Meditation - I Peter 1:3

Hello there, I still have not written about 2 adventures I've had here, hopefully I will get to it soon. But until then, I will stick with this. It's shorter, it is only half of a sentence in the ESV, but to do a good job of the whole thing would take at least a whole book, not an hour.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)

After giving his introduction, the apostle goes on and blesses the Lord, "Praise God!" is his cry to heaven. Why does he give so enthusiastic praise? Let us look further and see. Peter answers our puzzlement by telling us-people, good people, bad people, and everyone in between-that according to God's great mercy, we are born again to living hope. A strange thing to say if we were-if mankind were-right with God. But in truth, we as a race are not. We have failed. We have sinned. We have turned every one to his own way. We are vile. The very best of us are capable of doing even the most degrading and vile acts and think the most degrading thoughts and desire the most despicable things. How truly wicked must every man find his own heart. How lustful are his wishes for pleasure! God-just in all-is duty bound to punish eternally our eternal sin against an eternal God. Can a judge free a murder into society? Can a jury let a rapist walk free? Can God let vile sinners into heaven with a holy god? It cannot be! But God, in his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope. Such a great mercy! Milton Vincent-author of the Gospel Primer-writes these words,

"The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath. This is the cup that would bee mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day. With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me. That God, in fact has given me a cup that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ," and this without the slightest admixture of wrath, leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy. As for my specific earthly circumstances of plenty or what, I can see them always as infinite improvements on the hell I deserve."1

We have a living hope. And that living hope is linked to the resurrection of Christ from the dead. We do not have it through some method, but through our Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected for our justification. This hope is fact. It is not based in something we do or did. It is only in Christ. How can we receive mercy from God, despite our sin? Christ's resurrection. How can we have hope before a just God? Christ's resurrection is the only source. Christ is the source of anything you need. Trust Him. Rely on Him. See and Savior your risen Lord.

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1. Vincent, Milton, A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God's Love. Bemidji, Minnesota: Focus Publishing, 2008, (47-8).

Meditation - I Peter 1:1-2

~ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 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. ~

(1 Peter 1:1-2 ESV)

Sometimes the introductions of New Testament books are the easiest things to skip over. I know I do it. A lot. It can be really hard to sit there and read through "Paul, a servant of Jesus, etc" and attempt to understand what it has to say. Yet despite our pickiness about their apparent leanness, the introductions often have real meat to them. They are kind of like the chicken drumstick after you ate the big pieces. Those scraps maybe small but there is always some good meat left.

It really is a big deal for Peter to write "an apostle of Jesus Christ" in his personal introduction. Here is a man who would have walked with Jesus. He ate meals with Jesus, he sat down and talked and watched Jesus in all of his humanity. He lived with him for over 3 years. He watched him be carried away to be crucified. He knew that Jesus was buried. Yet he also witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ into Glory. He saw the results of the resurrection. He witnessed the risen Son. We have an eyewitness1 to the very Jesus Christ, the son of God. He does not need to back up his authority, everyone knew what Peter had done and seen. Peter, the eyewitness to that we now can only see through scripture, writes to us.

Well, he writes to the "elect exiles," a double designation. Not only are they elect (designated, thought out, chosen) of God, but they are exiles. "Temporary residence in the world."2 Peter knew that this world is not their home. Like the refrain in the old song: "This world is not my home I'm just a passin' though, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue." These chosen and designated people were strangers in the world, just as they were strangers in their "dispersion." How so fitting a way to describe us now. We do not live in "Pontus" or "Cappadocia" but we are strangers in a world that once the fake politeness is wiped away, utterly hates us, because it hates our Lord. Peter encourages these persecuted people, telling them that they (and all believers) are "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father". It is no accident that they are Christians. They did not make a wrong choice somewhere, it is by God and despite all of their struggles and sufferings God was working thought them, bringing "sanctification of the Spirit." For God has set aside his disciples to be in obedience of Christ. To be set apart holy to Him.

We too are exiles. But likewise, we are elected exiles by God. Who sanctifies us by His Spirit, so that we come into obedience to Christ. Why? We are set apart. We are made holy by the sprinkling of Jesus' blood on us. The things of this world should offer no allure because of our position. Come on, embrace your calling of as an exile from this world. It is the only calling worthy of your life.

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1. I have not chosen to deal with the issues regarding the authorship of I & II Peter. There is plenty of solid internal and external evidence to suggest that the traditional, conservative view of original Petrine authorship. There are books and conservative commentaries that will deal with the issue much better then I can.

2. D Edmond Hiebert - Commentary on I Peter (47).