To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ …
Summary: Our God is amazing. He is perfect in every aspect. Thankfully, his perfection extends to include perfect love and perfect forgiveness.
In his first letter, Peter addresses his words to “God’s elect.” In this letter, Peter refines his greeting. Instead of using a shorthand reference to believers, here he explains himself.
Q: Who is Peter writing to?
A: People who have faith.
Q: What kind of faith?
A: Faith that is precious, valuable, worth having. In Peter’s case, a faith worth dying for.
Q: Where does this faith come from?
A: From God and Jesus Christ.
Q: Who is Jesus?
A: Our Savior. The one who makes it possible for us to be saved from the eternal fire of hell. The one who has restored us to a right relationship with God. The one who paid the price to free us from the consequences of sin.
Q: How did Jesus save us?
A: Through God’s righteousness.
Have you ever done something for no other reason than it is the right thing to do? The thing about us humans that makes this question hard to answer is that we rarely have only one motive for doing something. Almost everything we do a rooted in a mix of motivations.
What makes God different is His purity. Like a clear glass of water, there are no “mixed motives” in our God. He is impervious to doubt, deceit, or duplicity of any kind.
When Peter mentions the righteousness of God, he is once again using a kind of shorthand to refer to the body of knowledge we have been given about God that sets him apart as unique. The righteousness of God includes (but is not limited to):
1. The fact that God is our Creator. He who created all that exists has the authority to define what is right and what is wrong. God is righteous by reason of his being the Creator of all things. (Genesis 1:1)
2. God is the Judge of all things. His decisions are the only ones that matter. He is righteous by virtue of the fact that he has the authority to judge the Creation. (Genesis 7-9, Revelation 22)
3. The consistency of God. His nature is such that he cannot contradict himself. (Hebrews 6:17)
4. The infinite depth of God’s love. Our Creator, our Judge, our Unchanging God, is also a Loving God. Confronted with a creation that is prone to defy its Creator, he redeemed his Creation from the certain destruction required by his own unchanging commitment to Justice. He did this by becoming part of his own Creation in the form of Jesus. As both Creator and Created, he demonstrated the sinless life that the Creation was intended to be. He then allowed himself to be put to death by those who had set themselves up as judges over their own God. Having been wronged by the very creatures he had created, he now had the opportunity to demonstrate another aspect of his righteousness: Divine Forgiveness. (John 1-21)
5. Divine Forgiveness: Our God, Creator, and Judge, who is unchanging and infinitely loving, is also forgiving. The mechanism of forgiveness involves repentance and redemption. Repentance is found in the heart of remorse. Redemption is found in paying the penalty for the wrongs done. Jesus, having been wrongly tried, convicted, and killed has the power and authority to both forgive and redeem. (Luke 1: 67-79)
Application: The righteousness of our God is beyond measure. It is also beyond comprehension that such righteousness includes forgiveness and redemption.
Food for Thought: How is one’s willingness to forgive a measure of that person’s righteousness?
Very interesting question.
If someone has truly understood and received God’s forgiveness, it would be unthinkable and inconsistent for them to be unwilling to forgive others. Jesus tells a parable about this in Matthew 18: 21 – 35. That we forgive others shows we have received Christ’s righteousness and applied His righteousness. In this case the extent to which we forgive could be a measure to how well we have received and applied the forgiveness of God and the righteousness of Christ.
Brother Rich,
I agree completely! It is unthinkable and inconsistent to be given forgiveness and not be willing to do the same for others. The parable of the Unforgiving Servant that you reference is a powerful illustration of this principle. Thank you!
In order to truly forgive someone, or receive forgiveness, there must be a recognition of the truth of what happened, and how what happened affects everyone involved. In that recognition of truth, the people involved have the opportunity to humble themselves, and to ask/offer forgiveness. Then in humility grace can be given. One’s willingness to forgive is a measure of that person’s righteousness because it’s a recognition of our own need for truth and grace. We can forgive because we have been forgiven; God’s righteousness becomes part of how we live our life.
Chris,
As always you provide an interesting point to consider. How many people in today’s world can even agree on what “truth” is? Yet, as you point out, recognition of truth is an essential part of forgiveness.
08-30-2021, 1Peter 1:1d, How is one’s willingness to forgive a measure of that person’s righteousness?
Our Father God is Omnipresent seeking a, full time relationship with each of His children now. This relationship is totally dependent upon our humble obedience to His revealed will, His standards of righteousness.
Acts 3:19, Matthew 6:33, 1 Samuel 15:22-25
To withhold forgiveness and allow anger toward another to rule our lives is to reject God by surrendering ourselves to the power of our flesh.
Forgiving others means ceasing to feel resentment for wrongs and offenses done toward us and is the act of renouncing the restricting, binding power of anger and ill feelings against others. It includes full unconditional pardon and the restoration of broken relationships wherever possible. Where restoration of a relationship is not possible, seeking Gods forgiveness for another and will bring believers freedom and restoration with our Lord.
Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:15,
The greatest discovery we can make concerning how to know the will of God involves surrendering our lives to the Lordship of Christ.
Living a life of obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit and
maintaining our first love for our Lord…… Our lifetime quest.
Matthew 11:28-29, Luke 9:23-24, Romans 6:13, 12:2, 1Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Peter 5:6-10
Thank you, Ron!
Beautifully said. 🙂