Today begins our month-long journey through the book of 1 Peter. I hope you’ve already read the entire book once today. If you missed it yesterday, there is an introduction here that will help you understand the background of 1 Peter. Today we’ll focus our attention on the first two verses.
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Peter’s epistle begins with a brief introduction, but there is much to learn in this first sentence.
As you read through the entire book of 1 Peter today, you might have noticed that the word fear appeared several times. This is interesting, because if you’re familiar with the life of Peter you know that fear was a constant problem for him. He had the faith to step out of the boat and walk on water, but then became fearful and sank (Matthew 14:22-33). He promised to follow Jesus even unto death, but then denied knowing Jesus three times even after being warned that he would do so (Matthew 26:69-75). Even later in his life, Paul had to confront him because he would not eat with Gentiles when the Judaizers were around out of fear (Galatians 2:11-14). This after Peter was the very Apostle who received a vision from God instructing him that the unclean animals were no longer considered unclean and Peter was sent to preach the gospel to the first Gentile converts! (Acts 10-11)
As a follower of Jesus, what fears do you have? How does the life of Peter encourage us as we face our fears, sometimes with faith and sometimes lacking faith?
Peter writes to the elect exiles dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. The word elect or chosen is often a source of controversy among Christians, but Peter makes no apologies or qualifications. He simply tells the believers to whom he is writing that they were chosen. He then calls them exiles even though most of the recipients were probably living in the regions where they were born and raised.
What is your reaction to reading that you, a follower of Christ, were chosen by God? How does knowing that you were chosen by God help you in times of fear or doubt?
How does seeing yourself as an exile, sojourner, or alien even in your home country affect the way you live? Where is your true citizenship?
These believers, and all believers, were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. We see here Father, Son, and Spirit - one God in three persons - all working together in perfect harmony for the salvation of those who believe. God the Father chose us in eternity past, Jesus' blood redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us (see Ephesians 1:3-14 for Paul's lengthier explanation of this same truth). We also see what followers of Jesus were chosen for or to: obedience to Jesus Christ. It’s very important to note that were not chosen because of our obedience, but were chosen for obedience. Obedience to Jesus no matter the cost is the major theme of Peter’s letter.
The reference to sprinkling with Jesus’ blood is a reference to Exodus 24:3-8. After Moses received God’s Law, he read the Law to the people of Israel and they agreed that they would obey God and be his people. Moses took the blood from sacrificed animals and sprinkled it on the people, signifying the covenant that they were entering into. Peter is telling us that that event was a type (prefigurement) of Christ and his people, the church. We have entered into a covenant with Jesus figuratively being sprinkled with his blood, and although that covenant is secured by Christ’s obedience and not our own, when we agree to follow Jesus we are agreeing to submit to His sovereign authority and obey all that he has commanded. The final words of Jesus recorded in Matthew’s gospel are commonly known as the Great Commission, in which Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a, emphasis mine).
We often think that the purpose of salvation is Heaven, but have you ever thought about the fact that God you chose to obey him while you remain on earth?
Based on your first reading of 1 Peter today, or anything else you know from Scripture, is there any area of your life in which you are not obeying God?
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