Great Hope In Jesus (preaching resource for 4/12/26, Easter 2)
This post exegetes 1Peter 1:1-12, providing context for the Epistles reading on 4/12/26, the 2nd Sunday in Easter. Insights are drawn from commentary by Warren Wiersbe ("Bible Expository Commentary") and by David Wheaton ("New Bible Commentary).
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| "St. Peter" by El Greco (public domain via Wikimedia Commons) |
Introduction
Peter begins his first Epistle with these encouraging words:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…(1Pet 1:3).
Jesus is alive—and we are alive in him! And though we face various trails, we are sustained by a “living hope.” This hope is not “pie-in-the-sky” wishful thinking; but the sure hope of a secure future that is assured by Jesus, the unique Son of God and son of man. In our union with him we have a “new birth.” We share his resurrection life. We are adopted as God’s dear children, and no trial can take that glorious status away from us.
In the rest of his first Epistle, Peter “unpacks” the implications of this hope, which is firmly grounded in our life in Christ. He tells us how we may participate in that life actively, day-in and day-out. This participation brings glory to God and joy to our souls, no matter what our circumstances.
We continue by noting important things about this Epistle’s author, its recipients, and the particular situation that occasioned its writing.
The author (1:1a)
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ…
Some doubt that Peter, a Galilean fisherman, identified by some as “unschooled” and “ordinary” (Acts 4:13), could have penned such an amazing letter. But it would be an error to minimize what Peter learned from Jesus (1Peter 5:1, 12) and received through the Spirit’s gifting. Peter was transformed into an apostle and principal leader of the early church. Though most of his ministry focused on reaching Jews (Gal 2:1-10), he was a leader of the whole church. You will recall that Jesus commanded him to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32) and to tend the flock (John 21:15–17; 1Pet 5:1–4). This letter was part of discharging these pastoral responsibilities.
The letter is also associated with Silas (1Pet 5:12), a church leader (Acts 15:22) and prophet (Acts 15:32). Apostles like Peter and prophets like Silas served together in laying the foundation of the early church (Eph 2:20) and that foundation is Christ. It may be that Silas assisted in writing this letter and may have been used as an emissary to carry it to its intended audiences.
Peter indicates that he wrote the letter “in Babylon” (1Pet 5:13) where there was an assembly of believers. There is no evidence either from church history or tradition that Peter ministered in the ancient city of Babylon (in modern day Iraq), or in the ancient city of Babylon in Egypt. But we do have historic evidence (from Tertullian and Eusebius in particular) that Peter visited Rome and was martyred there. Rome was often referred to cryptically as Babylon. Peter probably arrived after Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment (in about AD 62). 1Peter was probably then written from Rome in about 64 or 65—a time when Christians were being persecuted in Rome and when persecution was spreading toward the areas where the readers of this letter resided. Paul was later re-arrested, imprisoned and martyred in Rome (in about 68). A short time later, Peter was also martyred there.
The recipients (1:1b)
…To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia…
Peter sent this letter to a group of people he called “strangers” (1:1) and “aliens” (2:11). They were citizens of heaven through faith in Christ (Phil. 3:20), and therefore not permanent residents on earth. Like Abraham, they had their eyes of faith centered on the future city of God (Heb 11:8–16). They were “strangers” because they held to standards and values that were strange to those in the world around them. We will discover in this epistle that some of the readers were experiencing suffering because of their different lifestyle.
These believers were also a “scattered” people. The word for “scattered” is Diaspora, a technical term for the Jews who lived outside Palestine. However, Peter’s use of this word does not imply that he was writing only to Jewish Christians, because some statements in his letter suggest that some of his readers were converted out of Gentile paganism (1 Pet 1:14, 18; 2:9–10; 4:1–4). There was undoubtedly a mixture of both Jews and Gentiles in the churches that received this letter.
These Christians were scattered in five cities in northern Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The Holy Spirit did not permit Paul to minister in Bithynia (Acts 16:7), so he did not begin this work. There were Jews at Pentecost from Pontus and Cappadocia (Acts 2:9), and perhaps they carried the Gospel to their neighboring province. Possibly Jewish believers who had been under Peter’s ministry in other places had migrated to towns in these provinces. People were “on the move” in those days, and dedicated believers shared the Word wherever they went.
These “scattered strangers” were going through a certain amount of suffering and persecution. At least 15 times in this letter, Peter refers to suffering; using 8 different Greek words to do so. Some of these Christians were suffering because they were living godly lives and doing what was good and right (1Pet 2:19–23; 3:14–18; 4:1–4, 15–19). Others were suffering reproach for the name of Christ (1Pet 4:14) and being railed at by non-believers (1Pet 3:9–10). Peter wrote to encourage them to be good witnesses to their persecutors, and to remember that their suffering would lead ultimately to glory (1Pet 1:6–7; 4:13–14; 5:10).
But Peter had another purpose in writing. He knew that a time of even more “painful trial” was about to begin (1Pet 4:12). Peter no doubt anticipated increased persecution from the Roman authorities. When the church began in Jerusalem, it was seen by Rome as a “sect” of the traditional Jewish faith and thus the Roman government permitted it to exist. But over time, it became clear that Christianity was not a “sect” of Judaism, so Rome began to take steps to stamp it out. Widespread official persecution had not yet begun, but Peter foresees that it soon will.
The situation (5:12b)
…I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
1Peter is about suffering through trials and the glory that follows. This transformation is possible because Jesus suffered for us and with us; and has entered for us and with us into glory (1Pet 1:11; 5:1). Because this is true, 1Peter is also about hope. We have a “living hope” because we are united to the living Christ (1Pet 1:3). This hope enables us to keep our minds under control (1Pet 1:13) even in trial, and with clear-mindedness to explain and defend that hope to those who ask (1Pet 3:15).
1Peter is also about grace. Suffering does not automatically bring glory to God and blessing to God’s people. Some believers have fainted and fallen in times of trial and have brought shame to the name of Christ. It is only when we depend on God’s grace that we glorify God in suffering. So Peter exhorts us to “stand fast” in God’s grace (1Pet 5:12b). The word “grace” is used in every chapter of 1Peter. This grace is God’s generous and undeserved favor. When we depend on it, we are enabled to endure suffering, turning trials into triumphs. It is this grace that saves us (Eph 2:8–10), that gives strength in trials (2Cor 12:1–10) and enables us to serve God in spite of difficulties (1Cor 15:9–10). Whatever begins with God’s grace leads on to glory (Ps 84:11; 1Pet 5:10).
1. We were born to share in God’s glory (1:1–4)
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you…
Apart from our union with Jesus Christ, “all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall” (1Pet 1:24, quoted from Isa. 40:6). Left to our own devices, whatever feeble glory we have, eventually fades and disappears. But God’s glory is eternal, and through the new birth of humanity accomplished through the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we are given to share in God’s glory forever. By the union of God and humankind in Jesus, we are adopted into the inner circle and God’s love and life and thus may now share actively in God’s never-fading glory. And notice two essential points from Peter about this sharing:
a. We share God’s glory through our new birth (vv. 2–3)
God’s elect…have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood… In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
To share in God’s glory is God’s plan for humankind established before creation. Paul also writes about this predetermined plan:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will….(Ephesians 1:2-5)
God’s plan to adopt humanity as his children was predetermined before creation. It is thus not dependent on us. And it’s important to note that the “foreknowledge” of which Peter writes (1Pet 1:2) is not about God seeing ahead of time that you would or would not believe or behave. That would take our salvation out of God’s hands and put it into ours. No, this foreknowledge is God’s own knowledge about what he would do in Christ for our new birth—for our adoption as God’s children. This was God’s plan from the beginning (before creation and thus before the fall of humanity). And the plan focused on the incarnation of the Eternal Son of God who became “Immanuel”—God with us. Through Jesus' incarnation, God added our humanity to his divinity, becoming what we are, so that we might become what Jesus now is in his humanity—a glorified human.
This is God’s plan by which we are given to share eternally in his glory! And the plan involves fully the Father, Son and Spirit who are one in being and purpose—including their purpose, already accomplished in the reconciliation of all humanity with God in the person of Christ. In the outworking of this purpose, the Father calls, the Son was incarnated (lived, died, was resurrected and ascended in union with our humanity), and the Spirit now works to help people awaken to and to actively share in what is theirs by grace in Jesus.
From start to finish, we are in the gracious care of the triune God. What hope that gives us!
Comment: Let’s pause to consider an important question: When did this glory become ours? When were we adopted as God’s children? The answer is multi-dimensional. According to the Father’s foreknowledge, all humanity was adopted in Christ before the foundation of the world. Then Jesus, nearly 2,000 years ago, accomplished all that was necessary to make it so through his incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension. In Jesus’ glorified humanity, all humankind is with and in him in heaven (glory) at the Father’s side (Eph 2:6). In Jesus, all humanity is reconciled to God. And now, unfolding throughout history, the Spirit works within individuals to awaken them to this glorious truth that sets them free from the bondage created by the lies they have formerly believed in ignorance. This grace-awakening involves repentance (believing the truth of what God has done for them in Jesus), and faith (trusting in the God who has saved them) and a choosing to take up their cross and follow Jesus as his disciple. This grace-awakening is our experiencing and active participation in our new birth. But note that it is an awakening to a *pre-existent* reality that God has already accomplished in us, with us and for us through Jesus who is now and forever fully God and fully (glorified) man.
b. Our sharing in God’s glory brings us great hope (vv. 3–4)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you…
To know that we share in God’s glory is a source of great hope. Peter calls it a living hope because it is grounded in a living person: Jesus Christ who shares his resurrected, glorified human life with us. This life grows and becomes greater and more beautiful within us as time goes on. Time destroys most hopes; they fade and then die. But the passing of time only makes a believer’s hope that much more glorious.
Peter also refers to this hope as an inheritance. As God’s dear children by adoption we share Jesus’ inheritance (Rom 8:17–18; Eph 1:9–12). We are included in Christ and share his glory with him (John 17:22–24). This inheritance is unlike any earthly inheritance. For one thing, it can never perish—nothing can ruin it. And it can never spoil or fade in any way. It will never grow old because it is eternal; it cannot wear out, nor can it disappoint us in any way.
In 1Pet 1:5, 9, this inheritance is called our “salvation.” In our adoption in Christ we are, in one sense, already saved. But there is a completion—a full “flowering” —of this salvation that awaits Jesus’ return. At that time we will be given a new (glorified) body. In 1Pet 1:7, the Apostle calls this hope “the appearing of Jesus Christ.” Paul refers to it as “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Whatever it is called, what a thrilling thing it is to know that we have been adopted by God in Jesus Christ in order to share the glory of the triune God! That sharing continues to grow and deepen until one day we shall see him in glory “face to face.”
2. We are being guarded for God’s glory (1:5)
…who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Not only is glory being “kept in heaven” for us, but we are being shielded for this glory by God’s own power. What assurance! What hope! The word translated “shielded” is a military word that means “guarded.” The tense of the verb reveals that we are constantly being guarded by God, assuring our full sharing in his glory that is yet to come in our glorification. We are not shielded by our own power, but by the power of God who guards us and guides us. We are not guarded by our own strength, but by his faithfulness. How long will he guard us? Until Jesus returns and brings the full revelation of his great salvation. This same truth is repeated in 1Pet 1:9. This truth is a source of great hope despite the difficulties we encounter on the road to the fullness of glory.
Comment: Note in Romans 8:30 that we have already been glorified because we are united to the glorified human, Jesus Christ. Now all that awaits is the public and full revelation of this glory when Jesus returns (Rom 8:18–23; see also John 17:24; Eph 1:13–14).
3. We are being prepared for the fullness of God’s glory (1:6–7)
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
All that God plans and performs in our lives is in loving, purposeful preparation for what he has in store for us when we share fully in his glory in a new heaven and new earth. Life today is a school in which God trains us for our future in eternity. Trials in our lives are some of God’s tools and textbooks in the school of Christian experience. Peter uses the word “trials” rather than “tribulations” or “persecutions,” because he was dealing with the general problems that Christians face in this world. He shares several facts about these trials.
a. Trials are temporary and purposeful
Our trials are “for a little while”—they come and go; they are special times when God knows that they will benefit us. Sometimes trials correct us (Ps 119:67). At other times they prepare us for growth, or even help to prevent us from sinning (2Cor 12:1–9). We do not always know the need being met, but we can trust God to know and to do what is best.
b. Trials are varied
There are trials of “all kinds”—the word literally means “variegated, many-colored.” Peter uses the same word to describe God’s grace in 1Pet 4:10. No matter what “color” our day may be—a “blue” Monday or a “gray” Tuesday—God has grace sufficient to meet our need. Trials are varied, and God matches the trial to our strengths and needs.
c. Trials are not easy
Trials often produce “grief.” The same word is used to describe our Lord in Gethsemane (Matt 26:37), and the sorrow of saints at the death of loved ones (1Thes 4:13). To deny that our trials are painful is to make them even worse. Christians must accept the fact that there are difficult experiences in life and not put on a brave front just to appear “more spiritual.”
d. Trials are controlled by God
Peter compares God’s use of trials in our lives to the work of a goldsmith. No goldsmith would deliberately waste the precious ore. He would put it into the smelting furnace long enough to remove the cheap impurities; then he would pour it out and make from it a beautiful article of value. A Middle-Eastern goldsmith would keep the metal in the furnace until he could see his face reflected in it. So our Lord keeps us in the furnace of suffering so that we might reflect more fully and accurately the glory and beauty of Jesus Christ.
Note here that this glory is not fully revealed until Jesus returns. Our trying experiences today are preparing us for the fullness of glory tomorrow. When we see Jesus Christ, we will bring “praise, glory and honor” to him if we have been faithful in the sufferings of this life (see Rom 8:17–18). This explains why Peter associated rejoicing with suffering. While we may not be able to rejoice as we look around in our trials, we can rejoice as we look ahead. The word “this” in 1Pet 1:6 refers back to the “salvation” (the return of Christ) mentioned in v5.
It is encouraging to know that we are born to share in God’s glory, we are now begin guarded for that glory, and we are being prepared for that glory. But the fourth discovery Peter shared with his readers is perhaps the most exciting of all:
4. We may experience God’s glory even now (1:8–12)
Peter tells us four ways to participate in and thus enjoy God’s glory even now, despite the trials we face.
a. Love Christ (v. 8a)
Though you have not seen him, you love him…
Our love for Christ is not based on physical sight, because we have not seen him. It is based on our spiritual relationship with him. The Holy Spirit has poured out God’s love into our hearts (Rom 5:5) by which we share the inner love of the Father with the Son through the Spirit. When we find ourselves hurting because of trail, we may lift our hearts to Christ in true love and worship. This removes the poison out of the experience and replaces it with healing medicine. Satan wants to use life’s trials to bring out the worst in us, but God wants to bring out the best.
b. Trust Christ (v. 8b)
…and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him…
We experience our life in Christ by faith and not by sight. By faith (trust in God), we surrender all to him and obey his word in spite of circumstances and consequences. Love and faith go together: when you love someone, you trust them. And faith and love together help to strengthen hope; for where you find faith and love, you will find confidence for the future. How can we grow in faith during times of testing and suffering? The same way we grow in faith when things seem to be going well: by feeding on God’s word (Rom 10:17). Our fellowship with Christ through Scripture not only strengthens our faith, but it also deepens our love. It is a basic principle of Christian living that we spend much time in the word when God is testing us and Satan is tempting us.
c. Rejoice in Christ (v. 8c)
…and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…
We may not be able to rejoice over our circumstances, but we rejoice in them by centering our hearts and minds on Jesus. Each experience of trial helps us learn something new and wonderful about our Savior. Abraham discovered new truths about the Lord on the mount where he offered his son (Gen 22). The three Hebrew children discovered his nearness when they went through the fiery furnace (Dan 3). Paul learned the sufficiency of God’s grace when he suffered with a thorn in the flesh (2Cor 12). Note that the joy God produces in us is “inexpressible and glorious.” This joy is so deep and so wonderful that words fail us! Peter saw some of this glory on the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus discussed with Moses and Elijah his own impending suffering and death (Luke 9:28–36). We too see some if it as we fix our eyes on Jesus and rejoice.
d. Receive from Christ (vv. 9–12)
…for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
“Believing... receiving” is God’s way of meeting our needs. If we love him, trust him, and rejoice in him, then we can receive from him all that we need to turn trials into triumphs. 1Pet 1:9 can be translated, “For you are receiving the consummation of your faith, that is, the final salvation of your souls.” In other words, we can experience today some of that future glory. It is not enough that we long for heaven during times of suffering, for anybody can do that. What Peter urged his readers to do was exercise love, faith, and rejoicing, so that they might experience some of the glory of heaven in the midst of suffering now.
Conclusion
Because we have been adopted as God’s dear children through a new birth, it is glory all the way! We were born for glory. We are being guarded for glory. Through this life, which includes trials, we are being prepared for the fullness of glory. And as we love God, trust him, and rejoice in him, we experience his glory—his love and life—even here and now. More and more. Joy inexpressible and glorious!