Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. ~ 1 Peter 1:1-2
As we mentioned in the last two blogs/podcasts, in 1 Peter 1:1-2 the Apostle Peter identifies the follower of the Lord Jesus Christ with three descriptors: Exiles, Elect, and Chosen. Having considered the first two descriptors, today, we consider the third.
In today's passage, the Apostle Peter makes clear the involvement of the Trinity in the redemption of fallen man. The Father foreknew us, while the Holy Spirit sanctified us, and the Lord Jesus died for us. God the Father is the One who has elected or chosen the believer in Christ according to His "foreknowledge." The Greek word translated "foreknowledge" is only used five times in the New Testament and it simply means "thought-out in advance."
In eternity past, before man ever sinned, God did not just know man would rebel against Him, He, along with the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit planned our redemption. The word "foreknowledge" does not refer to God's awareness of what was going to happen, it means "predetermined relationship in the knowledge of God." God brought the salvation relationship into existence by decreeing it into existence ahead of time and believers are foreknown by God for salvation in the same way that Christ was predetermined before the foundation of the world to be the sacrifice for our sins. God chose the believer in Christ before He created the world. He had to do this given the fact that we were dead to Him in our sins and trespasses.
Abraham is an example of this. He, the father of Israel, was foreknown by God the Father, not because of anything he did or he would do. When Abraham came to faith in the God of the Bible, he did so on the heels of his earthly father's death. It was then, after his father died that God intercepted Abraham's life. Up until that time, all Abraham knew was polytheism which did not include the God of the Bible. Having foreknown Abraham, God introduced Himself to him through his pain. This merely underscores the fact that our pain attracts the attention of God. It is our pain that serves us as stepping stones to a personal relationship with God. The question is always the same: Will I be defined by my pain or will I be defined by God? The design of our pain is to drive us into seeking God. Just like Abraham, Israel had nothing to offer God, but God chose them so that He could demonstrate to all of mankind what it looks like to have a personal relationship with God.
Abraham is an example of this. He, the father of Israel, was foreknown by God the Father, not because of anything he did or he would do. When Abraham came to faith in the God of the Bible, he did so on the heels of his earthly father's death. It was then, after his father died that God intercepted Abraham's life. Up until that time, all Abraham knew was polytheism which did not include the God of the Bible. Having foreknown Abraham, God introduced Himself to him through his pain. This merely underscores the fact that our pain attracts the attention of God. It is our pain that serves us as stepping stones to a personal relationship with God. The question is always the same: Will I be defined by my pain or will I be defined by God? The design of our pain is to drive us into seeking God. Just like Abraham, Israel had nothing to offer God, but God chose them so that He could demonstrate to all of mankind what it looks like to have a personal relationship with God.
In v.2 of today's passage, Peter brings together the most important factors in the Christian life. There is, first of all, a relationship with God. Our relationship with God is determined by the fact that we are loved by God. Then, through the process of sanctification, the Holy Spirit provides the power to be what God wants us to be on this earth now. The result of all of God's power is our obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we fail to be what we know God intends us to be, there is always forgiveness.
God the Father extended His love toward us by sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sin on the cross. God the Holy Spirit trains us in the thinking God's thoughts so that we may live the lives the Lord Jesus died to give us. God, the Holy Spirit convinces us that we need a Savior. He brings us to a place where we are willing to receive the free gift of the forgiven son through Jesus Christ as Lord.
By using the phrase, "sprinkled with His blood," the Apostle Peter highlighted the days when the Old Testament priest offered an unblemished lamb on the altar of God. The Old Testament believers knew that the penalty for their rebellion against God was the shedding of innocent blood. Annually, on the Day of Atonement, the priest would then sprinkle the lamb's blood on the altar to cleanse the sin of the people. What began as one sacrificial lamb per person in the Garden of Eden became one sacrificial lamb per family in the wilderness after the Exodus. It was all the foreshadowing of the day that the Father would send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would is the one sacrificial lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
This is what frees us from a life of serving the flesh or the sinful desires that are yet within us. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:8 the flesh is out to destroy us, and when we feed the flesh, we aid it in our own destruction. John the Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Once we beheld the Son, we gained the desire to believe in Him. And, out of our forgiven state, we desired to obey Him, not because we had to but because we wanted to. We love Him in response to His love for us, recognizing that there is no greater love than that to lay down your life for your friends.
God the Father extended His love toward us by sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sin on the cross. God the Holy Spirit trains us in the thinking God's thoughts so that we may live the lives the Lord Jesus died to give us. God, the Holy Spirit convinces us that we need a Savior. He brings us to a place where we are willing to receive the free gift of the forgiven son through Jesus Christ as Lord.
By using the phrase, "sprinkled with His blood," the Apostle Peter highlighted the days when the Old Testament priest offered an unblemished lamb on the altar of God. The Old Testament believers knew that the penalty for their rebellion against God was the shedding of innocent blood. Annually, on the Day of Atonement, the priest would then sprinkle the lamb's blood on the altar to cleanse the sin of the people. What began as one sacrificial lamb per person in the Garden of Eden became one sacrificial lamb per family in the wilderness after the Exodus. It was all the foreshadowing of the day that the Father would send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would is the one sacrificial lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
This is what frees us from a life of serving the flesh or the sinful desires that are yet within us. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:8 the flesh is out to destroy us, and when we feed the flesh, we aid it in our own destruction. John the Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Once we beheld the Son, we gained the desire to believe in Him. And, out of our forgiven state, we desired to obey Him, not because we had to but because we wanted to. We love Him in response to His love for us, recognizing that there is no greater love than that to lay down your life for your friends.
When the Lord Jesus Christ died for you and for me, He provided an infinite payment for our sin. As a result, we can never sin too much. Through the Lord Jesus there is infinite forgiveness. In Psalm 130, David wrote, "If You, Lord, should keep a record of our iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You that You may be reverentially trusted." One of the greatest incentives for our obedience to God's word is the realization that God has totally forgiven us in Christ. When we fail, we just thank God for the forgiveness which is ours through Christ, and we move on toward the obedience he has promised. This is what God determined before the world was created.
