1 Peter 1:1,2, The Special People of God

Naturalization is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country…The rules of naturalization vary from country to country but typically include a promise to obey and uphold that country’s laws and taking and subscribing to an oath of allegiance, and may specify other requirements such as a minimum legal residency and adequate knowledge of the national dominant language or culture. Should we see ourselves as naturalized citizens of earth?

^1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those elect foreigners in the world of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the setting apart by the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Peter’s name was Simon until Jesus gave him a new name (Matthew 16: 18-19), which means “rock.” Matthew, in his Gospel, begins calling him Simon Peter at this juncture, but Jesus continues calling him Simon. Luke calls him Simon Peter once (Luke 5:8), and John does so regularly (John 1:40;6:8,68;13:6,9,36;18:10,15,25;20:2,6; 21:2,3,7,11,15). Peter calls himself Simon Peter in his second epistle. But here, only Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Peter was well known to his addressees.

These addressees he calls “elect” or chosen or selected, and more specifically “elect foreigners in the world.” By foreigners he could mean foreign to where they were living, suggesting they had been natives of Israel, but Peter’s designation of them in 1 Peter 1:17 and 2:11, using a slightly different term, as those who are foreigners in this world, suggests that here he is thinking of them as of all Christians as those whose real home is in heaven and as foreigners to earth. We likely think of ourselves as natives to earth, but from the standpoint of salvation, we are immigrants in this place. Our natural citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We don’t need to become naturalized to this place.

Nevertheless, they have taken part in a diaspora or dispersion from the holy land to the regions of Asian Minor (modern day Turkey), in four specific provinces of Asia Minor, a region Paul had evangelized, and perhaps Peter also, though we have no record of that. This has led many to suggest that Peter’s addressees are Jewish believers, and this could be the case, though it may be, as some suggest, that he is thinking of all believers, Jew and Gentile, as somehow dispersed from Israel.

Regardless, they are elect, selected for salvation by God’s foreknowledge. It is clear that this foreknowledge cannot simply mean knowing beforehand, because God knows all people beforehand, the saved and the lost. Rather, the term means to know intimately with love, choosing to love them with the gift of salvation. Only believers are foreknown in this sense. And this electing foreknowledge has been applied by the Holy Spirit, who set us apart (Greek, sanctified us) for obedience to Christ (which is equivalent to saving faith that makes one obedient) and sprinkling with his blood (which makes us members of his people). The idea of sprinkling blood on God’s people comes from Exodus 24:7–8, where Moses took the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled it on the people to ratify their covenant of the Law with Yahweh.

Peter has quite a lofty view of what or who a believer is. We belong to God, having been selected by Him, each one individually, and brought to faith by His Spirit through the application of Christ’s sacrifice to our lives. We are special, indeed. Grace and peace have been multiplied to us.