1 Peter 1:3-9 (Part 4)
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Ok, last week, we set what may be a record for me, by getting through one word of a verse. We had a great discussion on “who” from 1 Peter 1 verse 5. Tonight, let’s see if we can make it a little farther.
As with previous weeks, we are going to read verses 3-9 because that is the context of this passage.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
OK, so last week we spent the whole time trying to understand the “who” Peter is referring to in verse 5.
We saw that it was primarily the believers in the churches in Asia Minor (modern day Türkiye). However, we also see that these same concerns apply to all believers. We talked about how in our current culture, we sometimes struggle because we tend to put ourselves at the center of every narrative. And so we must be careful to make sure that God is the hero of the story.
We are not the hero.
Once we understand our position there, we can see that the words Peter wrote to these churches almost 2000 years ago can also be applied to us now.
And we ended by talking about how God’s power (the next phrase in verse 5) is evident in the first century. So let’s think about that again.
Just a recap of verse 5:
5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Where do you see God’s power displayed in the early church? What are some things that show evidence of God’s power being brought to bear to do wonders in the early church?
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So, we talked last week about the stoning of Stephen, which brought Saul/Paul to prominence, which led to his conversion and suffering, ultimately then in the writing of basically half of the New Testament, accounting for almost all of our modern understanding of Christianity, and becoming the model for the modern missionary movement.
That was just one. We talked about Pentecost.
Now, where are some places or what are some ways we see God’s power poured out to do wonders in the more modern church?
-wait for answers-
(Souza street revival, great awakening, Billy Graham revivals, Jesus movement in California, Conservative Resurgence in SBC)
What about here? At Clough?
-wait for answers-
(renovation because of God moving in someone’s heart to give, VBS successes, EastGate Village, Renuevo)
Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in looking for the tongues of fire from Pentecost that we miss the way God moves in more regular ways. Like adding to our number day by day. By sending visitors to our church. By allowing us to partner with Renuevo.
We have to look and see how God is moving in our lives and in our church. He’s the same God.
So, when we come back to 1 Peter, we see that while we are not the specific “us” Peter refers to in verse 3 and who is the subject of verse 5, we can understand that, by extension, he is talking ultimately about all believers here.
We have that living hope through Christ. We have that inheritance that will never die. We are being guarded by God’s power.
What do you guys picture when you think about that word “guarded.”
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I don’t know why, but I think of the Secret Service. But like, maybe the OG Secret Service, before the last couple of years.
Particularly, I think of the picture of the secret service agent jumping onto the car during the Kennedy assassination.
So, nerd alert: I was the kid who read the encyclopedia growing up. I had read the books that interested me at home, and I would pore over articles in our old World Book Encyclopedias. There were two articles that I would read over and over: John F. Kennedy (and his assassination) and World War II. My mind is seared with that photo of the car speeding away from Dealy Plaza with the secret service agent hanging on trying to keep Mrs. Kennedy in her seat.
Again, I realize that for someone my age, the Kennedy assassination is a bit anachronistic, but I was just too young to grasp the Reagan attempt in 1981, and the Kennedy shooting was in my encyclopedia.
But when we think about being guarded, we have this sense of having someone protect us, right?
The word “guarded” here, phroureo, has a military connotation, and carries the meaning “kept safe, carefully watched. If we look at some scriptural references, we see this word deployed in two senses: “protected from attack” as seen in deuterocanonical books (the Apocrypha) referring to:
1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary (Revised Edition) i. Joy in the Future Heavenly Reward (1:3–5)
the people who agreed with the ten unfaithful spies decided that the treasures of Canaan were ‘so strongly guarded’ that they could not be taken away (Philo, Moses 1.235; cf. Judith 3:6; Wisdom of Solomon 17:16; 1 Esdras 4:56).
The word can also be used to mean: “kept from escaping” as we see in Damascus as the governor guarded the city to try to seize Paul (2 Corinthians 11:32). This same connotation is used in Galatians 3:23 (held captive under the law) and in Philippians 4:7 (the peace of God…will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus).
In the verse here, we get the sense that both senses of the word are in play:
1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary (Revised Edition) i. Joy in the Future Heavenly Reward (1:3–5)
God is preserving believers from escaping out of his kingdom, and he is protecting them from external attacks.
What is really neat about this, and maybe gets lost in the English translation, is the fact Peter uses the present participle.
I’ll be honest, I actually don’t really care for English grammar, and have to do a lot of work to understand some of these parts of speech.
But any English scholars want to hazard a guess as to why that nugget is important?
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When Peter says “who by God’s power are being guarded…,” that present participle there shows continuation.
“you are continually being guarded by God’s power.”
That is a relief. God isn’t just guarding for a little while, and then checking out.
He isn’t setting a watch schedule, and so He’s guarding for a bit, and then someone else has a go.
God is continually guarding us.
That is very reassuring.
As we keep going, we see how we are being guarded.
“...through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
See, Peter’s audience might have questioned their own strength or stamina to remain faithful during persecution. But, God is the one who is guarding. God is the one sustaining.
God’s power doesn’t work apart from the faith of the believer, but through their faith.
ESV Expository Commentary:
Hebrews–Revelation Comment
Peter declares that God’s power (1 Pet. 1:5), working through and sustaining our faith, is the guarantee that what he has promised will assuredly be ours. It is precisely “through” our faith that God keeps us secure. God’s power protects us from any loss of faith or any unbelief that might threaten our inheritance. The only thing that could keep us from heaven would be our forsaking our faith in Christ, turning to other hopes, other treasures. So, to protect us, God prevents that from happening. He inspires and nourishes and strengthens and builds our faith. In doing so, he secures us against the only thing that could destroy us: unbelief, lack of trust in God.
Now, if you hear that and you think, “wait, God prevents us from turning to other hopes?” I want you to understand what it actually being claimed here.
God does not believe for us. Each of us individually must have faith in Christ. That word faith is used in Peter’s writings as a personal activity of individual believers, not a corporate summation. It is individual.
However, God does work through our faith, through us. In Peter’s writings, there is a consistency of God working through believers. That is best seen as suggesting that the believer’s persona faith is the means that God uses to guard His people.
(commentary)
1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary (Revised Edition) i. Joy in the Future Heavenly Reward (1:3–5)
we might give the sense of the verse by saying that ‘God is continually using his power to guard his people by means of their faith’, a statement that seems to imply that God’s power in fact energizes and continually sustains individual, personal faith.2 The theological implication is that, while God does not believe for us (for we individually must believe), he does invisibly empower us to believe, and were it not for his sustaining power, we ourselves would fall back into unbelief.
That is, incidentally, one of the reasons that I would argue that those that “deconstruct” might never have been Christians to start with. See, when we see some celebrity Christian, or maybe just someone we have known our whole life (makes no difference), when we see someone that seems to have been a Christian, only to deconstruct or fall away, that indicates to me that maybe they didn’t really convert at all. That they had a head knowledge, but not a heart understanding.
Now, thankfully, it’s not my job to decide who is and who is not a believer, but when we see the persistence of God’s power holding the believer fast to their faith here in 1 Peter, it does beg the question, “were they ever one of the elect exiles, or were they just pretending?”
OK, so back to verse 5, we see again, and I think it is important to highlight that this guarding is not a temporary thing.
Remember, God is continually holding us, continually guarding us.
For what?
What does it say at the end of verse 5?
5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
For a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We have talked about how the New Testament shows a kind of 3-fold salvation.
There is justification, which is the moment of conversion. “You were saved.”
There is sanctification, that ongoing process of being made more like Christ. “You are being saved.”
Then there is glorification. That is the future fulfilment of God’s promises when we join with Him in heaven, and we are completely made perfect with Him. “You will be saved.”
So, which of these three uses of salvation is Peter talking about here?
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Well, it seems to be looking toward a future time, right?
1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary (Revised Edition) i. Joy in the Future Heavenly Reward (1:3–5)
Salvation is used here not of past justification or of present sanctification (speaking in theological categories) but of the future full possession of all the blessings of our redemption—the final, complete fulfilment of our salvation (cf. Rom. 13:11; 1 Pet. 2:2). Though already ‘prepared’ or ready, it will not be revealed by God to mankind generally until the last time, the time of final judgment.
So, if this is looking for that final fulfilment of our salvation, I gotta ask:
When does God’s guarding activity of us end?
1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary (Revised Edition) i. Joy in the Future Heavenly Reward (1:3–5)
This last phrase makes it difficult if not impossible to see any end to God’s guarding activity. If God’s guarding has as its purpose the preservation of believers until they receive their full, heavenly salvation, then it is safe to conclude that God will accomplish that purpose and they will in fact attain that final salvation. Ultimately their attainment of final salvation depends on God’s power sustaining their faith.
This salvation in the last time is that inheritance from verse 4 that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
God is working through the believer’s faith continually.
Think about this. How do you know God is guarding you?
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OK, so maybe, you are reminded by a sunrise or sunset of God’s majesty. Maybe you see something and it brings to mind God’s word, or one of His promises.
When you lean into that, when you continue to trust God through Christ, God is working in you, God is, in effect, through the Holy Spirit inside of you as a believer, prompting you to remember Him, remember His promises, and gently reminding you that God Almighty is actively guarding you.
And that should provoke thanksgiving.
Remember, this is a church that was just beginning to experience persecution. They really were concerned. “Is God protecting us?”
We can answer that by ending with Paul’s words to the church at Corinth:
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
God is guarding you. Take heart. He has overcome the world.
Let’s pray.
