Concerning This Salvation

10152536_770318399658828_5455488693038098411_nIn the Gospels, Peter was an impetuous disciple.  In Acts, Luke portrayed him as a bold and influential apostle.  The two epistles (letters) written by Peter reveal him to be a wise and seasoned saint.  Facing his own impending martyrdom, Peter wrote to encourage bewildered believers that scattered to other regions due to fierce persecution.  He also wrote to warn them of false teaching and the false teachers who would manipulate and exploit them.

He began this dual task of encouraging and warning by clarifying the true nature of salvation.  The tendency then, as it is today, was to diminish or revise the meaning of salvation that God initiates and brings to completion.  We understand that this salvation was planned before the foundation of the world and that it involves a chosen Savior and a chosen people.  Salvation in the present is revealed in Christ and in the Word to a people of God who participate in the divine nature by leveraging the Spirit of Christ within themselves.  This salvation is ordained to be completed and consummated in the near future.

This understanding of salvation will strengthen us in any circumstance.  We shall unpack the implications to this salvation in the next post.  “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer.”