But What's In Between

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure. (I Peter: 1-2)

It’s nice to have a document that is so powerful that even its salutation is packed with dynamite. Now apparently Peter is addressing Hebrew Christians who are in a (the) physical diaspora, separated from the land of Israel and sojourning in a foreign land. Even though I want to address the sequence of being chosen, developing sanctification and being required to obey, I couldn’t pass by the alien part. Could this not be taken as a typology; namely that Christians are in the world, but are not a part of it? Of course, this is not an original thought, but I wonder how many of us think of ourselves in this way? Not many, I fear. This topic, of course, could easily take up several blogs (books), but that is not the reason for this entry. So let’s get to the sequence:

We are chosen. Talk about books! Somehow, I don’t think that I have the answer to the debate generated by this concept. Let’s just say that God has determined that some are chosen. In anyone’s life it is a done-deal, or it’s not. One cannot work at being chosen. One cannot improve on his or her degree of being chosen. It seems to be a one-time event.

Peter goes on to indicate that we are required to obey Jesus Christ. Now that is a powerful concept. If not many Christians have an alien mind-set, it seems reasonable to conclude that not many Christians have a mind-set of obedience to this man we call Lord. That discouraging observation aside, let’s just simply let it pass that we are chosen by God, and we are to obey Christ. One is a privilege; the other a requirement. But, there’s something in between. Peter determines that we are in a Spirit-driven process here described as sanctification. Consider this: To be chosen is to receive a privilege. To obey is to receive a requirement. To be sanctified is to undergo a process. That’s what is in between being chosen and being required to obey. We will spend our entire life undergoing that sanctifying process.

W. E. Vine (Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, III, pp 317-318, Zondervan, 1952) says this:

Sanctification, is used of (a) separation to God,... (b)the course of life befitting those so separated. This sanctification is God’s will for the believer…and His purpose in calling him by the gospel…it must be learned from God as He teaches it by His Word…and it must be pursued by the believer, earnestly and undeviatingly. For the holy character, hagiosune… is not vicarious, i.e., it cannot be transferred or imputed, it is an individual possession, built up, little by little, as the result of obedience to the Word of God, and of following the example of Christ.

Vine indicates that sainthood is not an attainment. We are all saints, however, the process described above clearly indicates a life-long process. It is a process that sets us apart as a mind-set. We are a called-out people; we are not a religion. This sanctification process is ever giving us an alien mind-set. Again, it seems reasonable to conclude that most Christians do not think of themselves as separated-out, chosen and obedient servants. Rather, most of us think of ourselves as religious personalities living a religious life-style and doing good things in the living out of our lives. More sobriety needs to be realized in our lives, and especially as the world culture that surrounds us continues to escalate into the insanity that appears to be winning the day.

We are chosen as a gift.
We are being sanctified as a process.
We are required to obey as a result.

We are a called-out people, not a religion. Let’s act like it!