1 Peter 1:1

Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the¹ pilgrims ^aof the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

2 ^aelect ^baccording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, ^cin sanctification of the Spirit, for ^dobedience and ^esprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: ^fGrace to you and peace be multiplied.

A Heavenly Inheritance

3 ^aBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ^baccording to His abundant mercy ^chas begotten us again to a living hope ^dthrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 to an inheritance¹ incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, ^areserved in heaven for you,

5 ^awho are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 ^aIn this you greatly rejoice, though now ^bfor a little while, if need be, ^cyou have been grieved by various trials,

7 that ^athe genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though ^bit is tested by fire, ^cmay be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

8 ^awhom having not¹ seen you love. ^bThough now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,

11 searching what, or what manner of time, ^athe Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to¹ us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which ^aangels desire to look into.

Living Before God Our Father

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 as obedient children, not ^aconforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

15 ^abut as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

16 because it is written, ^a“Be holy, for I am holy.”

17 And if you call on the Father, who ^awithout partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your¹ stay here in fear;

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with¹ corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

19 but ^awith the precious blood of Christ, ^bas of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

20 ^aHe indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was¹ manifest ^bin these last times for you

21 who through Him believe in God, ^awho raised Him from the dead and ^bgave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

The Enduring Word

22 Since you ^ahave purified your souls in obeying the truth¹ through the Spirit in sincere ^blove of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

23 ^ahaving been born again, not of¹ corruptible seed but incorruptible, ^bthrough the word of God which lives and abides³ forever,

24 because
^a“All flesh is as grass,
And all¹ the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,

25 ^aBut the¹ word of the Lord endures forever.” ^bNow this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does 1 Peter 1:1 Mean?

Writing about AD 65, Peter reminds Christians of who they are, a special people known personally by God. His major theme is strengthening the feeble knees of brethren buckling under their burdens by reminding them of their hope. This hope rests on election, meaning "those sought out," for God sought them out purposely to acquaint them with Himself. Because believers are spiritually separated from the world, their citizenship transferred into God's Kingdom, they must live as strangers and pilgrims in a foreign land, obeying their new nation's laws and coming out from among unbelievers. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Guarded and kept by God's power, they are foreigners scattered through Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, awaiting their incorruptible inheritance.

1 Peter 1:1-2

It is the life that is obedient to God and separated from the world that provides the proof of one's conversion. If the Christian is legally cleared of guilt before God and obedient to Him, he no longer "belongs" to the world; the Bible no longer perceives such a person as being "in the flesh."

Philippians 3:20 offers understanding of another separation from the world: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." His spiritual separation produces for the Christian a legal transfer of citizenship that he must recognize.

Colossians 1:12-13 confirms this: "Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." As a result of these separations, the Christian must live his life as a stranger and pilgrim as if in a foreign land, obeying the laws of his new nation by placing higher priority in his activities as a citizen of the Kingdom of God.

This opens the door to another line of practical thought, conduct, and attitude: "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself the enemy of God" (James 4:4). We normally do whatever we can to avoid our enemies, even to the point of fleeing from them if necessary. This reality should help us to understand why God commands us:

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? . . . Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you." (II Corinthians 6:14, 17)

It is by means of conduct motivated by the Holy Spirit that we are to come out from among unbelievers and be separate. We cannot—we must not—straddle the fence; we cannot serve two masters. Once we are called, we must serve God, or we will have received God's grace in vain (II Corinthians 6:1).

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Christian Fight (Part Seven)

1 Peter 1:1-6

This was written in about AD 65, and Peter is having to remind Christians of who they are. We have to be reminded of this because we are a special people to God. Peter focuses on the term "election," which is the very ground of consolation or encouragement because it means that God knows us. What kind of a gift is that? We are not a faceless blob to Him. He knows us personally and is watching over our lives!

The word election means "those sought out." God sought us out! Thus believing, understanding, and taking action on this truth is a major part of our hope, that is, that we are indeed special and known by God.

Peter also uses the term "foreknowledge," which intensifies "election." When the two of them are taken together in this context, it indicates that God not only foresaw us but caused our relationship to occur because we would have never found Him on our own. To this, the apostle then adds "sanctification." In this case, it means, not merely set apart, but dedicated for obedience, which Peter mentions. This suggests that God knows us, not merely because He wants to save us, but because He wants us to obey Him.

Taken together, these three terms indicate that God has given us a tremendous gift that not many people on earth have received. It is humbling because every gift carries with it the responsibility to make proper use of it in service to God's purpose.

The issue Peter is dealing with in this first chapter is why we can have hope: because we have been elected by God. He sought us out purposely to make us acquainted with Him. The Father is the Author of an act of mercy by which we are given a sure hope of being brought into our inheritance. We should be conscious of this without being maudlin or self-righteous.

Peter writes that we have been begotten to a "living hope." It is a living hope because Christ is alive, and in God's behalf, He will absolutely carry out His God-given responsibility to us to bring us into His Kingdom.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Trumpets Is a Day of Hope

1 Peter 1:1-5

First, Peter reminds us who we are. The term "elect" is the very ground of our comfort because it means (when connected to the foreknowledge of God) that God knows us personally. A lot of people would like to know that the President of the United States knows them personally, but God knows us!

Some like it to be known that they are known by some person they respect very highly. Whether the person is a millionaire or a billionaire, a well-known athlete or entertainer, or somebody well known in the area, people like to drop names. Peter says if there is any name you want to drop, drop God's. He knows you!

Before God called us, He watched our lives because He wanted to make sure that we would be able to work with Him and that He would not lose us. He is sure that with His help we can make it. He can prepare us for whatever He has in store for us.

That is the ground of our hope. God knows us, and because of this, He will do things for us. He is in the position to do them. All He has to do is give the word. God can open any door anywhere for us. And He will do what is right for us.

Peter goes on in verse 3 to say that He is the Author of an act of mercy by which He has given us a sure hope of being brought into our inheritance. Even though we may have to go through sore trial, it can be done! God has not given us something impossible to do. He has begotten us again to a living hope.

Our hope is living because Jesus Christ is alive! He is our High Priest. And He loves us in a way that we cannot even begin to understand. He loves us so much that He gave His life for us. He loves us so much that He is willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that we will be in His Kingdom. We have access to the highest of all places. We have friends who have names and power so awesome that there is nothing greater.

We do not need to fear what is coming because God is able to bring us through it. If we had to face it ourselves alone, there would be no hope for us.

The apostle calls our inheritance "incorruptible" (verse 4). The contrast is being made between Canaan or Palestine and the Kingdom of God. Which is better?

Lastly, it is "undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation." Kept can easily be translated "guarded," "surrounded," "hedged in." God is watching out for us in a way that He is not watching out for this world. Because we are the apple of His eye, and because He is preparing us for something, Jesus Christ will faithfully discharge His duties as High Priest in our behalf. He is guarding us—protecting us—from the worst of what is going on around us.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Don't Be a Prudent Agnostic

1 Peter 1:1-4

The major theme of I Peter is to strengthen the feeble knees, as it is put in Hebrews 12:12, of his brothers and sisters in Christ who were buckling under the weight of their Christian burdens, whatever they happened to be. At the very beginning of this strong exhortation, then, he reminds them of their hope.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Resurrection From the Dead

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