The early Christian community believed that the return of Christ and man’s salvation was imminent therefore believers must conduct themselves prayerfully in a sober and serious way. They must be, “Vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man (Lk. 21:36).” Love covers a multitude of sins because as Paul said, “It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:7),” so love is the perfection of our relationship with God and with each other. They can conduct themselves as Christ instructed because of the Spirit of God; “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord (Is. 11:2).” If they suffer because they are Christians consider it a purification for the time of judgment which will be terrible for the godless and sinners.
Almighty God, Scripture tells us that when we come to serve you we should prepare ourselves for trials. Grant, we pray, that you give us the strength to sustain through all our trials which lead to a purification of our souls if we hold fast to our faith. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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Reference:
Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.
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