Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
One of the greatest testimonies of the grace and mercy of God, outside of that of the nation of Israel, is the restoration of the Apostle Peter. He was a man who walked with Jesus and walked on water; a man who saw Jesus heal and by God’s power healed others himself (Matthew 10:8). Peter was a man who also said this:
Matthew 26:33-35
“Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
Peter not only denied the Lord, he denied Him three times. The second time he denied Him it was with an oath, and the third time, with cursing and swearing, he said, “I do not even know the man.” (Matthew 26:74) Yet, we find Peter, the thrice denier, preaching the first gospel message that opened the church age in Acts 2, and doing so with thunderous power and authority.
Lamentations 3:21-23
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Peter the denier became Peter the bold proclaimer of Christ, because the Lord is merciful and faithful. But the words of Jeremiah in Lamentations are not just limited to Peter or to Apostles and Prophets, they are true for every believer. The Lord is merciful and faithful to us and through those mercies, we are not consumed.
What makes the story of Peter so powerful is that the Lord did not just forgive him, but He also restored him. Forgiveness is a wonderful, burden lifting thing. Restoration, however, covers the pain of past failures with the blessings of current service to the Lord.
1 Peter 4:8-11
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
You can see the impact that the Lord’s love, forgiveness, and restoration had on Peter in this passage. The love of the Lord covered his three denials, the mercy of God gave him the ability to speak as the oracle of God, the faithfulness of God allowed Peter to bring glory to the very One he once denied even knowing.
For any who may have had a great failure or denial of the Lord in your life, either in thought or deed, take heart. God’s mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness toward you is great!
2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Can you imagine Peter’s life if the Lord had not forgiven and restored him? Yet John’s gospel says in chapter 21 that, on the shores of the sea of Galilee, Jesus restored Peter and told him that his claim to not deny the Lord would ultimately be fulfilled at his own death.
Dear friends, God is faithful! It isn’t something He does; it is what He is. He cannot deny His very nature. If you have fallen or failed, get up and keep going for His mercies endure forever and great is His faithfulness!
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.
Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish Christian, is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.
As well, certainly one of the “greatest testimonies of the grace and mercy of God” is the deliverance of African-Americans from bondage to the great heights of the present day. We’ve witnessed a good deal of His divine works in our lifetimes.