1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Peter begins with a term that often confuses Christians and that word is ‘blessed’, especially when it pertains to us blessing God. Most will ask, “How can we bless God?” Thinking that blessing is only one way we might miss an important part of worship. We bless God through our obedience and offering of praise (read Romans 12:1-2). If we are unaware or have only an abbreviated understanding of God’s Word we may not know how to be obedient, or for that fact, know how to praise Him!
The next sentence begins with the word ‘according’ which we see a number of times in the Bible. The Greek word ‘kata’ is used over 470 times in the New Testament (although not always translated ‘according’, other translations include ‘against’ and ‘in’)[1]. The word can mean ‘conforming’, like something that was made according to a specification, or something that is in alignment with a previous agreement. Here, it is used similarly to what Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:7 “according to the riches of His grace.” Paul is pointing out that there is no end to God’s riches. It’s like asking a wealthy person for a substantial loan versus asking someone who does not have any money to loan. You ask according to their ability. Here Peter is saying to bless God the Father according to His mercy. Another way of looking at this is to understand that God the Father set everything in motion by sending His Son to die in our place so that we can live forever with Him.
Let’s stop for a second to clarify the difference between ‘grace’ and ‘mercy’. Grace is receiving something we do not deserve (see the greeting in verse two) commonly known as unmerited favor. Mercy, however, is NOT getting what we deserve (death, punishment, etc., see Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 8:7-8) Perhaps the best place to learn the differences between these words can be found in Ephesians 2:1-10.
Being born again points us to our rebirth (or regeneration). Jesus explained this to Nicodemus in John 3:1-21. Paul summarizes, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)
Born again to a living hope, our hope is not only real, it is alive! The Greek word translated ‘hope’ can be found 54 times in the New Testament, all pointing to a real hope or expectation. We also have to understand that the word in the Greek refers to a confident expectation of something coming.[2] In English the word ‘hope’ sadly can also imply a form of wishful thinking, for example “I hope I locked the house,” or “one can only hope that it won’t rain today.” That is not the case in the hope we have in Jesus! Our anticipation is real and that promise is coming from someone who is alive! (read John 11: 25-27; 1 Corinthians 15:17; Ephesians 2:12; 4:17-24)
Peter then briefly describes our living hope inheritance. In Romans 8:12-17, Paul reminded us that our inheritance is a lot more than our salvation. In those verses, Paul refers to us as being co-heirs with Christ. To our pleasant surprise we learn that Jesus is going to share His inheritance with us! There is no way we can understand what awaits us. If the idea of being co-heirs with Christ doesn’t get your attention, nothing will! How does this work? We are children of God through adoption (see Galatians 4:4-5) and as adopted children of God we have all of the privileges of being His children, wow! Okay, maybe that should be a WOW!!
1:4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Peter describes our inheritance as being imperishable, undefiled and unfading. Unlike inheritances here on earth, this inheritance is everlasting. Let’s look closer at these words. Imperishable: something that cannot be corrupted, especially due to decay (the result of sin). Undefiled: something that is unsoiled (always pure), free from pollution. Unfading: something that never loses its splendor. This inheritance is being kept in heaven for us. I hesitate to say this but heaven is a lot more than a large refrigerator (I can hear your groaning, sorry!) What Peter is saying is that we have a spot reserved for us in heaven. Our reservations are fixed and cannot be changed. The Greek implies that our reservation is being watched over; no one is going to snatch it away (see John 10:28). Jesus reminds us that heaven is a secure place where rust, moths, and thieves can’t destroy our inheritance (see Matthew 6:19-24).
Plus, our inheritance is constantly being guarded (see Romans 8:31-39) through faith. Our faith is held steadfast by God’s love for us “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). God is both the provider and keeper of our salvation and inheritance (see Ephesians 1:11-23).
For a salvation ready to be revealed in the last days, Peter is implying that the final component of deliverance has not occurred. Many scholars identify chronologically three parts to salvation. The first occurring when we first believe and eternity begins, often called the work of justification (see Romans 10:9-17). Our sanctification is next, and as we discussed regarding verse two, this process is ongoing until we die or until Jesus comes back (see Romans 13:11; Hebrews 9:28), and then finally, the beginning of our eternal inheritance (see 2 Timothy 4:18; Ephesians 1:11-18; Matthew 25:31-46).
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[1] Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Strong’s Greek No. 2596
[2] Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Strong’s Greek No. 1680