“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.”
Elect
“Elect” simply says we are in the plan of God. It anticipates the suffering the believer is to face. I Peter deals with how the Christian relates to suffering from God’s viewpoint.
Scripture observes election from several viewpoints. God elects us out of the world (John 15:19). He elects us to salvation (1 Thes. 1:4, 5). Our Lord chooses us to special service (Acts 9:15; 1 Peter 2:9). He elects us to conform to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29). He does all of this according to his own will (Ephesians 1:11).
Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
John 15:16,19, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. … “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” God chose us to bear fruit.”
Romans 8:33, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”
Ephesians 1: 3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
1 Thessalonians 1:4, “Knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
2 Thessalonians 2:13,14, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here we have eternity dipping into time and stretching forward unto eternity. Of course, there is no such thing as past or future eternity. We use that language to understand it from a finite viewpoint. We use this language to differentiate eternity from time, calendars, and clocks.
Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.”
Titus 1:1, “Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness.”
2 Peter 1:10, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”
Revelation 17:14, “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
PRINCIPLE:
The plan of God fully anticipates all our suffering.
APPLICATION:
Nothing will ever touch us that is not in the plan of God. Nothing is too great for the plan of God. God’s plan is greater than any suffering, any heartache, disappointment, difficulty, or loss that we might sustain. Nothing is too great for his plan. God has made provision for any disaster that we will ever face. Whether we experience blessing in these disasters or not depends on your appropriation of his provisions. In other words, we understand his promises and lay hold of them.
