsible to do! The Calvinists can sink their teeth into Through the Spirit; see, that's something God has to do for me!
So, which side is right?
They both are. So don't worry, you're allowed to fellowship with both and be close friends with both. You're even encouraged to do so!
* Many Calvinists use the word 'Armenian' to refer, erroneously and usually derisively, to anyone that is not a five-point Calvinist. It is, I promise, possible to be neither a Calvinist nor an Armenian.
But let's move on to the really important part here: Unto unfeigned love of the brethren. That was the commandment of Christ! (See John 15.) That's how the whole world can look at someone and see Jesus Christ in them--because he loves the brethren. I don't mean pretends to love the brethren so he can get something out of the deal; and I certainly don't mean pretends to love the brethren because he doesn't want to hurt their feelings; and I definitely don't mean pretends to love the brethren because he knows that's what God expects of him, but behind a brother's back complains about him and thinks about how to thwart him.
Trust me, friends: I've done that so many times that with a grimace on my face I have to admit I'm qualified as an expert on the subject. God has opened me a lot to this truth--I think that's a better way of putting it than 'he's opened a lot of this truth to me', as if it were the truth that were locked--and I'm trying to step forward by faith, drop the pretense and really love the brethren. Think of them before myself, and above myself. Be thrilled to take the lowest seat in the dirtiest corner, since it means everyone else gets a better seat, and not because everyone else will see me doing it and think better of me. Ah, how deceptive pride is!
But, back to the verse we're talking about. The Bible starts from the assumption that our souls are purified, and not only that, but purified unto unfeigned love of the brethren, and then delivers the commandment: Love one another with a pure heart, fervently.
The way it reads, it's really not so much a commandment as it is a reminder. The more I read the Bible, and I mean really read it and ponder what I'm reading, the more natural it becomes to maintain a right spirit not just with God, but with fellow men. It's the miracle the Spirit continually works in a man's soul through the powerful Word of God, actually changing his heart through the Word he's internalizing.
So, you see, the Calvinists and the non-Calvinists are both right here. Only God can really change my heart, but I have to step up and immerse myself in his Word to receive the promise of that change, worked in by its power. God's really something, isn't he?
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