Our Great Salvation!

1 Peter 1:1-5
by Steven Long
last modified 7:21pm

1a 1b 1c

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,

NoA

NoA=Noun of Apposition

Csv

See notes as to why I consider 1c to be a Csv.

1d

2a 2b 2c

Ac P

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. 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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Progression in the sense that election came before & sanctification causes our obedience after our cleansing.

Pur

2d

3a 3b 3c

#* Ac

#*= an emphatic phrase/clause

Id G Exp

Mn Id

3d 4a 4b 4c 4d 4e 5a

S
Temporal, not in the sense of salvation, but in the sense of the time of its revelation.

Exp Ac

L Pur

5b

Notes

Note on 1c - One may ask why I consider 1c a concessive statement. One primary reason is that as believers we belong to the Most High God. Should one who is a child of God have to be an exile or foriegner (See Mt

Our Great Salvation!

1 Peter 1:1-5
by Steven Long
last modified 7:21pm

17:25 for another example)? Yet we know that because of our faith in Christ we are outcasts. But when the King of Kings shall return in righteousness we will no longer be exiles but our true identities as citizens of a "better country" will come to full fruitation!

Peter encourages and comforts these strangers in a strange land. They are pilgrims and have been into "dispersion." He reminds them of their election and recalls what it means for them (sprinkling of the blood of Christ, obedience, and sanctification) after which, he launches into a beautiful eulogy of God's grace! I veiw the main theme of these five verses as 3b, According to His great mercy! How marvelous and awesome is the grace of the Father. This one phrase grounds the entire reason for what follows:

1. Being born again - It is solely the grace of God that is the cause of our new birth. And our birth comes only because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If not for His being raised from the dead we would, as Paul has stated, we are still in our sins (1Cor 15:17). 2. Our new birth has also been called by Peter, a living hope. This hope is living because it is authored by the Living Water Himself. He cannot fail and despite the circumstane surrounding their dispersion (and ours) He is alive to make sure that we receive what He has intended us to receive. And also, the hope is not one of futile wishing; it does not intend to be a matter of 'if' but a matter of 'when.' It is a hope with the expectation that looks to the surety of promise. 3. The inheritance is lasting - Peter describes our living hope with three strong words: imperishable, undefiled, unfading. Each of these characteristics presents a unique quality to the hope to which they are being called. Imperishable is something that cannot waste away. Undefiled is that which is of the purest kind, and unfading means it never dulls or vanishes. 4. The inheritance is kept by God - Perhaps this is the most comforting thought for this means that we do not have to strive to hold on to our inheritance. God keeps it safe and steady and we need not wonder about His faithfulness. 5. We are kept by God - Even greater than our inheritance being kept by God is the fact that our very salvation is kept by Him. This ties beautifully into verse 2, for if it is God's active election that calls us and causes us to be sanctified unto obedience then surely He will see it through til the very end (Php 1:6). As usual, the expected word for God's power, dunamis, is used here. But it is also coupled with another word, phroureo, which is a military word for a sentinel that guards a thing or person with his life. How awesome to think that God is actually our sentinel! How much more should we be thankful that our own weak and frail power does not guard us.

Application of the text

The world views us as exiles and strangers. And we are. We should recognize two things:

Our Great Salvation!

1 Peter 1:1-5
by Steven Long
last modified 7:21pm

We are in the world but not of it - The sooner we come to this realization the better our predicament. God has never intended us to be a permanent residet of this fading sod. We can no more pitch our tents and settle down than could we live in Sodom and Gomorrah and think that our garments would not become defiled. One day, the King of Kings shall return and set all things straight and His righteousness it will be that shines through us. We must stop being chameleons - There is nothing worse than a Christian who puts on another skin when in the presence of unbelievers. They hide their identities because they crave the praise of men more than the praise of God (Joh 12:42). They desire to be liked by the world and so they imitate the world when they are in company of the world. These are the ones who are in danger of Hellfire and should, as Peter has stated, make their calling and election sure. As exiles we have a greater inheritance than what this world can offer. We've no need to crave the things that are temporal. Our focus should be telescopically fixed upon Jesus. Remeber, Peter praises God for His GREAT MERCY!! He is the true rewarder of those that diligently seek Him; He is the treasure that is worth forsaking all that you have; and He is the eternal One that makes the eternal covenant (and fulfills it) with His people. But how will we seek Him if we refuse to pull up our tent pegs and follow Him homeward?