This is part 5 of a 5-part blog series. In the previous blogs, we've explored 1Peter 1:1-2, particularly the possibility of discovering what event or state of being happened or exists that was “according to the foreknowledge of God.” Our goal has been to discover the grammatical object of the verb “foreknow" and to answer the question “What or Who is it that God “foreknew?” in 1Peter 1:1-2.
1Peter 1:1-2 reads as follows…
“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.”
In the first four blogs, we've demonstrated that it is possible to understand that Peter identified himself as “apostle” because he was given the title, “apostle to the Jews.” We also concluded that Peter identified himself in the first verse of his letter in that way because he was writing to the people for whom his apostleship was given, the Jewish people.
We came to that conclusion because of Peter’s use of his trifecta “elect” + “exiles” + “of the diaspora” plus the purposeful mention of his “apostleship to the Jews.”
Such a grammatical construction raised the first paragraph of his letter to the greatest of prominence signifying that he, the “apostle to the Jews,” was writing his letter to Jewish “elect” + “exiles” + “of the diaspora.”
So now, we now come to the most significant part of this blog series, connecting it and tying it all together. How do the last three prepositional phrases connect with the double dative, the trifecta and Peter’s apostleship?
We have already concluded that the object of what God foreknew is the election of the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people to bless all nations of the earth through their lineage, through Jewish history of being exiled and dispersed throughout the earth and through the eventual appearing of the Messiah, so that the gospel of salvation is revealed first to the Jew and then to the nations.
And we have also seen, here in 1 Peter, that the dispersion of Jewish people that reached Asia Minor, to those living in the regions of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. They are the very ones to whom Peter is writing.
So, this object of what God foreknew could better be referred to, in more biblical terms, as the “plan of God,” or “will of God” that is revealed throughout scripture.
This would make perfect sense then, if indeed, God’s plan of salvation was revealed to the Jew first through the history of their dispersion and then to the nations through the Messiah who would come through their lineage. Sound familiar?
Moving forward with this proposition then, we would expect the three following prepositional phrases in 1 Peter 1:1-2 to also connect to God’s plan of salvation. The three prepositional phrases are:
1. in the sanctification of the Spirit
2. into obedience to Jesus Christ
3. for the sprinkling of his blood
Since the object of the first prepositional phrase is Gods’ plan, then the question arises, “How does the sanctification of the Spirit, the obedience to Jesus Christ and the sprinkling of Jesus blood connect to God’s plan?
Here's how...
As we have already noted in previous blogs, long ago, even before the inception of the Jewish nation, God had a plan of salvation, a plan that he foreknew and through which He…
“announced the gospel in advance to Abraham that “All nations will be blessed through him.” (Gal 3:8)
We also noted in previous blogs that in Romans 1:16 God’s plan was that
“the gospel was to be the power for salvation to everyone who believes, (revealed) to the Jew first and also to the Nations.”
It seems that God’s specific plan was to elect the Jewish nation to reveal saving faith to Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, for them to be a light to all other nations as they carry the message of the faith of Abraham to those nations. God then disperses them to all nations as exiles, so that all nations might be made pure (sanctified), not through the law, but by the Spirit, through their obedience of faith in the sacrificial death (sprinkling of blood) of Jesus the Messiah.
This seems to be the plan of God that Peter, the apostle to the Jews, wanted to make clear to his elect readers in exile as a result of the diaspora.
Also, the writer of Hebrews confirms the "will of God" quoting the Messiah, “Behold, I have come to do your will,” and then adding his own commentary regarding that “will of God,” using language that clearly coincides with 1 Peter 1:1-2,
“And by that "will" we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10:9-10 above, clearly claims that sanctification through the sacrificially offered body of Jesus the Messiah is the “will/plan of God.” In essence, we are safe to conclude that the “will/plan of God” is the object of what “God foreknew.”
Again, regarding the “will/plan of God” Luke says,
“Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, and crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
Here, scripture cannot be any more clear that the “will/plan of God” that “God foreknew” is the sacrificial death of Jesus.
Paul also confirms the sentiment of the writer of Hebrews in saying that the Old Testament law was not capable of sanctifying or purifying the sinner; only the Spirit was capable of sanctification through the sacrificial offering of Jesus’ body. Paul writes,
“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:3-4)
As we finish, we must remember that Peter himself confirms for us that his introduction means everything when it comes to understanding the content of his letter. Not only identifying himself as “the apostle to the Jews” to get his readers mind going in the direction he wants, Peter also provides a double dative noun phrase (“elect exiles”) to indicate the object of what God foreknew- His plan/will. Even more, Peter then produces the trifecta construction to emphasize even more that his introduction to his letter serves as the object of what God foreknew- His plan/will.
Last, but certainly not least, Peter agrees that God foreknew that Old Testament law, inherited from Jewish forefathers, would be powerless to purify anyone, but rather the precious sprinkled blood of the Messiah would through faith in him. Peter says God foreknew his plan/will before the foundation of the world.
Peter says following his introduction,
“knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God..” 1Peter 1:18-20
So what does this all mean?
First, it means that “the elect” in this case, here in 1 Peter 1:1-2, is not a reference to specific individuals whom God chooses for salvation as opposed to others who He does not choose. The “elect” here is referring to Peter’s Jewish audience.
Second, it also means that introductory remarks in biblical writings should be noticed and regarded as very important to understanding the context of the whole letter, and very helpful in understanding the content of the letter. Introductions are important for context and content.
Third, it means that attempting to understand scripture from a wholistic biblical perspective provides a larger framework for interpretation and stretches the boundaries of stereotype interpretation.
Fourth, it means that a wholistic biblical perspective provides greater continuity to understanding scripture both from the Old Testament to New Testament and vice versa, from New Testament to Old Testament.
In the next blog, we will continue a wholistic biblical perspective as we begin to read 1 Peter from the context of “God’s foreknowledge” of the “will of God” that Peter provides in his introduction.