1 Peter 1:1-2
Today's Passage: 1 Peter 1:1-2
Peter speaks with authority at the beginning of his letter by asserting himself as an apostle. This title is not one that can be earned or assumed by just anyone, but Peter undoubtedly carries this title because he witnessed firsthand and was profoundly changed by the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus
The letter that we are starting today was likely written between 62-63 A.D. At this point, Christianity has spread to the surrounding areas, but was still considered illegal in the Roman Empire.
Peter addresses his audience as “elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.†By listing out these geographic areas we can assume a couple things.
One, Peter was not specifically writing to one church. This letter was intended to be passed to believers throughout the Roman provinces in Asia Minor, north of the Taurus Mountains. (See map from The Gospel Coalition below)
Secondly, believers in these areas were primarily Gentiles, or non-Jewish. 1 Peter 2:10 also hints at the non-Jewish nature of the audience by talking about how they have been brought in to be God’s people.
However, the most interesting detail about how Peter addresses his audience is that he calls them “elect exilesâ€. The word elect means chosen and exiles means to be cast out. Some translations and commentaries will use either stranger, foreigner, or pilgrim instead of exile.
These words all point to someone who is different, someone who has chosen not to belong. The audience that Peter is writing to have chosen not to belong to this world, but to solely belong to God. They are pilgrims and strangers who are suffering in a strange, broken world, and Peter writes this letter to encourage them.
Peter encourages these believers with God’s sovereignty. “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father.†Peter reminds them, and reminds us, of the sovereignty of God. There is no accidental follower of Christ and there is no accidental suffering. God foreknew who would be the chosen ones who would follow Him, and He foreknew that the chosen would be strangers, pilgrims.
God also knows how living as strangers and pilgrims will affect us. He knows that it is not something that comes naturally to us and that is why He has given us the Spirit. Peter encourages his audience that just as God chose us as His people, He chose us to become more like Him, to walk in obedience, and to live as people who have been changed by the sprinkling of His blood.
Even in these first two verses, we can see the richness of God’s care for His people in the midst of pain and suffering, and we can look to Jesus “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).â€
Written By: Paulette Black
Peter speaks with authority at the beginning of his letter by asserting himself as an apostle. This title is not one that can be earned or assumed by just anyone, but Peter undoubtedly carries this title because he witnessed firsthand and was profoundly changed by the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus
The letter that we are starting today was likely written between 62-63 A.D. At this point, Christianity has spread to the surrounding areas, but was still considered illegal in the Roman Empire.
Peter addresses his audience as “elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.†By listing out these geographic areas we can assume a couple things.
One, Peter was not specifically writing to one church. This letter was intended to be passed to believers throughout the Roman provinces in Asia Minor, north of the Taurus Mountains. (See map from The Gospel Coalition below)
Secondly, believers in these areas were primarily Gentiles, or non-Jewish. 1 Peter 2:10 also hints at the non-Jewish nature of the audience by talking about how they have been brought in to be God’s people.
However, the most interesting detail about how Peter addresses his audience is that he calls them “elect exilesâ€. The word elect means chosen and exiles means to be cast out. Some translations and commentaries will use either stranger, foreigner, or pilgrim instead of exile.
These words all point to someone who is different, someone who has chosen not to belong. The audience that Peter is writing to have chosen not to belong to this world, but to solely belong to God. They are pilgrims and strangers who are suffering in a strange, broken world, and Peter writes this letter to encourage them.
Peter encourages these believers with God’s sovereignty. “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father.†Peter reminds them, and reminds us, of the sovereignty of God. There is no accidental follower of Christ and there is no accidental suffering. God foreknew who would be the chosen ones who would follow Him, and He foreknew that the chosen would be strangers, pilgrims.
God also knows how living as strangers and pilgrims will affect us. He knows that it is not something that comes naturally to us and that is why He has given us the Spirit. Peter encourages his audience that just as God chose us as His people, He chose us to become more like Him, to walk in obedience, and to live as people who have been changed by the sprinkling of His blood.
Even in these first two verses, we can see the richness of God’s care for His people in the midst of pain and suffering, and we can look to Jesus “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).â€
Written By: Paulette Black
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