Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:1-2)

Elected, Sanctified, And Cleansed

The Godhead is the manifestation of the divine personalities of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three were present at creation, and the scheme of man’s redemption unfolded on the pages of Holy Writ throughout the generations from Abraham to Israel to the coming of Christ in the flesh. It was the eternal plan of God to save men from the bondage of sin. From the curse in the Garden of Eden, the Father promised a Seed that would bruise the serpent’s head, which was fulfilled in Jesus raised from the dead. All men have the blessing of God’s grace to receive the remission of sins through the foreknowledge of the heavenly Father, the sanctifying action of the Holy Spirit, and the blood of Jesus Christ in the waters of baptism. The plan of salvation involves all three of the Godhead. Each one is independent of the other but dependent upon working of the Father’s divine will in what is promised through the power of the Godhead.

Before the world was created, the Father determined the plan of salvation. The elect of God are chosen to be His own special people, set apart for His glory. When Jesus died on the cross, it was not a mistake or failed plan of God to establish a kingdom on earth. Man’s election was a divine plan that declares God’s manifold wisdom by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. The Father loved His people long before the world was formed from the void of darkness. Salvation is found in the knowledge of God’s eternal love that reaches far beyond the scope of time. A Christian is a chosen vessel. They are so important to the Father that He established a means of allowing men to approach His throne and find mercy. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father expresses the value of the creation before the Creator.

Sanctification is setting something of value aside. It becomes holy as a matter that is set aside for a special purpose. When the promise of salvation was first given at Pentecost, it included the promise of the Holy Spirit. Repentance and baptism were the agency that washed away the sins of men according to Peter’s words. Often overlooked in the declaration of hope is the promise of the Holy Spirit. Every person who obeys the gospel of Christ receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, sins are washed away, and the soul is made clean to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. Paul declares in his letter to Rome the wonder-working power of the Holy Spirit in the life of those elected by the foreknowledge of the Father. The Christian is led by the Holy Spirit, enjoys a relationship with the Holy Spirit as the Spirit Himself testifies to the Father the elected is an heir of righteousness and finds the promise of eternal life through the knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Through the word of the Holy Spirit, the soul is set apart to be holy, pure, undefiled, and blameless.

The third part of Peter’s divine declaration is the power of the blood of Jesus Christ washing away sins. Before time began, the Father set forth a plan to save all men and sent His Spirit to declare the words by which men would be saved. The Holy Spirit awaits the opportunity to bless the hearts of those who will accept the grace and mercy of a kind and loving Father. But salvation will not come if a man is not obedient to the will of the Father and accept the blood of Jesus Christ as the cleansing power of sin. Obedience is necessary for salvation. Without doing the Father’s will, there can be no measure of grace or hope of mercy. God has elected those who will be sanctified, and it demands obedience to God’s word to receive remission of sins. Peter told those gathered in Jerusalem to repent and be baptized. Those who were saved were those who obeyed the word of the Lord and washed their sins away in the waters of baptism. In his first epistle, Peter writes this same message by declaring obedience and the blood of Jesus Christ as necessary to be redeemed.

Salvation is found in the Godhead. The Father has elected those whom He has chosen for glory who are sanctified by the Holy Spirit and who obey the word of the Lord to be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. Without the work of the Father, there can be no salvation. Rejecting the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, a man remains apart from God. Refusing to be baptized for the remission of sins condemns a soul. Obedience to the work of the Godhead is where man will find eternal life when he accepts the Father’s divine will to set apart those sanctified by the Holy Spirit through the obedience of the message of the gospel. Grace to you, and peace be multiplied.