WEDNESDAY
1 Peter 1:1–2 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
We left off yesterday talking about the recipients of Peter’s first letter—”the elect exiles of the Dispersion.” Remember, exile is a little strong. The word means more a temporary resident or sojourner. His audience is feeling the tension of dual citizenship. In their physical socio-historical location they are foreigners, unwanted and persecuted. Yet, they are chosen by God. It is even because of this election by God that they are being persecuted.
This reference to being elected by God would cue his readers to Israel’s election. God chose Abraham and his descendants to be his people and enter into covenant relationship with them. This is the first clue, but Peter will emphasize this point again and again—these Christians are the new chosen people of God. He applies a lot of Old Testament language to these churches.
Peter further explains their election with three clauses:
- According to the foreknowledge of God the Father
- Through the sanctification of the Spirit
- For obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood
These believer’s status as citizens in the kingdom of God is not solely a matter of them wanting to be a part of this cool new group and making it happen. It’s also not a matter of God seeing something in them at some prior time that would make them a valuable member of his team, or even just a flippant choice by God. No! He chose them according to his plan from the beginning. Christians are Christians because God has taken the initiative.* Remember, he is writing to encourage and exhort a group of persecuted Christians. This is a great comfort to know that they have been chosen by God. It would have been tempting for them, especially those who came from a Jewish background, to think that their exile and the trials they were facing was a punishment from God. This is a theme of the Old Testament. Disobedience leads to punishment and eventually exile. Here, Peter is emphasizing a different point—it is because of their election that they are exiled and being persecuted. This God who has chosen them is their Father. Far from the despotic lordship of Caesar and their local magistrates, God has redeemed them into his family as their loving Father.
The election of God’s people is done through the instrument of the Spirit. The Spirit sets the believer apart for devotion to God. Like a priest who serves in the temple or an instrument to be used in the temple, the believers are consecrated or set apart for special purposes by the Holy Spirit.
Again, the emphasis is on God’s initiative in saving his people. The believer’s faith in the gospel is evidence of the Spirit’s sanctifying work in choosing them. Karen Jobes writes on this, “It is the Spirit who first stirs in the heart a reaching toward God, quickens one's understanding of the gospel, convicts of sin, reassures of pardon, and transforms the character by his fruit of virtues.” Karen H. Jobes. 1 Peter (p. 70). Kindle Edition.
Again, this is written to a group being persecuted and wondering if God is punishing them. This would be a great comfort for them to know that they have been set apart by the Holy Spirit of God, whom they still experience daily.
The purpose of this election that Peter mentions here is for obedience to Jesus and sprinkling with his blood. It seems best to take both of these ideas (obedience and sprinkling) as a reference to the same thing. This is likely a reference to Exodus 24:3-8 in which the Hebrews confirm their covenant with God by promising to obey everything God has said in the Law. Moses then sprinkles the people with the blood of a sacrifice as a confirmation of their covenant. So the idea is likely that believers have entered into a new covenant with God. But unlike the last covenant, this covenant was ratified by the blood of Jesus and our obedience is rooted in the sanctifying work of the Spirit which Peter just mentioned. This new covenant then is vastly upgraded. It fulfills the promise of Ezekiel 36 in which God promises to give his people a new heart and cause them to walk in his statues.
All of the believer’s election to the people of God is a Trinitarian work. The Father has chosen his people whom he has foreknown. The Spirit stirs the heart to desire God and reveals the truth of the gospel. We enter into a new covenant with God that is based on obedience to the commands of Jesus and ratified in his blood.
*Arminians and Calvinists both would affirm this statement. Arminians, in that God gave his prevenient grace for all people to freely accept him. He foreknew those who would accept him so this is the basis of their election. Calvinists would affirm this statement in that God gave his prevenient grace only to the elect and therefore, foreknew those whom he would choose unto salvation. Both interpretations are okay, but in my personal opinion the Arminian interpretation loses most, if not all of the force of what Peter is trying to say here.
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Reflection
Reflect on the comfort of the glorious truth in the gospel that we are chosen by God to be in covenant relationship with the Godhead. This covenant is ratified in the blood of Christ and it brings us into obedience to Christ. It is originated in the choice of the Father and the effective work of the Holy Spirit in setting us apart for God.