Foreknowledge

 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance. (I Peter 1:1-2)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, (II Timothy 1:9)

 

Yesterday, I addressed what might be called the historical aspects of this passage, dealing with who wrote it, when and their motivations for disputing it. Today, I’d like to deal with the contents. First, some theology. The people to whom Peter was written were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. This choosing, according to Jeremiah 1:5 and II Timothy 1:9 before we were in the womb and before the beginning of time.

This angers some people and reassures others. It angers those who consider it as interfering with their godhood. We all tend to have that response fairly frequently – whenever God doesn’t bow to our dictates. It is also an excuse: “God didn’t pick me, so nothing I do is my fault,” and “God picked me, so it doesn’t matter what I do.” The problem is that those who are angry that God hasn’t chosen them are forgetting the last word on the matter: yet. He hasn’t chosen them yet – as far as they know. But unless they know everything that will happen between now and when they die, they can still have hope that He will someday reveal that He did choose them before time began. There is room for hope.

The second internal note is again the presence of the Trinity. All three persons of the triune God are involved in the process. The vote is unanimous. The effort is united. And the effort is grace, or the granting of favor because of our failure to deserve it, in spite of our failure to deserve it, and with full acknowledgment that we have failed to deserve it.

I’m reminded again of a TV show I watched way back when. In the pilot (I think) of Mod Squad, a Black punk, a White punk, and a White female punk were hired by the police department. At one point, a car races into the tunnel where they stood, and the guys both grab the girl and drag her along to escape the car. Dragging her out of the way when she couldn’t have made it by herself is grace. Peace is her not fighting with the guys, insisting that she can do it herself!  And what does Peter say? “Grace and peace be yours in abundance.