How would you answer the question “Who are you?”
You might say, “I am a Canadian,” or, “I am a faculty member,” or “I am a mother.” But a response that identifies your country, your work, or your parental status does not answer the question clearly.
The question is asking about identity, character, and purpose. Peter invites followers of Jesus to courageously profess an answer like this: “I am one of God’s elect, chosen to be part of God’s family spread throughout the world.”
The book of 1 Peter is written to a Christian community that was persecuted for its faith, ridiculed for its lifestyle, and challenged in its purpose. Peter seeks to refresh these believers by recalling their identity as God’s chosen people. They are children of God whose unique identity is that of citizens of heaven. But more than that, they are holy children of God whose greatest possession is Christ’s holy character. Even more, they are living children of God whose most profound privilege is to glorify God (see 1 Peter 4:7-11).
Regardless of joy or hardship, success or failure, triumph or temptation, God’s call is the map by which we may navigate a satisfying Christian life, serving faithfully wherever we are in this world.
Dear Lord, thank you for our new life in Christ. Guide us not to be conformed to the pattern of this world, and teach us to live a life pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Calvin Hoogendoorn
Rev. Calvin Hoogendoorn serves as senior pastor of First Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Previously he served two churches in Illinois. He and his wife, Carla, have three daughters.
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