1 Peter 1:1-2 – Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

THEME OF THE DAY. THE PURPOSES OF SALVATION. Our God is a God of wonderful, creative, and distinct purposes. From creation to the sending of His Son to the pulling down of the curtain on human history, our Sovereign God instills divine purposes behind everything. And that includes our salvation.

As we think on being a Christian, saved by the amazing grace of our God, what are the purposes behind this glorious plan of redemption? Why did God save us? More personally, what are our personal views on salvation? If we restrict our understanding to simply “forgiveness of our sins”, “free us from wrath”, “keep us out of hell” or “take us to heaven”, we are falling way short of the true purposes behind God placing us in His Son and family. Salvation has two distinct divine purposes. Both are rooted in God’s glory and give us not only His mind on our salvation, but the directions we are to live out our daily walks with Him or the “working out of our salvation” (Philippians 2:12).

First, salvation is to create a people who obey the Lord Jesus. In today’s scripture, the Apostle Peter opens his first letter stating this truth. We are saved according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ. Our created purpose BEFORE the fall in the Garden of Eden and sin’s entrance into the world was to obey God. Nothing changes AFTER the fall except our inability to obey Him. But then . . .then comes Christ and salvation. Once given new life or new birth, we have been restored and given the ability to fulfill our created purpose – obedience to the Lord. And always remember, Jesus told us the true measurement of our love for Him is in our obedience to Him – “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). But what is so exciting about a salvation that enables us to obey God is that it also creates a desire to do so. Amen.

The other purpose of salvation is also found in the Apostle Peter’s first letter. He writes, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:14-16). God not only saved us to obey Him, but through the means of our obedience, He performs the second purpose of salvation – conformity to the holy image of Himself. We are saved to become like the Lord Jesus.

So, as we think on our salvation, are we aligned with God’s purposes for our salvation? If so, do our lives reflect a delightful pattern of progressive obedience to His Word? And is this obedience shaping us from the inside out into the character of the One who saved us? May the Lord help us to deepen our understanding of why He saved us and then find our lives living out those reasons with joy, power, and for the praise of His wonderful grace.

PRAYER: “Lord, may my understanding of salvation be aligned with Your purposes of my salvation.”

QUOTE: “God saves us for two purposes; to glorify Him through our obedience and by conformity to His Son.”