BCL Devotional: Opening Wide the Gates — 1 Peter 1:1-2

August 1, 2026/Ayrian Yasar/
Image Credit: SCOTTCHAN / Shutterstock.com

Image Credit: SCOTTCHAN / Shutterstock.com

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Each BCL Devotional includes a Bible passage, an encouraging quotation, and three practical steps to help believers reflect on, remember, and rejoice in God’s love in Christ.

Bible Passage

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. (1 Peter 1:1-2)

Quote

…Peter addresses his letter to those who had once been despised Gentiles but who had been given equal rights of citizenship with the Jews and even with the apostles themselves in the kingdom of God. (William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter, p. 291)

Steps to Take

Reflect: Have you ever taken a moment to think of what it was like to be a Gentile during the days of ancient Israel? Israel was the only nation that had a covenantal relationship with God and knew of his justice and love and his saving mercy. Other nations may have heard bits and pieces about God, and a few people are recorded as trusting in the one true God (for example, Ruth). Yet, for the most part, the Gentile world (non-Jews) was in darkness concerning the beauty, goodness, salvation, and holiness of God.

Remember: Today, churches are plentiful, and general moral behavior is relatively standardized. The world doesn’t always strike us as being in darkness, especially when many people around us appear to be moral, educated, and self-sufficient. Yet, we must remember that they are still in darkness just as we were before God brought us to the light of Jesus Christ. Believers possess a great privilege, for God has opened wide the gates, welcoming people from all nations and tribes into his family.

Rejoice: The gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ by faith is a message that now reaches across the world to all peoples. Rejoice that while God first called Israel to be his covenant people, you and I and all ethnic groups are welcomed into God’s family as God commands his church to spread this good news to every tribe and nation. We should never take our Christian faith for granted. Remember that there are still many in darkness and consider how God might use you to welcome them into his family.

Related Articles: