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"Paul said to Peter you gotta rock yourself a little harder."


The above quote is the first line in the song "Girl in the War" by Josh Ritter and is an obvious pun on Peter's name. This song is about doubt and fear, or so I believe. Peter and Paul are the main characters in the song, which actually has a pretty ambiguous meaning. So if you feel the desire to ruminate on a song then ruminate on this one. You could spend hours trying to interpret it (I know because a friend and I did one time). If you don't feel that desire, that is just as well. The song is still one of the greats to listen to.

I was thinking about this song this morning as I was reading through 2 Corinthians and one of the cross-references took me to 2 Peter. I like to view Paul and Peter as Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet, or Patton and McArthur: Two great generals who were the two arms of one great cause (I am not saying that the Confederacy was a great cause; it was quite the opposite in fact. I am saying that their leader Robert E. Lee was a great man and he used them in devastating fashion). Just as Patton and McArthur were used in different ways in two greatly differing theatres, so, too were Paul and Peter used differently. However, while their tactics and targets differed at times their goal was one and the same: to establish the bride of Jesus. Similarly, just as Jackson and Longstreet were trusted with a full measure of authority and freedom to execute the instructions given to them, so too were Paul and Peter given full authority to execute the great commission using the talents and abilities given to them from their Commander in Chief.

As I read the final warnings of Paul to the Corinthians I noticed a verse that gave me pause. Paul told them to "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you- unless, of course, you fail the test (2 Cor. 13:5)." This statement is placed in the midst of a passage entreating them to test whether Paul and the apostles have failed the test of possessing the spirit of God. He says he trusts that they will find he has not failed. He mentions that he has considered himself weak in the flesh so he may be strong in the power of Jesus, so that he can do nothing against the truth but only for the truth. This verse was curious to me because the concept of humans testing themselves is one that I fear. It casts visions of men throwing themselves off of the top of the temple (see the temptation of Jesus), or men allowing snakes to bite them, or alcoholics going to a bar trusting that God will not let them fall off of the wagon. So naturally I wanted to look further into this puzzling verse. How does one examine or test himself?

The cross-reference given in my note sent me to 2 Peter 1:5-11 Which you can read here by copy and pasting the link to the browser bar: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+1%3A5-11&version=ESV

Now what are these two saying here. What then is meant by testing or examining? They are obviously working in divine concert. I like how men writing at different times, to different people could be used as two cooperating verses that mutually explain each other. Well, taken together, Paul and Peter seem to be saying that we should search for those fruits in ourselves that identify us as a child of light. I do not take this to mean that we put ourselves in situations where our faith will be tested or where we can see God's intervention. Peter and Paul never say that in all of their letters (I am not saying this definitively but I am virtually certain that it is correct). There is much support in the bible for the fact that God will test us and direct us and lead us to places where we see his intervention. Forcing his hand is arrogant and disobedient. I think, however, that most people know that.

So what is testing here? Peter in verse 5 says that the believer should "make every effort." In another translation he uses the term "diligence." Whether you believe that it is our responsibility to choose to cultivate righteousness now that we are free from sin, or you believe that God brings these to bear free of our effort, it is still our responsibility to be diligently mindful of the qualities mentioned in the verses in 2 Peter. There are numerous opportunities everyday in the life of every child of God to be faithful and to display the fruits of the vine. Paul is admittedly speaking to a troublesome group of Corinthians and telling them to watch out lest they be given over to their sins and the church fail. He is telling them to test themselves to see if God has given them over to their sinful desires (Reprobation: it’s a cool word. Look it up and use it). He is telling us to search our hearts and souls to see if we desire and are making gains in the areas mentioned in 2 Peter to name a few. We don’t have to search very far either. We can pass or fail these tests every minute in our normal everyday life.

Paul and Peter seem to be telling us to rock ourselves a little harder. We are called to trust and rest in the fact that God will finish a good work in us while at the same time searching our conscience. There is plenty to mark and our spirit filled conscience should mark it. It takes patience and diligence to learn to search your conscience. Some of us may never have all surpassing assurance and peace that some speak about. We may always fight our doubts and fears of missing the bus. I recently read an article in Time magazine about Mother Teresa. It referred to many letters she wrote lamenting the fact that she felt cut off from God’s presence. Apparently, this was a consistent theme in her life that caused her pain for over 60 years. However, that did not stop her from completing her mission. She acted in the way the scripture had directed her despite her thorn. It is possible that this was her cross to bear for some reason. (Please do not attack that statement. It is only conjecture that was brought up in the article.)

The point is that “We will be known by our fruit” and we must search ourselves for these fruits. This seems to be what Paul meant when he told the Corinthians to test themselves. He was saying “Where is your fruit Corinthians?” How can you ever know if you are a child of Christ if you are never displaying or desiring the likeness of the Character of Jesus (righteousness)? So let’s test ourselves in faith. If we believe then let us with diligence gain goodness, knowledge, self-control (my biggest weakness), perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. The greatest of these is love which is a broader term than the way we mean it many times, but we are to pray for, desire, and cultivate all of these things simultaneously. And do not be discouraged because if you are a child of light then you have a powerful force behind you. These things will show themselves through your diligence because that is what God desires in all of his children and rest assured his desires will be realized.

So lets "pretend the dove from above is a dragon and our feet are on fire" (the second line from the song. Josh Ritter may be the new Bob Dylan without the social importance).

P.S. Feel free to attack the Bob Dylan statement. I am willing to let it go. I just really dig Josh Ritter.