Who by God's Power

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

“To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:1-5 ESV).

The apostle Peter wrote this letter to the elect of God who were living in exile in various locations. And who are the “elect”? We are the select or favorite of God, those chosen by God out of the world to be his holy people. And to be holy is to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ when we surrender our lives to Christ to be his holy people. And we are those who make serving the Lord Jesus our choice, by faith in him.

We are the elect of God according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit. And what is sanctification? Sanctification is the process of making or becoming holy, set apart. And it is the process of advancing in holiness, with the believer being progressively transformed by the Lord to his likeness. And this involves us cooperating with God in his work of grace in our lives by forsaking our sinful practices to now, by faith in him, follow the Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands (New Covenant) in living holy, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful lives.

[Ps 139:13-16; Jer 1:1-19; Lu 9:23-26; Ac 26:18; Rom 1:6-7; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,28-29; 1 Co 1:9; 1 Co 12:1-31; Gal 5:13; Eph 1:3-4; 1 Thess 4:1-8; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 10:26-31; 1 Pet 1:14-16; 1 Pet 2:9; 2 Pet 1:3]  

And this sanctification of the Spirit of God (of the Holy Spirit) is for obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. And since the goal of our sanctification is for obedience to Christ, that means that we who believe in Jesus Christ, who are the chosen and the select and the elect of God, are to be those who are walking (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands day by day, in his power and strength. 

And this is for the purification of our lives by the blood of Christ. For in his death on that cross Jesus shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) and to purify us, to make us holy, so that we will no longer live our lives according to the flesh, but now according to the Spirit, and in the honoring of God with our bodies and with our minds and in our actions. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might now live for him and no longer for ourselves.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

So, as we continue reading in this passage, we need to keep in mind that these are the people to whom these words were/are spoken. They are not spoken to all people who make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and who honor Christ with their lips but who by their actions deny the Lord. So if you profess faith in Jesus Christ but you are still walking in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, and not in holy living, in practice, and not in walks of obedience to the Lord, you can’t claim these promises.

For those who are born of God are not those who are still making sin their practice and who are not walking in obedience to the Lord (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10). And those who are still making sin their practice (addiction, habit) do not know God, they are not in fellowship with Jesus Christ, and they will not inherit eternal life with God. So this promise of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God is only for those who make righteousness and obedience to the Lord their practice, their way of life.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Now this isn’t talking about sinless perfection (1 John 2:1-2), for not one of us will be perfect until Jesus takes us home to be with him, and provided that we are of genuine obedient and submissive faith in Jesus Christ and that we continue in those walks of faith unto the very end. But lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin. For, again, if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness and obedience to God, we do not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

But, for those who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness, and who are continuing in the process of daily dying to sin and living to God, in the power of God, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we have that hope of an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us, who by God’s power (not our own) are being guarded through faith (persuaded by God) for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Do you get what that last sentence just said? Basically what it is telling us is what the Scriptures teach about our salvation. We are saved (past), we are being saved (present active), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns to take his faithful ones to be with him for eternity, for that is when our salvation will be complete and not until then. And our salvation depends on us walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh if we want to have eternal life with God when Jesus returns.

[Matt 24:9-14; Rom 8:24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; 1 Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6,14-15; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 2:24-25] 

Behold Our God

By Jonathan Baird / Meghan Baird / Ryan Baird / Stephen Altrogge

Who has held the oceans in his hands?

Who has numbered every grain of sand?

Kings and nations tremble at his voice

All creation rises to rejoice

Who has given counsel to the Lord?

Who can question any of his words?

Who can teach, the one who knows all things?

Who can fathom all his wondrous deeds?

Who has felt the nails upon his hands?

Bearing all the guilt of sinful man

God eternal, humbled to the grave

Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign

Behold our God, seated on his throne

Come, let us adore him

Behold our king, nothing can compare

Come, let us adore him

You will reign forever (let Your glory fill the Earth)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCwb1vEXyv4

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