Read 1 Peter 1:3-9.

Introduction⤒🔗

One afternoon, I went to the ball game with my friends, Al and Dan; and there I learned something about the rules of baseball.

In the first inning, a batter hit a long drive to deep centerfield; the ball was just reaching the pinnacle of its height as it soared over the fence, landing deep into the bleacher seats.

“That’s a home run!” exclaimed my friend, Al.

“But wait a minute, Al,” I inquired, “if it’s a home run, why is the batter running around the bases?” “That’s part of the rules,” Al explained.

“Oh, I see. If the centerfielder retrieves the ball before the batter rounds the bases he can throw him out.”

“No, no,” interrupted Dan. “Once the ball leaves the field of play it’s a home run. There’s nothing the fielder can do.”

“But then why is the batter running around the bases?” I asked.

“That’s part of the rules,” Al again explained.

“You mean to tell me that once the ball clears the fence it is a home run?” “That’s right!”

“And there is nothing the fielder can do about it?”

“That’s right!”

“But if the batter doesn’t run around the bases he’s out?”

“That’s right!”

“That’s one of the rules of baseball,” chimed in Dan. “That’s just the way it is.”

As I watched the runner safely cross home plate, I thought aloud, “I wonder if there is a spiritual lesson for the Christian to be learned from all this.”

“Yes, there is,” said Al, “and this is what it is: Although, indeed, because, our Christian salvation is sure, we must carry out our responsibility to exercise our Christian faith.”

This is the very lesson we find expressed in the passage of 1 Peter 1:3-9; because our Christian salvation is sure, we must carry out our responsibility to exercise our Christian faith.

Exercise Your Christian Faith, As Your Responsibility in a Sure Salvation←⤒🔗

The Apostle Peter informs us that God “has begotten us for a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

God “has begotten us;” He is our spiritual Father and we have become His spiritual children: “to all who did receive [Christ], to those who believe on his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God; ¹³they were born, not by natural descent, nor by human will, nor by a husband’s desire, but by God” (Jn. 1:12-13). As the Apostle John exclaims, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 Jn. 3:1) God has given us new birth “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” When Jesus was raised from the dead and entered into the presence of God, He brought with Him all those who believe in Him: as a Christian, your soul/spirit/being has become united to Jesus:

⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, Seven when we were dead in transgressions, ⁵he made us alive with Christ, by grace you have been saved, ⁶and he raised us with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms, in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:4­-6

When the Lord Jesus returned to God His Father, it was almost like returning home from the hospital, bringing His new born babes with Him and presenting them to the Father as His redeemed children. They are children whom the Father had given to Christ and to whom the Father has given new birth (new life) by means of Christ’s resurrection, and the believer’s union with Christ in His resurrection life.

God has given us new birth for “a living hope.” “A living hope” is a hope that is sure and certain, as opposed to a hope that is dead and worthless. Consider the promises contained in such passages as Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:17a,

I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11

Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Rom. 8:17a

Peter goes on to define this living hope as being “an inheritance that is imperishable and cannot spoil and is permanent, reserved in heaven for you” (vs. 4). Here is an inheritance that is as pure and perfect and eternal as God Himself, an inheritance that shall never lose its luster or desirability. We shall never become tired or bored with this divine inheritance, because it is the creation of the infinite God and it consists of the giving of Himself to us, together with all of His blessings. As believers in Jesus the Messiah, we share in the promise the LORD made to Abram: “After these things, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, and your reward shall be exceedingly great” (Gen. 15:1).

This inheritance is being reserved in heaven for us. The use of the Greek perfect tense in the verb, “being reserved,” emphasizes the fact that this inheritance continues to be held on reserve for us until the appointed day when it shall be bestowed upon us in full measure. By way of illustration: It is like holding reserve tickets to a sporting event or concert; so despite whatever holdups we encounter due to traffic, there is the assurance that the seats are being reserved for us.

We are further informed, “by the power of God, [we] are being preserved [or, guarded]...for the salvation that is ready to be revealed” (vs. 5). Not only is our spiritual inheritance on unlimited reserve for us, but also we ourselves are being guarded until the day we shall receive that divine inheritance. We are being preserved, or, guarded, by nothing less than “the power of God.” Speaking of the city of God, which represents His people and His communion with them, the Lord declares, “And I myself will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be its glory within” (Zech. 2:5). Consider, for example, the Lord’s protection of Old Testament Israel by means of the pillar of cloud and fire:

¹⁹Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night, the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Ex. 14:19-20

Concerning all those who come to Him in faith, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself testifies,

²⁸I give them eternal life; they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one. Jn. 10:28-30

But we must also take careful note of what else Peter says, “by the power of God you are being preserved through faith” (vs. 5). In the midst of this divine certainty, and encouraged by it, comes the call for Christian responsibility: we are to exercise an active faith in (i.e. devotion to) the Lord Jesus Christ, note John 10:27-28,

²⁷My sheep hear to my voice [i.e. they recognize the Good Shepherd’s voice and respond to it]; I know them and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life; they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.

Proverbs 16:20b informs us, “whoever trusts in the LORD, blessed is he.” The Hebrew word translated “trust” ( בָּטחַ ), literally means, “to cling to;” the term conveys both confidence and commitment. Again, by way of illustration: Suppose you were to get lost in the depths of a deep, dark cave, and a forest ranger were to come to your rescue. He instructs you to hang on to the back of his belt as he leads you out of the cave to safety. You cling to him because you have confidence in him, and that confidence inevitably translates into commitment. Because of your confidence in him you are not going to let go of him, you are going to hold on to him and follow him wherever he leads. So it is with the Christian’s relationship to Christ our Savior.

We must exercise our Christian faith, (our commitment and devotion to Christ), as our God-given responsibility in a sure salvation. Consider the words of Jude:

^1:1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who have been called, loved by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ... ^1:21Keep yourselves in the love of God as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 1:1, 21

Exercise Your Christian Faith, Even in the Face of Adversity←⤒🔗

Notice the contrasts Peter presents in this passage: In verse five, he looks to the future and speaks of the salvation that is ready to be revealed “at the last time.” In verse six, he turns to the present and speaks of these Christians as “now,” (in the present), being subjected to various trials. Then, too, there is the contrast between the great joy (vs. 6a) experienced by the Christian as he fellowships with Christ and the grief (vs. 6b) he experiences, a grief brought about by the various trials he must endure.

Peter now turns our attention to the present trials encountered by the Christian. We encounter “all kinds of trials.” That is to say, the trials a Christian may encounter come in many different shapes and forms. There are spiritual, physical, emotional, financial trials. There are trials that are intimately personal and private, or those affecting our immediate family. There are trials that affect the church as a whole, or the nation in which the church is residing. Whatever their form, these trials are painful: they pierce the soul; they minister “grief” to the Christian’s heart.

To be guarded by God, (as verse five indicates that we are), does not mean that we will be exempt from trials; but it does mean that our souls will be preserved no matter how great the trials. With regard to the Lord’s allowing Job to be subjected to testing by the devil, we read, “Then the LORD said to Satan, Look; he is in your hand; only spare his life” (Job 2:6). The Apostle Paul gives this testimony: “The Lord will deliver me out of every evil work, and will save me for his heavenly kingdom, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:18) Note that Paul does not expect to be delivered from trial, but to be delivered out of trial.

The same was true with regard to the three young Hebrew men who were thrown into the fiery furnace by the raging King Nebuchadnezzar: The LORD did not spare them from the trial; He was with them in the midst of the trial. We read:

²⁴Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and leaped to his feet. He said to his advisors, Did we not tie up three men and throw them into the fire? They replied to the king, [That is] true, O king. ²⁵He responded, Look! I see four men untied and walking around in the fire, and they are not harmed! And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!Dan. 3:24-25

What we find in this incident is the LORD delivering His faithful servants, not by means of exemption from severe trial, but by resurrection out of the trial, with His own presence sustaining and comforting them in the midst of the trial.

The Christian’s experience in this present world consists of both the joy of heaven as well as grievous trials on earth: “Beloved, do not be surprised by the fiery trials among you, that have come for the purpose of testing you, as though a strange thing has happened to you” (1 Pet. 4:12). The Apostle Peter defines these present trials as being necessary, and the necessary function they serve is explained in verse seven: “[This has happened] so that the genuineness of your faith, being of greater value than gold that perishes, having been tested by fire, may be verified, resulting in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

It is God’s prerogative to prove the genuineness of our Christian faith; and He does so by means of exposing us to a variety of trials. The Christian’s faith is compared to gold; like gold, our faith will be exposed to the flame of trial to ascertain its genuineness. The Christian’s faith is also contrasted to gold; even gold perishes, but true Christian faith is made by God to endure.

Again, it is God’s prerogative to prove the genuineness of our Christian faith; His objective is to cause that verified faith to result in “praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Our purified Christian faith will finally result in “praise and glory” to God, for creating a being who remains true to Him no matter what God sees fit to bring into his life. Our purified Christian faith will finally result in “honor” for us, as the reward for being true to God no matter what He has ordained to be the experiences of our present earthly life.

It is a great comfort to know not only the divine purpose being accomplished by means of trial, but also to know that the duration of these manifold earthly trials is only “for a little while,” (literally, “for the brief present”). At the end of this present epistle, the Apostle Peter will assure these Christians who were undergoing severe trials: “But after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will personally restore you, support you, strengthen you, and establish you” (1 Pet. 5:10). The Apostle Paul gives this assurance to Christians as we seek to live for Christ in this present world, which is filled with trials:

It is a great comfort to know not only the divine purpose being accomplished by means of trial, but also to know that the duration of these manifold earthly trials is only “for a little while,” (literally, “for the brief present”). At the end of this present epistle, the Apostle Peter will assure these Christians who were undergoing severe trials: “But after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will personally restore you, support you, strengthen you, and establish you” (1 Pet. 5:10). The Apostle Paul gives this assurance to Christians as we seek to live for Christ in this present world, which is filled with trials:

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷Our light afflictions, which are for the moment, are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So, we focus [our attention] not on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporal, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16-18

Like Paul (writing in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18), Peter, too, teaches us that the key to endurance in the midst of trial is to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ:

[Although] you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, by believing in him you greatly rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and glorious, ⁹obtaining as the result of your faith the salvation of your souls. 1 Pet. 1:8-9

As we focus on Christ, rather than on the trial, we will experience a taste of heaven itself. These Christians were exercising faith in Jesus Christ in the midst of severe trials, and as they did so, they rejoiced greatly. Why? They rejoiced because they were receiving, “as the result of [their] faith, the salvation of [their] souls;” i.e. the experience of heavenly fellowship with Christ in His glory. The hymn writer, Jean Sophia Pigott, seems to be expressing something of this spiritual experience:

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thy art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, Satisfies my heart.
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings: Thine is love indeed.

We must exercise our Christian faith, even in the face of adversity. As the writer to the Hebrews gently exhorts the Christians of his day who encountered much trial: “We do not want you to become sluggish, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:12). Again, he writes, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who made the promise is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Thanks to my good friends, Al and Dan, I learned something about the rules of baseball. And I also learned an important lesson about the Christian life. May God grant each of us to learn this vital lesson: Although, indeed, because, our Christian salvation is sure and certain, we must, in reliance upon the grace of God, carry out our responsibility to exercise our Christian faith, even in the face of adversity.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. For what does the Apostle Peter bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? See 1 Pet. 1:3 If a “dead hope” is a worthless hope, what is a “living hope”? Why is this hope, which God has given us, sure and certain? Who has promised us this hope; what is His character? Note Num. 23:19

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in accordance with his great mercy has begotten us for a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... 1 Pet. 1:3

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Num. 23:19

2. How does Peter define this “living hope”? See 1 Pet. 1:4a At present, where is this hope being reserved for us? See 1 Pet. 1:4b Although in this life we experience some measure of the Lord’s covenant goodness and mercy, what does the Psalmist say about the blessings that are our Christian inheritance? See Psl. 23:6; see, also Isa. 35:10 Why do you think we cannot experience the fullness of this hope while still in this world and still in our present earthly state?

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who... has begotten us for a living hope... ⁴for an inheritance that is imperishable and cannot spoil and is permanent, reserved in heaven for you... 1 Pet. 1:3-4

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psl. 23:6

Then those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them; sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isa. 35:10

The covenantal goodness of the LORD pursues the Christian throughout his life, but it is not until he enters into the immediate presence of the LORD that he experiences this blessing in full measure.

3. While our Christian hope is safely reserved in heaven for us, what about we ourselves? See 1 Pet. 1:5 What pledge does the Lord Jesus make to each one who comes to Him, receiving Him as their Savior and Lord? See Jn. 6:37, 40 By whose power are we being preserved; is there any question as to the sufficiency of this power and the One who wields it?

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who...has begotten us for a living hope...⁴for an inheritance that is imperishable and cannot spoil and is permanent, reserved in heaven for you ⁵who by the power of God are being preserved through faith for the salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time. 1 Pet. 1:3-5

³⁷All whom the Father gives me will come to me; and he who comes to me I will by no means reject... ⁴⁰My Father’s will is that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Jn. 6:37, 40

4. Until that time when we will experience the fullness of the inheritance that is ours in Christ Jesus, what can we expect to experience while still in this present world? See 1 Pet. 1:6 From the perspective of eternity, what is the duration of these trials? See 2 Cor. 4:17a Does knowing that a trial shall not last forever, but is of limited duration, give you encouragement in the midst of the trial? What else should give us encouragement? See 2 Cor. 4:17b,

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, since it is necessary, you have been brought to grief by all kinds of trials. 1 Pet. 1:6

¹⁶...we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward [man] is being renewed day by day; ¹⁷for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory... 2 Cor. 4:16-17

5. Why are these trials “necessary;” what are they intended to accomplish? See 1 Pet. 1:7a What will be the final outcome of these trials? See 1 Pet. 1:7b Christian, do you realize that your perseverance in the faith, your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ, is a means by which you bring “praise and glory” to Him? How is this so? Is it not because your faithfulness to Him shows that He is worthy of your devotion? Do you also realize that such faithfulness shall be rewarded with the honor that He will bestow upon you? Note 1 Sam. 2:30b Do you not think that the eternal honor Christ will bestow upon you is more than worth whatever trial He ordains for you to endure for His name’s sake?

[This has happened] so that the genuineness of your faith, being of greater value than gold that perishes, having been tested by fire, may be verified, resulting in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. 1:7

...the LORD says, '...those that honor me, I will honor...'1 Sam. 2:30b