The gospel frees us to be IN the world but not OF the world.  

Worldview is the “basic stuff of human existence, the lens through which the world is seen, the blueprint for how one should live in it, and above all the sense of identity and place which enables human beings to be what they are.” (NT Wright) 

  • Cognitive dimension – How humans perceive the world around them (think) 
  • Affective dimension – How humans encounter the world around them (feel) 
  • Evaluative/Moral dimension – How humans engage the world around them (discern) 

 

1 Peter 1:1-2, To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.  May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 

God’s people have consistently been detached from place -  9 By faith he (Abraham) stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. (Heb. 11:9)  

These primary identifiers mean that any EARTHLY identifier is SECONDARY to the SPIRITUAL identifiers.  The identifiers here are TRINITARIAN: 

  • Foreknowledge of God the Father – Chosen by God for THESE times 
  • Sanctification of the Holy Spirit to be obedient – Changed by God for THIS place 
  • Sprinkled by the blood of Jesus – Called by God for HIS purposes 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.  5 You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

Living Hope – Manifesting the REALITIES of Christ’s resurrection to a world desperate for HOPE.   

The calling of God (v. 1-2) mixed with the Living Hope from the resurrection means that we can SEE the times and places we live.  And what we discover is that  Christians are DISPLACED yet DEPLOYED: 

  • Displaced not needing anything from the world, because they have Christ’s sufficiency 
  • Deployed in looking for opportunities of influence, without fear of being influenced. 

5 You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.