November 23

Ezekiel 45:13-46:24; 1 Peter 1:13-2:10; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 28:11

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope today is full of good conversation and good food with friends and family. I know I am anticipating a great day! And I’ll try to keep this short so we can all enjoy our holiday.

Now onto 1 Peter – wow, where to begin!? There’s so much rich and beautiful theology in this passage. I love how Peter starts this passage by affirming to his hearers (remember, this letter would have been read out loud at each church) who they are: “As obedient children…” (1 Pet. 1:13). They are struggling and they are being persecuted (vs. 6) but Peter calls them children, and not just children, but obedient ones; and he calls them to be holy.

And then look at what he says next – “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers” (1 Pet. 1:18) – I love that word, ransomed. It’s not too common in our vernacular – it’s in some worship songs and has a negative connotation with kidnapping but most of us probably don’t use it daily – but the imagery here is amazing. To be ransomed from something means to be “released after receiving payment.” Peter’s listeners (and us!) were being held captive, but, through the work that Jesus did, their payment (and ours!) was made in full and they were set free from their foolish ways. And what was the work that Jesus did? How was the payment made? “With the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (vs. 19). Incredible theology. Pastors don’t just make this stuff up, people. We were literally saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.

In this passage, we get another amazing theological pillar: being born again. Did you catch that in verse 23? Jesus teaches that concept for the first time to Nicodemus in John 3 and there's no doubt that Peter, as one of his closest disciples, learned of that teaching. It clearly made an impression as he communicates more truth to these people about who they are: “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Pet. 1:22-23). What incredible truths – we’ve been born again, this time for immortality, and that birth was through God’s word.

There’s more, too. The idea of the “good news” (1 Pet. 1:25), which is the way we now think about the gospel; the idea of being a “chosen race” (2:9); the idea of being “living stones” (vs. 4) and so on. But since I’m sure your turkey is starting to smell good, I’ll wrap things up. As we go through our day today and the weeks ahead, let’s remember who we are – obedient children, holy, ransomed. Thank you, Jesus!

- Esther McCurry

How did God speak to you in Scripture today? Click here to share your reflections on God's word or read past posts. We'd love to hear from you.