November
19th 1 Peter 1 A. Suffering & Security of
Believers Greetings and Blessings
1: Peter, an apostle of Jesus
Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia, 2: Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Be
Patient
3: Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4:
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you, 5: Who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6: Wherein ye greatly
rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through
manifold temptations: 7: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious
than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto
praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8: Whom having
not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9: Receiving the end of your
faith, even the salvation of your souls. 10: Of which salvation the prophets
have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should
come unto you: 11: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ
which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of
Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12: Unto whom it was revealed, that
not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported
unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost
sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
B.
Suffering and the Scriptures Be Holy
13: Wherefore gird up the loins of
your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought
unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14: As obedient children, not
fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15: But
as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation; 16: Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 17: And if
ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to
every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18: Forasmuch
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and
gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19:
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot: 20: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but
was manifest in these last times for you, 21: Who by him do believe in God,
that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope
might be in God. 22: Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one
another with a pure heart fervently: 23: Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24: For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25: But the word of
the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is
preached unto you.
Peter addresses his letter to the
strangers scattered throughout Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia.
Who are the strangers? May l say right away, they are not NT Christians.
Christians are never described as strangers! Peter is addressing those
Israelites who have been scattered by the judgment of God throughout Asia Minor. (Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain
conversation received by tradition from your fathers, The phrase ‘Your fathers’
can never be used of Christians) Now in our reading we can expect a specific
message of God to the Israelites. It will be legal in character and the Messiah
of Israel will be the subject. Oh these people are in just the same position as
any Jew who recognised Jesus Christ as Lord. They are elect according to the
foreknowledge of God (God has two elections the Church and Israel) Peter begins
by combining the Christian and Jewish greeting - Grace and Peace. Yet Peters
emphasis is focused on the Hope of Israel the resurrection of the dead into the
Kingdom. (Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time.) Peter looks forward to the salvation of God
which will be revealed in the last time. Peter reminds his readers that the
blood of Christ has been established forever and the Message of Gods will stand
forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment