“Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (1:1-2). There’s a phrase here that we can easily overlook: “those who have obtained a faith of equal standing.” Peter wants his readers to know, as Paul also knew, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Amazing, isn’t it? Though in this life and in the eyes of the world, we all have different ranks and some are more esteemed than others. In the eyes of God, however, we all stand equal at the foot of the cross, no great people, no small people. Peter tells us that his readers, and we, have obtained a faith that is no greater or less than his as an apostle. And this is by virtue of “the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Peter’s argument is clear: If all have done nothing in order to obtain righteousness, then, no one has any works or efforts or reputation that can be esteemed greater than that of others. We have no righteousness of our own, only that of Jesus Christ. And, you know, that’s a wonderful thing; as lowly as my standing might be in this world, in Christ I am equal with all the saints.
Lord, I believe thy precious blood,
Which at the mercy seat of God,
Forever doth for sinners plead,
For me, e’en for my soul was shed.
When from the dust of death I rise
To claim my mansion in the skies,
E’en then this shall be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died for me. – Count Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf (1739)
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