Scripture reading – 1 Peter 1-5
Today’s Scripture reading brings us to the First Epistle of Peter. Though brief in comparison to other books of the Bible, this small letter is a spiritual gold mine, but to sum up its doctrines and applications in one devotional commentary is an impossible task. For the sake of brevity, I will limit my focus to Peter’s opening salutation, 1 Peter 1:1-2.
Historical Background
The Roman Empire was near its peak when this letter was written to first century saints. Reaching as far west as Britain, and into the African continent as far south as Egypt, Rome’s territories covered nearly two million square miles. The emperor of the day was the infamous Nero, and by the time Peter penned his epistle, the dark clouds of persecution were beginning to form. The church would soon experience its first wave of persecution, and among those who would become martyrs were the apostles Paul, and Peter, the author of our Epistle.
The Author – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 1:1a)
What a testimony of God’s saving grace! Peter, the fisherman (Mark 1:16-20), brother of Andrew, a disciple of Jesus Christ, and an apostle! He was a natural leader, and along with James and John, was privileged to be named in Christ’s inner circle (Matthew 17:1-2; Mark 5:37, 9:2, 14:23). He was the disciple who had boasted he would never deny Jesus (Matthew 26:29-35), but thrice denied Him the night He was betrayed (Matthew 26:69-74). Humiliated, broken, and finally restored; Peter became a testimony of faith, courage, and faithfulness to the Lord.
The Addressees of the First Epistle of Peter (1 Peter 1:1b-2)
Peter identified the recipients of his letters as “the strangers [sojourners; exiles] scattered [dispersed] throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1:1). Who were these “strangers”? They were not “strangers” to Peter, but aliens in this world (1:1) because they had been scattered from their homelands (1:1). Driven from their homes by religious persecution, they were believers, who had accepted the Messiah, and become sojourners, people without a home or country.
They were not only “Strangers”, they were the Saved, the “Elect,” the chosen “according to the foreknowledge of God” (1:2a). The elect were the same in Peter’s day as they were in every generation. God’s chosen people are elect. The blessing for you and me is that anyone can be elect if he or she accepts Christ and becomes part of God’s family. To be elect is a term of endearment, much like a parent refers to his children as his family. When we become a part of God’s kingdom, we become part of His family, and we are elect – endeared to the Father.
I believe the “elect” are chosen by God, according to His foreknowledge, and they are the objects of His saving grace, through faith in the sacrificial offering of Christ for our sin [His suffering, death, burial, and resurrection]. The apostle Paul described “election” in Ephesians 1:4 in these words:
Ephesians 1:4 – “According as [Even as] He hath chosen us in Him [for Himself] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy [consecrated & set apart] and without blame [above reproach] before him in love.”
Who then are the chosen? Who are the elect? Who can be saved?
Some might take me to task on this point, but my answer is, “whosoever will” (John 3:16; Romans 10:13). The elect are “whosoever will.”
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in himshould not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
My heart rejoices to close with this eternal promise:
“And He [Jesus] is the propitiation [atoning sacrifice] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Copyright 2020 – Travis D. Smith
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