1 Peter 1:1-9
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 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.
3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
For the first 2 days this week we will talk about some big theological themes related to the Coronavirus situation. Then Wednesday through Friday we will be back in Mark.
This is one of the most inspiring passages in all of Scripture, in my view at least. Go back and reread it slowly before continuing on. If you don't have time now, make a note to go back and reread it sometime today.
In the first verse we see that Peter is addressing the elect exiles of the Dispersion. Much has been discussed on the exact nature of this exile and dispersion. There are 2 primary options:
Both make good sense of the text and I could argue either persuasively. In fact they may literally be exiles due to the exile of Jews under Claudius, and Peter may be making reference to the metaphorical identity of Christians as transient on this earth as well. So both may be in play.
The cultural situation which they are facing is likely relatively minor persecution in their newfound hometowns. They are likely under social pressure to add Jesus to the pantheon of Greek Gods. They are navigating how to be faithful to Jesus in a culture built on pagan practices and rituals. They are likely being ostracized from the community, and perhaps even under pressure from the political powers at be to disavow fealty to Jesus and claim fealty to the emperor alone. It's in this cultural landscape that Peter writes to encourage his readers.
He also refers to them, largely Gentile believers, as the elect. Verse 2 expounds on this theme using Old Testament language for the people of Israel to describe the church. This is a strong statement of the Gentile inclusion into the people of God. They are now a part of the covenant people through Christ—a theme which Paul discusses at length in the book of Ephesians.
There is much I'd like to talk about in this passage but to keep this devotional at a reasonable length I will limit it to the most important parts concerning our topic.
In his efforts to encourage and strengthen them in this time, he calls them to remember what God has done for them—"caused them to be born again to a living hope the the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." Their inheritance, the blessings of heaven already given them, can never be taken away from them, no matter the severity of suffering experienced now. So he calls them to rejoice in this truth and cling to it even though they are enduring various trials now.
The purpose of these trials he says is to refine our faith so as to bring about praise, glory and honor to God, presumably, at the second coming of Jesus. The idea is linked to the refinement of gold. Gold is refined by fire burning off the elements that are not pure gold, leaving you with a more pure successfully tested form of gold. Faith then, is refined by suffering as gold is refined by fire. This testing of your faith proves it genuine.
This is a total perspective change for many of us. Instead of viewing the Coronavirus threat as something to be fearful of, we can accept it, knowing that God has caused to be be born to a living hope in Jesus We can walk through this time expecting that God is refining our faith in the process. So I would encourage you to lean into it and grow through it. (Theoretically, not literally. Please don't unnecessarily expose yourself to the virus. That's foolishness.)
<aside> 🏋 Examine what God may be revealing to you through this time. How can you leverage this time to strengthen your faith and further your discipleship to Jesus? Perhaps he is teaching you trust in uncertain times. Perhaps he is teaching you patience and love towards those you disagree with. Spend time in prayer, examining, not only your actions but your motivations behind them as well.
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