1Peter 1:1-12 Study Guide
Author: Steve Amato
Description: Bible study guide, 1Peter
Keywords: bible study,bible study guide, 1Peter, free, trinity

Translations: 简体中文 繁體中文

# 1Peter 1:1-12 (web)

# Salvation of the Elect

1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

to the chosen ones who are living as strangers in the Dispersion
in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,

in sanctification of the Spirit,
that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled in his blood:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

The Father - Future Salvation 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1:4 to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn't fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 1:5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
The Son - Present Anticipation 1:6 Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been put to grief in various trials, 1:7 that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ-- 1:8 whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don't see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory-- 1:9 receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The Holy Spirit - Past Revelation 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 1:11 searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them. 1:12 To them it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.

# Discussion Questions

vs 1 How are the receivers of this letter described and how can you relate to such a description?
vs 2 What roles do the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit play in our salvation?
vs 3-5 What terms being used here are associated with "family"?
What is the living hope?
What parallels do you see with Matt 6:19,20?
vs 6-9 How much has your anticipation of going to heaven satisfied your desire for happiness?
How can trials cause artificial faith to develop into real faith?
How have trials caused your faith to grow?
What kind of responses to trials give glory to God?
What salvation have you experienced?
vs 10-12 How has viewing yourself as being a part of God's story motivated you to live the Christian life?
How might you identify with Christ in His purpose and sufferings?

# Comments

Strangers in the World
1Pet 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia
It was likely Peter was addressing Jews who had become Christians dispersed among the nations. Notice James address his letter in a similar manner. "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations" Jam 1:1 However realize that just as when Paul addressed a letter to a particular group, the application of that letter was not particular to that group but to the whole of the Christian community even today, likewise concerning these letters addressed to Jewish Christians. Realize that while we may come from different ethnic backgrounds, "there is no distinction between Jew and Greek" Rom 10:12 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal 3:28 And so this letter finds application among all the Christian community.
Three times Peter brings up the word "stranger" in this letter reminding us that we are all foreigners here just sojourning for a time. This is not our home. We are like Jesus who said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Mt 8:20 Our place of rest is in not found in the world, but in Christ and his kingdom. "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" Php 3:20

Chosen for Obedience
1Pet 1:2 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.
By "God's foreknowledge" Peter is not saying that God simply predicted that we would be chosen. Rather he's talking about God pre-planning our being chosen. His plan was in place from the beginning, as it is written that the "Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." Rev 13:8 or as Peter says in verse 20 "foreordained before the foundation of the world" From the beginning God planned that a category of people, which now we call "Christians" or "saints" or "saved" or "elect" or simply "chosen", to have a destiny in accordance with the grace offered in the gospel. If a person ends up in that category, they are reckoned and spoken of as being one of the elect. A person enters that category through faith in Christ. And what foreknowledge but the foreknowledge of our faith was the basis of God's choice.
One aspect of being a Christian is effect that the Holy Spirit has on such a person. At the end of Peter's first sermon in Acts chapter 2 he said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38 Paul writes, "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." 2Th 2:13
The sanctifying work of the Spirit leads one to obey the Lord Jesus Christ. And "those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Rom 8:14 Paul says that "Through him (the Lord Jesus Christ) and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith." Rom 1:5 There's an obedience that comes from faith - an obedience prompted by the Holy Spirit of whom Jesus said, "When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment" John 16:8
The sprinkling of his blood is an allusion to the sacrificial system, even to the origins of Passover where Moses "By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel." Heb 11:28 But now we have come "to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." Heb 12:24 For "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." Rom 3:25

Hope in light of Christ's Resurrection
1Pet 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
The resurrection of Christ forms the basis of our faith and thus of our hope. For it gives us solid eyewitness evidence that the gospel is true. Nicodemus came to Christ with such reasoning saying, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." John 3:2 And in his second letter Peter writes, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." 2Peter 1:16 Luke records concerning Jesus' resurrection, "After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." Acts 1:3 This is essential to the gospel. For faith in Christ is not wishful thinking like that of other religions. It is based upon the testimony of miracles. Paul writes that this is of first importance, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also." 1Cor 15:3-8 The eyewitness testimonies of the resurrection of Christ form the solid basis upon which to believe in Christ. And as such it is through the resurrection of Christ that we have come to believe in him and consequently have been born again.

Imperishable Inheritance
1Pet 1:4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade— kept in heaven for you
Both the obtaining and maintaining of earthly treasures is unpredictable, and thus Paul instructs Timothy, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain" 1Tim 6:17a, and they are corruptible and we can't take them with us. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Mt 6:19,20 But the fact these riches are in heaven indicates that we don't have them presently. They are to be experienced in the future, though reckon them ours like money in an IRA account.

Shielded
1Pet 1:5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Just as our inheritance is secured in heaven, so is our fate, if indeed we are in the faith. On the judgement day we will be saved from the wrath of God. For "since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!" Rom 5:9 So we "wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead— Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." 1Th 1:10 And "not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved." Rom 8:23,24a So there is to be salvation from the consequences of sin - both from the judicial wrath it incurs and from its very presence and corrupting influence upon us. But we still await "the last time" - that eschatological event known as "the day of the Lord."

Joy in the Midst of Trials
1Pet 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
There's both saddness and joy in the Christian life. These go together. There are trials that cause us grief. But our hope makes us joyful. For that which we hope is not dependent upon the circumstances we may have to face in life. And when you think about eternity, our life here is indeed just a little while. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2Cor 4:16-18

Trials Reveal Faith
1Pet 1:7 These have come so that your faith— of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire— may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
There is a faith that doesn't save. One type of faith that doesn't save is a faith that doesn't endure. Paul writes, "By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain." 1Cor 15:2 Jesus said, "The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away." Mt 13:20,21 But a faith that endures through trials proves itself to be genuine.

Receiving Salvation
1Pet 1:8,9 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Heb 11:1 While it had been a privilege to have seen and walked with the resurrected Christ as Peter did, Jesus said, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29 For our faith today is in a sense greater than that of Peter in that while we believe based upon eyewitness testimony, we believe without having seen for ourselves.
"Receiving" here is neither in the active nor passive voice. It is in the middle voice, which in Greek means to do something for your own sake. There is participation involved in receiving the goal of your faith. And that participation is the exercise of your faith. And faith has a goal, an end, a purpose, the salvation of your soul. The point of believing the gospel, the point of putting your faith in Christ, is that you may be saved. "Receiving" is in the present tense rather than the future tense. True they will be saved, but what Peter is saying is that it is evident that they have embraced the gospel in the expressions of their faith. And "as God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain." 2Cor 6:1, but rather to consider the implications of your faith and live it out.

Messianic Prophecies
1Pet 1:10,11 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
Prophecying concerning the coming of Christ started in Genesis just after the fall. God spoke to the serpent, the devil, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Gen 3:15
Later Daniel prophecied, ""Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing." Daniel 9:24-26a
"sevens" refers to weeks of years: 7x7 + 62x7 = 483 years. In 445 BC Artaxerxes issued a decree to allow the Jews to establish worship and Jewish law in Judah. That was the issuing of the decree. The book of Nehemiah records it. 69 weeks is 483 days.(69 weeks X 7 days in a week). If you consider a "prophetic day fora year" principle, you would add 483 years from the date of the decree in 445 BC. If it began in 445 B.C., and you add to that four hundred and eighty-three years, to the exact month (because we know that the month in which the edict to rebuild Jerusalem was issued was the Hebrew month Nisan, which corresponds about to our April), then it brings us down to April, 32 A.D., which includes adjustments due to the ancients using 360 day/year, which would be really made it 476 years, and also adding one year because there is no year zero. Know of anyone claiming to be the Messiah who was cut off in April, 32 AD?
Consider Isaiah 53 concerning the Messiah part of which says, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." And he goes on to mention the circumstances of Christ's burial.
Or consider the circumstances mention in Psalm 22, a Psalm which Jesus quoted on the cross, a Psalm written 1000 years prior to his crucifixion and yet containing details fulfilled the very day of his death.

Prophecy Revealed
1Pet 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
There are things mentioned in the Old Testament by the prophets which are relevant to the preaching of the gospel today, some of which I mentioned in my comment on the previous verses. What is hidden in the Old is revealed in the New. The gospel is not new. For it is "the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures." Rom 1:2 that Paul preached. The Church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." Eph 2:20 And now "we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." 2Peter 1:19 But also "you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2Peter 1:20,21 This not to say that prophecies are not be to interpreted. Certainly they are to be interpreted. That is the point. Both the prophets themselves and even angels attempt to interpret prophecies. But the origin of Biblical prophecies are not man-made, but come from the Holy Spirit.
Interesting that angels, including fallen angels, don't have the whole scope. Seems the gospel is being revealed to them progressively just as with us. This verse also tells us that angels long to look into these things. It's one of the few verses which expresses angel's desires. (Want to attract angels? Hold a Bible study!) We may in fact know more than they do in this regards.

## ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

vs 2 To be "elect" or "chosen" is to be put into a special category - that of the redeemed, those born of God. Such election is not arbitrary, but in accordance with God's foreknowlege. But "foreknowledge" of what? It could be simply God's foreknowledge of our response to the gospel - essentially the foreknowledge of our faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit sets one apart and causes one to be born of God, receiving a permanent indwelling of the Spirit, which affects one's attitudes and behaviors. This occurs after one believes. "Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." Ephesians 1:13 Being born of the Spirit one is both justified by the blood of Christ who is Savior, but also one is led into a life of obedience to Christ as Lord. The word for "obedience" is derived from the word "to listen". It is a listening type of obedience, like when parents say to their children "listen to me!" The elect pay attention to what God says and obey it.

vs 3-5 The section from vs 3-12 is very similar in style to Paul's doxology in Ephesians 1. Peter speaks of being born again which reminds us of Jesus's statement in John 3:3 "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Birth occurs at a point in time and is an irreversible event. Have you been physically born? Have you been born once? That seems obvious. But what if I ask, have you been twice? Have you been born of the flesh and also been born of the spirit? Are you equally confident? And let me ask this. Are you afraid of becoming physically unborn? That makes no sense. For once a person is born he cannot become unborn. Similarly could we not say the same of spiritual birth? Peter plays on the irreversible aspect of this new birth and the inevitability inherent in the promise to communicate a confident hopeful anticipation of the future for the elect.

Jesus' resurrection was the affirmation of our hope. But it was also a picture of our future. For death is not the end. A greater life is to come free from corruption and sin. And it is permanent. Today people build up their lives only to end up experiencing corruption, decay and death. But this is not our destiny. We have a reservation in heaven. (Have you made a reservation? If not you may get thrown out!)

Once saved, alway saved? Yes indeed! But what if one goes on to live a lifestyle of sin or loses faith in Christ? It doesn't happen!"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God."1John 3:9 and verse 10 goes on to indicate that this can be a measure of a person's election. The word "cannot" in 1John 3:9 is also the same Greek word for "power" that Peter uses in verse 5. The elect have lost the ability to live a lifestyle of sin because of the nature of the new birth. Thus those who fall away in a lifestyle sense indicate that they had never been born of God to begin with. "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, (ONCE SAVED) they would have remained with us; (ALWAYS SAVED) but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." 1John 2:19 This concept has come to be known as The Perseverance of the Saints, meaning that having been born of God, it is inevitable for the elect to continue on in the faith and in a lifestyle consistent with that of a child of God.

vs 6-8 Christians should have both a sense of joy in view of our destiny, but also a sense of burden while we are here. Consider Jesus. He was not a sort of light hearted fellow skipping down the road throwing rose pedals in the air. He was serious, sober, and somber. "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces." Isaiah 53:3 The way he treats his apostles is the way he treats the church. He calls them to give up their lives for the sake of the advancement of the kingdom of God and puts them in situations in which they are subjected to all kinds of trials. But then again this is how God the Father treated His Son as well. So we have an example to follow.

Depending on one's level of cooperation, trials can both reveal and purify one's faith. Gold is purified by fire in that the dross rises to the surface. (Burn the 'ell out of "gold" and you have "God"!) The dross rising to the surface can make the surface look ugly until one removes this dross. So also in the Christian life, going through trials can bring our sinfulness to the surface. But if it's on the surface it is more easily dealt with. Thus the purifying of the Christian life may look ugly on the surface, but it purfies inside. Those who are not faced with such trials may look clean on the surface, but may be corrupt inside just as Jesus spoke of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, "You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." Matthew 23:27,28

A Christian's love for Christ is not as the world's idea of love - that of simply feeling a feeling. But rather Biblical love is revealed by obedience to Christ's commands even in the midst of such trials, as it is written: "This is love for God: to obey his commands." 1 John 5:3 And "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." John 14:21 And "You are my friends if you do what I command."John 15:14

vs 9 Are the elect already saved or are we in the process of salvation? Both are true. For "salvation" is multfaceted. Having been born of God, we are justified. We are given a destiny which is inevitable. We are eternally secure from the wrath of God. Thus we can speak of positional salvation as already having been accomplished. But our experience of that salvation is ongoing. For though we've been saved from sin, we are in the process of being delivered from our innate sinfulness, for example - a salvation which is not going to be completely realized until our resurrection.

vs 10-12 Justification by faith was available during Old Testament times. Paul speaks of Abraham being justified by faith in Romans 4:2-3"If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-- but not before God. What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." And similarly also with King David in Romans 4:6-8 "David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." And there are other examples of where the New Testament authors acknowledge that justification by faith was active in Old Testament times. Since the promise in Genesis 3:15 God had always maintained a covenant of Grace with mankind.

Furthermore, in Galatians 3:16,17 Paul associates the New Covenant which Christians are under as simply an extension of the covenant made with Abraham. "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise."

But if such justification was already available, then what salvation were the prophets seeking? There are a few aspects of the New Covenant which are different than the previous covenants of grace which can mostly be characterized by the word "revealed". Previously justification by faith was not explicit but implied. Similarly, although Isaiah 53 is clearer than other Messianic passages, the role of the Messiah as the atoning sacrifice for sin was also not explicit but implied, even allegorically throughout the Old Testament. Even Jesus' apostles hadn't grasped that concept until the resurrection.

But there is another aspect that Christians may not realize that also is revealed under the New Covenant. There is a revealed righteousness of the believers. There is a behavior and attitude among true believers in Christ that was not generally characteristic even of the righteous saints of Old Testament times. Jeremiah writes of the New Covenant, of which the author of Hebrews takes note saying, "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." Heb 10:16,17 There are two aspects of this covenant. One aspect has to do with justification - the forgiveness of sins. And by "forgiveness of sins" I mean a forgiveness so complete that God actually forgets that we had sinned. But there is another aspect of the covenant, which is commonly referred to as "sanctification". And by this I mean the progressive development of Christlikeness. This is salvation from our innate sinfulness, which will culminate in its complete removal upon our resurrection.

Under the Old Covenant, no one was born of God in the sense in which they are under the New. And although prophets had a special empowerment of the Holy Spirit, no one had ever received the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the sense that Christians have since Pentecost. Even during his human life, none of Jesus' apostles had received the Holy Spirit as it is written: "Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." John 7:39 But Peter, having been given the keys to the kingdom, opens the gates of heaven intiating the announcement of the New Covenant at Penetecost saying: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:38,39

The general receiving of the Holy Spirit had been unheard of before. The Holy Spirit causes one to be born of God (John 3:5; John 1:12) It is permanent. (Ephesians 1:13) And it has an inevitable effect on one's behavior such that the Christian loses the ability to live a lifestyle of sin (1John 3:9,10) and makes one's life of faith characterized as obedient to God and overcoming the world (1John 5:3-5). This was not true of Old Testament saints. And thus the lifestyle of Old Testament saints, particularly their sinfulness, should not be the model for the Christian life. But rather Christ himself should be the model for the Christian life. And this living a holy life will be Peter's emphasis next.

# 1Peter 1:1-12 RAP

1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ To God's elect scattered like mice. Throughout Pontus and Cappadocia, Galatia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 Chosen by God as He did foreknow, Sanctified by the Spirit from your head to your toe. Who helped you to hear and so to obey The gospel of Christ, which is really the way His blood alone did cleanse you from sin And so Grace and peace he did for you win. 3 Praise be the God, the Father above Who gave us new birth because of his love And now we have hope to be raised from the dead. Just as Jesus was raised, that's what he said. 4 Inheriting things that cannot spoil or fade Kept in heaven for you, the ones who obeyed. 5 Who by faith are shielded by God's power and might Until the Lord comes when the time is just right. 6 In this you really have been overjoyed, Despite all the trials you could not avoid. 7 That your faith may be tested like gold in the fire Faith that is true has a value much higher For from it comes praise and honor and glory When Jesus comes back we'll hear the whole story. 8 You love him by faith though him you can't see By faith you have joy full of glory. 9 For you are receiving your faith's final goal Which is to be saved and to be made whole. 10 Of this salvation the prophets did write Asking the Spirit during the day and the night 11 To reveal to them what manner of time (Oops! Can't think of a really good rhyme) They wanted to know the time and the place Christ would suffer and then glory embrace What they saw, you now see 12 When they spoke the words of prophecy Which you heard from the message of love By the Spirit of God sent from heaven above Even angels long to look into these It seems they can't do so with much ease.

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