1 Peter 1:1-2
Peter was writing to Christians that are scattered all over the 5 region of the Roman Empire. This is the area that we would know as Turkey today. Peter refers to these believers as pilgrims. A pilgrim is temporary residents in a foreign place. This is Peter's way of reminding them that they were residents and citizens of an eternal city and not of these earthly places.
An early Christian writer, Diognetus, put it this way:
These believers inhabit the lands of their birth, but as temporary residents of it; they take their share of all responsibilities as citizens, and endure all disabilities as aliens. Every foreign land is their native land, and every native land a foreign land . . . they pass their days upon earth, but their citizenship is in heaven."
This is part of larger quote and thought, worth reading to further make the point; as Christians, we aren't of this world.
(See Philippians 3:2 and Hebrews 13:13-14.)
These pilgrims were scattered across the regions of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. If you go back to Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost there were residents present from Pontus and Cappadocia. They saw and heard the mighty rushing wind from heaven. They saw the tongues of fire and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They heard Peter preach and they miraculously heard him in their own tongues. These men were changed forever that day and took that message back to their own lands. Now, years later, if they still walked in this world, they would suffer persecution. How amazing that they might be encouraged by Peter.
The persecution that broke out in these regions was for the purpose of exterminating Christianity. These people were dying for their faith. It use to be hard for us to imagine what it would be like to see this all around us. However, it seems to be more and more prominent and accepted around the world. Satan hates us and wants to destroy us. Satan meant this Roman persecution for evil but God used it for His good and glory. As God's people were attacked, the affect was the scattering of the church all over Asia and the world. He spread the church far and wide. The same thing happens today. Christianity is alive and well and thriving in these areas where persecution is rampant. Yet it's on the decline in nations that suffer no persecution.
We can only imagine living day to day, hunkered down in your home wondering when your front door might be kicked down so that you and your family can be tortured and killed. What do you say to encourage people living this way? While these people were suffering from the affects of persecution in a sinful world and maybe wondering and asking why and where God was in all this, Peter wanted them to know they are God's elect. God knew them as he knows us. The saints of God are God's elect. The elect are the people called out of the world or selected by God for salvation by the sovereignty of God. (See also Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12; and 2 Timothy 2:10)
Election comes from God's foreknowledge. This foreknowledge speaks of God omniscience. He is all knowing. His knowledge is complete from eternity past to eternity future. He knew our response to the gospel before we knew it. He knew of the persecution of these Pilgrims long before they began to experience it. He knows the outcome of every difficult situation. When Peter reminds these folks that they are God's elect it is a reminder that they don't stand in those hard times alone. What do you say to suffering people? You tell them of an amazing and awesome God. You tell them they don't stand there in their suffering outside the knowledge of God. He is sovereign and all knowing and all powerful. While they may feel helpless in persecution there is a mighty power present in their life. And every believer can find encouragement in that knowledge. Peter wanted them to know God is working in their life regardless of how it might feel.
The last half of verse 2 says, the saints are in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: God didn't save these people in his foreknowledge just to set them free to fend for themselves. He saved them for sanctification and eventual glorification. God's sanctification work continued in their lives as it does in ours. The process of sanctification is a work of the Spirit that starts with the justification made available by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. In the life of the Pilgrim there should be sanctification which brings us to obedience. And that's regardless of the circumstances of life.
We are called for obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. The sprinkling is Old Testament language. It's what the priest did as an act of consecration, or setting apart the holy things for God's use. (See Exodus 24:8.)
Peter is writing to the Pilgrims who are (verse 2) the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. In that one verse we see the 3 persons of our one God; God the father who knew us and elected us, God the son shed His blood for us and God the Holy Spirit who is doing the work of sanctification.
The saints of God are bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus. We are set apart for God's use; for God's glory. Even in the face of persecution the folks needed to know they were still in the grip of God.
1 Peter 1:3-5
After the salutation of the letter Peter adds a word of praise and acknowledgement. He acknowledges God as Father; not only of Jesus but also our Father in heaven. He establishes Jesus as Lord and the Christ. It is by God's design and plan from the beginning of time to send his son to die on a cross for our sins. That's God's mercy. It pleased God to do this it says in Isaiah 53. God went to great lengths to offer us this living hope. He went so far as to send his own likeness in Jesus to suffer and die and pay the debt each person owes.
Here is the subtle message of the gospel for the suffering. If God will bruise his own Son and allow the suffering of His own Son for our good isn't it logical and reasonable to understand that He will also allow us to suffer for our own good? As Christians our suffering will never be what we deserve. Christ took what we deserve. Whatever suffering we endure in this life is as bad as it will ever get.
The mistake we often make is thinking that we don't deserve to suffer. This is our own pride. We think if we are suffering something must be wrong with our relationship with God. He must not be paying attention or something. We can't imagine it's for our own good. After all, we each think we're in pretty decent shape the way we are. But God sees that we need to grow and that growth can happen best in suffering. In our suffering we are to know that we have a living hope in Jesus. If our heavenly Father is able to raise Jesus up again, is he not able to also raise us again?
Verse 3 says we were begotten again into this living hope. To be "Begotten again" literally means born again. This is spiritual regeneration. To be "begotten again" is to be "Born Again". This is same idea Jesus conveyed in John 3 when Jesus was talking to Nikodemus. Jesus said, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
This is a new birth. It's becoming a new person in Christ. This is the basis for the hope Peter is going to offer those who are suffering. Every point Peter is going to make to them is built on this foundation. If you are not born again, the rest of the letter would not apply and would be of no use to the reader.
If you listen close to Christianity in our time, you will find lots and lots of Christians associate "born again" with being a radical religious fanatic. They don't want radical, they aren't all that interested in Jesus and His word, they just want some insurance of a soft landing when this is all over. Jesus makes it clear, if you refuse to be 'begotten again' enjoy everything you can because this life is as good as you will ever get. That's a sad hope, a dead hope. This life passes by too fast and it can turn bad so fast. I can't imagine not having hope in Christ in this dark world.
In Christ we are given a new life, a new family and a new nature. We are born into a 'living hope'. This hope is the gift of grace given by Jesus Christ. It is an optimism that a day is coming when all things will be made new. We are to live in this world looking with hope toward the next. That hope can produce joy in the worst of circumstances.
C.H. Spurgeon said this:
There is no unwaning hope beneath the changeful moon: the only imperishable hope is that which climbs above the stars, and fixes itself upon the throne of God and the person of Jesus Christ."
We can imagine what these people saw in their culture. It was a world filled with hatred toward them. It was evil unleashed, sometimes seeming as if there was no restraint. Living in the middle of death and suffering and mayhem can make any person search for answers. We can imagine these folks asking, what good it is this future hope when I'm suffering now? How does this help and how does it get us through the day?
The world is full of corruption but there is an inheritance coming that is incorruptible and can't be defiled by the evil of their time or our time. Those who are begotten again are born into this inheritance that won't perish. This is everlasting, not subject to the things we know. There is no evil and no sin in our inheritance to cause decay, spoil or fading. It is reserved for us in heaven. Our inheritance is kept in heaven for us. This is bigger than we can possibly understand. Our reservation has been made. There is a place prepared for us.
When we acknowledge God as our Father and Jesus as the Lord of our life, it gets very personal. All the events and circumstances of our life are under the watchful eye of a heavenly father and under the Lordship of Jesus. We can't claim to be a Christian and continue to think God doesn't Lord over every detail of our life.
Now that's all well and fine and it sounds good sitting in church. It's an easy message to believe when other people are suffering; but what about when you are suffering? This becomes very personal when the affliction or persecution or suffering comes our way. Suddenly these promises may seem far off and hard to hold onto.
Verse 5 says the saints of God are kept by the power of God by faith. We are kept by the same power that raised Jesus Christ and gave us this amazing hope and inheritance. We are in His grasp, abiding in His presence in all circumstances. This is knowing by faith, no matter what happens, God is sovereign and nothing goes on that that He isn't aware of.
There is nothing that Satan or this world can do to remove you from the watchful care of God. Even if we lose confidence; even if we grieve and suffer; even if we are weak, God is still God. Our weakness doesn't change who He is.
1 Peter 1:6-7
In the knowledge of being begotten again and receiving this hope and incorruptible inheritance and having the assurance it is kept safe in heaven while we work out our faith here in this life in the protection of God; in that knowledge we have cause to greatly rejoice. This rejoicing is to be exceedingly glad. It is jubilance. It's high fiving excitement over this promise. It's rejoicing in spite of the temporal or temporary circumstances of this life.
Our circumstances change constantly; the mood of the world and culture change constantly. But we can rejoice in the unchanging promises of God. This rejoicing is important because we will face various trials. Various trials literally means 'many colored'. These trials come in all shapes and sizes and types. Peter said, if need be, you will be tried. The trials come to fit our need. This just shows they have a purpose.
These trials will cause us to grieve at times. But our life isn't to be characterized by grief that is for just a short time but characterized by rejoicing in the hope that is without end. Peter stresses that these times of grieving only last for a little while.
I used to do tons of wood working. Sometimes I'd spend hours meticulously preparing the wood, cutting, shaping, sanding it. I'd finish a piece and it was such a great feeling. It was always amazing to step back and see the finished product; feel and smell the wood. To finish it you had to choose the color to stain or paint it. The color was as important anything else on the piece. During the finishing process I sometimes added another step to make a piece look worn and used. This was the process of distressing it. There are many ways to distress a piece but the affect is to give it scars and mark it. Sometimes you hit it with a chain, dinged it with a screw driver, mark it, mar it and round off the corners. In a short time the piece has been through some stuff. It's difficult to create something and then inflict this kind of suffering on it. But it was done for the finished product. In the end it had character and personality. The piece has been marked by the maker.
As the workmanship of God, our overall tone is one of joy and rejoicing. We were created for His glory. Our various trials come by the hand of our maker. They mark and mar us. They give us character and become part of who we are. When you scar wood and then stain it the scar is a darker and deeper shade of the overall color. The scars accentuate the color. It's the same with us. The overall tone of our life is one rejoicing in the grace of Jesus. This is our hope. The suffering and the scars in our life become focal points of grace and opportunity to rejoice even more. The scars accentuate the overall tone.
Imagine suffering and persecution without any hope!! The mere thought of it brings us to rejoice that we have that hope. It's from our deepest need that we can rejoice the most over the One who can and will soon deliver us.
The genuineness of our faith is tested by fire. This isn't God testing us to find what we are made of. It is God testing us so we know what we are made of. Our character is revealed in our scars. We are cut through the surface; all the pretty is knocked away. What is left then? Is it like Gold? Peter said, even gold will perish and pass away.
We are subjected to pain and trials in this life. These things happen to prove our faith is genuine. These things are used to strengthen and build us up. When all is stripped away, when we are face down in the dust, when the layers of this life are pealed away, what will be found on the inside? Will there be a strong faith at the core? Will your faith be found to praise, honor and glory of Jesus? We all go through tough times of growth and periods of trial but in the end, these times should result in praise, glory and honor to Christ. We can't let the difficult times shake our faith or allow persecution to create doubt.
Our hope grows stronger and we look forward with greater anticipation to being in the presence of our Lord.
1 Peter 1:8
Do you love Him even though you haven't seen him? It's difficult to love and believe in Him when we don't see him physically. As we get to know Jesus Christ better our faith is grown. That faith is tested and found to be stable and worthwhile in a world gone crazy and that brings us to a deeper faith and belief. Each time we get through a tribulation with our faith intact it is proven again that it is a genuine faith. This knowledge should bring about a joy inexpressible. This is an incredible, inexpressible joy that will keep us until the return of Christ.
The overall affect is that we grow more and more Christ-like and we know Jesus better. We deepen our relationship with Him. In these days we rejoice in our belief, it is a reality. It is real, like Jesus is real, even though we don't see Him with our eyes. Just think how much greater the joy will be when we do see Him face to face.
1 Peter 1:10-12
This idea of salvation and this joy of knowing of this amazing hope and incredible inheritance that is before us, is not a new idea. This isn't Peter's preaching alone. He's not revealing this for the first time. This story was spoken of by the prophets, but only in part. They knew of a coming grace but they didn't know when. They had messianic revelation, but didn't comprehend it.
All these things were present, but concealed in the Old Testament. We've heard and seen things so much, they no longer move us. What didn't make sense to them, from the other side of the cross, is visible to us now and see the types and shadows of the truth we hold. The Spirit of Christ was in these prophets, this is the Holy Spirit.
The prophets knew a little bit about suffering. The prophets would love to be living in our day. They looked forward to the time in which we live. Imagine what Isaiah would say today after learning of the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
Listen to Isaiah:
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Isaiah wrote this but he couldn't have really understood how much it would apply to the messiah. Can you imagine Isaiah's reaction to reading the gospel account of Matthew? The prophets prophesied the words then searched them carefully trying to find the answers. Much of what puzzled them, we can see clearly and we have at our fingertips and we also take for granted.
1 Peter 1:12
Much was revealed to these prophets but they didn't understand it all. They were ministering to the people Peter is writing to. They were ministering to us. They were laying the foundation and preparing the way for the gospel message to be preached.
Even the angels long to look into these things which are being revealed to us. They are watching with anticipation. (See also Ephesians 3:9.) The language used is present tense and represents and ongoing and profound interest in how God is going his work through us and through the church.
It's as if God said to the entire spiritual world. Watch how I do this? And every angel was watching. And every prophet was speaking to minister to God's people. And every apostle and evangelist and disciple became a tool of God He used to unveil his plan through Jesus for the redemption and salvation. Praise be to God!
By our sinful nature, we are near sighted, desiring to escape any and all pain or discomfort in this life. No one desires pain and suffering, but into every life a little rain must fall. Pain and suffering are the marks of the maker. It is His work of putting the finishing touches on you. Every mark is perfect and beautiful to Him and provides you with an opportunity to trust Him. The distress allowed, or even inflicted by our maker, becomes character over time.
The world says enjoy life, don't be so religious. Don't be so worried about God and all his rules. And many churches teach this as well. It's as if there is no joy and contentment in Christ. They act as if we must dabble in sin to have enjoyment. Peter makes it clear, our life is in Christ. Our eternity will be a continuation of the trajectory established in this life. The suffering strengthens our resolve to hold onto our current trajectory. Our eternity began when we first believed and someday soon we will begin phase 2 of that eternity; forever and ever, glorified in the presences of God.
Peter is teaching that God wants us to view any current suffering with spiritual and eternal eyes. God is still God. He is still on the throne. He is still sovereign. Our hope is a sure thing. And that sure hope is what empowers our every step today, in this life.
1 Peter 1:13-16
Anytime we see the word 'therefore' we can know it is a conclusion based on the previous stated facts. Within that conclusion we are delivered to another key point.
Girding up your loins was a gathering of your garment or robe and getting ready to move. If you were a solder preparing for battle you would gird up your loins. If you were a runner getting ready to run you would gird up your loins. This was to gather up the lose garments, tuck them in and get prepared. It was being fitted for a purpose. To bind up all that could trip you up.
To apply this to our mind means we should be getting our thoughts together. This is getting the answers to questions we've all had. Why do I suffer? Why is it that I just get past one thing and another comes along? Why don't I see the unbelievers suffering? How long will this last? When will things get better? These are loose ends each of us must find the answer to. For our faith to be precious and valuable we need gird up those loose ends. Those loose ends will trip you up in the middle of your suffering. A lose end will be where Satan attacks you over and over. All our thoughts should be tied up nicely into a proper, biblical view of God. This is establishing your theology. This is your view of God.
Peter said we are to be sober in our approach to understanding these things. This is to take it seriously and not be subject to things that might cause us to lose our spiritual self control. A sober mind is a sign of the spiritually mature. This is self control in the face of events that might seem out of control. It's knowing that God is still on the throne. He is at work and that there is a bigger picture than just my feelings and emotions.
Regardless of any persecution or affliction we are to have our thoughts right and be firm in our belief of the Grace that will be brought to us when Jesus comes again. That understanding drives us to obedience. This is to say, my heavenly Father has blessed me and saved me and continues to take care of me. I want to respond as an obedient child of God.
The world should see that there is a visible difference in the way we live life verses the unbeliever. We live our life in obedience, wanting to be holy and ready to meet our Lord. I remember my grandpa as he was facing death from his lung cancer saying, I just want to be faithful all the way to the end. He said it over and over asking me to pray for him and with him. "Doug, I just don't want to lose my faith." This is a sober and mature response to what was coming in his life. He faced this suffering and death much like he faced the front lines in Korea; with courage, in prayer, knowing whatever the outcome God was right there. The loins of his mind were girded. All the lose ends were tied up. He was determined to meet the Lord in that way.
Girded up and sober minded we are then to rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought. The work of grace started at our salvation. The culmination of that grace is when we are glorified in Christ and enter into eternity. So even though we know of God's grace it is only in part and we are to rest fully on the grace that is to be brought at the revelation of Jesus.
Peter makes it clear. We are called by God. And that call is to holiness. This is an apartness, or to be set apart. God is set apart from this world and from the value system of this world. We are called to join him in this apartness. This apartness calls us out of the former lust. We can't be apart while conforming to the former lusts. The former lusts are the things that used to control us. Christ and the gospel message govern the life of a believer. The former lusts govern the unbelievers. We were once governed that way, but no longer. We are set apart and called to holiness. There's no exception to this. God didn't say, be holy unless you're having some problems. We are called to holiness by one who is holy by definition. Be holy, for I am holy is a quote from Leviticus. God brought his people out of bondage and called for them to be separate from all the false gods of the cultures they would run across.
Leviticus 20:26 says:
26 And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
Read Leviticus carefully and strive to understand the law and you'll see how serious God is about holiness. We read Leviticus and we find these things strange and a little obscure because we don't understand the culture at that time. These things set God's people apart from the rest of the world that chased after false God's and pagan ways. We are not to be conformed to the former lusts. This word conformed means 'to be patterned after' or 'be pressed into a mold.' It's the same word used in Romans 12 when Paul said, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Our life is to be patterned after the things of God.
Does the eminent return of Christ motivate us to change how we live? Let's put it another way. If you knew Jesus was coming back next week would you change anything in your life? Is your life patterned in holiness, being set apart, with all the loose ends tied up?
Our life should be consistent in Christ, no matter the circumstances or settings of this world. Because our fate isn't established by luck, good fortune or even by our selves. We aren't at the mercy of the powers of a sinful world. We are at the mercy of a merciful God.
1 Peter 1:17-21
Peter freshens up the big picture here. If you've called out to the Father, He's saved you. It's now important to act like you're saved. Your life is a testimony to God. You weren't redeemed with corruptible things, low things, things of the world. That even includes things like silver and gold that the world finds great value in.
And Peter said in verse 18, you weren't redeemed from the aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers. This is a reference to the laws of the Pharisees. They weren't saved by keeping a list of do's and don'ts or by some religious traditions. To Christians today Peter may have said, you aren't saved by your church traditions. Some would say if you don't wear certain clothes, conduct worship a certain way and carry a particular translation of the bible, you can't possibly be a believer. You aren't saved by any of those things. You aren't saved by going to church. Some find hope a longstanding tradition of going to a certain church. This is a Christian heritage and it's nice but it doesn't save you. You aren't saved by keeping a list of 'do's' and 'don'ts' in an effort to be a good person. You aren't saved by baptism or being led in a prayer. You aren't saved by your works. You were redeemed with something much more precious. You were saved by the precious blood of Jesus. Your redemption is from the blood of Jesus. It's not the blood and anything else. It's not Jesus plus anything.
Peter said this redemption; the shedding of the blood of Christ was set by God before the creation of the world. It is manifest in these times for you. God's plan was unveiled and fully revealed in Jesus Christ death, burial and resurrection. Peter said, all this happened so that your faith and hope are in God.
1 Peter 1:22-25
We were each born into the corruptible. This flesh; this body we live in was infected with sin before we were born. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. God, in His long suffering didn't judge them immediately for their sin. It was the plan of God that man would populate the earth and that He would bring His son into the world to save it. John said the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. By his life, death and resurrection we are now able to be born again. Peter said in verse 3 begotten again.
Since we are born again we are purified by obeying the truth through the Spirit. This is the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life doing the sure and methodical work of sanctifying and changing you. This will result in a love for our brother from the heart – deep love – agape love. (See also 1John). This is God's work of teaching us each to love and be loved as the body of believers. We grow together and minister to each other. And we hold each other up and support each other in our suffering. We become part of this amazing, eternal, entity called the church.
That born of the imperishable is forever; born again in Jesus Christ, we are imperishable. No suffering, no affliction, no disease or sickness in this life or this world can change that. No person in this world, no evil in the spiritual world can take that away from you.
The perishable will all pass away.......
All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
25 But the word of the LORD endures forever."
It is the glory of man in this world that causes the pain and suffering. It is the hands of evil tyrants and sinful men seeking political power that oppress and kill and destroy. The glory of man is a pride and arrogance to do whatever they want and think there is no God and there is no judgment.
We know the glory of man will be brought low. The glory of man will whither and pass away. But the word of the Lord will endure forever. It's amazing that we can hold the word of God in our hand. Many evil men throughout the history of the world have tried to do away with it. Many have tried to reason it away. Cultures rise and fall; false gods come and go. Satan's attacks are recycled, repackaged and renewed constantly. It's a never-ending barrage by sin to put away this standard of holiness. But God's word will never pass away. The book of Hebrews says it is living and active. There is no expiration date; it is still living and active today. Why don't more people read it? Why don't we spend more time learning about the God that created us and the God we will stand before some day? Whatever our reason, imagine how lame it will sound when we stand before Him and are examined.
Satan's agenda is to steal, kill and destroy and to lead people to hell. All of mankind will know some sort of suffering. Satan uses that suffering to discourage, afflict, oppress, beat down and destroy people. He wants our view to be small, self centered; focused on our own frailties. With our eyes on our self we won't have a view of God. On the other hand, God uses that same suffering to perfect us; to grow us in holiness, to prepare us to stand before Christ. Is your view of the world large enough? Can you see God in your suffering?
Spurgeon said:
It is in the gymnasium of affliction that men are modeled and fashioned in the beauty of holiness, and all their spiritual powers are trained for harmonious action. It was meet also that they should suffer, in order to complete their service. Like their Lord, they had to be made perfect through suffering; and if they had not suffered they had not finished the work which he had given them to do. They needed tribulation, moreover, that they might be made like their Savior; for a saint untroubled, how can he be like the man who wore the thorn crown? Never smitten, never slandered, never despised, never mocked at, never crucified, then how could we be like our Head? Shall the servant be above his Master, or the disciple above his Lord?
When we view our suffering in light of this great big, awesome and amazing picture of God and all that he is doing in the world, it's not to make our suffering small and insignificant. It's the opposite really. In Christ, our suffering has meaning and purpose. Our suffering isn't about us and our pain. Our suffering becomes part of the big picture because we are part of something and someone way bigger than us. Be girded up, be sober, rest in the Grace of Jesus Christ
All this, all that was brought under the 'therefore' of verse 13 speaks of a holy word, an incorruptible word and an enduring word. It was this word that was preached to them by the gospel.
©2020 Doug Ford
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