From the Pastor’s Study

Lessons from the Life of Peter

Part Four—A United Heart

By Wallace Thornton

Pastor, Moberly Church of the Nazarene

James 1:8 observes that “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways,” a truth graphically illustrated in the life of Simon Peter.  Of all the disciples, he alone dared to join Jesus in walking on water.  Yet, he sank fearfully amid the waves as he looked away from the Master, who graciously rescued him from drowning.  When speculation was swirling about Jesus’ true identity, Peter affirmed, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” voicing a revelation given to him by the heavenly Father.  Then, a few breaths later, Peter began opposing Jesus as He described His sufferings that lay ahead, including the Cross.  The Lord’s stern rebuttal of Peter exposed the contrary inspiration lurking beneath his protests—“Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:23).

This vacillation between boldness and cowardliness—between divine inspiration and fleshly inclination—reached a climax on the night before Christ’s crucifixion.  During the “Last Supper,” Peter proudly declared, “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death” (Luke 22:33).  However, when Jesus stood on trial before the high priest, only a few hours later, Peter denied three times that he was a follower of Jesus, just as Jesus had foretold.  In fact, Peter went so far as to deny that he even knew Jesus at all (Matthew 26:74).

Then, “the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter” and “Peter remembered” the Lord’s prediction and “went out, and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62).  Peter’s divided mind resulted in a broken heart.  Over the coming days, the cry of Peter’s repentant heart undoubtedly echoed the prayer of Psalm 86:11, “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”

A united heart!—that’s what Peter needed.  Surely he recognized now that his heart had been divided between loyalty to Christ and self-interest.  The question remained, however, could he—could anyone, for that matter—ever know the blessing of a united heart?

To find the answer, we must catch up with Peter a few weeks later, when we find him boldly proclaiming the gospel on the Day of Pentecost.  When onlookers accused the Spirit-filled disciples of being drunk, Peter courageously countered with a powerful presentation of Jesus Christ—as the crucified and resurrected Lord.  Later, Peter and John were arrested for preaching Christ and were hauled before the religious authorities.  “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost,” fearlessly preached to the very rulers who had plotted Jesus’ crucifixion, declaring that “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:8-12).  He never again backed down, contending with the other apostles, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

What happened?  What transformed this impetuous but unreliable disciple into a stalwart pillar of the Faith?  What happened to his fear, his confusion, and his wavering?  In a word—Pentecost.  Peter had been among the disciples in the upper room when “the day of Pentecost was fully come…  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…”  Simply put, Peter’s transformation was accomplished by the infilling with the Holy Spirit.

On Pentecost, Peter was liberated from the fear of man as the Holy Spirit filled his heart with love, for “perfect love casteth out fear” (I John 4:8).  Peter’s love was now perfect or complete because the Holy Spirit had indeed united his heart in full devotion to Christ.  In the terms of I Thessalonians 5:23, Peter had been sanctified entirely.

The question that remains for each Christian today is well put by Oswald Chambers, “Have you received your personal Pentecost?”  Has your heart been united—perfected in love—entirely sanctified—by the Holy Spirit?  If not, embrace the remedy expressed in James 4:8—“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”  You too can receive the cure that Peter found at Pentecost, for, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (I Thess. 5:24).