Untitled Sermon (2)
The blessing is not a prosaic introduction but begins the section with joy, a gladness that fills the rest of the passage. The blessing is directed to God, “even” (kai; NIV “and) the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Father is the fount from which all goodness flows, and even the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son, yields to the Father.
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.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
The Reason God is to be Praised?
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.
“he has given us new birth.” The term anagennēsas actually emphasizes “rebegetting or begetting anew rather than being born anew,” though the latter idea is also implied. This is borne out in 1 Pet 1:23 - since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016).
Believers are said to be begotten (anagegennēmenoi) by the imperishable seed of God’s word. Begetting by “seed” directs our attention to the Father’s role in producing children, with the means used being the word of God
The focus therefore is on God’s initiative in producing new life. No one takes any credit for being born. It is something that happens to us. The result of God’s begetting is also included; believers are born anew. John 3:3 states:
John 3:3 - 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016) Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
The begetting again of believers is “in his great mercy.” The preposition “in” (kata) probably denotes the cause or reason for our new life. Believers deserve judgment and wrath, but God is a God of mercy and grace, bestowing life upon those who are opposed to him
Eph 2:4–5 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Eph 2:4–5). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. Schreiner, T. R. (2003). 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Vol. 37, pp. 60–61). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
The goal or result of God’s begetting is now explained with the first of three clauses beginning with the preposition eis. In v. 3 Peter mentions the living hope of believers, in v. 4 their inheritance, and in v. 5 their salvation.
A “living hope” is one that is genuine and vital, in contrast to a hope that is empty and vain. The focus, of course, is on the word “hope” itself.11 Those who are suffering persecution in Asia Minor are not dashed to the ground by their troubles. They look to the future with the sure confidence that inestimable blessing awaits them. Nor is their confidence baseless superstition. It is grounded in and secured by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Their hope, in other words, is the hope of resurrection, triumph over death; hence, whatever happens to them in this world is trivial compared to the blessing of the future resurrection.
1:4 The future hope of believers is now described more fully. Peter selects the language of “inheritance” (klēronomia) to describe what is in store for Christians. In the Old Testament the inheritance is the land God promised to his people (Num 32:19; Deut 2:12; 12:9; 25:19; 26:1; Josh 11:23; Ps 105:11; Acts 7:5).
19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.”
26 “When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it,
Peter understood the inheritance, however, no longer in terms of a land promised to Israel but in terms of the end-time hope that lies before believers. This hope is still physical, for we learn from 2 Peter that it will be realized in a new heaven and new earth (2 Pet 3:13; cf. Rev 21:1–22:5). But it transcends and leaves behind the land of Palestine.
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2
Finally, the inheritance will never “fade” (amaranton). It will last forever, just as the crown of reward that elders receive will never fade away (1 Pet 5:4). The verse concludes with the promise that the inheritance is “kept in heaven for you.” The passive of the word “kept” (tetērēmenēn) is a divine passive, referring to God as the one who reserves the inheritance for believers. Peter emphasized in the strongest possible terms the security and certainty of the reward awaiting believers.
Marx complained that religion is the opiate of oppressed people. Was Peter making that mistake here by reminding those who are suffering of eternal life? Not at all. We should remind ourselves, first of all, that Peter was not exempt from suffering himself. He was not speaking as a rich and comfortable person to those who are experiencing difficulties. The promise of an eternal inheritance is abused if it becomes a means by which the poor are oppressed. And yet many of those who are suffering in this world find no relief and no justice. Marx offers nothing to them, since his only paradise is a worldly one—a paradise that most in this world never experience. The fundamental issue is that Marx did not believe in a heavenly inheritance. Peter did believe in it, and it provides a great incentive for those suffering, reminding them that the veil of tears will not last long, that a great reward is laid up for those who are faithful.
1:5 The living hope of believers, according to v. 4, is their inheritance, and v. 4 emphasizes that the inheritance is imperishable, beautiful, and reserved for believers. Now in v. 5 Peter considers whether his readers will certainly receive the inheritance.
Before we consider that theme, we should note that Peter now describes the inheritance in terms of “salvation” (sōtēria). Salvation can be defined as being rescued from God’s judgment or wrath on the last day (1 Pet 4:17; cf. Rom 5:9; 1 Thess 5:9). In popular circles salvation is usually conceived of as a past or present possession, and both of these notions are found in the New Testament (cf. Eph 2:8–9; 1 Cor 1:18). In the majority of cases, however, salvation refers to the future glory believers will enjoy, and it is clear that Peter conceived of salvation in future terms here.19 Two pieces of evidence substantiate this judgment. First, it is clear in the context that “salvation” is another way of describing the believer’s inheritance, and the latter is certainly future. Second, the salvation is “ready to be revealed in the last time.” The passive of the verb “revealed” (apokalyphthēnai) is a divine passive, indicating that God will disclose this salvation on the final day. What is decisive, of course, is that Peter specifically informed his readers that the salvation will not be unveiled until the last day. In other words, it is a future event.
Peter assured his readers that they will certainly receive this inheritance, that future salvation will be theirs. The reason for this confidence is that they “are shielded by God’s power.” The word “shielded” (phrouroumenous) can be translated “guarded” or “protected.” It is used of putting garrisons in a city to protect it from foes (cf. Jdt 3:6; 1 Esdr 4:56; Wis 17:16; 2 Cor 11:32; see also Phil 4:7). How does God protect believers? We know from the following verses that he does not exempt them from persecution or suffering. Believers may suffer agonizing pain, both physical and psychological, because of their faith. Peter must have meant that God preserves believers so that they will receive their final inheritance and experience the joy of eschatological salvation. The text does not merely say, however, that believers are protected by God to receive salvation. Peter added that believers are protected “through faith” (dia pisteōs). Obtaining the final inheritance therefore does not bypass human beings, as if we are mere automatons in the process. Believers must exercise faith to receive final salvation. Faith here is “continuing trust or faithfulness.” Peter did not conceive of faith as a single isolated act; genuine faith persists until the day of redemption.22 But if receiving the inheritance is dependent upon human faith, is it possible that some will fall short and be judged rather than saved?
There is no final salvation apart from continued faith, and thus faith is a condition for obtaining the eschatological inheritance. It is imperative to understand that God’s protection cannot be kept in a separate compartment from our believing. We can get at the issue by asking, “How are we protected through God’s power?” All of 1 Peter clarifies that we are not exempted from suffering or even death because of the power of God since the church experiences persecution. God’s power does not shield believers from trials and sufferings, but it does protect us from that which would cause us to fall away. What would prevent us from maintaining our allegiance to Christ until the end? Surely the answer is sin, and we know that sin stems from unbelief—in failing to hope in God during our earthly sojourn. God’s power, to be effective at all, must guard us from sin and unbelief. If his power plays no role in our faith, then it seems that his power accomplishes nothing in our making it to the end—since it is precisely unbelief and failure to hope in God that causes us to fall away from God. If God’s power does not protect us from unbelief, it is hard to see what it does. How is God protecting us until the end if his guarding plays no role in our continuing faith? We are suggesting that 1 Pet 1:5 contains a glorious promise. God’s power protects us because his power is the means by which our faith is sustained. E. Best rightly discerns that the ultimate reason for our preservation must be God’s gift rather than our faith since otherwise “the reference to God’s power” is “unnecessary and provides no assurance to the believer since what he doubts is his own power to cling to God in trial.”25 We should not use this verse to deny that believers must maintain their faith until the end. Its function is to encourage believers with the truth that God will preserve their faith through sufferings and the vicissitudes of life. Faith and hope are ultimately gifts of God, and he fortifies believers so that they persist in faith and hope until the day that they obtain the eschatological inheritance.
