By Gary DeLashmutt
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2who 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.
How does Peter encourage us? By focusing our attention on God’s grace—the overwhelming reality of what God has given us through Jesus Christ. This is implicit in his salutation (“Grace and peace be yours in abundance”)—God’s abundant grace will enable us to experience his abundant peace in the midst of suffering. It is explicit at the end of his letter:
With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. (5:12)
What we need most of all when we suffer is neither an exhortation to stoic machismo, nor mere sympathy—we need increased understanding of God’s grace, and deeper trust in it! So Peter opens his letter with a series of insights into God’s grace, and descriptions of how grace encourages us in our sufferings.
1:3-9 is the first of these insights:
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, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 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. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 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. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Peter doesn’t deny the reality of our sufferings or the grief caused by these sufferings (1:6)—but he speaks of being lifted up by joy in the midst of our sufferings (1:8). “Joy” is the delight Christians experience in trusting that we are loved by God. Sometimes this joy is very dramatic, bringing tears—like when a lover lets himself believe for the first time that his love is reciprocated. At other times it is more subtle, providing stability and security—like when a child rests in his parents’ love. Though we cannot see God, joy is ignited in our hearts by his Spirit when we trust the love he has given us through Jesus (Rom. 15:13). We may not be able to put our joy into words (“inexpressible”)—but it is real and “heavier” than the weight of our sufferings (“full of glory”).
For Christians, joy in the midst of suffering is both a privilege and a responsibility. A privilege, because we don’t deserve it, but God showers it on us anyway. A responsibility, because it demonstrates to others that Jesus is real and attracts them to join us in believing in him (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15).
What has God given us in his love us that produces this kind of joy when we trust in it? Peter speaks here of two tremendous gifts. First, God will grant us a glorious inheritance.
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, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 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.
The main point here is that we who have entrusted ourselves to Jesus have been adopted as God’s children (“new birth”) and therefore made heirs (“inheritance”) of God’s kingdom. In the Roman world, wealthy childless couples would adopt worthy young adults to be their children so they could pass their wealth on to them. But why would God adopt us? He isn’t childless, he isn’t going to die, and we are unworthy rebels who deserve God’s judgment! The only answer is “because of his great mercy” (1:3). So great is God’s mercy and love that he gave his perfect and only Son Jesus to die for our sins so that he could adopt us. He adopts us so that we can experience the “down-payment” of his love now, and so that he can pass on to us the privilege of enjoying his full love forever when Jesus returns (1:5). Such a love surpasses our understanding (1 Jn. 3:1), and should blow our minds every time we think of it!
Inheritance rights were secure because they were protected by the power of Rome. Peter goes out of his way to emphasize that our inheritance is absolutely secure because it is protected by God’s power (1:5). It can never perish, spoil or fade (1:4) like all other inheritances, because God’s kingdom is eternal. No enemy can take our inheritance away from us, because God is infinitely stronger than any enemy. Even better, none of our sins can disqualify us from our inheritance, because it is based entirely on Jesus’ perfect and finished work for us, and not at all on our very imperfect work for God! Nothing could be more secure!
Can you see why Peter says that when we focus by faith on this “living hope,” we will have joy that outweighs the pain of our sufferings (1:8)? We can have joy in the painful present to the extent that we anticipate this positive future.
In the same way, when we affirm our adoption and anticipate our inheritance, the Holy Spirit ignites joy in our hearts that sustains us and lifts us above the weight of our current sufferings.
“Do I, as a Christian . . . (affirm) my own real identity? My own destiny? I am a child of God. God is my Father; heaven is my home; every day is one day nearer . . . Say it over and over to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing at night, as you wait for the bus, any time when your mind is free, and ask (God) that you may be enabled to live as one who knows it is all utterly and completely true.” (Packer, Knowing God)
Next time, we will see the second blessing in this passage: God's refining.
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