1 Peter 1: Father, Son, and Spirit

Today’s reading is 1 Peter 1.

The Holy God, in the persons of Father, Son, and Spirit, is completely and fully involved in our salvation and election. He does not leave us on our own. Praise the Lord!

The Father

We are elect according to the Father’s foreknowledge. Note this carefully. We are not foreknown according to the Father’s election as John Calvin would claim. But the other way around. He chooses and elects based on something He foreknows about us. He doesn’t foreknow everything about us because He elected us to behave in a certain way. Paul says the same thing in Romans 8:29-30.

The Spirit

We are the elect exiles in the Holy Spirit’s sanctification. That is, we who are foreknown by the Father are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. We don’t become elect and then pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and clean ourselves up. While we must, no doubt, cooperate with the work of the Spirit, we must not think we are growing spiritually because we are just so good at growing spiritually. The Holy Spirit is working in us, on us, and through us to set us apart for God’s good works. Paul says the same thing in Titus 3:3-7.

The Christ

Our connection to Jesus, the Christ, drives home the cooperative nature of our relationship to God. Taken in reverse order, we must recognize we are elect unto the sprinkled blood of Jesus Christ. In the same way Moses took the blood of sacrificed calves and goats to purify the tent, the worship vessels, and the people to sanctify them–set them apart for God’s service–Jesus sprinkles us with His blood of the covenant that we might be set apart and useful to Him. But this election based on foreknowledge and in sanctification is to produce something in us: obedience. As elect exiles, we obey. We don’t follow our own will, we have been saved to walk in a new life of submission and surrender to our King, the anointed Jesus. Paul says the same thing in Romans 6:1-4.

We are not alone. Father, Son, and Spirit are all working on our behalf. Let us rely on them and give our allegiance to our King, Jesus.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is 1 Peter 1.

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PATHS:
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How does 1 Peter 1 prompt or improve your praise of God?

See, Here is Water!

Today’s reading is Acts 8.

Have you ever asked yourself why the Eunuch brought up baptism? To listen to most preachers and teachers today, baptism isn’t necessary. But for some reason the Eunuch himself stopped the chariot and asked, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” Philip didn’t ask the Eunuch to get baptized, the Eunuch asked to be baptized. Why? The only logical explanation is that while Philip was telling the Eunuch the good news about Jesus (cf. Acts 8:35), he must have mentioned what God does for us through the blood of Jesus Christ in baptism (cf. Colossians 2:11-15), which made the Eunuch believe it was necessary. As we are making disciples today, let us never forget we can’t make them apart from baptizing them and teaching them just like Philip did with the Eunuch (cf. Matthew 28:19-20), and we aren’t really telling the good news about Jesus if we don’t mention it. If you have not been baptized for the remission of your sins (cf. Acts 2:38), can I encourage you to become a disciple today by following in the footsteps of the Ethiopian Eunuch. Nothing prevents you except your decision. What will it be?

Tomorrow’s reading is Acts 9.