Devotional Reflection Based on the Incident of Peter Cutting Off Malchus's Ear: “Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.” ( Mark 14:47, Today's Korean Version ) 1. Identifying the People Involved: The person who stood beside Jesus and drew the sword was Simon Peter . The servant of the high priest was named Malchus . “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” ( John 18:10 ) 2. Jesus' Response to Peter's Action: (a) Jesus said: “Permit even this.” ( Luke 22:51, KJV: “Suffer ye thus far”; RSV: “No more of this” ) The Greek words clarify this: “ἕως τούτου” (“heōs toutou”) = “up to this point” or “even this” “ἐᾶτε” (“eate”) = “allow it,” “let it be,” “leave it alone” Therefore, Jesus is essentially saying: “Let them do what they are doing. Do not resist any further.” “If ...
The glory that will be revealed to us [Romans 8:18-25] Chapter 17 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, “On the Perseverance of the Saints,” says: “They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.” This doctrine is that those whom God has chosen by His eternal providence and regenerated by the Holy Spirit will never lose their status as God's children because they are protected by God's grace. This means that such people will not lose their qualifications for adoption, their status as righteous will not be taken away, and their souls will not be destroyed (Jn. 10:27-29; Rom. 8:35-39; Phil 1:6). John 10:28, one of the New Testament sources for this, says: “and I give eternal life to them, and they w...