What’s it to you?
1 Peter 1:1-5 What’s it to you?
We see that Peter is an apostle. Importance: He had the ministry of apostleship:
2 Corinthians 12:12
V1
Written by Peter
(The first “To”)
Acts 2:43;
The qualifications of this type of apostle were: (1) to have been a witness of the
resurrected Christ (
Spirit (
Acts 9:15
1 Corinthians 9:1
), (2) to have been explicitly chosen by the Holy
), and (3) to have the ability to perform signs and wonders (
).
In a broader sense it is a ministry calling like that of one who is called out, who goes
and preaches the gospel it’s also an office most closely related to a missionary
planting churches in unchurched areas, etc
To the pilgrims: To those whose home is not here. Though they be everywhere, but their true home is heaven.
V2
Election: God’s sovereign election, his foreknowledge is due to His divinity. He is God and has the knowledge of those who will exercise faith which brings salvation look below:
Purification- “Sprinkling of the blood of Jesus” this is the single act acceptable to God that cleanses us completely from our sins. He doesn’t just merely cover them or temporarily suspend them. He, Jesus purifies us of them.
This salvation is something that we could never ever ever ever ever ever ever work for or attain to.
Grace- that merit not based on work but rather on belief, in trusting in Christ Jesus
And this is our second “To”: Is To You!
And its result is:
Peace- is the presence of God in every situation.
Finally we see here in V2 that in salvation there is an ownership of God of our lives: God by His own Spirit sets us aside FOR His purposes. Look again at the verse:
“Sanctification of the Spirit for obedience” God sets us apart to fulfill His will and we as His children obey Him. Easier said than done, that’s why we need His Spirit.
V3
Blessed- praise be to God Almighty
For his Son Jesus
Because of his mercy (uncertain affinity, compassion, tenderness and kindness, the thought of readiness to help those in trouble) this is something to praise God Almighty
This mercy has caused us to become born again:
This is our 3rd “To”
“To a living hope” by way of the death and resurrection of Christ. It is ironic because God used death itself to eradicate death. He put death to death by the death of His son.
God, though the death and resurrection of his Son gives us a hope to endure even the grimmest of situations because we place our trust not in our situation, life or status but upon the RISEN CHRIST. And because God eradicated death by the death of Jesus, so by His Resurrection we have what is mentioned here as a “Living Hope”
V4
Here’s our 4th “To”
To an inheritance:
God is leaving us something (an inheritance) of incalculable worth. This is what is known as “The prospective condition and possessions of a believer in the new order of things to be ushered in at the return of Christ”
Described as:
1.Incorruptible- something that cannot decay or perish, something that can’t go bad 2.Undefiled- unsoiled, completely pure, something we cannot fully fathom as our view of purity is skewed as well.
3.Eternal- (will not fade away) perennial, perpetual
4.Promised (reserved)- guarded, to attend to carefully
So this inheritance is something spectacular, but it is something to be received, given to someone for the taking. It requires a response from the person. What will you do? What will I do? Revelation requires response. Revelation requires action. Revelation requires faith as well.
Read the last part of the verse: reserved in Heaven FOR YOU
This is something that we’re going to look forward to. We’re going to have this in its fullness one day. So this inheritance is reserved FOR YOU as we’ve read and at the same time God is so gracious that He’s done everything (Giving us His Word, His Spirit, His People, His very Presence) so that we might actually become partakers of salvation by empowering us to live the life He’s calling us to be... Look with me again...
This is being written to “the Pilgrims”, the aliens, those whose true home is not here (as it states in V1), in Sanctification (God’s process of separating you and I unto Himself as we see in V2) and who has Begotten us (He chose to save us, yes we responded but Salvation we know is of the Lord alone right? He’s begotten us to a living hope as it states in V3 to obtain something so extraordinary that we could never in a thousand eternities repay.... We simply obey but we know that it isn’t as easy at times as we wish it would be. It get’s better! Because God Himself sustains us to accomplish it.
Look at V5
Kept- this word kept is to guard, or to protect by a military guard, like in biblical times a city
would post sentries at the gates in order to guard the inhabitants or to capture someone trying to besiege the city. God is keeping us, preserving us.
By God’s power: This is that dynamic power, miraculous in nature, God’s Holy Spirit residing in us power. That He sustains us with.
[2Pe 1:3 KJV] 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
(Jhn 14:26 NKJV) "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
As I mentioned before is an active practice: look at V5 again:
Through faith: with conviction of the truth, belief in Him that he is going to do what he says, to have a holy fervor, this word faith also has an indication of fidelity, trusting and relying that He will do what he says...
The End result?- For Salvation
Peter has been alluding to this since the beginning of this letter Elect according to God
Begotten us again to a living hope
To an inheritance incorruptible
For Salvation (as we read here)
Look at V9: Salvation of your souls
See God saved us, saves us and will save us.
God by Christ’s sacrifice saved us, right? It’s a one time thing, Salvation. But the process of salvation takes a lot of saving....
So when we entrust our lives to Christ it’s a one time thing correct? I’m saved. But I have yet to see the finality of that correct?
It brings us to our final “To”
V5 to be revealed in the last time
God saved us by sending Jesus, He continues to save us as we’re reading here: He’s rescuing us from the world, from our flesh, from the attacks of Satan correct? And finally will have its full consummation at the end, when we’ve held fast and the fulfillment of that hope we placed in Him comes to fruition... We made it, he saved us... Future tense....
So this trusting in the Lord, relying on the Holy Spirit and holding fast to the truth of God will have it’s ultimate and final fulfillment
So what is it to you (and I)? I believe this section of scripture is to encourage us as pilgrims, as sojourners in a foreign land, to give us a hope like none other to help us endure to cause us
to press into Christ to give us true purpose. For what? For Sanctification that our God is working in us, for obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit, and ultimately for Salvation, that alone belongs to God.
[Col 3:3-4 NKJV] 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ [who is] our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.