Commentary on First Peter (2)

1 PETER 1:1-2
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout 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, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

When you purchase a piece of electronic appliance, it will most likely come with an instruction manual. The typical manual will begin by thanking you for your purchase. It will then assure you that you have made a wise decision by asserting that the item is a product of quality and durability, and very likely to serve you for years to come, if not for a lifetime. Then, it might even provide a brief summary of the advantages and features of the product.

Sometimes the manufacturers seem a little presumptuous, so that rather than thanking the customers in their manuals, they begin by congratulating them. Perhaps they wish to appear confident about their products, or perhaps this is a psychological device to assure the customers about the quality of the products they have purchased, as if they are especially fortunate to own them. Another motive behind these introductions might be to alleviate buyer's guilt, that is, when the customer regrets his decision after he has made the purchase.

But whether the manuals begin by thanking the buyers or by congratulating them, they never fail to acknowledge the roles of the manufacturers and the customers, and the relationship between them. The manufacturers produce the items, but it is up to the customers to buy them. The only thing that the manufacturers can do is to woo potential buyers. They can do nothing more to make these transactions happen.

Now, it is a most serious error to think that our relationship with God, or the way we come to salvation, is anything like the relationship between a manufacturer and its customers. In many circles, however, this is very close to how salvation is presented. God has made salvation possible, and now it is up to man to decide whether he wants to accept it. God can only woo him, but man is the master of his own fate, and even his eternal destiny.

This false perspective entails a blatant perversion of the nature of God, the nature of man, and the nature of salvation. The teaching betrays such an ignorance, distortion, and even a rejection of Scripture that the professing Christian who embraces this school of thought might as well write his own Bible.

The Bible does not say to the Christian, "Thank you for choosing Jesus Christ" or even "Congratulations on your wise decision"; rather, it says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you" (John 15:16). Needless to say, to misunderstand or even reverse this fundamental truth in our doctrine of salvation is to cripple a person's relationship with God at the very beginning. And for this person to perform the work of the ministry is to spread heresy.

No manufacturer would dare say to its customers, "We spit on your money! Your positions and achievements mean nothing to us! You have been selected to own one of our products only because of our graciousness without consideration of your status or worth. This is a special privilege for which you must be eternally grateful and because of which you must serve us forever."

On the other hand, this is the exact teaching of Scripture regarding our relationship with God and the nature of salvation. This is because when you are dealing with the Christian faith, you are not dealing with a mere man, or even a superman, but you are dealing with an absolutely sovereign and powerful God. He has no need of anything that you give him, as if you can give him anything, but you have need of him to give to you, and you are always entirely at his mercy. People sometimes forget that, or they simply refuse to acknowledge it.

Peter begins, then, not by thanking the Christians, as if they have done God a favor in believing the gospel. But he begins by calling them the "elect" or the "chosen." People believe the gospel and receive salvation not because they have a free will, and not because in and of themselves they decide to have faith in Jesus Christ. Rather, whoever believes the gospel does so only because God chooses to save him, to change his inner nature, and to produce faith in him.

Yes, the one who is saved must believe the gospel, and this involves something on his part, in that he must understand and decide about the gospel. However, even this understanding and this deciding is a work of God. Faith in the gospel in no way comes from the person himself – the understanding is sovereignly granted by God as he removes the blindness from the mind and enlightens it, and the willful assent is produced in him by God's power, as a gift that he gives only to those whom he has chosen. Just as God actively and directly controls the mind of every unbeliever, compelling his evil nature and preventing him from believing the gospel, God also actively and directly controls the mind of every person who converts to Jesus Christ, causing him to believe in the gospel message.

It is a false doctrine to suggest that God provides the mere possibility of salvation, and that it is up to each individual to actualize it when he believes the gospel by his own free will. Instead, the Bible denies any free will to man, and depraved and unconverted man is kept in bondage by God's own power, but it is God who provides both the possibility and the actuality of salvation for his chosen ones.