NOVEMBER 21, 2024
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:” (I Peter 1:3-6)
This epistle is addressed to believers, who are generally strangers in every city or country where they live and are scattered throughout the nations. These people are to ascribe their salvation to the electing love of the Father, the Son’s redemption, and the Holy Ghost’s sanctification – and so to give glory to one God in three Persons. The concept of “hope,” at least in the world’s sense, refers only to an uncertain good built upon sand and groundless conjectures. But the hope of the sons of the living God is a living hope. It revitalizes and comforts all distress and enables them to overcome all difficulties.
Peter shows us an appropriate response to God’s great mercy to us: praise. Specifically, he blesses God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has chosen us, sanctifies us, and gives us great purpose. All of this happens without our ever needing to earn any recognition from Him. This is “grace,” when someone undeservedly provides something positive to another. “Mercy” is when one withholds a negative consequence a person deserves. Instead of the punishment we deserve, God gave us something we could never have purchased or earned: He caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This is no dormant hope. Believers will never have to question if our hope is real. Our hope in an eternity with the Father is that our Lord is alive. Because He lives, those who believe in Him will also be resurrected.
The Christians Peter was writing to were experiencing heavy persecution for their faith in Christ. They were suffering. We all suffer, but as children of God, our inheritance can never be lost. It is ours now and forever. Through God’s grace, we have been saved from the eternal penalty of our sins through faith. We are growing more and more like Jesus, and Peter writes that we will be saved, even from the presence of sin, in Heaven. Our salvation will be fully revealed at the right time; nothing can take that away.
Peter quickly acknowledges that his readers may be distressed by various trials or experiencing negative emotions because of them. Yet, he still assumes that they are rejoicing because of the reality of their salvation in Christ. This “rejoicing” is less about feelings and more about faith. It is less about maintaining some perfect emotional state and more about declaring, “My life is worth rejoicing over because of what God has done for me.” We are provided for, and our future is secure. There is nothing that can change that. And thus, we must always rejoice.
This well-grounded hope of salvation is an active principle of obedience in the believer’s soul. A Christian’s joy is remembering the happiness laid up for them. It is incorruptible and cannot come to nothing. It is also undefiled and will not fade. It is a living hope!
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