IDENTITY OF THE BORN AGAIN
Updated: Sep 20
Bible Study
September 1 - 16, 2026
Context, Context, Context
Author: Peter (1 Peter 1:1)
Place of Writing: Rome (likely)
Recipients: churches (Asia Minor / present-day northern Turkey)
Genre: letter
Purpose: To strengthen believers in their identity, hope, holiness, and endurance in Christ.
Conditions: Believers faced social hostility, slander, exclusion, and persecution / pressure.
Key teaching lens: Pressure does not cancel identity.
Know That Believers Are Chosen of God - 1 Peter 1:1-2
1. We Are Pilgrims and Foreigners
Peter calls believers “exiles” or “sojourners”—people living away from their true homeland.
Other words include pilgrim, sojourner, visitor, stranger, or exile.
Our earthly location is temporary; our deepest citizenship and identity are in God.
Keep our eyes and minds fixed on God’s eternal kingdom.
Asia Minor regions: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia
Modern setting: present-day Turkey.
2. We Are Elected - Chosen by God
Foreknowledge carries the idea of knowing beforehand.
God is not surprised by the future.
God’s saving purpose is intentional and rooted in His love and grace.
The chosen are elected by God.
3. Sanctified - Set Apart to God
Sanctified means to be set apart unto God.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit works within the believer to produce a life that increasingly reflects God’s holiness.
Holiness is an inner work in the believer despite the surroundings.
Sanctification is not isolation from people; it is devotion to Christ while living among people.
The Trinity in Our Salvation
God the Father: chose
God the Spirit: sanctifies / sets believers apart
God the Son: atoned through His blood / cleanses
The Sanctifying Work of the Spirit
God’s choice: love and grace before creation.
Spirit’s work: set apart unto God.
Our response: hear and submit to God’s Word.
Visible fruit: obedience and holy living.
“Sprinkling by His Blood”
In the Old Testament, blood imagery communicated cleansing and covenant obedience.
Blood symbolized cleansing from sin.
Jesus’ blood points to His sacrificial death on our behalf.
Believers belong to God through Christ’s atoning work.
The Law and the Good News
Because we have broken God’s law, we face: penalty, judgment, condemnation, punishment, and wrath
The good news: Jesus paid the penalty!
Justified by His Blood
Because of Christ, believers are declared right with God.
The cleansing of Christ is the foundation for obedience and holiness.
Our identity is grounded in what Jesus has done.
4. The Chosen Are People Who Obey God
Biblical faith produces a life that hears and responds to God.
Obedience means listening with the intent to submit.
Obedience does not earn salvation; it is the fruit of belonging to Christ.
Key idea: Identity → obedience, not obedience → identity.
5. We Experience Grace and Peace
Grace: God’s undeserved favor and blessing.
Peace: wholeness, security, reconciliation, and settled confidence.
Grace is the basis of salvation and the power for transformed living.
Christian peace is not the absence of pressure; it is confidence in God within pressure.
Peter prays that grace and peace would be multiplied.
Identity Review
Pilgrims: We do not ultimately belong to this world.
Chosen: God’s saving purpose is intentional.
Sanctified: The Spirit sets us apart to God.
Obedient: Faith responds to God’s Word.
Graced and at Peace: Christ gives favor, security, and assurance.
B. The Final Greeting - 1 Peter 5:12-14
Silas (Silvanus) is called a faithful brother, v. 12.
Peter testifies that this is the true grace of God, v. 12.
The church at “Babylon” is commonly understood as Rome, v. 13.
Peter calls Mark his “son,” v. 13.
The churches are not isolated; they belong to a larger family of believers.
Silas: A Faithful Brother
Roman citizen — Acts 16:37
Leader in the Jerusalem church — Acts 15:22
Sent to Antioch with the Jerusalem Council’s message — Acts 15:27, 32-33
Prophet — Acts 15:32
Joined Paul on the second missionary journey — Acts 15:40
Imprisoned with Paul — Acts 16:19-40
Ministered in Berea and Corinth — Acts 17:4, 14-15; 18:5; 2 Cor. 1:19
Ministered with Peter — 1 Peter 5:12
C. The Conclusion: Love and Peace - 1 Peter 5:14
The kiss of love expressed genuine Christian family affection and unity.
Peter ends with peace for people whose circumstances are not peaceful.
Our final security is found “in Christ.”
Believers can live differently because they know who they are and whose they are.
Teaching Application
Student responses will vary. Look for answers that connect personal application to pilgrim identity, sanctification, obedience, grace, and peace.
Big Idea
The born-again believer is not defined by pressure, place, or persecution, but by God’s choosing grace, the Spirit’s sanctifying work, Christ’s blood, obedient faith, and multiplied peace.
KNOW WHO YOU ARE. LIVE LIKE WHO YOU ARE.
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