Eternal Design

Eternal Design 1 Peter 1:2 Peter’s Greeting to the Elect Exiles • Peter extends his greeting to Christians living over a wide geographical area. • His readers are multi-ethnic Christians who are about to endure systematic, state-wide persecution at the hands of Nero’s Roman government. • They’re all chosen by God to be living away from home. • Both “elect” and “alien” are adjectives, which fuses the ideas together into an indissoluble whole. Peter’s Triplets • Father-Son-Spirit 1. Peter is heightening God’s total commitment in fulfilling His purposes for us. 2. Peter is introducing how/why God designs complexities to fulfill His ultimate purposes. In isolation, some points may seem random or harmful, but each contributes to God’s design. 3. Peter sobers us from the start – We’re dealing with God: Father, Spirit, and Son • Past-Present-Future 1. God’s Personal Foreknowledge – see Acts 2:23 2. Both the Spirit and Son’s activity has past, present, and future aspects. God’s Working for Elect Exiles 1. God the Father: • • “Foreknowledge” refers not just to God’s intimate eternal knowledge (1 Peter 1:20), but His determination make it happen (Romans 8:29). In relation to “elect exiles,” God’s determining foreknowledge makes both happen. Their past and present are determined in the foreknowledge of God. 2. God the Spirit: • • Carries out God’s choice to save – see 2 Thessalonians 2:13 The Spirit sets Christians apart to be strangers in a foreign land – it’s the Spirit’s ongoing work to make us more fit for God’s use and more distinctive from the world. God’s Working for Elect Exiles 3. God the Son: • • • • The ideas are separate and uniquely attributed to Christ – unto the obedience of Jesus Christ; unto the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Obedience refers both to the believer’s obedience to the gospel call (see Acts 6:7; 1 Peter 4:17; John 3:36) and to our ongoing need to obey the Lord (1 John 5:3). Sprinkling is more complicated and can refer to many different Old Testament concepts (sprinkling of Israel, priests, altars, those healed of skin diseases). In my opinion, Peter highlights the result of those sprinkled – cleansed, consecrated, and commissioned for God’s special use. Reflections 1. Peter’s introduces comfort and purpose to the suffering. When we’re rolling on the seas of life, God’s promise of sovereignty anchors the soul (see Hebrews 6:17-19). 2. Peter infuses our present circumstances with eternal purpose – you are exactly where God wants you to be. 3. Peter challenges our tendency toward laziness, lethargy, and worldliness.