Take a big breath. We are going deep. Or rather, our writer is going deep. Look at 1 Peter 1:3 to end of chapter. Verses 1 and 2 are salutation, but Peter throws in a good bit of theology that we will pass over for now. He is talking to believers who are scattered pretty much across the known world.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Whew that is a mouthful right there. And he has just begun. (The Carpenters We’ve only just begun...) Peter starts with “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That is a great place to start, but that is just opening the door. Who.... Now he has switched to the tool that God used.
Peter returns to the mercy and what it did: ...caused us to be born again to a living hope. It is getting good and it is “only just begun.” The focus has shifted to “us” (both Peter and the rest of us). We have hope that is alive. How did the hope arise? “Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” We are in verse 3 and Peter is off on the resurrection. (We discussed that in an earlier post. Three Minute Drill RAMP, and More on R ) According to history, Peter requested to be crucified up-side down because he was not worthy to be executed in the same manner as his Lord.
Peter was obsessed with the resurrection. Check out his first sermon in Acts 2. And here, near the end of his life, he is still talking about it like it is important. It is. Peter was obsessed and here is why: we have the living hope and are enabled ...to obtain an inheritance... The inheritance has four characteristics. It will never decay or lose potency. It will never be contaminated. It will last forever. It is in an unassailable vault, heaven. And it is ours.
Peter continues with us: we are protected, and, by implication, like our salvation. We will persevere. Jesus calls us “overcomers” in Revelation 2 and 3. He says it seven times. (I will leave it to you to find them.) And now Peter begins his second sentence. (He is a little more concise than I am.) Grab another breath.
6 In this (ed. salvation) you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
Could you read that on one breath? We rejoice in the salvation, but suffer some trials to prove our faith, which is more precious than gold...huh, huh, huh...this gold will perish, even though proved by fire, but our faith will not deteriorate and will bring praise and glory and honor to Jesus, Whom we have not seen, but love, and believe in him, rejoicing with unutterable joy that is gloriously fulfilling, and we produce the result of salvation by faith. Uhhh, huuuh. Just let those terms and thoughts wash over your consciousness. Whoa! And we are not done.
10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
The prophets who reported this to us did not understand what they wrote. They did not just mindlessly repeat what was shown them, they investigated and asked questions seeking more understanding. And then they ran into the Holy Spirit Who explained that their message was for us. And the song goes on. We have received the message, one that even angels do not understand. And how do we respond? We better tell it. Here’s how.
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Prepare for action. (Notice that the mind is involved again. Not just emotions. Hearts and Stones) Prepare, keep sober, and fix your attention on the tools. A phrase in the military is “fix bayonets.” Our “hope” (see above) is strengthened by the grace that we receive when we see Christ. We fix our attention and are not conformed to the world. This conformation is effectuated by lusts. (Recall the difference between a heart of stone and one of flesh. It is the renewing of our mind that transforms us. Romans 12:1, 2) (Hearts and stones Sept 15, 2016)
And how do we defeat lust? Banish ignorance, and plan to be holy. It is not just an accident. We “fix” our minds on holiness, based on knowledge, and obey what we know.
Then Peter gets into the rewards. First the qualifier. If.... When we call Him Father, we are exercising the obedience and faith in the One who redeemed us.
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Time for more deep breaths. Peter threw in that foreknowing and choosing thing (v. 2) again. Must be important. And then he goes on...
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, And the flower falls off, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word which was preached to you.
That was quite an introduction, wasn’t it? It starts and then each thought takes Peter down an explanatory rabbit trail. But it all makes perfect sense and drives us to the conclusion.
Doesn’t sound like a lowly fisherman does it? I agree. That is why spurious scholars, like Bart Ehrman doubt that Peter wrote the book. (Aside, Bart does not like much of the Book, and is wrong, so his criticism is not too troubling.) Peter has been transformed, perhaps by association with Paul and Silas, and probably even Mark. But more than that, the Holy Spirit is speaking through him. Remember back in Acts that the critics were amazed at how these ignorant, uneducated guys conversed? (Acts 4:13) There is still hope for us.
This message seems to saturate the writings of Peter, Paul, Jude, and John, who were probably the final writers in the New Testament. (Matthew, Luke, and James were the other authors and seemed to come earlier. Note, there is some question about Hebrews.) So the P, P, J, and J group finished off the message. (Sounds like a gospel quartet, doesn’t it? Our crew was D. D. R. and J. accompanied by D. Oh the places we could have gone...but I digress.)
I like the last phrase. We have had this message preached to us. Now we have the ball and it is time to run. Then the rest of 1 Peter builds on that. 1 Peter 2:1 Therefore....
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