1 Peter 1:1,2 - Trinity

1:1

The letter follows the standard pattern for the day with the introduction naming the writer and the recipients. As mentioned in the Introduction, the letter clearly claims to be written by the apostle Peter. He is writing to various Christians in the regions mentioned. This is in contrast to Paul’s letters which tended to be written to specific churches, and often dealt with local problems. The recipients are referred to as “God’s elect” and “exiles”. Why does he do this? The Christians were facing an increasingly hostile environment and these two terms both reflect their privilege in being God’s elect, and recognising the difficulties they were facing. This world is not our home. In Hebrews 11 it speaks of us being strangers and aliens. So often it can be very uncomfortable, but we should always remind ourselves who we are. We belong to the Lord.

1:2

We have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. This does not just mean that He knew ahead of time what was going to happen, but that He made a deliberate choice to save us. We are not at the mercy of events, not victims of chance. God has an eternal plan for our salvation. See how the Father, Son and Spirit are all linked together here. They all work together in perfect unity. The Father has chosen us, He decided to save us. We were cleansed of our sin by Jesus’ blood. The Holy Spirit works to sanctify us. Ie His work in our lives is to make us ever more Christlike, and to clear out the dross from our lives. And we are chosen for obedience to Jesus Christ. Obedience is a central part of the gospel. The so-called hyper-grace movement is way out of line in some of its teaching. We were chosen for obedience, and the Holy Spirit works in us towards that end. Moreover, I consider one of the greatest blessing I can receive from God is to be more obedient. The more obdient I become the more freedom I have.

Grace and peace is a ubiquitous blessing in the New Testament. We need the grace of God in abundance, and we have peace with God. We are not trying to earn peace, it is something we have because of the sacrificial work of Christ upon the cross.