1 Pet 1:1,2
INTRO: To whom did Peter write this first of two brief but important letters? Well, the letter says, ...to the strangers scattered through Pontus, etc. Because Jews of the dispersion often were called strangers, we are tempted to say that the Jewish Christians are addressed. But the fact is that all Christians are strangers in this world ... just passing through. And the tenor of this book certainly directs to all Christians ... not just to a minority of Christians in heavily Gentile churches. In our text it is verse two which is so important. So much of the entire scheme of redemption is revealed in such a few words!
I. CHRISTIANS ARE GODS ELECT
A. Elect simply means chosen
1. Christians, then, are Gods chosen people
2. chosen once applied to Israel (Deut 7:6)
3. but Israel lost that privileged destination through faithlessness ... thus, Mk 12:1-9 ... now, Christians are the privileged elect (chosen) of God
B. ... According to the foreknowledge of God ...
1. do elect and foreknowledge speak of Calvinistic doctrine of predestination? (explain what it means)
2. God predestined a plan for redeeming humanity because He foreknew mans sin would require it - note 2 Pet 3:9
3. it is only after one has availed self of that plan that he becomes one of Gods chosen - remember Rev 22:17d
II. CHRISTIANS ARE SANCTIFIED
A. Sanctified simply means set apart to special purpose
1. now, Christians are certainly set apart
2. term strangers strongly implies this
3. 2 Cor 6:17,18 with 2 Tim 2:21
B. ...Sanctification of the Spirit ...
1. the Holy Spirit joined with our sanctification - how?
2. 2 Thes 2:13,14 note the connection of sanctification with belief of the truth and called you by our gospel (see Jno 17:17)
3. revealing work of the Spirit makes known the means of our election of which Peter goes on to write:
III. CHRISTIANS ARE OBEDIENT
A. Our election hinges on our obedience
1. this is mans part in redemption emphasized
2. and for faith only or predestination advocates it may come as a great shock!
3. but it is totally compatible with New Testament teaching
B. Consider further texts:
1. 1 Pet 1:22 ye have purified ... in obeying ...
2. Rom 6:17,18 ye have obeyed ...
3. Rom 16:26 The obedience of faith
IV. CHRISTIANS ARE PURIFIED
A. Our election hinges, too, on purification in Jesus blood
1. compare Ex 24:7,8 - joins obedience and sprinkling blood
2. this is no doubt the picture of our text wherein obedient people are cleansed and set into a covenant relationship with God
3. remember Mt 26:28 blood ... new covenant ... remission
B. Can we find remission joined with an act of obeying?
1. Titus 3:5 hinted ... saved by washing (Rev 1:5)
2. of course, Acts 2:38 and 22:16
3. it appears, then, that the covenant, purifying blood is met/applied in act of ones being obedient (in baptism)
CLOSE: There is no privilege as great as that of being one of Gods elect. But that privilege belongs only to those who have been purified in the blood of Jesus when they were obedient to faith in baptism! Friend, are you, then, one of the elect?
Cecil A. Hutson
14 January 2001
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)