Skip to main content

I Peter 1:2

...who have been chosen
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

(NIV)


There is so much theology in this verse. I could never do the entire thing justice. Consider though a couple of points:

First, notice the combined work of the trinity. We see the Father and the Spirit and the Son all doing this work of Salvation together. Sometimes it is easy to skip over the amazing miracle of the saving of a soul. It is no wonder that the angels rejoice when one soul is restored to fellowship with God.

Notice also that the choosing of God leads directly to our cleansing and our obedience. Salvation means something. There are divine actions associated with your salvation. We cannot see any of these actions, but we can see the results. God's actions will not return fruitless.

One last thing. Notice that there is Grace and Peace in abundance. This is written to those who are scattered throughout. Maybe they are feeling alone. Maybe they are feeling discouraged. Peter gently reminds them that there is Grace and Peace, even for them, but it is not because of their actions, it is to bring Glory to God for His goals and purposes in Salvation.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ephesians 4:31

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (NIV) This verse might be best served with some definitions. Bitterness - Just what it says, bitterness. It is a bitter root that produces a bitter fruit. Rage - Usually translated as Wrath. It has to do with a passionate anger. This is the person who is fuming. They are bubbling over with anger. Anger - This word has also been translated as wrath. It is most definitely referring to the actions associated with anger. It doesn't have to mean this, but their can also be the association with violence. This is the person who is acting out on their anger, in a sinful way. Brawling - Ok, I just learned something new, this word has to do with making an outcry, or a crying. After I read the definitions, what immediately jumped into my mind was the person who yells when they are angry. He may not do something violent, but he is letting everyone know exactly how angry he is. He is a ye...

Psalm 136:4

to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. (NIV) If this verse said, "to him who does great wonders..." it would still be a great verse. We could talk about all of the wonders that God does. Everything from the rings of Saturn and the Sombrero Galaxy to the forming of a child inside its mothers womb or even how electrons are spinning around the atoms and not flying off. We could talk about all of those things and marvel at His wonders. But get this, all of the great wonders are His! He doesn't just get credit for great wonders, He gets credit for all of them, because the verse says, "to him who alone does great wonders..." God has no counterpart. He has no arch-rival. There is none like Him, and He is the only one who is doing the wonderful stuff! He is the changer of hearts and lives. He is the redeemer. He is the savior. He is the God who hears and the God who sees. And the most wonderful of all, His love endures Forever!

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (NIV) I know that this verse is a great comfort to many people. This world is full of heartache, pain, and sorrow, so when we see a verse that tells us that our mourning will be comforted, it is a great promise to cling on to. But the real question to ask is, "what are you mourning for?" There are many people who are mourning about the wrong things. They are weeping and wailing because they can't get what they want. This is a lesson that I am always trying to teach my boys. When things don't go their way, they will start to cry about it. I immediately say, "is this something to cry about?" If they aren't for sure how to answer the question, I will begin giving them some examples of things that are worthy of tears. What are you mourning for?