1 Peter 1:1- 2 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersiona throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”
“Grace and peace” – So many of the epistles begin with those words that we might be tempted to think that this was just some kind of social convention in letter – writing. Nothing could be farther from the truth!
Simon Peter wrote this letter to the churches in the northern part of Asia Minor. Peter may well have been in Rome at the time and possibly wrote this letter about 63 A.D., shortly before his death. Why did Peter feel the need to wish grace and peace in abundance for these believers? The Amplified Version explains that “it was during the decade of the sixties that the Roman Government under Nero shifted its attitude from toleration to persecution in Rome.
According to tradition, both Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome in the latter part of the sixties.” In the meantime, believers in other parts of the Roman Empire were facing persecution from their pagan environment. Many towns were demanding that merchants sacrifice to the local gods before they were allowed to conduct business. Such restrictions would have worked an extreme hardship on dedicated Christians. The last emotion that these people were likely to feel was to feel peaceful!
Peter takes the opportunity to remind his readers that they have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God; in other words, God had a plan for these people before they were ever born. And the plan of God included being made holy by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ, receiving the covering of the shed blood of Jesus for forgiveness of their sins. Peter wants his readers to look above their earthly problems to their eternal call and destiny.
Peter might have started out as a fisherman, but by this point, he had been a church leader for nearly 30 years. Peter was a keen observer and nobody had to tell him that the church was heading into an era of persecution. In the letters we call 1 Peter and 2 Peter, the dominant theme is suffering. In both letters, Peter points to Jesus as the perfect example of grace in the midst of persecution. In Christian belief, grace is considered to be the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blesings.
Why should these simple phrases matter to us? Today Christianity is under attack. Voices of chaos and anarchy are screaming from all sides. Churches in Europe are being burned. Christians in various parts of the world are being martyred – Nigeria, Sudan, India, Iran, just to name a few. People are complaining that social media groups are eliminating prayer group posts. In America, the threat of COVID has been used to drastically curtail worship services. Some state governors have gone far beyond this restrictions and have attempted to ban on-line worship services.
At this point in time, if our belief in Christ is merely a social convention, we will crumple under persecution. Belief that does not withstand persecution is no belief.
In Revelations 2:10 Jesus tells the church in Smyrna, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
It takes the Grace of God to withstand persecution. But with that Grace, God also sends His Holy Spirit Peace, a peace so deep that nobody can understand it. Grace is not given so that we can hide somewhere; grace is given so that we can speak out boldly for the truth. And we can ask for God’s grace. God does not play favorites; the same grace that God gave to Peter and Paul as they were martyred is available to all of us, if we will only ask.
PRAYER: Father God, we admit that we don’t want to undergo persecution! We would like to live quiet peaceful lives. Lord, help us to love you so much that we will follow hard after you all the days of our lives. We thank you that you do give Grace and Peace and that you sprinkle all who believe with the Blood of Jesus. Thank you for loving us! Thank you for saving us from our sins. Help us to be channels of your love and grace and peace to others. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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