August 29, 2004
First Church of the Brethren
H. Kevin Derr
1 Peter 1:1-9
“Introduction to 1 Peter & the Greeting”
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
We at times expect the documents of the Bible, in particular the NT to exist almost as a work isolated from all the rest. However, there is a great interdependence on one another than we often assume. For example, the book we know as 1st Peter, is dependent on the materials that we know as the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew or the “Sermon of the Plain” in Luke, but not in the form we know them in Matthew and Luke, but they all draw on the same primary source, the sayings of Jesus. It is not surprising, when you consider, 1 Peter, is attributed to the Apostle Peter, and Peter was with Jesus when he spoke and taught. There are questions about the dating of this letter, that range from the mid 60’s to the 80’s. Tradition holds that Peter was martyred in or about 65 AD, so if you date this letter later than 65 it makes it difficult for Peter to write the letter. However, there are many scholars who for the last one hundred years or so have been questioning the tradition. Much of this is do to the fact that the earliest accounts of the end of Peter’s life do not seem to suggest that he was killed, rather that he had died of old age, which allows for a much later dating of this letter. Much of what had been solidly established is now in question, and strong arguments are being made for this to be an authentic letter from Peter.
This letter is written in the style of a Jewish Diaspora letter. The author sounds as if he is writing to a primarily Jewish audience, but may well be writing to predominantly Gentile church. As you noticed from the locations mentioned the churches in question are located in Asia Minor, a place where Paul had done extensive mission work, are these Pauline churches now under the leadership of Peter, it is possible, especially if Paul is executed prior to Peter. Peter is likely writing from Rome, though he names it as Babylon. This suggests a time either prior to or just after the beginning of the persecution under Nero, or just after Nero reign ends.
Prayer
I. This letter begins with an address to the recipients, notice how they are identified. Peter
writes, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
A. To God’s elect, is typically a greeting given in Diaspora letters to fellow Israelites,
children of Abraham.
1. From this information, many in history have assumed that Peter was writing to
Jews who were also followers of Jesus, however, as we progress through the
book of 1 Peter, you will see that this does not seem like a plausible
suggestion.
2. The best example, and this is often lost to us as modern reads of the Bible, is
that the early church did not see itself as separate from Judaism. Especially if
you recall from Acts, the followers of Jesus went to the temple to pray and
worship.
3. One of the biggest struggles for the early church is recorded for us in Acts 15,
and the question centered around wether Gentiles had to become Jews before
they could be followers of Jesus. The church at Jerusalem said that we gentiles
did not have to convert to Judaism before becoming followers of Jesus, but we
were to observe the following requirements, 1. To abstain from food sacrificed
to idols, 2. from blood, 3. from the meat of strangled animals and 4. from
sexual immorality.
4. Yet, even though we were not required to convert to the Jewish way of life
first, we, gentiles were still considered part of the commonwealth of Israel.
5. As Paul says, as wild olive branches grafted into the cultivated stock of Israel.
6. Thus, gentiles were considered as part of the Church, God’s elect, God’s
possession, God’s people. Thus, the history of God’s people, became our
history, the present of God’s people became our present, and the future of
God’s people became our future.
B. The second phrase to consider is, “strangers in the world,” aliens, sojourns, resident
aliens, or any such phrase as you like, but they all suggest the same thing. People who
live in a place that is not their home, they are not citizens of that land, they are aliens,
be they considered legal or illegal.
1. Like Abraham who lived in a land that was not his own, he did not owe his
allegiance to any king other than God.
2. Remember for the average follower of Jesus, the title was King, Lord or
Messiah, but in many respects it was understood as Cesar. This is why many
Christians were considered subversive, a danger to the state.
3. I am constantly reminded that this is a notion that we would do well to take up
again and seek to answer the question what does it mean for my relationship
with the relationship with the Government of this land if Jesus is truly my
King?
C. The next word to look at is “scattered,” in Greek the word we know as Diaspora. How
can Gentiles be part of the diaspora, if they have no claim to home in Jerusalem?
1. One way to track this is to look at the notion of being adopted into Israel, and
thus having a home in Judea.
2. I think the better interpretation is to consider the Kingdom of God as home,
and the kingdoms of the world as being alien, not home, not where we belong,
but where we are until the Kingdom of God is realized.
D. The place names, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and
Bithynia. Until just a few years prior to the writing of this letter, Bithynia and Pontus
were one Provence. What is seen is a circular journey through Asia Minor, ending up
next to where you begin. You can follow the circuit if you look at a map of Asia
Minor and you’ll see the way the details work.
E. In the second verse, again part of this introduction, which is simply loaded with
information, but also offers hope and encouragement for the readers. Listen to what
Peter says,2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and
sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
1. Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Again echos the
notion of election, of being special and unique in the sight of God the Father.
A. While this is often individualized in western thought, God chose me,
like kids in the play ground picking up teams for a quick game, but
here there is something greater going on, God chose the people of
Israel, to which the church is a part, and to which the gentiles were
adopted into.
B. The eastern mind did not think in terms of individuals, but rather in
terms of family, clan, tribe or people group. This applies here as well
Lest ye be disheartened, we’ve been adopted into that chosen group so
we too now enjoy that status.
2. How are we adopted into the family of God, it is through the sanctifying work
of the Holy Spirit, we are made holy, because God is holy, his family too must
be holy, and so we are sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit.
3. Next phrase that demands some attention is for obedience to Jesus Christ and
sprinkling by his blood:
A. It is best to split these apart, to deal with obedience and then to address
sprinkling by the blood of Jesus Christ.
B. Obedience is an issue of our will, what we will do and obey and how
we will not obey. Of all that is mentioned so far this is really the only
place where human action figures into the equation.
C. Sprinkling by the blood of Jesus Christ is again a reference to action
taken to make people as being holy. The image of Moses sprinkling
the people of God with blood to signify the covenant between God and
the people, but the people did not sprinkle themselves.
F. The greeting closes with an almost standard Christian greeting, Grace and peace be
yours in abundance.
II. It is always easy to find reasons to be downcast, but look at the vibrant way that this letter
begins, 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he
has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead,
A. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! There is no doubt that Peter
is writing to Christians, we have seen a classical Trinitarian formula in the greeting,
we are now seeing a word of thanksgiving, time of praise and rejoicing. It also clearly
identifies the Father and the Son.
B. It quickly moves from a call to praise to a reason for praise. In his great mercy he
has given us new birth, There are a few ways to look at this line, one is in the born
again language of the gospel of God, the new creation language of Paul, I am
however inclined to consider the adoption image of Gentiles being made part of the
people of God.
1. In some cases, when people converted to Judaism they were given a ritual bath
to signify birth, they received a new name and in some cases they actually left
wives and children behind and were married to a Jewish woman.
2. The notion was that the old way of life was terminated, dead, and a new one
began.
C. This new birth results in a new way of life, but also in a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1. Notice here, the new birth is not a result of the resurrection of Jesus, but the
living hope is a result of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
A. The implication is that it in Christ Jesus God has defeated death, then
we do not need to fear death.
B. Since Jesus continues to live, so our hope lives.
D. Now look were Peter takes this, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil
or fade—kept in heaven for you, from the new live and the living hope we are now
granted access into an inheritance. Who gets the inheritance, the children. However,
unlike all other inheritances, this one can never perish, spoil or fade.
1. Now were does Peter draw this image? From the sayings of Jesus, if we keep
our treasure in heaven, their rust and moth will not destroy, thief will not break
in and steal.
2. You see here the dependence of Peter on Jesus’ sayings and words, though not
quoted, they undergird the whole of the book.
E. It is important to keep in mind that it is not only our inheritance that is save, it is we
too how are safe. 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming
of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1. We who have this secure, unmolested inheritance as children of the Father,
brothers and sisters of Jesus, are also protected, Peter says, shielded by God’s
power, through faith, not until we die, but until the revelation of the kingdom
of God. So we need to fear nothing at all, for we are shielded by the power of
God
2. A similar thought is expressed by Paul in Romans, 38For I am convinced that
neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the
future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
III. We begin a new paragraph here, one that gives us another reason to rejoice. Though, our
modern minds often do not see things this way, it is a manner of thought that was common in
the early church. Suffering for reason of your faith was seen as participating in the very
suffering of Jesus himself.
A. The next verse reads, 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you
may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
1. The biggest question here is what is the manner of the persecution and trials?
2. Is this the outright persecution we see under Nero, or is this just the slander of
people who do not understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus?
A. There is no suggestion that anyone has been killed or martyred
however, there is little reason to exclude it from possibility
B. It is important to remember that Christians were fringe people, they
were seen as being superstitious, backward, a dangerous political
society as Pliny the younger said.
C. So it leaves open many possibilities for us to ponder.
B. Here comes the encouragement though, 7These have come so that your faith—of
greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be
proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is
revealed.
1. Struggles, difficulties, persecution and trials come, they come whether you are
a believer or not. Find a non-believer and see if they don’t have problems too.
2. But for those of us who are followers of Jesus, there is something unique and
special that we know. These trails, problems, struggles, when we allow our
faith to surface in them, then we are ultimately strengthened.
A. Peter’s metaphors is clear as God is refined by fire, we are refined by
trails, tribulations and difficulty.
B. The difference is that gold will perish, it can be destroyed. But our
faith, as it is tested, refined and proved genuine in trials and
tribulations, we know that what is being refined, and tested is genuine
and it will and cannot be destroyed. C. Notice, this genuine faith, will prove to be a glory and honor when
Jesus is revealed. There is a promise of blessing, of hope and
accomplishment that comes with working our way through trails and
tribulations.
C. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him
now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for
you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1. As you were driving in this morning, I can imagine that each of was thinking of
the inexpressible and glorious joy that we have as believers? If these are not
words that we typically associate with our faith, or if we have trouble
associating them with our faith
2. Then friends we have a problem. You see the reason for this inexpressible and
glorious joy is that we are receiving the goal of our faith, our salvation.
A. If there is no joy, we may be missing something.
B. This could be for many reasons, but I am convinced that one hinges on
a central fact, that we do not live as aliens as strangers, but rather as
citizens of this land first and as followers of Jesus second.
1. It comes back to this very central understanding, where is your
treasure?
2. Is your most important thing tied to an account a property, a
thing or is it centered on your God and Savior?
3. Jesus said, where your faith is, their will your heart be also, and
so this is the time to answer the question of where your heart is.
If your heart is centered on Christ Jesus, then you will know joy,
inexpressible and glorious joy. If your heart is centered on the
things of this world, this kingdom, this culture, this country,
then and you will find no joy, no hope no promise, only
emptiness and pain.
