Sanctification & Salvation: Remembering God's Plans and Purposes
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Sanctification & Salvation: Remembering God’s Plans and Purposes
Sanctification & Salvation: Remembering God’s Plans and Purposes
In much of life, when we forget who we are, where we are going and how far we have come, it is very easy to question or give in to the pain that we might be suffering, in order to get beyond the immediate challenges and hurdles.
In the midst of pain, it is always hard to decide whether to give in to the pain and stop, or learn to move on through the pain. Part of our dilemma is no one in their right minds enjoys pain. The other part is that pain can be either bad or good or perhaps a bit of both.
Some pain is good in the it is a warning sign
Chest pain - heart attack
Numbness of one side - stroke - loss of vision, loss speech, severe headache
BUT sometimes pain or discomfort signals something that is not fatal that we can correct or work on.g
A shortage of breath can signal various things to people of various ages and various physical conditions.
If there is no heart or underlying health consideration, might be out of shape.
If younger, might signal that lungs are now the the part of our physique that needs strengthening.
Wind sprints - legs versus breathing
Figure 8’s - about more than exercise - physical & mental health, weight control
Every time we talk about any kind of pain, some of hear the phrase, “no pain, no gain”. While that is true some of the time, it is not true all of the time. Some pain can be debilitating. Some pain can also drain all too much energy. Ironically, this drain is sometimes also connected with emotional pain. Some of those who have lived through difficult times when tightening the belt and doing without, later on in better times, find it difficult to relax. They often want a bit extra in reserve. Along the same vein, some find it difficult to part with anything that might possibly be of use later.
No matter how we analyze pain, those of us who have been around for a while, understand all too well that rather than platitudes and promises, what we need is to pray and long for a break in whatever the pain cycle is. We have blisters on our blisters . We need some spiritual “R & R”.
When the “R & R” that we long for is spiritual, some parts of God’s words seem to be as relevant to us as to those to whom they were first written.
In his 1st epistle, Peter gently came alongside of those to who were suffering in various. The pain that Peter had heard they were suffering is not described specifically, but what is described in great detail is who they really were and of God’s purposes for them.
1 Peter is not a light and fluffy collection of thoughts and sayings to write on a plaque on the wall. Instead it is more of a lattice work of core Scriptural truths that fit tightly together to help those to whom Peter wrote and us, to see our way through the maze of testing, persecution and pain.
Today, and for the next few weeks, we will learn that at the outset, Peter’s first epistle provides an accurate Biblical understanding of salvation and sanctification.
Who they were, Peter and the exiles - 1 Peter 1:1-2
Peter - wrote the letter - 1st
Apostle of Jesus Christ - apostolos - sent forth. Those whom spent 3 years where sent forth after His resurrection. They were especially commissioned and empowered to preach, teach and record what Jesus taught.
Of Jesus Christ rather than a specific church in certain city
First in every list of disciples - Matt 10; Mark 3; Luke 6; Acts 1
Initially Simon (Greek) - hearing - Barjonas - Matt 16:17 - Jonas also known as John - Jn 1:42 - Peter - stone
Fisherman - lived initially in Bethsaida
Brought to Christ by Andrew, his brother - Jn 1:40-42
Married - Mk 1:29-31; 1 Cor 9:5 - wife travelled with him
Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
Some have commented the level theological detail found in 1 Peter is not what we would expect from a fisherman. But nothing is to say that Peter was not well educated. Beyond that, he spent 3 years being discipled by Jesus who reminded the disciples that the Holy Spirit would help them remember what He had taught them. There is also the fact that the Apostles and all NT believers have a Holy Spirit enabling that is difficult for the world to understand.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Exiles/aliens NASB/strangers KJV - parepidemois
Originally applied primarily to Hebrews scattered throughout the world
“I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am a sojourner with you,
a guest, like all my fathers.
Here in a wider spiritual sense of Christians whose citizenship is in heaven, being scattered elsewhere. That is similar to the reference in Heb 11. But in 1 Peter there is no reference that Peter is writing only to Jews.
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Of (the) dispersion/diaspara - scattered KJV - better - no the in the Greek NT - without article Jew or Gentile - spiritual pilgrims
diaspora - dia - speirw - sown through
Initially used of Jews scattered through the world
The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?
Believers were scattered because of persecution of believers by Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.
And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
By the time that Peter wrote, the believers to whom he wrote were scattered across 5 sections north of the Taurus mountains in what is today northern Turkey.
Escalating persecution - 1:6; 2:12, 19-21; 3:9, 13-18; 4:1, 12-16, 19
Scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Asia and Bythinia.
Pontus - far north - Jewish pilgrims from there were in Jerusalem at Pentecost - Acts 2:9
Home of Aquila - Acts 18:2
Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, probably became Christians in Rome and served with Paul - Acts 18:18
Galatia - central Asia Minor - included towns - Derbe, Lystra and Iconium, all of which Paul visited several times on first and second missionary journeys - Acts 14:1-13; 16:1-5; 18:23
Cappadocia - east portion of Asia minor, north of Cilicia - also a source of pilgrims who in Rome at Pentecost - Acts 2:9
Asia - most of western Asia Minor including subsections - Mysia, Lydia, Caria and much of Phrygia - site of most of Paul’s 3rd missionary journey - of which Luke recorded
This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Bythinia - northwest Asia Minor near Bosphorus (strait between European and Asian sections of Turkey. Only mentioned one other time in Scripture when at the beginning of Paul’s 2nd missionary journey, the Holy Spirit forbad him from entering it - Acts 16:7
At least 7 seven churches in Asia Minor - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea - all of which received a special revelation from the risen Christ - Rev 1:11; 2-3
Colossae not mentioned but in the area.
1 Peter: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Condition of Election
Peter addressed such a wide audience because the Roman persecution of Christians had swept across the Empire. Believers in every place were going to suffer (cf. Luke 21:12; Phil. 1:29; James 1:1–3). The apostle wanted those believers to remember that, in the midst of potentially great suffering and hardship, they were still the chosen of God, and that as such they could face persecution in triumphant hope (cf. 4:13, 16, 19; Rom. 8:35–39; 2 Tim. 3:11; Heb. 10:34–36).
Timing - 64-65 AD - Rome burned probably to rebuild a better Rome - blamed Christians
Elect - called out, picked out, chosen
In OT used of Israel
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Here used of believers called out for salvation. Other than the elect, the word is often translated choose.
Even when we use the term choose or elect, most of us begin to experience some level of anxiety.
For that reason, we need to lay a broader framework to help us understand the meaning of the word more accurately. There was a time before it was politically incorrect that most unorganized sports we played by teams that we picked. In the choosing process, there were always some who thought they were better than they were and there were others who knew they didn’t play that well but desperately wanted to play, so inwardly silently screamed “choose me.”
But what would happen if those being called or chosen were being chosen/called out to do something that they detested or knew they could not or did not want to do?
Eating raw snails
Debating team in Navajo language
Running an ultra-marathon
You & you alone are chosen to bid for he only allowed antidote, pill vaccine for COVID 19. Let’s say that you are bidding on enough to protect all of Canada. At the time that you are chosen to bid, you have been tested and have a combination multiple worst case scenarios of COVID 19 variants.
By now, most of us would say that what we might be being called out to do, is unbelievably beyond anything that we qualified to do. For that reason, we would do everything possible to make excuses and excuse ourselves.
In the context of 1 Peter and the rest of the word of God, those whom God called to be children of God, had no means in themselves to make that changes needed to be acceptable to God. The reason for this is that that without Christ, without God’s saving grace they and we are all spiritually dead, sinners who have no means in an of ourselves to make ourselves new, to deserve God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Now if we could change the scenario just. At almost the same time you receive a personal invitation from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to come into His presence. Unknown to you, others have received a similar personal invitation. Because the invitation is addressed to you alone, you can only respond for yourself. As joy and anticipation begin to well up from the depths of your heart, what is needed to accept this most wonderful invitation begins to register. As you reread the invitation, on the other side of the invitation is a mirror like substance that when you look at it, you see yourself as you really are. The more that you look at that “mirror” and read the words that are part of the invitation, the more that you see yourself as you really are. What you see is not pleasant. In fact, it’s very repulsive. You are reminded that below the facade that you have maintained, the thoughts and intents of your heart are really corrupt, very corrupt. That corruption has offended others. They might not have said anything but others were broken because of this vile corruption that the small print calls sin. The small print also mentions that you are not alone. Everyone who looked at that mirror would see something similar. But that does not lessen your spiritual pain, heart ache and embarrasment.
But the kicker in all of this is that your corruption had not only offended others, it had offended and grieved the holy King of kings and Lord of lords. It seems that you probably heard that before, but now for the first time it registers and has imbedded itself in your heart. Considering this, you ask yourself, it my sin offends Him as it does me, why this invitation?
Because of what you have seen in the mirror, you are tempted to discard the invitation when it seems that you read farther down, there is more small print. The small print is that, if you acknowledge/confess that sin, God will forgive you of all that you have done and will do. He will not only forgive you but give you a new heart, a new mind and a new strength to live in a new way so that every time that you look at that mirror, that you no understand is His word, you can confess the sin and He will forgive it.
Oh, there’s a whole lot more that you see and will continue to see and continue to see. You sin/corruption that you saw meant that you deserved death, spiritual death and eternal separation from God. You deserved that death but God sent His only Son, His sinless Son Jesus Christ who willing died for you and all other who confess their sin and ask God to forgive them and wipe the mirror slate of their hearts clean.
We need to have this kind of image in our hearts and minds when we read and consider God electing, calling out, choosing some for Himself. Those who have responded to His call and those who have rejected God’s call are at the time of that call, equally spiritually corrupt, vile and repulsive.
The true Gospel is not about God welcoming good people and making them better. It is about forgiving and remaking those who have confessed their sin.
There is a term that some have used to bringing this into focus and keep this in a biblically clear focus. That term is “Total depravity of man”.
Wherever we open the word of God, we read that.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
The wicked are estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
As we read verses like these, there should be no question in our minds about the condition of those and all of mankind with or without God’s redeeming grace.
Reflecting on God’s grace in our lives and the lives all who have been redeemed, it is understandable that we try and fill in a few dots in an attempt to understand what God has doe and is doing.
That is commendable but without a bit of help we are somewhat limited. With finite minds, we are attempted to understand all of what greater spiritual minds than ours have been able to only partially analyze. The other factor is a weakness in even the best translations.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
In Rom 8:28-30 only the two “calls” in verse 30 are the same word as we have in 1 Peter 1:1 and yet in Rom 8:28 Paul used another more general word for call that seems to used as a synonym for called out.
Before we move on, we probably should allow Christ to remind us by means of His parable of the wedding feast, that although there is a general call or invitation to the need to believe and know God, it is only those consider the invitation and the king at his word .There must not only an acknowledgment of the need to attend the wedding feast, but those who attend are allowed entrance to the feast ONLY when they have put on the wedding garment graciously provided by the king.
Please listen to what the king said and Christ’s explanation.
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
You would be very interested to know that the word used by Christ that is translated “chosen” is the same word used by Peter and is translated “elect”.
According to the FOREKNOWLEDGE of God the Father.
Foreknowledge - prognwsin - only here and Peter’s sermon at Pentecost - Acts 2:23 - and 1 Peter 1:20.
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Allowing the rest of the word of God and Peter to be a commentator on himself. God’s foreknowledge and having a plan for the future are complimentary are more or less synonymous.
He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
Vincent Word Studies in the New Testament - “Here and in his Pentecost sermon, Peter is distinguishing between foreknowledge and determinate counsel.”
Other commentators explain that God foreknowing something will happen in no way determines that is the way that it will/must happen.
Some of us as parents and confess not to know what will happen, often knew our children or grandchildren well enough to know how they would react in a situation. We would have warned them and cautioned them. In spite of they did what we saw coming. That did not mean that we made them do that - HADLEY AND MOUSETRAPS.
Foreknowledge cannot mean that God the Father saw the Jesus would choose to die and therefore made Him Saviour.
BUT, in the same that God the Father foreknew His plan for Christ’s crucifixion before the foundation of the world - 1 Peter 2:6 - He foreknew the elect, those whom we would call out.
therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
THEREFORE:
1 Peter: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Source of Election
Therefore foreknowledge involves God’s predetermining to have a relationship with some individuals, based on His eternal plan. It is the divine purpose that brings salvation for sinners to fulfillment, as accomplished by Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, not merely an advance knowledge that observes how people will respond to God’s offer of redemption.
Long before Peter wrote this, God foreknew those to whom He would make Himself known. That was true for Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos to mention a few.
And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
Listen to me, O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
“You only have I known
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.
Now this foreknowing in the Scriptures is not about simply knowing facts and details. It is an intimate relationship knowing. We are familiar with this when we accurately answer the question “Do you know someone?” In all honesty, sometimes when asked that question, we must answer that we know that person but we really do not know them in the the sense an in depth knowing relationship.
Jesus spoke of that in His sermon on the Mount. Although many were invited by the King to the wedding, some rejected the invitation and one attempted to crash the party without the essential wedding garment. Christ’s summary explanation was “many are called but few are chosen/called out/elect”
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Please note Peter ‘s reminder. Those who exiles had been called and scattered for a purpose,
In the sanctification of the Spirit/sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit (NASB)
“In the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ (to obey Jesus Christ NASB) and sprinkling with His blood (ESV. NASB. NIV)
Both variations are textually accurate. The question arises though in translation as what is the phrasing most consistent with similar portions in the Scriptures. There would be no
Last 2 sections of this sentence are translated bit differently in KJV/NKJV - “unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Both translations of the text are accurate. In translation arises as to how to both translate the means of the words and the phrases. In this context with Jesus Christ at the end of the phrases, it was understood by those who spoke NT Greek that both the obedience and the sprinkling were in reference to Jesus Christ. That being the case, it seems that later translators felt justified in noting that we are sanctified to obedience to Jesus Christ for the sprinkling of His blood.
Sanctification - consecrate, set apart, holiness, dedicated
Those whom God calls out to Himself are set apart, separated by the Holy Spirit.
Later in the Epistle referred to this as being a holy people of God.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Those who are set apart are often referred to the set apart ones - saints
Set apart/sanctification by Holy Spirit - integral aspect of salvation, not a later second work of grace.
New birth by the Spirit
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
By Holy Spirit understand the things of God.
For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
God’s purpose is that we be holy and blameless before Him FOR HIS GLORY.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Salvation and sanctification which are inseparable with regard obedience to Jesus Christ. In fact obedience to Christ is integral to salvation as it is to sanctification.
Obedience is to both and what is expected when one truly, accurately hears the Gospel.
Believing, repenting, being saved was sometimes referred to as being obedient to the faith, to the Gospel.
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
When we read the NT and review the preaching of Jesus, the Apostles and early believers, it becomes very clear that in their minds the Gospel and the need of repentance from sin and by faith turning to Christ for salvation, was a spiritual “no brainer”. To them it was so clear. Without Christ we are all spiritually bound and oppressed. Who would believe/ obey Christ and do what He commands.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
The gospel of grace is not only a gracious offer but a command to believe.
and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
So one of the by products of sanctification of the Holy Spirit is that believers understand better and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey Jesus Christ. That obedience is not what saved us us. It the product and good works what God is doing in us by His Spirit. Although we will not get right until heaven we are increasingly aware of what pleases Him and are moved to obey to that end.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Jesus explained that is the way that it should be.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.