seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
3 Praise 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, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though 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, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Peter was a man with many responsibilities. His writings are rich and I really need the commentary. This is from the commentary.
Faith… tested by fire: Our faith isn’t tested because God doesn’t know how much or what kind of faith we have. It is tested because we often are ignorant of how much or what kind of faith we have. God’s purpose in testing is to display the enduring quality of our faith.
I'm not sure how to take Peter. I want to remind him that he denied Christ. I want to remind him that when the chips were down... he took the coward's way out... denying to know Jesus because he was afraid of being beaten and hung on a cross as well. I guess in the "flight or fight" way of thinking... Peter would choose to "lie so he could choose to fight another day". Problem is... I don't know if I'd do the same... If I were Peter and my boss just got carted off to who knows what! I'd like to think I'd stand and say "yeah, I've been with Jesus... He's a fine man and this must just be what He's been telling us about.
Jesus told the Apostles He would be put to death. They couldn't wrap their minds around it. They saw the miracles first hand.... how could they think that any mere mortal could arrest the man they saw healing and helping.
Peter had another problem. When Jesus was arrested, Peter pulled out a sword and chopped of the ear of one of the guards. He was wanted now!
Today we would be afraid for Peter because assaulting a police officer, which the Roman Guard would fit here, is a very serious crime. Peter had just assaulted a police officer.... Jesus made things right when He put the ear back on the Guardsman, but still, Peter was in serious trouble because everyone that witnessed the arrest of Jesus... also witnessed Peter's crime.
By disassociating himself with Jesus... Peter was stepping away from his own crime.
When Peter saw how severely Jesus was beaten.... Peter must have really been moved to fear and trembling. Jesus took the beating Peter would have gotten. The Guardsmen were angry.... one of them had been assaulted by one of the thugs hanging out with this man Jesus. Jesus took the beating... Jesus shed the blood... Jesus hung on the Cross... but Peter made matters worse for Jesus... and he knew it.
I think what Peter is saying in these first few verses is difficult to understand because of the way it's written. Peter says we are sprinkled by the Blood. Peter says we're tested... not so God can see if we are Christian.... He already knows... but to show us that we are Christian.
Peter knew better than to pull that sword. He took the human way out... fight. Peter knew people would recognize him but he lied and his heart broke when he did.... when that **** crowed the third time [as Jesus told him it would] Peter knew Jesus was bigger than just another human tired of being occupied by Rome. Peter knew this was Heavenly Big.... just like Jesus said.
So, this is a letter from Peter to all the Christians in the occupied territories at the time. Peter was working to make things better.
This letter is from a guy who saw it all first hand. Like the guy who filmed the Rodney King beating... Peter was there. Peter was definitely a part of it all.
Peter was rescued and he knew it.
