In our last talk we:
- Considered the background to the letter and the circumstances in which it was written
- Took a rapid tour through the whole letter
- Identified the main theme of the letter –
present suffering perhaps, future glory certain
Background
Author Peter
Date 62 to 64 A.D.
Circumstances
Written to Jewish Christians who had been driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Asia Minor
Throughout the Roman Empire Christians were being tortured and killed for their faith and the church in Jerusalem was being scattered throughout the Mediterranean world
Peter was probably in Rome when the great persecution and the Emperor Nero began and was eventually executed during this persecution
Today we begin to look at the text of the letter by beginning with the opening two verses:
NIV
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.
ESV
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.
In some ways this is a typical greeting
But it’s of special significance relevant to the circumstances in which it was written
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ
As we saw last time, Peter was writing to Christians undergoing persecution
Note how Peter’s faith has matured since Caesarea Philippi
Matt. 16:22 Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you
John 21:18-19
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Acts 5:41
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
To those who are elect (chosen)
Note that election is according to God’s foreknowledge
See my comments in an earlier podcast on Ephesians 1.
But what’s the special relevance of the word chosen in this context?
The next word is exiles. What a contrast! They may be exiles – rejects, but they’re elect exiles! All that is happening to them is part of God’s chosen plan for them
exiles of the Dispersion
The word dispersion (διασπορᾶ) was commonly used to refer to the Jews who were scattered around the world, no longer resident in Israel.
Peter now uses it to refer to Christians (who are now God’s chosen people – 2:9-10)
It would be easy to understand this negatively, but note the positive aspects of being scattered:
The word literally means sown throughout
God is scattering his people as seeds throughout the nations and he’s using persecution to do it.
Compare Acts 8:1-4, 11:19
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father
Of course, this refers primarily to what immediately follows – sanctification, obedience, sprinkling
But we’re reminded that God know everything in advance – even our suffering
in the sanctification of the Spirit
NIV through the sanctifying work of the Spirit
To sanctify means to make holy
The NT shows sanctification as both a completed act and an ongoing process
for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood
The Greek literally says:
For obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ
The purpose of our salvation is obedience
The sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ refers to our initial salvation
and to God’s provision for the ongoing forgiveness of our sins
May grace and peace be multiplied to you
This blessing was particularly appropriate to Christians who were suffering
It was through the gift of God’s grace and peace that they had been saved
But there’s no limit to God’s resources. There’s plenty more grace and peace available.
The verses that immediately follow illustrate this wonderfully
But that’s our subject for next time 🙂