Monday, September 2, 2024
A Living Hope 1Peter 1:3-9 Submitted by Kay Crumley
What do you mean when you hope for something? The dictionary definition includes desire, wish, aim, plan, and ambition. None of those sound reassuring. That kind of hope is more like wishful thinking. It’s what we would like the outcome to be, but it will happen only if. What is the hope we read about in the Bible? The biblical definition of hope is “the sure and confident expectation of receiving what God has promised us in the future.” When we trust, have faith in God we can believe wholeheartedly that His promises are true. Our hope is founded on faith in Him, the author and creator of all.
Peter is writing to the Gentile churches in the province of what is today Turkey who were experiencing persecution because of their faith. They needed encouragement and direction. I have never experienced persecution because of my belief. The early church faced extreme persecution because of their belief. He is reminding them who they are and why they have reason to hope in Christ.
In verses 3-5 Peter provides the meaning of our salvation. We are saved because of His mercy. You and I can never do anything to earn or pay for our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith lest anyone should brag about their salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our hope is based on the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the first to be restored to eternal life. We have the assurance that we too will be raised to be with Him at His return. Peter called this a living hope, one that never dies is alive now by our hope in Him. As His sons and daughters, we have been given an inheritance with Jesus Christ that is eternal, never decays, and never disappears. He is keeping it for us in heaven (John 14:3). Jesus promised He was going back to the Father to prepare a place for us, those who have believed, repented, and followed Him. He is our protector, our refuge, and our place of shelter under His wings. Verse 5 tells us we are being guarded by God’s power for that salvation. He is all powerful, the creator of all and is our guard until Jesus returns.
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.
At this point, just considering all that Peter has reminded me of in those the verses above I don’t think I need to be told to rejoice! However, he does just that. Why? Because he recognizes that they are facing trials. Our time here in a fallen world will include suffering and grief. Man is sinful and Satan is active in this world. We are promised that we will face trials. We don’t currently face persecution in this part of the world, but it does happen in our time in some areas. We are to be ready should that happen here. But the encouragement he gives these believers is that those hardships grow our faith, makes us stronger, more resolute in our belief in God. Our Godly character is valuable to God. This strengthened faith results in praise, glory and honor for Jesus as He is revealed. We will spend eternity worshipping Him. We should begin now practicing worship to God our Father now, here on earth, in every situation.
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.
As for now, Peter writes, we haven’t and cannot see Him, but we are filled with joy. We don’t have to see Him to believe in Him. Jesus told Thomas in John 20:29 that those who believe and have not seen Him are blessed. Peter describes our joy as inexpressible and glorious. We don’t have the words to explain the depth of our joy in Him, but we know it is glorious, magnificent beyond description. Why such joy? Because we have received the salvation of our souls through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who paid the debt for our sins.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
In way of review, hope is not just a pipe dream. Hope in Christ is trust in His promises. We are confident that He will fulfill those promises to us. We have received the promise of His inheritance through our faith in Him. It is ours because He saw fit to give it to us, we cannot earn it, we don’t have to work for it. But because of the enormity of the gift, we willingly give ourselves to Him, we are His. As such we are to be obedient to Him and His plan for our lives regardless of the trials we encounter. The unavoidable result of knowing what we have from and in Him is unimaginable joy. We are in Him Kingdom now we will live with Him in Heaven.
Romans 12:1-2 is a great summation for how we should live our lives following His will daily.
1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
