1 PETER – CHRISTIAN HOPE IN TIME OF TRIAL.
1:1-2 GREETING
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
1:1
The letter begins with a standard Graeco-Roman introduction which falls into three parts:
Superscription – names the sender
Ascription – names the recipients
Salutation – conveys best wishes or a blessing
THE WRITER
The writer introduces himself as ‘Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.’ This establishes that the letter not only carries apostolic authority but also the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ himself, as Peter was his apostle (messenger).
Everything that we know about the apostle Peter comes from his two letters and also, as Harmon (1898, p.32) observes, from:
‘Paul’s references to Peter in the Epistle to the Galatians, certain speeches in Acts that are credited to Peter, some brief character sketches in the Gospels….and, finally, the second Gospel, whose material, form, and motive are generally believed to be due to Peter’s preaching.’
For information on the life and ministry of Peter see my post: 1 PETER – INTRODUCTION
There is no mention of Peter in the Acts of the Apostles after the time of the Jerusalem Council (see ‘The Jerusalem Council’ in my post ‘SILVANUS‘) but it seems that he was later active in ministry at Antioch (Gal 2:11). Since he addressed his letter to Christians in Asia Minor he may have preached there too.
Peter reached Rome (5:13) c. 63 CE and after preaching there for a short time he was, according to tradition, crucified with his head downwards in 64 or 65 CE. For a refutation of Roman Catholic teaching on the primacy of Peter or that he was Bishop of Rome see ‘A Treatise of the Pope’s Supremacy‘ by Isaac Barrow (1630-1677).
THE READERS
The letter is addressed to Christians in five districts ‘Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.’ These made up the four Roman provinces in Asia Minor at the time. They are all referred to elsewhere in the New Testament.
PONTUS Acts 2:9; 18:2.
GALATIA Acts 16:6; 18:23; 1 Cor 16:1; Gal 1:2; 2 Tim 4:10.
CAPPADOCIA Acts 2:9
ASIA Acts 2:9; 6:9; 16:6; 19:10, 22, 26, 27; 20:4, 16, 18; 21:27; 24:18; 27:2; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Cor 1:8; 2 Tim 1:15; Rev 1:4, 11.
BITHYNIA Acts 16:7
Peter describes these believers as ‘temporary residents (exiles) of the dispersion (scattering).’ These descriptions were traditionally applied to Jews dispersed as a result of the Babylonian Captivity (598-538 BCE). A parepídēmos (‘stranger’ or ‘exile’) was someone who had temporarily settled down in a foreign country. The word also occurs in Heb 11:13 and 1 Pet 2:11.
We thus learn that the early Christians were misunderstood and stigmatized by society, which treated them as outsiders. This aligns them with those who were called by God in the Old Testament and became ‘strangers’ as a result (Gen 17:8; 23:4; 28:4; 36:7; 37:1; Lev 25:23; Psa 119:19; 1 Chron 29:15). Note also that Levi called his eldest son Gershon meaning ‘refugee’ or ‘exile’ (Gen 46:11).
Diasporá referred to the scattered state of the Jewish exiles who, after the Captivity, settled mainly in Persia, Syria and Asia Minor. The word is used of these diaspora Jews in Jn 7:35 ‘Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?’ and occurs also in James 1:1 (see also Zeph 3:10; Isa 11:12). The verb diaspeírō is used in Acts 8:1, 4 to refer to the scattering of Christians from Jerusalem as a result of persecution.
It is not clear if Peter is using these terms in a literal or a metaphorical sense. If literal, then Peter was addressing Hebrew Christians from Palestine who must have been the mainstay of Christian churches in Asia Minor. The following reasons have been advanced for the view that he was addressing Hebrew Christians, not Gentile believers:
a) According to Acts 2:5-9, Jews from Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia heard Peter preach on the Day of Pentecost. Presumably those converted went home and formed Christian assemblies.
b) Peter was the apostle to ‘the circumcision’ (Gal 2:8).
c) Peter calls these people ‘strangers’. They were Jewish exiles.
d) In 1 Peter 1:18 the recipients of the letter are said to have been redeemed from the futile ways inherited from their forefathers. This is a reference to Jewish traditions.
e) In 1 Peter 2:9 the recipients are described in terms that are used of Israel in Exod 19:5-6.
It seems more likely, however, that Peter, with his Jewish background, is using the idea of diaspora metaphorically to describe the situation of believers in Asia Minor who, it seems, were from a predominantly Gentile background (1 Pet 1:14, 18; 2:10, 25; 4:3-4). Just like the people of Israel and Judah exiled from their homeland in the eighth and sixth centuries BCE, the Christians in Peter’s day were a minority scattered throughout a pagan society.
1:2
Here at the beginning of the letter Peter reminds these Christians who are under pressure that they are ‘chosen’ (‘by God’ is implied). In 1 Peter this idea of election is important as it is mentioned three times in chapter two (2:4, 6, 9) and the letter closes with greetings from people who are ‘likewise chosen’ (5:13).
The term ‘chosen’ was used of Israel in the Old Testament (Deut 7:6-8; Isa 41:8-9) but in the New Testament it is applied to Christian believers (Rom 8:33; Col 3:12; 2 Tim 2:10). It would have been of great comfort to these Asian Christians experiencing pressure to realize that they had become ‘God’s own people’ as a result of a special calling.
Matthew Henry comments:
‘Here was a set of excellent people, beloved of God, and yet strangers, dispersed and poor in the world; the eye of God was upon them in all their dispersions, and the apostle was tenderly careful to write to them for their direction and consolation.’
Verse 2 contains three prepositional clauses in which Peter explains this choice in terms of the actions of the Trinity (Father – Spirit – Jesus Christ) in bringing about their full salvation. Note the three prepositions:
a. κατὰ (katá) in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father
b. ἐν (en) through or in the sanctifying action of the Spirit
c. εἰς (eis) unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ
This choice (election) is said to originate with God the father and to be in accordance with his foreknowledge. Foreknowledge (prógnōsis) is much more than knowing what will happen in the future and seems rather to imply a deep personal knowledge of someone. This use of the word foreknowledge occurs in reference to Christ in Peter’s speech at Pentecost (Acts 2:23). The verb form is used of Christ (fore-ordained) in 1:20. Many scholars equate foreknowledge and predestination. The RSV and NRSV translations of 1:2 say: ‘chosen and destined by God the Father.’ The emphasis is on God’s effective choice (see also Rom 8:29-30; 9:11; Eph 1:11)
Peter mentions the sanctifying (making holy) action of the Spirit. The idea is of consecration or separation out for God’s purposes. These believers have been separated from an evil world and dedicated to God (2 Thess 2:13). Kelly (1969, p.43) observes: ‘His sanctifying action… became real for the Asian Christians in the movement of faith which led them to Christ…’ Although action is in the past he also allows that ‘the Spirit is continually present in the daily life of believers, developing their faith and deepening their sanctification. Grudem (1992, p.51) argues against putting ‘the activity too exclusively in the past: there is no past tense in the phrase, which literally says, in sanctification of (the) Spirit.’ He relates the phrase to the entire salutation and thus sees it as not referring exclusively to ‘chosen’ but to their entire status as ‘strangers.’
The twin goals of the predestinating choice are obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. One looks at the human aspect and the other brings out the divine aspect. ‘Obedience’ (hupakoé) denotes ‘submission’ or allegiance’ and has the idea of listening to and obeying instructions. Here it probably refers to willing acceptance of the gospel message (Acts 6:7; Rom 10:16) but Peter also writes about everyday obedience (1:14, 22; 3:6). The ‘sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ’ refers to the Lord’s sacrificial and atoning death. The ‘sprinkling’ is doubtless an allusion to the Old Testament sacrifices. Generally speaking the blood of the sacrificial animal was sprinkled on the altar or on the mercy seat in the Tabernacle. There are, however, three cases in which the blood was sprinkled on human beings:
1. Exod 24:5-8 The sealing of the covenant between YHWH and his people.
2. Exod 29:21 The ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons as priests.
3. Lev 14:6-7 The purification ceremony for a healed leper.
Here the imagery is from the Exodus 24 story in which the sprinkling of blood demonstrated the covenant between the ancient Israelites and their God YHWH (Yahweh) and in which there is also an emphasis on obedience (‘and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.’ Exod 24:7). See also Heb 9:18-22; 12:24. Because of the death of Christ (blood shed on their behalf) these chosen believers have been introduced into the new covenant.
Kelly (1969, p.44) explains: ‘the new covenant is made possible by the forgiveness of sins accomplished by Christ’s sacrificial death, which He Himself seems to have interpreted (Mk. xiv. 24 ‘my blood of the covenant’) in the light of Ex. xxiv. 8 in conjunction with Jer. xxxi. 31 ff. and Is. liii.’
The subject of the redemptive work of Christ is mentioned several more times throughout the epistle (1:18-21; 2:21-24; 3:18; 4:1).
Thus each Person in the Holy Trinity acts for the salvation of the believer, the Father foreknows, the Son atones and the Spirit applies the work of the Son.
Peter closes his salutation with the formula ‘Grace unto you, and peace’ which is a combination of the Greek greeting ‘grace’ with the Hebrew greeting ‘peace.’ Paul used it as a greeting in his letters, although he often added ‘from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Here Peter adds that grace and peace may be ‘multiplied.’ A prayer for increase occurs also in his second epistle (2 Pet 2:2) and in Jude verse 2. Grace (charis) is spiritual blessing freely bestowed by God and peace (eiréné) is given to those who were once God’s enemies.
1 PETER 3:18-22 THE SPIRITS IN PRISON
1 PETER 4:1-6 THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THE DEAD
1 PETER 4:7-19 LIVING WITH ‘THE END’ IN VIEW
1 PETER 5:1-4 – EXHORTATION TO ELDERS
1 PETER 5:5-14 – CLOSING WORDS
Written Exposition 
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