Announced To You

1 Peter 1:1–12

I. 1 Peter 1:1, 2 – Peter addresses Christians that have been dispersed throughout Asia Minor because of a flurry of persecution.

Though Peter is the Apostle to the circumcised, internal evidence indicates that he addresses not only Jewish Christians, but those that have formerly lived their lives thoroughly immersed in a particularly debased Gentile culture [4:3ff]. Even though they are in an exiled situation, Peter reminded them that their position is not thereby uncertain, for, in the purpose of God they are elect (1:1). This election proceeds in an orderly and certain fashion from the divine foreknowledge, to the effectual operation of the Holy Spirit in setting them apart for faith in Jesus, particularly in relation to his shedding his blood for them. The salvation of God’s elect is a fully Trinitarian salvation proceeding from the one God who lives eternally as a three-personed Being. This one, true God covenanted to bring salvation to sinners, each person performing those aspects of the work peculiarly appropriate to his distinctive personal relation within the triune God.

A. “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (2).

Foreknowledge does not mean only pre-cognition, but an unchangeable divine affection, the kind of affection given to one that is loved particularly. See its use in 1:20 where it obviously means an eternal and purposefully productive love concerning the Son of God that would take to Himself our nature in order to be the Christ. It is also used in a chain of issues concerning God’s eternal purpose (Romans 8:26) a purpose founded in foreknowledge and ending in glorification. That foreknowledge is God’s setting his heart upon certain persons beforehand. The outflowing of love as an originating power is peculiarly reflective of the Father’s properties and the eternal fountain of the love intrinsic to the persons of Son and Spirit and characteristic of the divine essence. God foreknows his elect.

B. “Sanctification of the Spirit” (2).

The Spirit sets apart those foreloved and chosen by the Father. This setting apart involves the threefold operation of convincing of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8, 9). The Spirit accompanied the preached word with a special power (cf 1 Thessalonians 1:4, 5) and effected the new birth in these chosen ones. This operation implies a full and eternal accord with the Father’s will and love.

C. “For obedience to Jesus Christ” (2).

This is faith in Christ, but called obedience because true faith always contains in it the recognition of and submission to divine authority. Note 1:21, 22 that emphasizes belief and faith involve the new birth that purifies the soul by “obedience to the truth.” Note also 2:6–8 where belief is set opposite disobedience to the word. See also 1:9 and 1:14 for the interchangeableness, in Peter’s vocabulary, of faith and obedience. Cf. 3:1 “if some do not obey the word.”

D. “And sprinkling with his blood.” Original reads, “unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” (1:2).

Note references to Christ’s blood/death in 1:11, 1:19; 2:21–24, 3:18, 4:1, 4:13, 5:1. This phrase would be particularly striking to dispersed Jews, for they are thereby reminded that Passover and Day of Atonement have been fulfilled once and for all by the Lamb (1:19) that was slain, Christ Jesus Himself. His suffering, His death, was truly substitutionary. He took death for us and to be sprinkled with his blood means that it is efficacious peculiarly and certainly for those to whom it is applied.

II. 1 Peter 1:3–5 – Peter gives an energetic benediction to the Father, specifically as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no other God than this one who identifies Himself in such a way. This passage is filled with the initiative and power of God and the blessings that his foreknowing love has prepared for us.

A. Look at the assertions of divine initiative.

1. 1. Mercy – Mercy is a divine prerogative in which beneficent favor is given in spite of ill-desert.
   2. He has caused us to be born again – Though not mentioned in person, this refers to the operation of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 5) who is the author of this new birth (1:23, the “imperishable seed”).
   3. “Kept” or “reserved” – The inheritance already is in heaven kept for us by God. He himself guards it for it consists of a believer’s union with the love and glory intrinsic to the triune God and thus is as “kept” as God’ own character is “kept.”
   4. “By God’s power being guarded through faith” God is the one who initiates faith and he preserves it in the elect. Because of this they are “believers.” His power manifests itself peculiarly in this, that he maintains in them their desire for union with Him. [cf Philippians 1:6; 2:12, 13]
   5. Ready to be revealed – the time of the culmination and completion of this saving work of the triune God is the “last time.” When that pre-ordained critical time arrives, the full glory of that salvation will come in as a flood unveiled by the Father’s good pleasure.

B. Look at the blessings.

1. 1. New birth and living hope – The new birth not only is a change of heart and nature, it is the introduction of its recipient into a new eschatological order. “By the resurrection from the dead” means that Christ’s resurrection infuses hope into the experience so that our true home, the new direction of our affections, is toward the coming manifestation of the rule of Jesus Christ.
   2. Inheritance – While any earthly condition can change and any earthly home can be destroyed, and we may be driven from all temporal security by earthly disaster or hostility, the eternal home nothing can destroy. Look at the words and relish them, enjoy them, and note their true glory and infinite durability – imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Not only shall we not perish, but the things that God has prepared for us shall not perish. They are all overflows of his own rich beauty and glory that can never perish. They are undefiled. All earthly things, no matter how relatively pure, are defiled. This inheritance partakes of the divine nature, again as an overflow of his goodness, and is defiled by nothing – utterly pure. And none of the intrinsic qualities and satisfying beauties ever diminish or lose their intense allurement for they are unfading.
   3. “A salvation” – Scripture consistently uses the nomenclature of salvation, saved for the experience of deliverance from sin, corruption and condemnation into a state of favor with God (e.g Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5; John 3:17). Salvation is a deliverance from a state of wrath and entrance into a state of divine favor. The fullness of the results of this deliverance, and the beginning of the experience of unalloyed joy in the presence of divine favor is at the “last time” (5). John explains that, even though we are presently sons of God we do not yet know what we shall be; but we know we shall be like him, for “we shall see him as He is” (1 John 3:1–3).

III. 1 Peter 1:6, 7 – The prospect of this final salvation gives a present joy even though our experience here also includes many trials.

Trials now only increase the intensity of our joy then.

A. “Though now for a little while if necessary” – However long this life is, it is only a little while.

And while we are here, it is often necessary for our comfort with this world and our attachment to it be challenged, even taken from us. We must be taught to “love not the world neither the things that are in the world.” We must learn not to store up treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt, and thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).

B. “The proving of your faith” means the approvedness or tested genuineness of your faith.

The things that God does to demonstrate that our faith is real gives a luster to the element of genuineness. Peter emphasized here, not that faith is more precious that gold, but that its “testedness” is more precious than gold. That which gives faith its true shine and removes all the earthly cling-ons is the process of trial that unveils its genuineness.

C. “May be found etc.” – The approvedness of faith flames out into praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

This will show that the sacrifice of Christ is really worth more than all the world, and it would profit a man nothing if he gained the whole world but lost his soul. Approved faith will lead in the bending of knees to Jesus as Lord to the glory of God the Father.

IV. 1 Peter 1:8–9 – Approved faith cannot exist if it has not arisen from love.

Faith manifests itself because love has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit in the new birth. We would not believe if the Spirit had not brought us to love. Thus we see in these verses that love, faith, joy and hope all flow together in singularly pure affection for the one that is altogether lovely, the Lord Jesus Christ.

A. “Whom having not seen etc.” Though believers have not seen Jesus Christ, they have been brought to love him by the Spirit’s work of showing us Christ through the word.

We are led by the truth of Scripture energized into our minds, souls, and hearts by the Holy Spirit to love the Savior that is set forth there. We see his excellence, his perfect obedience to the Father, his condescension to sinners and the hate for God that formerly dominated the soul is pushed aside and replaced by love. This love is the fountain from which flows faith (cf. Galatians 5:6) so that we want only Christ and his righteousness for we know that it alone can bring us to God (Philippians 3:7–9).

B. “Rejoice with joy etc.” The sight of the beauty and graciousness of Christ, and the anticipation of the reality of presence with him at his coming again, can hardly do anything else than inspire joy.

The ineffable reality of the divine goodness expressed in saving us far exceeds any ability we might have to express it. When one contemplates what is at stake in God’s grace in giving Christ to save us, we soon run out of adequate expression in human language. Salvation now possessed is awaiting the believer in its fullness.

V. 1 Peter 1:10–12 – This coming of Christ is not something that has only newly been introduced into the world.

Rather it was prepared for and many of the elements of his incarnation and salvific work were introduced in the centuries past by the prophets. It was in fact given immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve, a prophecy that assured victory through the victor’s suffering (Genesis 3:15).

A. “As to This salvation”(10).

Notice the entire scheme of the Gospel is described as “Grace.” Its prophetic content consists of two things: the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow (11). The wonderment of the prophets’ inquisitiveness concerned how these two antagonistic qualifications could coalesce in one person.

B. The Work of the Prophets.

The revelation of such a salvation, born in grace, and consummated in a unique person naturally raised their inquisitive natures.

1. 1. Person: Daniel in 7:13 sees the Son of Man coming on clouds of glory. This was perplexing to Daniel. The fullness of the Messiah’s glory and work described in Isaiah 61, stirred deep reflection. Compare these with Matthew 11:4 Luke 4:17-21 and 7:22 .
   2. Time – Isaiah 11:1-11 describes a glorious transformation of the entire created order through an authoritative person that comes from the “stem of Jesse.” The prophet identifies this as occurring “in that day.” The prophets and their hearers would naturally ask, “In what day?” (10,11, and also 12:1).

C. Commitment to revelation: They were vehicles of the Holy Spirit’s predictions.

1. 1. The Holy Spirit’s prediction of the work of the Redeemer is stated clearly and forcefully in 2 Peter 1:20, 21. In Luke 10:17-24 Jesus empowered his disciples to do works characteristic of the messianic age and told them, “Many eyes have desired to see what you see and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it” (24).
   2. The revelation that they would have no more, but that it was reserved for later constitutes the “mystery.” Paul wrote, ”Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now ben disclosed” (Romand 16:25, 26). To this phenomenon he refers again in his letter to the Ephesians, “The mystery was made known to me by revelation, … you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:3-6)

D. These Christians dispersed throughout various places should embrace their heard-message as a Blessing.

1. 1. These things that have now been announced to you”—Peter himself had been one of the announcers. What the prophets had longed to see was now announced through the preaching of the apostles, eyewitnesses to the glory of the Christ.
   2. Those who preached the gospel to you. Paul in Romans 16:25-26 called his preaching “my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,” says that this is the “revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began” but now made manifest in accord with the prophetic Scriptures.
   3. By the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; This announcement still must come in the character of revelation (John 15:26, 27).

Poem

Mysterious to angels, all the beauties of salvation,
Sinners chosen by the Father for redemption by the Son,
Called to life by the Spirit’s powerful sanctification,
Rebel creatures loved and saved by the eternal Three-in-One.
Immutable decree!

Snatched from dark condemnation to the hope of life unending,
Merciful interposition by the Son’s unfailing love,
Dying for a people to fulfill the Father’s sending
And make certain the inheritance is kept for them above.
Unmerited mercy!

The hope of life eternal in God’s unblemished happiness
Makes temporary suffering the path to full assurance.
A true faith in the fires of trial shows its birth in holiness;
It steels the soul, delights the heart, inflames the will’s endurance.
Suffer for ecstasy!

You have not seen Him yet- but will- for love and faith see clearly.
When He returns in risen glory, faith and honor praise Him.
In joy that transcends every language hymns arise sincerely.
The sinner saved from wrath is clothed in beauties that amaze him.
He alone is worthy!

Though prophets saw both blood and glory, nor person nor the time
Were to them revealed for such would wait until God’s chosen way
Revealed itself in deed and word through God’s own decree sublime.
Angels marvel; those who saw it preach a gospel to obey.
God’s word says “Come and see!”

The wisdom of the gospel weighs
Upon the mind and heart.
Such weight assures that our soul stays
In Christ, ne’er to depart.
Kept for eternity!