Born Again Through The Resurrection

1 Peter 1:3–9 NKJV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Peter wrote this letter to the churches or as he says to the pilgrims of the Dispersion to the elect according to the foreknowledge. he Wrote this to be distributed among the elect who were scattered through out the Roman proveniences. They were displaced from the homes moving around because of the intense persecution from Rome during Nero’s reign. So suffering is a key theme in this letter.

The very first thing that he speaks about is not their great suffering but their abundant blessing and joy and gratitude and praise towards God who has blessed us and enriched us through Jesus Christ.

When we go through trials Satan wants us to fixate on our suffering so that we forget all the blessing that we have in Christ. But the best way to overcome our trials is to focus on the blessings. By doing this we put our afflictions into perspective.

So to these Christians were suffering under extreme persecution. After the Great Fire of Rome Nero blamed Christians for the fire and began to hunt them down. When captured he would have them burned as human torches or throw in with wild animals to be torn apart as a spectators sport or they would be crucified in mockery of Christ. So they were leaving their homes and hiding like fugitives. Many of them had already lost family and friends.

And Peter says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isn’t God good to us, He has shown us abundant mercy.

A blessing or a praise to God.

Why? Because Satans primary attack is to try to cause us to doubt God’s love.

So Peter first praises God for his stedfast love and reminds us or our greatest gift of His love that we have been begotten again.

Begotten Again to a Living Hope

So the reason that Peter states for blessing the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is that He has Begotten us Again.

We have been reborn not of flesh but of the spirit.

Christ told Nicodemus

John 3:3 NKJV

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

If you are not born again then you will not see the kingdom of God. You will not see it now as we live in His kingdom and you will not inherit the kingdom in the future. But this is the very reason that we can say blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ even in the midst of affliction. Because we have been born again we we will see the Kingdom. This is why Peter says

1 Peter 1:3 NKJV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

It is not a false hope it’s not a dead hope but a living hope. That means it’s hope that is real but it also means it’s hope that it close.

Living here means lively or quick.

Now Peter said that God has begotten us again according to His abundant mercy.

The phrase here in the greek is poloos eleos

abundant mercy

But this is the greek translation of a Hebrew word “hesed” hesed is a word that is found 248 time in the old testament and there isn’t really an English or Greek equivalent. It is God’s enduring loyal unmerited love that He has for His chosen people.

It is love that goes beyond duty and it is undeserved. It is His covenant love and it describes God’s character and his nature in his relationship with His elect.

Psalm 136:1–4 NKJV

1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. 3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever: 4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;

Psalm 136:23–26 NKJV

23 Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever; 24 And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever; 25 Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever. 26 Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.

His mercy is “hesed”

This is God’s everlasting love

His enduring mercy

His amazing grace

And Peter tells us that according to God’s stedfast love, mercy and grace He has begotten us again to a living hope.

This rebirth was accomplished through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

On Friday we discussed that when Jesus died He drank the cup of God’s wrath for our sins.

Romans 4:24–25 NKJV

24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

Romans 6:3–7 NKJV

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

To be born again means we have been imputed righteousness, but it also means that our old self died on the Cross and our new self is raise up with Jesus so that we are set free from the bondage of sin that we can now chose to serve God and righteousness.

To an Incorruptible Inheritance

This new birth is to or in order to receive an incorruptible inheritance which is reserved in heaven for you.

1 Peter 1:4 NKJV

4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

Kept by the Power of God

1 Peter 1:5 NKJV

5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

so not only Has our inheritance been reserved for us in heaven. We are being kept now by the power of God through faith for that salvation or inheritance.

So God keeps the inheritance secure in heaven and He keeps us secure here on earth until it is time to reveal to us our inheritance.

In This You Greatly Rejoice Now

In your time of trials. The magnitude of God’s hesed Stedfast Love in the full work of our salvation through the suffering death and resurrection of Jesus Christ leave no room for us doubt God’s love and it brings any trial or affliction into the eternal perspective.

So Peter says

1 Peter 1:6 NKJV

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

leap for Joy as Jesus said.

But also these trial are not without purpose.

Faith Tested by Fire is Faith Worthy of Praise, Honour and Glory at the Revelation of Jesus Christ

When Christ is revealed the genuineness of our faith (which is much more precious then gold that perishes) will be rewarded.

We have not seen Him yet but we love Him because He first loved us. And even though He’s not here yet we believe, we have faith which is the substance of things not seen.

1 Peter 1:8–9 NKJV

8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

That is we are already receiving now and we will continue to receive until the completion of the salvation of our souls. We have been justified we are being sanctified and we will be glorified.