Foreordained to Be Sanctified

1 Peter 1:2

…the foreknowledge of God the Father in the santification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood

The same Greek Word “foreknowledge” is also translated as “foreordained” in verse 20. The word “foreordained”, in that context, doesn’t refer to awareness of what is going to happen, but it means the predetermined relationship in the knowledge of God. He brought the salvation relationship into existence by decreeing it before even the creation of the world (see Ephesians 1:1-11). In other words, it is not that God forsaw all who would choose salvation on their own free will, but that God forsaw and foreknew the salvation that He alone creates and, by grace alone, grants (see John 3:3-8, 6:44 and 45, 65 as well as Ephesians 2:8, Philippians 1:19, and 2 Peter 1:2). He is sovereign over His creation and only He has the right, being the sole infinitely Holy and perfect Creator of the universe, to know why some are His elect and some are not — why you and I have been foreknown to be set apart/sanctified/consecrated “for obedience to Jesus Christ“.

Sanctification, of course, begins with justification or in other words declaring the sinner just before God by graciously imputing Christ’s righteousness to that person (see Philippians 3:9). That justification initiates the process of sanctification or purification that continues until glorification (when a Christian’s physical body dies and they see Jesus face to face). Knowing this, therefore, true salvation produces obedience to Christ (Ephesians 2:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10) which is far from perfect but is growing in purity. That obedience doesn’t come from a person’s own efforts and willpower, but from the right heart that is surrendered to The Lord’s rule over the person’s life. A pure heart whose motivations are driven by sheer gratitude and awe of the person and work and deity of Jesus Christ is the rightful fuel of sanctification, and it is by Grace that we receive that fuel continually throughout our Christian lives as we endure in our faith and live out our covenant with God.

The phrase “sprinkling with his blood” is based on Moses’ sprinkling of sacrificial animal blood on the people of Israel as a symbol that sealed their covenent as they vowed to obey God’s Word (see Exodus 24:4-8). In the New Covenant, having faith in the shedding of Christ’s blood on The Cross activates God’s promise to give the believer perfect and final atonement for sin (see Hebrews 4 and 7) while simultaneously bringing the believer into a vow of obedience to the Lord and His Word. But don’t we fall short all the time? Yes, but since we are believers in Christ with regerative hearts being sanctified by the washing of the water of The Word, though we still sin it is not sin that characterizes our lives but it is Grace and all God’s Grace encapsulates — forgiveness, repentence, purification, discipline, humility — all traits that are ever growing in the life of a true believer. I love the way Sinclair Ferguson put it in his book about sanctification titled “Devoted to God” in which he exposits 1 Peter 1:1-7 in this way:

“Christians are chosen (elect) through the love of God that had been set upon us (foreknowledge) in order to be reserved by the Spirit (sanctification) with a view to our devotion to Christ (obedience) and the enjoyment of a life of covenant fellowship with him (sprinkled with his blood). Knowing whose you are, who you are (in Christ), and what you are for, settles basic issues about how you live. It is foundational to ‘running our race well’ as it were.” – Sinclair Ferguson, Devoted to God

In the foreordaination of God, the sprinkling of Christ’s blood seals our being set apart for Him so that by our obedience we may more purely enjoy fellowship with Him in this life and certainly in the next.

Questions to ask yourself:

  1. How do you feel about God’s covenant with you and the foreordination of your salvation? If you have a journal, write this down.
  2. What does sanctification mean to you and where do you believe the power of your sanctification comes from?
  3. What is something in your heart that God is purifying you in? Seeing God rightly in our circumstances or stage in life will help you in this journey.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the stunning beauty of your Truth and the gracious miracle of my salvation. I pray for those I love who are not yet saved. If it is your sovereign will for them to be your elect, I humbly ask that you do it swiftly. Help me to share The Gospel with others in an accurate and faithful way. Lord, illuminate more and more of your Word to me so that I may grow in your ways and let go of my ways. I want to live a life that honors you. I want to live a life of holiness, obedient to you because you are more than worthy of my complete surrender. The mountains and valleys and oceans and stars and angels bow to you with just the wave of your mighty hand. How much more should I, a sinner, bow before you in awe and wonder and obedience? Help me to love you better, Lord, that I may love others better as well to your glory. In Jesus’ Holy name, amen.