Work of the Ministry

Living the Christian Life

Lesson 2 – I Peter 1:1-4

Read I Peter 1:1-4 before you continue reading. As you read, pay close attention to the sincere love of God and His people that radiates from Peter’s writings!

      We will study this powerful book word by word, verse by verse, and topic by topic; so that you can learn to Live the Christian Life and obtain the “Mind of Christ”. Read this book in complete context. It will dispel all doubt, answer all questions, and contradict the lies taught about Living the Christian Life!

Verse 1 “Peter, an apostle  [chosen as a representative] of Jesus Christ, to the STRANGERS scattered throughout Pontus [north of Asia Minor, south of Black Sea], Galatia [central Asia Minor], Cappadocia [largest province in Asia Minor, originally Syria, Caesarea is located in it], Asia [western part of Asia Minor, Ephesus was the capital], and Bithynia [south of Black Sea, near Pontus].”

Peter, who is now not ashamed to have been personally chosen by Jesus as a representative of the Creator of the Universe, wrote this letter to the “strangers” that were scattered throughout Asia Minor. Who were these strangers? These strangers all had the same Heavenly Father, and all lived in obedience to the same gospel of Jesus as there is no difference in the gospel for any nationality. The word “stranger” in the Old Testament refers to the Gentiles, but Peter is referencing all the “Called out Body of Christ” that are “strangers in this world”.

“…no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.”
  Romans 10:12

The church of Jerusalem was under very severe persecution, and they were scattered throughout the world as “strangers”. These Christians, who had grown in the strongest environment, because of their obedience to God (Acts 2:41-47), were now scattered abroad as they fled from the persecution. They carried with them the truth of the gospel. God turned something that seemed bad into one of the greatest outreaches in history. This dispersion allowed the Lord’s Word to be spread throughout the entire world by these strangers.

“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.” Acts 8:4

Peter is writing to all the redeemed, both Jews and Gentiles, in this world that are “strangers” and “pilgrims”. He explains this in I Peter 2:9-10, which is talking to a people who were not a people, but became a people when they trusted Christ and had become the people of God which were the Gentile believers!

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation… Which in time past were NOT a people, but are NOW the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

When he refers to those who in time past were NOT a people, he is speaking of the Gentile believers who are now the chosen generation. This teaches that Peter wrote to Christians (Christ-like brethren that obey the gospel), not just predominately Jews or Gentiles, but his brethren in Christ, all who are strangers and pilgrims in this world. He goes on to say in I Peter 2:11,

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.”

Verse 2 “Elect [selected] according to the foreknowledge [known before] of God the Father, through sanctification [separation, purification, holiness], of the Spirit, unto obedience [submission, shown by actions] and sprinkling [daily forgiveness of sins] of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”

 These strangers are “elect”, because they would faithfully endure unto the end as God had already known. It is very important to understand that Peter is writing to those who already know the saving grace of the gospel. They are already living in obedience to the gospel of Jesus! All whom he addresses have denied themselves and taken up their cross to follow the Lord and are striving to enter in at the strait gate. Many of these are being persecuted for their faithful stand for the gospel!

These are brethren that are “poor in spirit” before God, having come to God in obedience to the gospel, “mourning” in repentance, “meek” in submission, “hungering and thirsting” after righteousness, “merciful”, and “pure in heart” as Jesus taught them the “Way” of salvation [Matthew 5:3-8]! They have denied themselves, taken up their cross, and followed Jesus, having left everything of this world behind for the gospel [Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23; and Mark 8:34].

“According to the foreknowledge of God” is termed “predestination” or known beforehand. Since God knows “all things”, He knows everything that will happen in the future! Since He knows what will happen in the future, He knows who will serve Him and who will not.

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
II Timothy 2:19

God knows who will be condemned to eternal punishment and those who will endure unto the end, which are the “elect” of God. Imagine that you have read a book and know everything that has happened in this book. Your “foreknowledge” of what happens appears “strange” to others who have not read the book. This explains the predestination of God, for He foreknew what would happen and already knows everything that you will do!

He knows if you will accept His commands; how, when, and where you will die, and what spiritual state you will be in when you do! He allows your life to play out, so that He can reward you with eternal life, if you are faithful to Him or damn your soul for rejecting His command to holiness as Romans 8:29 explains,

“For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

God’s “foreknowledge” of the “elect’s endurance” [called the perseverance of the saints] unto the end causes Him to “help” or draw them to be conformed [made like] to the image of His Son. This foreknowledge is not God “choosing” who will be saved, but simply knowing ahead of time who will be faithful to Him unto the end! Jeremiah 1:5 explains it in the Old Testament.

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Ephesians 1:4-5 tells you that you are special to God, since He has chosen you before the foundations of the world. He has not chosen you for any other reason than that you might glorify His name by being holy and without blame before Him. From the very beginning, every person that God has ever used or redeemed has been first separated from the world and its lusts.

“According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”

 He has chosen the faithful, so that they might be holy and without blame that He might reward them with eternal life! He is glorified when you choose willingly to keep His commandments. As you read His Word, you will learn that He has outlined exactly how He desires for you to conduct your everyday life. He sent His Son, the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:18-19, saying,

“I will…put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him…. that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.”

  God severely warns that you had better take heed to the Word of God (the Gospel of Jesus), spoken by His Son; yet satan has lied to you and told you that Jesus’ words were only for the Jews! He lied and told you that Paul preached a “Gentile” gospel; yet this is heresy, for Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and was not ashamed of it!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed…”  Romans 1:16

In the gospel is the righteousness of God revealed as Jesus taught us how to live in obedience to God. We are sanctified, separated, or set apart from the world to be completely dedicated to His honor and glory. Every person that God has ever used to any degree of eternal merit has been first separated unto God from sin, relatives, friends, countries, the world, or pleasures that lead away from God to idolatry. 

God has left you the Old Testament to show you how He thinks and feels about sin. God commanded Abraham to separate from his ungodly relatives in Genesis 12:1,

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.”

Abraham partially obeyed God, yet brought along with him some of his covetous relatives. Genesis 13:14 records for us God’s blessing upon Abraham, when he finally obeyed God and separated himself from Lot, the last of the relatives that he brought with him.

“And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art… For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”

Abraham’s relatives were idolaters, and God knew that Abraham could not be completely consecrated to God until He was completely separated from sin. Abraham needed to be separated in order to receive God’s blessing. God has not changed regarding separation. You must be completely separated from the world, the flesh, sin, and anything or anyone that hinders you from enduring unto the end!

      God separated Joseph from his brethren. Deuteronomy 33:16 tells us,

“…let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.”

All of God’s people must first be separated from sin before they can fulfil God’s plan. Leviticus 20:26 tells us,

“And ye shall be holy unto Me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be Mine.”

God severed (separated) the Levite Priests in the Old Testament from the common people, so they could talk with God in the Holy of Holies. Before they could be in God’s presence, they had to be separated from those things, relatives, friends, places, or amusements that would hinder their usefulness to God.

The Levite Priests represent the New Testament believer who is commanded to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” as Ephesians 5:11 commands,

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [expose; warn] them.”

 You are to be separated today from the world, the flesh, the devil and anyone that will draw you away from God. II Thessalonians 2:13 explains,

“But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through the SANCTIFICATION [separation] of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”

God separates His people from the heathen in order to draw them closer to Him. Today, God gives us His Holy Spirit that convicts us of wrong fellowship with those who will turn us from His commandments. We were chosen from the beginning by God to be separated from sin. This helps us to understand that God desires us to be “…conformed to the image of His Son…” or like Jesus!

He gave the Jews their own land so that they could be sanctified, set apart, separated, or severed from the heathen that would talk them into worshipping other gods. Moses explains this in Exodus 33:16,

“For wherein shall it be known here that I and Thy people have found grace in Thy sight? Is it not in that Thou goest with us? so shall WE BE SEPARATED, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”

When the captives returned to their land after being punished for their wicked sinful actions, Ezra 6:21 tells us the first requirement for joining in the feasts unto the Lord was separation from the ungodly.

“And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat.”    

Ezra 9:1 shows the reproof of the princes of Israel for those who had not separated themselves from the people of the lands or their sinful actions.

“Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations.”

The people had watched those around them instead of being separated from sin. The Israelites began to practice what they saw. Their leaders realized that God could not bless them, until they were separated from the actions and lifestyles of those around them who talked them into serving other gods. Sin has always been the separation between you and God… not the law of God! Since sin separates you from God, you must separate yourself from sin! God’s law exposed sin for what it was and condemned the sinful actions of sinners!

Ezra 10:10-11 shows that Ezra knew the importance of separation.

“And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do His pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.”

Nehemiah 13:3 is a story about Israel hearing the law read to them after a long time without it. Here is recorded their response: 

“Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.”

What was their first response after hearing God’s law? Separation from sin and those among them that were not in agreement with the law! This is the first and only response acceptable to God, just as it is today. This is confirmed in all of Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel for the salvation of the soul of man. This is separation from the world, the flesh, and the devil as well as those who have not separated themselves to God in obedience to the Gospel.

God does not change! His nature and dealings with man, as you can see, have always been the same. He loves and rewards righteousness and hates and punishes all sin. He will soon separate the wicked from among the just in this world even in the “churches”! Read His stern warning in I Peter 4:17-18,

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

      The answer to this question is very clear… the ungodly and sinner will not appear justified before God, for they will be condemned with no eternal life! The influence that sin has upon a Christian is unbelievable. A quick note to this verse would be that Peter is talking to those who are “striving” to enter in at the strait gate. He is NOT talking to those who justify their sinful actions, because they are supposedly “saved”. This is a lie as we read:

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
Hebrews 3:12-13

Paul warns the “brethren”, to which he writes, “Take heed…” Guard yourself, brethren, from an evil heart of unbelief as you make a decision daily to follow Christ on the strait and narrow! This is not a one time “decision”, but a daily striving so that while it is called “To day”, you are not deceived. Paul explains this further in verse 14,

“For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.”                 

That conditional word “IF” contradicts all the “doctrines of devils” that the “highly esteemed” false teachers are spewing from their worldly accepted pulpits! These have transformed themselves into appearing to be the “ministers of righteousness”, while they damn the souls of all who listen to them. Their end can be seen by their “fruits” as Jesus warned us [Matthew 7:16 & 20]!

      This is why you are to be in the world, but NOT of the world. James 1:27 tells us of this purity.

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Verse 3 “Blessed [adorable, praised] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant [overflowing] mercy hath begotten us again[bearing again; born again] unto a lively [living] hope [faith; trust] by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

 God, the Father, showed us mercy [grace] by “bearing us again” giving the entire world the opportunity to receive the “New Birth” or to be “born again”. We have a living hope [faith; trust] that Jesus died and lives for us. His sacrifice was necessary to “bring us to God” that we might choose to walk with God in righteousness and true holiness. You now have the choice to walk with God or “eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”     John 3:3

Being “born again”, you are restored to the ability to walk with God as Adam did before he fell. You must choose willingly to eat of the Tree of Life by faith and obedience to the Gospel! He has prepared a place for you in the New Jerusalem, if you “…hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast to the end.” God has done everything for you to be reconciled to Him, if only you would willingly choose to continue in His Word!

“In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you… And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again,  and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”  John 14:2-3

This lively hope is “eternal life” as you could not come to God without “the shedding of blood” to reconcile [restore] you to God! This reconciliation does not come without “responsibility” on your part, because satan has promoted those “serving two masters”. You must continue in the gospel and serve God only!

Verse 4 “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled [uncontaminated, not soiled], and that fadeth not away [will never lose its luster], reserved  [guarded] in heaven for you…”

No one and nothing can destroy or ruin God’s reward for the faithful! For what God has promised will be given to those who persevere [are faithful to Him] unto the end! This is why all the Apostles wrote such warnings of “continue in the faith”:

“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” I Timothy 4:16

Colossians 1:5 says,

“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”

God has preserved the “New Jerusalem” in heaven which the faithful will inherit, for it is pure from any of the contaminations of this present world.  Nothing in this world can destroy it or cause it to lose its purity! This is not a dead hope as the world trusts in “things” to make them happy. This is not a false hope as the cults depend upon rituals, dead leaders, saints, or dead “gods”. This hope or assurance cannot be spoiled, but all who endure unto the end will receive an inheritance in it.

We know greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world as I John 4:4 says,

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

There is no doubt in the rewards that will be given to the faithful as they stand against the fiery ordeals of satan. Be faithful unto death, for God has promised eternal life and He will deliver upon His promise as a reward of your faithful obedience to His gospel! Read Revelation 2:10,         

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

This is a guaranteed promise to those who through temperance are faithful unto death! Satan is going to do everything that he possibly can to get you to turn off the strait and narrow way of the gospel.

Usually, it is the things of this world such as fashions, money, vacations, immodesty, comforts, the love of the world, entertainments, or the praise of men that will cause you to be disobedient to God’s commandments. They lure the majority of those who start out on the strait and narrow way, but they end up on the broad way that leads to destruction.

“Sunday religion” will cause you to serve God when it’s convenient and comfortable. It lies to you and tells you that you can sin most of the week, but on the day or two that you put aside for “religious appearance”, you must at least appear “religious”! This is damnable heresy, for God has commanded His children to be holy in all manner of conversation!

What God has reserved in Heaven for those who are faithful to Him and His commandments is worth giving up all the pleasures, comforts, wealth, and entertainment that this world could ever offer. Man cannot describe the blessedness of the place that God has prepared for them that love Him!

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man,  the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” I Corinthians 2:9-10