1 Peter 1
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
Let me ask you a question: do you think of yourself as an alien? Do you ever feel uncomfortable as if you were living in a foreign country? As if everything’s out of place; the language is different, the customs don’t fit, the environment isn’t right. If so, Peter bids us Grace and Peace the gentile and the Jewish greetings.
A doctrinal point comes to my mind when I see “chosen” or in the KJV the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God…”, and I think about how God chooses according to foreknowledge. We are still responsible to “respond”. No one’s going to be condemned and be able to blame God. By the same token, no one will be saved and get to heaven and be able to boast about what they did to earn it. I mean, by definition, being saved means being rescued from a situation where you were unable to help yourself.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
I notice it’s not just mercy, it’s God’s “great mercy”. God extended Himself, He went a long long way to show mercy to us, through the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The result of this mercy is that we’re “born again”. Being born again is not a label, it’s not just a flavor of Christianity. One must be born again, to see the kingdom of God, according to Jesus in John 3:3. The outcome of being born again will be heaven, eternal life. That’s our living hope!
10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
It’s hard to wrap my mind around this paragraph. Prophets predicted, spoke and taught about the future coming of Christ, and yet, in some way the unfolding of God’s plan was in some way a mystery to the angels in heaven.
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
I like the way verse 13 reads, here in the NASB. The NKJV says, “Gird up the loins of your mind”, in other words, “put on your big boy pants”, grow up and get to action. That should show up in my life as holiness. Holiness, it’s not a hairstyle, a clothing style, or whether or not you dance or go to movies. But, holiness will influence your choices in these areas. Let me explain, from my own personal relationship with the Lord and using the Ten Commandments in evangelism, I’ve grown sensitive to sin, like movies where people use the Lord’s name in vain. I can’t abide that. That doesn’t make me any more holy than anyone else. But from this very verse, my holiness is because of God’s holiness. Thankfully, when I fail to live holy, I have an advocate in Jesus, that I run to and confess and repent of my sin.
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Salvation is by God’s grace, as it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, but see in verse 17, that judgement (or condemnation) is according to our works. I read this section, I’m kind of struck by adjectives burly, man’s-man, fisherman, ready for a fight Peter used. “Precious”, “unblemished”, “spotless”, not “Perishable. And as I read on, I’m encouraged as my confidence grows in God, who worked out our salvation before the foundation of the world; as it says, God commended His love toward us, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word which was preached to you.
James says, “what is your life? Even a vapor (or a cloud), it appears for a little while and then it vanishes away. We’re all being reminded during this pandemic how fragile, and temporary life can be. Let that motivate us to love and good works, pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Let us serve God with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.
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