Concerning this Salvation

1 Peter 1:10–12 ESV

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.

Many say that Paul is the deep theological author, but I think many people undervalue Peter. Peter has the ability to pack in deep theological concepts in just a few verses.

This passage is no different. In just three verses, Peter gives us insight into God’s planning of our redemption, the process of how Scripture was inspired and an insight into angels.

But he still keeps the central focus: standing firm in the Grace of God.

The work of Christ was not an accident, He was the only plan from before time began. We are not afterthoughts, we are not accidents, but we are a part of God’s plan.

Searching...

These verses (10-12) are a continued discussion on salvation. The previous verses (3-9) were describing the greatness of salvation. Peter brings the full awesomeness of salvation by showing the eternality of the promise.

There is no definite article in describing the prophets. It is talking about all of the authors of Scripture.

Notice the possessive nature in verse 10? “about the grace that was to be yours”.

Be encouraged that you have Christ. Be encouraged in the Gospel.

This was something that the prophets searched and inquired carefully.

This meaning of this is: to examine (analyze) v. — to consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning.

They were diligently searching the words they wrote to discover essential features or meaning.

This is also some insight into how Scriptural inspiration worked. The prophets were aware of what they were writing. So much so that they searched intently the very words they wrote.

What person or time?

The careful searches and inquiries were not about if God was going to save them,

it was about who is the Christ

and when will He appear.

…the Old Testament prophets were not interested in just the general doctrine or general teaching about Messiah. They sought to know more precisely what person would come as Savior, prophet, priest and king, and during what season or era (time) that coming would occur. John MacArthur

Notice the second insight into the Inspiration of Scripture? “the Spirit of Christ in them”

The authors of Scripture were indwelt with the Holy Spirit, it was God working through them to write the words of Scripture.

This is how we know that Christ had to suffer.

Notice the order of the events: suffering first, then glory!

He means that from the very beginning God has so ordained and governed the Christian church that the cross has been the preparation for victory, and death the way to life. Such is the clear testimony of Scripture. Therefore, there is no reason why we should be unduly depressed by our troubles, as though they meant our misery, when the Spirit of God himself calls us blessed.

John Calvin

The order is to be noticed; he mentions sufferings first, and then adds the glories which are to follow. For he intimates that this order cannot be changed or subverted; afflictions must precede glory. So there is to be understood a twofold truth in these words,—that Christians must suffer many troubles before they enjoy glory,—and that afflictions are not evils, because they have glory annexed to them. Since God has ordained this connexion, it does not behove us to separate the one from the other. And it is no common consolation, that our condition, such as we find it to be, has been foretold so many ages ago.

John Calvin

A Fully Packed Verse

Verse twelve is an extremely packed sentence.

We see how the message of the Gospel was brought to us,

we gain further details on the work of the Holy Spirit

and we learn about angels.

All in one verse.

Serving a future people

The prophets learned that they were serving us!

The prophets learned that they were not going to find the full answer to their searching and inquiries. God would reveal the full answer in the perfect time, so it was revealed that they were serving God’s people in the future.

Think about this, the prophets were told that we are who they are serving. I am not going to say they knew our names, or knew about a church in Shawnee, Oklahoma. But they knew that their words would be read by future generations.

We all strive to make an impact, to have a lasting legacy. Imagine this as a legacy. More than that, think about the fact that they were serving us!

How encouraging is this?

In more insight into the work of inspiration, Peter is showing us that the prophets had a realization of what they were writing and somehow there was an aspect of revelation between the prophet and the Spirit.

But, Peter does not stop here, he continues to encourage us with the following words:

English Standard Version Chapter 1

the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you

God did not only send prophets, but he sent preachers to bring the Gospel.

What does this mean?

David Helms adds a little bit more detail:

Did you catch how Peter builds upon the prophets? He introduces for the first time those who preached the Gospel to his earlier readers. He wants them to know that God sent more than Spirit-filled prophets to them. He sent preachers too. Never again could these churches wander off into dejection without having the Word of God in their midst to shore them up during difficult days. God had sent prophets to them. God sent preachers too. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Peter is proving God’s love for them.

David Helms

The Spirit at Work

I want to stop a second here and have you focus on something. I want you to see how the Holy Spirit is worked and continues to work.

There are many that teach false ideas about the Holy Spirit, this abuse has been so great that there is a general hesitancy to talk about the work of the Spirit.

So like Tertullian in his book “The Prescription Against Heretics”, when he explained that heretics have no right to use the Bible in their defense, I am going to take back the doctrine of the Holy Spirit from those false teachers.

If you think that the Christian faith happens without the Holy Spirit, you are wrong.

Look at the work of the Holy Spirit in these verses:

He was inspiring .

He was revealing.

He was equipping those who preach the good news.

What was His message! It was the Gospel. Salvation through Christ!

This is His consistent message.

Angels long to look

I am going to work through this backwards.

I am going to explain the action, the motivation and then the object.

Or simply put the how, the why and the what.

The word used for look is: parakypto.

look = to examine ⇔ to stoop to look

this means:

to examine ⇔ to stoop to look v. — to examine, conceived of as exerting effort to see something (not in the line of sight) by bending or stooping down.

The word for long is epithymousin

long = to crave

this means:

to crave v. — to have an intense desire for some particular thing.

So we see that the angels are examining, stooping to look with a desire that is like a craving. This language is about an overpowering desire for something that is not easily satisfied.

But what are they looking for, what is the object of their search.

It is the Gospel. It is the work of Christ.

We know that angels are not bound by our limitations of time and space and they are powerful. But they are not omnipotent, they had to see the prophesies of Christ unfold. They even had parts to play in the events, but they still had to wait upon God timing.

But I want you to also realized that these words are present tense.

This means they are still happening.

The angels are still examining the Gospel.

Why?

MacArthur explains:

The angels, as it were, want to get down close and look deeply into the matters related to salvation. They have a holy curiosity to understand the kind of grace they will never experience. The holy angels do not need to be saved, and the fallen angels cannot be saved. But the holy ones seek to understand salvation so that they might glorify God more fully, which is their primary reason for existence.

John MacArthur

The Salvation of Your Souls

This entire section of Scripture is to encourage you in the faith.

Again, salvation is not an accident. The Gospel is not Plan B, it has been the plan of God since before time.

It is so amazing that the angels still examine it, they are examining something that cannot provide them any benefit.

They study it to see how they can further glorify God.

Are we doing the same? Are we examining the Gospel with such a craving that only further study can fill?

Trust in the Lord, trust in His promises.

Remember the purpose of Peter writing this epistle:

to equip saints to stand firm in the Grace of God.