(Chapter 1:1-12)
The first twelve verses of chapter 1 form the doctrinal part of the epistle. These verses set forth the present position of believers on the Lord Jesus Christ and form the basis for the practical exhortations that follow.
In carrying out his commission toward his Jewish brethren, Peter instructs and exhorts them as to the new position in which they stood as Christians. He shows them that as believers on the Lord Jesus Christ their blessings were now in a new form. Whether it was election, sanctification, redemption, the inheritance, the house of God, the priesthood, etc. (terms which they were familiar with in Judaism), they were now to be known in an altogether new and different way in Christianity.
The Salutation
Vs. 1—Peter introduces himself as an apostle “of Jesus Christ”—putting the Lord’s Manhood name (Jesus) before His title (Christ). It is of note that Paul reverses the order when introducing himself. He says that he is an apostle “of Christ Jesus.” As a rule, when the Lord’s name is placed before His title in Scripture, as Peter does here, it refers to Him as having come down from heaven to glorify God in His death and resurrection. Whereas, when the Lord’s title is placed before His Manhood name, it refers to Him as having completed redemption and gone back to heaven as a glorified Man. Since Peter received his apostleship from the Lord when the Lord was here on earth (Luke 6:13-16), he calls himself an apostle of “Jesus Christ.” Paul, on the other hand, received his apostleship from the Lord after He had died and was risen. It was from His place on high at the right hand of God in which the Lord called Paul to his apostleship (1 Cor. 9:1). Accordingly, Paul calls himself an apostle of “Christ Jesus.”
The Apostle Peter is one of nine Simons in the New Testament:
• Simon Peter (Matt. 10:2).
• Simon the Canaanite [Zelotes] (Matt. 10:4).
• Simon the half brother of the Lord (Matt. 13:55).
• Simon the leper (Matt. 26:6).
• Simon of Cyrene (Matt. 27:32).
• Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:40).
• Simon the father of Judas Iscariot (John 6:71).
• Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:9).
• Simon the tanner (Acts 9:43).
Peter identifies his audience as being the “sojourners of the dispersion” in “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia (Minor), and Bithynia.” These are five regions in modern day Turkey, which in those days had a large population of Jews. These Jews had been “scattered” among the Gentiles since the days just after the Babylonish captivity (John 7:35), but the gospel had reached them and many of them had become Christians. The fact that the Jews are seen “scattered” is a proof that the nation had failed in its responsibility in connection with its covenant relationship with Jehovah. It was one of the judgments that Moses said they would incur—the forfeiture of their land and a consequent scattering among the nations (Lev. 26:33-35; Deut. 4:27; 28:64). Thus, these Jews were a standing witness of the fact that the nation had failed and had been stripped of its ancient privileges in its inheritance in the land of Canaan.
Vs. 2—Peter proceeds to show these Jewish converts that while the nation had temporarily lost its earthly blessings and privileges, God had something better for all who would receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. As believers, they now had a new relationship with God and a whole new portion of blessings in Christ. These things were superior to anything that they had possessed in Judaism.
Ten Things in Christ Risen
In these opening verses, Peter mentions at least ten things that they now had in Christ risen that were entirely new:
The Trinity
At the outset, Peter touches on the foremost feature of Christianity—the Trinity. He mentions “the Father,” “the Spirit,” and “Jesus Christ” as three distinct Persons in the Godhead who were involved in their salvation (vs. 2). Having been enlightened by the gospel, these believers would have already known and believed this great truth; nevertheless, Peter reinforces it here as being an integral part of the Christian revelation of truth.
The Godhead, consisting of three distinct Persons, was something new to what a Judaist knew of God. From Scriptures such as Deuteronomy 6:4, the Jews believed that God was “one” Person, known to them as “Jehovah.” It is not that the truth of the Trinity contradicts what God had revealed of Himself in Old Testament times; it is simply the result of God setting Himself in the light and having now given a full revelation of Himself. In Old Testament times, God dwelt in “thick darkness” (1 Kings 8:12), and hence, the saints in those days had only a partial revelation of Him. But He has now set Himself “in the light” (1 John 1:7), and since “the darkness is passing and the true light already shines” (1 John 2:8), we have a superior revelation of God as being: “the Father,” the Son,” and “the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Thus, there has been a progressive revelation of truth in Scripture concerning the nature and unity of the Godhead.
As mentioned, the revelation of the Trinity does not contradict or deny what was known of God in Judaism. For example, the word “one,” in Deuteronomy 6:4, is plural in the Hebrew text. It literally means, “consisting of many parts, but as one.” It is used similarly in Genesis 11:6: “Behold, the people is one....” Furthermore, the usual Hebrew word for “God,” throughout the Old Testament, is “Elohim,” which is also plural. This explains why God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26; 3:22; 11:7). “Creator,” in Ecclesiastes 12:1, is also plural. Thus, Old Testament Scripture allows for God being more than one Person (Isa. 48:16, etc.), but the truth of the Trinity had not been revealed in those times. It wasn’t until Christ came and “declared” the Father as being a distinct Person from Himself (John 1:18) that it was known that there are different Persons in the Godhead (John 1:1).
Peter then traces a chain of events wherein the three Persons of the Godhead have acted in the salvation of these Jewish saints. The chain begins with God’s electing grace in eternity past and ends with the believer’s heart and conscience being cleansed by faith’s appropriation of the blood of Christ. This progression of divine action is true in the history of every Christian, whether he or she has been saved from among the Gentiles or from among those in Judaism.
Election
(Vs. 2)
Firstly, Peter speaks of these Jewish believers as being, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” Elect means to be chosen. Hence, they had been chosen by God to have a special relationship with Christ in heavenly glory, as being part of the new company of blessed persons that God was calling together—the Church of God. This choosing is something that God did “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). We see from this that if blessing is to reach us, it must begin with God who is the source of all blessing.
Divine election was not something new to these Jews; they had been part of the elect nation of Israel. God had “chosen” Israel to have a special covenant relationship with Himself as His “holy people” (Deut. 7:6-8). However, what Peter was speaking about here is a different kind of election. Israel’s election was a collective and national thing, whereas this election is personal and individual. It was not in connection with their father Abraham, as was the case with Israel, but with “God the Father.”
Divine election is probably the most controversial doctrine in the New Testament. Even though it is often a topic of debate among Christians, Peter and the other New Testament writers make no apology for teaching it. They speak of God’s sovereign, electing grace for what it is—a reality known and believed among the apostles. It is something for which every believer is thankful, for where would we be without God setting His love upon us and choosing us for blessing?
The contention lies in the reasoning that if God chose some in the human race for blessing, then, by passing over those not chosen, He has in essence, chosen them for an eternity in Hell. Since this seems derogatory to the very nature and character of God who loves all men and desires their blessing (John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4), it is dismissed as erroneous. A popular but mistaken explanation that many evangelicals give for God’s electing grace stems from a misunderstanding of God’s “foreknowledge.” They say that in eternity past God looked ahead through the corridor of time and foresaw who would believe the gospel and who wouldn’t, and chose those who would believe. However, this idea gives man undue credit for his salvation. It assumes that in his lost state man has the power to choose Christ to the salvation of his soul. This is clearly in collision with many Scriptures which teach that fallen man is so depraved that he has absolutely no power in himself to come to Christ for salvation.
The truth is that man in his fallen state can’t even do so much as believe the gospel; God has to give him the faith to do it (Eph. 2:8). Scripture teaches that man in his natural state is “dead,” and therefore, he cannot hear and respond to God’s call in the gospel (Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13). It teaches that he is unable to “receive” the truth; it is foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14). It also teaches us that man in his natural state is “without strength” (Rom. 5:6), and therefore, cannot “come” to Christ for salvation (John 6:44, 65). Left to himself, man will never choose Christ, because “the mind of the flesh is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7). Hence, this mistaken idea of election denies the total depravity of man.
Men attempt to reconcile God’s sovereign electing grace in salvation with man’s responsibility to believe the gospel, but in doing so they often get one-sided in their interpretations. The truth is that both lines of truth run parallel throughout Scripture without merging. Like the two rails of a railroad track: in our eyes they seem to join in the far distance, but of course, they don’t. Since God’s ways are “past finding out” (Rom. 11:33), we should not attempt to reconcile these things in our minds, but should leave them as they are found in Scripture. God would have us to know about them, and this is why they are stated in Scripture, but He has not asked us to reconcile them. He knew very well that sinners left to themselves would not choose Christ, so, He went ahead and marked us out for blessing by choosing us. At some point in our history we believed the gospel and we received the blessing of salvation. How these things work together is beyond our human minds.
The doctrine of election is the most humbling truth in the Bible because it shows man to be utterly helpless and unable to do anything for himself. It is also one of the most God-exalting truths in Scripture. Since He has done everything for us in our salvation, He rightly gets all the credit and all the glory! Even though we do not understand these things completely, the truth of divine election should produce praise from our hearts.
The Sanctification of the Spirit
Secondly, in the salvation of every person there is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in setting apart those whom God has chosen by imparting divine life to them through new birth. This is a work of the Spirit in a person before he is cleansed by the blood of Christ and saved. It is a sovereign action of God that results in the elect being enabled to hear and believe the gospel. Without this initial work in men, no one would be saved. Thus, in eternity past God chose us for blessing, and there came a point in our lifetime when God acted by the Spirit and imparted life to us through His quickening power (Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13). Communicating divine life to the elect sets them apart (the meaning of sanctification) from the mass of humanity that is heading toward a lost eternity.
The “sanctification of the Spirit” is not the practical aspect of sanctification, wherein the believer perfects holiness in his life by removing things that are inconsistent with the holiness of God (2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 4:4-7; 5:23; 1 Peter 1:16). The order in which the truth is presented here clearly shows that practical sanctification is not in view. Practical sanctification follows a person’s being sprinkled with the blood of Christ and thereby saved; here, it precedes it. Thus, it is the primary work of God in souls before they are saved by which they are set apart for blessing by being quickened. Hamilton Smith said, “Sanctification of the Spirit is an actual operation of the Holy Spirit in us, by which we are born of the Spirit, imparting to us a new life and nature” (The Epistles of Peter, p. 5). W. Kelly said, “There is a real and most vital sanctification to God which accompanies the first [initial] quickening of the soul when we are born of water and of the Spirit and cleansed from our natural impurity by His life-giving power, before we enjoy the blessed sense of God’s justifying us through faith in Jesus and His work” (The Epistles of Peter, p. 14). F. B. Hole said, “His choice is made effectual ‘through sanctification of the Spirit.’ The root idea of sanctification is setting apart for God, and the Holy Spirit is He who, by His inward life-giving work, sets apart the one who is the subject of it” (Epistles, vol. 3, p. 98).
Most Christians have never heard of this preliminary action of the Spirit in souls in new birth before a person is saved by faith in Christ’s finished work. They think that new birth and the salvation of the soul are one and the same thing. If asked, they would probably say that a person is born again when he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. However, this is putting “the cart before the horse.” The truth is that a person does not believe on the Lord Jesus to get born again, but rather, he believes because he has been born again (John 1:12-13; 1 John 5:1). As to the order of these things, God goes before and sovereignly works in a person through the sanctifying work of the Spirit in new birth, whereby he is given life and faith to believe the gospel (Eph. 2:5, 8). Hence, new birth is not the result of a person’s turning to God and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, but the result of God sovereignly communicating divine life to his soul. It is what enables him to turn to God in repentance and to believe on the Lord Jesus for salvation. Commenting on this misunderstanding, J. N. Darby said, "We must not confound manifested salvation and being born of God" (Letters, vol. 3, p. 118). He also said, "The Church has lost the thought of being saved. People think that it is enough to be born anew" (Collected Writings, vol. 28, p. 368).
There are a number of Scriptures that show that the sanctifying work of the Spirit in new birth precedes a person’s believing on Christ for the salvation of his soul. The following references confirm this:
• John 1:12-13—Those who “believe on His name” are they “which were” (previously) born of God.
• John 3:3-8, 14-17—Concerning the order of God’s work in souls, the Lord spoke of being “born again” by the Word of God and the Spirit of God before speaking of being “saved” through believing on the Son of God.
• John 5:21, 24—The Lord spoke of God’s work of quickening souls before going on to speak of their believing on Him for life eternal.
• John 6:44-47—The Lord spoke of His Father drawing people, which is the effect of being born again, before speaking of them believing on Him.
• Ephesians 2:1-5, 8—Delineating the activity of God’s love and mercy toward us, Paul referred to His work of quickening souls first, and then went on to speak of those whom God had quickened being “saved by grace” through faith.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14—Paul spoke of the “sanctification of the Spirit” which is the result of new birth, before a person’s belief of the truth of the gospel.
• 1 Peter 1:22-23—The purification of the soul through obeying the truth of the gospel is mentioned as being the result of “having been begotten again” (W. Kelly Trans.).
For these Jewish believers to whom Peter was writing, this was a new kind of sanctification. The sanctification that they had known in Judaism was an outward thing performed through rituals by which persons and things were set apart and made fit for priestly services (Lev. 8). An inward sanctification through new birth was something that they were not familiar with, even though Old Testament saints were born of God.
The Obedience of Faith
Thus far, Peter has touched on the sovereign side of things in God the Father’s election and the Holy Spirit’s sanctification; now we come to the other side—man’s responsibility to believe the gospel. This results in being sprinkled with the blood of Christ and being saved. Hence, Peter goes on to state a third link in this chain—“obedience.” This is a reference to “the obedience of faith” which every person must have if he or she is to get the blessing of salvation (Rom. 1:5; 6:17; 10:16; 15:18; 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:8; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:17).
Peter says, “Unto obedience,” because the sanctifying work of the Spirit in new birth will result in the person’s obeying the gospel and being saved. The obedience of faith is the appropriate response in one who has been thus wrought with by God. But this obedience is not merely obeying the gospel call. It begins there—and this is why Peter puts “obedience” before the sprinkling of “the blood of Jesus Christ”—but it also includes a life of obedience after the person is saved. Note: he says that this obedience is “of” Jesus Christ—not “to,” as many modern translations mistakenly render it. That is, the kind of obedience that is to be seen in the believer is of the character of the Lord’s own obedience when He walked here in this world. Thus, we are set apart to obey as Christ obeyed.
For these converted Jews, this was a new kind of obedience. The obedience with which they were familiar in the old economy was a legal thing enjoined upon the nation of Israel at Sinai. Christian obedience, of which Peter speaks here, is an obedience that comes from a heart that has been won by the love of God (John 14:15; 1 John 4:19; 5:1-3).
The Sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ
The fourth link in this chain is the application of the blood of Christ to the heart and conscience of the believer, whereby he is purged of the guilt of his sins and saved (Heb. 9:14).
Christ’s blood “shed” (Luke 22:20) is not the same as Christ’s blood “sprinkled” (Heb. 10:22). His blood being shed is a literal thing that occurred at the cross of Calvary almost 2000 years ago, whereas His blood being sprinkled is a figurative expression that refers to the believer’s faith appropriating the finished work of Christ, and thereby, being cleansed from his sins (1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; 7:14). Thus, shed is the provision that God has made for us in Christ’s work on the cross, and being sprinkled is the result of our appropriation of that work by faith whereby we are saved. The difference between these two things is illustrated, typically, in the Passover lamb (Ex. 12). The lamb was killed and its blood was collected in a basin, but the Israelites had to sprinkle it on the doorposts of their homes before they were sheltered from the judgment that fell on Egypt. Thus, the blood in the basin was God’s provision for the people and the sprinkling of it on their homes was their personal appropriation of it.
These believing Jews were familiar with the sprinkling of blood at the time of the Passover in Egypt; it was celebrated by the nation every year, being one of their preeminent feasts. But appropriating the work of Christ through faith, by which a person is cleansed from his sins and delivered from eternal judgment, was a new thing to them. (In fact, the death of Christ as the Lamb of God was the fulfillment of the Passover feast – 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19.) A purged conscience, resulting from faith in Christ’s finished work, whereby the believer’s soul is at rest with God (Heb. 9:14), is also something that the Old Testament saints didn’t have. They lived with uncertainty regarding their sins, fearing that they could be brought up for judgment at any time (Psa. 25:7, etc.). Hence, what Peter is speaking of here is something far more blessed than what the saints had before redemption was accomplished by Christ.
This fourfold chain of divine action which Peter has traced in the history of these dear saints is something that is true of all Christians, regardless of whether they are Jews or Gentiles.
Vs. 2b—Having traced this progression in these believers which had led to their salvation, he then desires “grace” and “peace” to be “multiplied” in them so that they would walk as God would have them to walk, and thus, glorify Christ in this world.
A Living Hope
(Vs. 3)
Peter calls for praise to be given to God for the new relationship that they had with Him as Father, and for the hope they had in the Lord Jesus of final glory. He says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively [living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” The Apostle Paul begins his epistle to the Ephesians with a similar doxology (Eph. 1:3), but as the epistles continue, they unfold two different lines of truth. In Ephesians, the believer is seen seated above in “the heavenlies,” awaiting the redemption of his inheritance, over which he will reign with Christ. Whereas, in 1 Peter, the believer is seen walking on earth in hope of his inheritance, which is reserved for him in heaven.
In his doxology of praise, Peter reiterates the fact that through an act of God’s sovereign “mercy” these believers had been “begotten again.” But he makes it clear that they had been born again to an altogether different portion of blessing and destiny from that which Israel had in their covenant-relationship with Jehovah. It is not that new birth is something new in the ways of God with men; the saints from the beginning of time were all born of God. What Peter is saying here is that believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, in this present Dispensation of Grace, have been begotten again for an entirely different purpose from what God has in mind for Israel.
This hope that believers have in Christ is “a living hope.” It stands in contrast to the hope which believers in the Jewish system had prior to the cross. As belonging to the commonwealth of Israel, they had national hopes which centered in a Messiah on earth. When the Lord came, they rightly received Him as such (Luke 9:20; John 6:69). But the light of those hopes was quenched in their hearts when Christ was rejected by the nation and crucified. The two who went down the road to Emmaus exemplify this disappointment. They were “downcast,” and said, “We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel” (Luke 24:17, 21). However, when their eyes were opened and they beheld the Lord as risen, a new hope dawned in their hearts which nothing on earth could quench. It was a “living” hope because it was centered in a Saviour living beyond the power of death. At that point, their hopes were still in an earthly kingdom being set up according to the teaching of the Old Testament prophets (Acts 3:19-21). It wasn’t until the Jews rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit (Acts 7) and revelations of new spiritual blessings were given to the apostles to bring to the saints (Eph. 3:4-5) that Jewish believers were instructed as to their proper Christian hope of having a heavenly portion with Christ.
“Hope,” is not used in Scripture in the same way that it is in today’s language. We speak of hope in regard to something that we would like to see happen, but we have no guarantee that it will take place. In the Bible, hope is a deferred certainty; it has expectancy with assurance connected with it. For instance, in Romans 5:2, Paul speaks of "the hope of the glory of God," which has to do with the believer's future glorification at the Lord’s coming (the Rapture). It is something that the believer is looking forward to with certainty. It will definitely happen; we just don't know when. In fact, every hope that the Christian has is contingent upon Christ being risen. They are “living” hopes because Christ is living.
A Heavenly Inheritance
(Vss. 4-5)
Peter proceeds to speak of the Christian’s portion of blessing which has been secured for us through the death and resurrection of Christ. He refers to it as our “inheritance.” He says it is “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” These, like the previous things, are something altogether different from what these Jewish believers would have known under the old covenant.
Being in the Church of God, these saints were now a part of a special company of blessed persons in God’s family, distinguished from the rest of His children, as being the “assembly of firstborns” (Heb. 12:23 – W. Kelly Trans.). (“Firstborns,” or “firstborn ones,” indicates that they have preeminence both in their position and in their privileges over all other blessed persons.) Favoured as such, Christians have a special place before God as His “sons” (Rom. 8:14-15; Gal. 3:26; 4:5-7; Eph. 1:5), having their own special blessings (Eph. 1:3). Peter refers to these blessings as our heavenly “inheritance.” This stands in contrast to Israel’s portion in the land of Canaan, which was an earthly inheritance.
There are, in fact, two aspects of the Christian’s inheritance in the New Testament:
The inheritance of the material things of this creation (Eph. 1:11, 14, 18; Col. 3:24).
The inheritance of spiritual things that believers possess in Christ (Acts 20:32; 26:18; Col. 1:12; 1 Peter 1:4).
Viewed as material things, Christ is the “Heir” of all that has been created in the heavens and the earth (Heb. 1:2). It is “His inheritance” (Eph. 1:18) and it is also “our inheritance” (Eph. 1:14), because we are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). In keeping with this, Paul said, “All things are yours” (1 Cor. 3:21). This material inheritance is something that is ours now, so far as the title and right to it is concerned (Eph. 1:11). It has been “purchased” for us by Christ’s work on the cross (Heb. 2:9 – “tasted death for every thing”), but it awaits “redemption” (Eph. 1:14). The redemption of the inheritance has to do with Christ’s setting it free (the meaning of redemption) from sin, Satan, and the world, so that it can be used for the display of His glory in the world to come (the Millennium). This will occur at the Appearing of Christ through His warrior-judgments.
Viewed as spiritual things, the inheritance has to do with what believers possess spiritually in Christ—our “spiritual blessings” (Eph. 1:3; Col. 2:3). The J. N. Darby Translation calls this side of the inheritance “a portion,” in Acts 26:18 and Colossians 1:12, to distinguish it from the material aspect. He said, “The inheritance is the inheritance of all things that Christ created. But in 1 Peter, or in Colossians 1, the thing is in heaven” (Notes and Jottings, p. 101). There is one difference between Colossians 1:12 and 1 Peter 1:4; Colossians refers to our present partaking of the inheritance, whereas 1 Peter refers to a future partaking of it when we are with Christ in our proper glorified state. Thus, in Colossians, the saints are viewed as being in possession of their portion in Christ, but in 1 Peter they are journeying toward it.
Contrasts abound when comparing Israel’s earthly inheritance with our heavenly inheritance. Israel’s inheritance could be, and was, forfeited through failure—but ours can’t be! They corrupted and defiled their inheritance by filling the land with groves and shrines wherein they practiced idolatry. As a consequence, God allowed their enemies to conquer them and to carry them away from their inheritance. Thus, it faded from their grasp. In contrast to this, the spiritual inheritance that Christians have is “incorruptible, and undefiled,” and “unfading,” and thus, cannot be spoiled by any failure of ours. It is “reserved in heaven” for us, and is secure on account of God’s faithfulness to keep it for us. The keeping of Israel’s inheritance depended upon their performance, and this is where everything went terribly wrong. They failed in their responsibility, and consequently, forfeited their inheritance. Since our inheritance does not depend upon our faithfulness, but has been secured for us in Christ risen, it cannot be forfeited.
Peter adds that while our inheritance is reserved in heaven for us (vs. 4), we are “kept guarded by the power of God” on earth in view of taking possession of those things in our glorified state (vs. 5). Thus, all is eternally secure! He says that we are kept “unto salvation,” and this is something that is “ready to be revealed in the last time.” To understand this properly we need to see that there are three tenses to salvation in Scripture. The Christian has been saved from the penalty of his sins through receiving Christ as his Saviour (Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8); he is being saved daily from dangers within and without (Rom. 5:10; 1 Tim. 4:10; Heb. 7:25); and he will be saved at the time of the Rapture when his body is glorified (Heb. 9:28). Hence, it is equally true to say that we have been saved, and we are being saved, and we will be saved. The aspect of salvation that Peter is speaking of here is the future tense. It will occur at the Rapture, but it won’t be “revealed” before the world until “the revelation of Jesus Christ,” which refers to His Appearing (vs. 13).
It is also important to note that Peter often speaks of the Lord’s coming without distinguishing between the Rapture and the Appearing. This is the case in verse 5. We know from other passages of Scripture that the glorification of our bodies will occur at the Rapture (1 Cor. 15:51-55; Phil. 3:21), but it will not be “revealed” before the world until the Appearing of Christ, when He will come to be glorified in His saints (2 Thess. 1:10). The fact that this salvation is “ready” to be revealed makes these things imminent (Rom. 13:11).
The Wilderness Path Wherein Faith Is Tested
(Vss. 6-8)
Having spoken of our inheritance in heaven, Peter goes on to speak of our pathway through this world that leads to our heavenly destiny. He says, “Wherein ye exult, for a little while at present, if needed, put to grief by various trials, that the proving of your faith, much more precious than of gold which perishes, though it be proved by fire, be found to praise and glory and honour in the revelation [appearing] of Jesus Christ.” We see from this statement that the Christian’s pathway to heaven is through testings and trials. It is where our faith is verified and strengthened through the adversities that we meet with in life. These things are necessary in the development of our Christian character. Our pathway is similar, in principle, to Israel’s journey through the wilderness. They passed through a “waste howling wilderness” to reach their promised inheritance in Canaan (Deut. 32:10), and the Christian is also making a spiritual journey through this world to his heavenly inheritance. The purpose of this experience, for both Israel and the Church, is to teach us to walk with God (Deut. 8:2-3; 1 Thess. 2:12; 4:1). The two great lessons of the wilderness are:
• To learn our own insufficiency, and thus, not to trust in ourselves.
• To learn of the Lord’s all-sufficiency, whereupon we cast ourselves on Him in expressed dependence.
These things take a lifetime to learn. For these Jewish saints who were now on Christian ground, this was a new kind of wilderness experience.
In view of reaching their heavenly prospect, Peter says, “Ye greatly rejoice.” This is the normal state of Christians (Phil. 3:1; 4:4; 1 Thess. 5:16). But since all who profess faith in Christ must be tested, the Lord allowed these dear saints to be “put to grief by various trials.” This shows that while Christians are kept guarded by the power of God, they are not without trials in the path of faith. The problem with these believers was that they didn’t understand why they had such troubles and they needed instruction and encouragement as to the ways of God with His people. Thus, Peter assured them that when a trial comes into a Christian’s life, it is necessary. There is a “need be” for it, for God never allows anything to touch His children for no reason. Since His way is perfect (Psa. 18:30), we can be sure that He makes no mistakes in what He allows in our lives.
The particular trial that these dear believers were facing was persecution from their unbelieving brethren and from the unbelieving Gentiles. They needed to be assured that what they were going through was not on account of disobedience for leaving Judaism (which they were being accused of), but because of their obedience to the Christian faith. Thus, the “trial” of their “faith” was not because they were under God’s displeasure. Quite to the contrary, it was because of their faithful stand for Christ, and this, of course, was something that God was well-pleased with. In fact, this kind of a trial is normal to Christianity. It is unavoidable because the world hates Christ, and by identifying ourselves with Him publicly, we are made to feel the hatred of the world (John 15:18-20).
Peter tells them that the trial which they were experiencing for the Lord’s name sake was “much more precious than of gold which perishes.” God valued it greatly because a witness was being borne for Christ in this world, and through their sufferings something was being formed in them that would ultimately be used for the furthering of Christ’s glory at His Appearing. In that day, it will be found unto the Lord’s “praise and honour and glory.” God will use the saints to reflect Christ’s glory in the day of His public manifestation and in His kingdom (2 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 21:11). They will not be the object of the praise, honour, and glory; “every eye” will be on Christ—He will be the center of attention and He will get all the praise (Rev. 1:7). F. B. Hole said, “Many a bold confessor, suffering fiery trial––even to death perhaps––may have been tempted to think that their light was being extinguished, and all was lost. The Apostle tells them that, on the contrary, all would be found in that day. Christ being revealed in His glory, everything to His praise and honour will come into the light and be displayed” (Epistles, vol. 3, p. 100).
Let us then remember that every trial that we go through is appointed of God and exceedingly precious to His heart. The Lord goes through it with us in divine sympathy and feels our afflictions with us (Isa. 63:9). Knowing this would have been a comfort to these suffering saints, and it should be a comfort to us too when we are called to pass through fiery trials of this sort.
(Vs. 8)—Peter goes on to speak of a second great thing that trial produces in the saints––the Lord becomes more precious to our hearts. He says, “Whom having not seen, ye love.” When we pass through a trial, even though we can’t see the Lord, He draws near and makes His presence known to us in a very real way (Isa. 43:2). This is exceedingly precious and comforting to us, and as a result, our love and affection for Him deepens. Hence, these experiences, though painful, are necessary for the enlargement of our affection for the Lord.
Peter adds a third thing that results from the saints going through trials with the Lord––they experience an unexplainable joy that renders a bright and glorious testimony to all around. He says, “In whom though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of [filled with] glory.” Thus, there is a joy that the believer experiences in the time of trial (if he goes through it in communion with the Lord) in which a certain “glory” radiates from him (1 Peter 4:14). It is something that the believer perhaps will not even be aware of at the time, but it will, nevertheless, render a powerful testimony to those who see the believer suffering in this way. This shows that Christian joy is not dependent upon earthly circumstances.
In summary, Peter has given us three positive effects of trials when they are taken from God in a right spirit:
• They will bring “praise and honour and glory” to the Lord in the day of His public manifestation (vs. 7).
• They deepen the saint’s affection (“love”) for the Lord, and this translates into a more intimate relationship with Him (vs. 8a).
• They produce “joy unspeakable” in the saints which results in a testimony of manifested “glory” to all around (vs. 8b).
The Salvation of the Soul
(Vss. 9-11)
Peter moves along to speak of another distinctive blessing that Christians have which saints in Old Testament times did not have––the salvation of our souls. He says, “Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning which salvation prophets, who have prophesied of the grace towards you, sought out and searched out; searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them pointed out, testifying before of the sufferings which belonged to Christ, and the glories after these [that should follow].” The “end” which Peter speaks of here, is the immediate end of what their “faith” had laid hold of in believing on the Lord Jesus Christ––namely, the “salvation” of their “souls.” Thus, while we wait for our full salvation at the coming of the Lord, when we will be delivered from the effects of sin by being glorified (vs. 5), believers presently have the salvation of their souls (vs. 9).
The salvation of the soul is a New Testament, Christian blessing that results in the believer’s having a conscious knowledge that he has been delivered from the penalty of his sins and by his conscience being purged (John 5:24; Heb. 9:14; 10:22). Part and parcel with the salvation of the soul is: redemption (Rom. 3:24), forgiveness of sins (Rom. 4:7), justification (Rom. 5:1), and reconciliation (Rom. 5:10-11). These things are all ours through receiving Christ as our Saviour and are consequent upon Christ’s work on the cross being accomplished. These distinctive blessings, therefore, could not have been possessed by those who lived before the cross of Christ.
Stating that the Old Testament saints did not have the salvation of their souls doesn’t mean that they didn’t go to heaven. They were truly born of God and blessed in a relationship with the Lord according to the way in which He had revealed Himself to them. However, the only kind of salvation that they knew about was the temporal salvation of outward deliverances from danger and trouble (Ex. 14:13; 2 Chron. 20:17, Neh. 9:27, etc.). What Peter was speaking about was a new kind of salvation of a spiritual character. As mentioned, it has to do with the believer knowing and being assured of the fact that his eternal welfare is secure. This results in the believer having settled peace in his soul. Old Testament saints did not have this knowledge and assurance. They lived with a degree of uncertainty regarding the punishment of their sins and feared that God might bring them up for judgment at some future time (Psa. 25:7; 51:9-11, etc.).
Peter says that this soul-salvation which believers now possess had been prophesied of long before by the Old Testament prophets. We learn from Genesis 49:18, that there was a “salvation” to come that was identified with the coming and work of the Messiah. The saints in those days did not understand what and how it would be, but simply knew that saving grace would somehow be manifested. Many other Old Testament passages spoke of the same thing (Psa. 14:7; 67:2; Isa. 12:2-3; 25:9; 45:8; 49:6; 51:5-8; 52:7, 10; 56:1, etc.). Under divine inspiration, the prophets wrote of this “grace” that would come to believers in this present day (vs. 10), but they didn’t understand what they had written (vs. 11). They “searched” their own writings “diligently,” and “inquired” as to what those things were and to whom they applied. It was “revealed” to them that those things were not for “themselves,” but for saints of another time and dispensation yet to come (vs. 12a).
The “Spirit of Christ” was “in” the Old Testament prophets at the time of their writing, and this made them vehicles of His operations. He gave them feelings and experiences which were, in reality, a reproduction of Christ’s feelings. That is, feelings which would be fully and perfectly found in Christ when He became a Man and walked on earth. (The “Spirit of Christ” is working similarly in this day, producing the feelings and sympathies of Christ in the saints as they live and move in this scene which is under “the bondage of corruption.” We, therefore, “suffer with Him” as we see men and beasts suffering under the effects of what sin has wrought in the creation – Romans 8:9, 17.)
As mentioned in the Introduction, in each of these prophecies, the Spirit of Christ was “testifying beforehand” of the blessing of soul-salvation which would be connected with “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” These are two great themes concerning the Messiah that run throughout the Old Testament prophetical writings. There is that which pertains to the Messiah’s sufferings and that which pertains to His reign in kingdom glory. The order in which these things are found in Scripture indicates that Christ would first suffer before He would enter into His glory. Resulting from the coming of the Holy Spirit and the consequent revelation of truth that has been delivered to us (Jude 3), we know that there are some 2000 years between these two things, during which time God has been calling out of this world those who would compose the Church.
The Jews dwelt on the passages that pertained to the glories of the Messiah and reveled in them. They would read those passages at their yearly feasts with great enthusiasm. But sadly, they overlooked the passages that spoke of the Messiah’s sufferings––e.g. Psalm 22; Psalm 69; Isaiah 50:4-6; 53:1-12; Micah 5:1; Zechariah 13:7, etc. These Scriptures reveal that Christ would be rejected by His own people and “cut off” in death (Isa. 53:8; Dan. 9:26). The Lord pointed out this imbalance in the minds of the Jews to the two with whom He went to Emmaus (Luke 24). He rebuked them for not believing “all that the prophets have spoken” concerning the Messiah. They, like Jews generally, had only believed the parts of Scripture that pertained to the glorious Messiah, and this led them to mistaken and discouraging conclusions when He was rejected and crucified. To meet this, the Lord explained from the Scriptures that He must first suffer before He would enter into His kingdom glory (Luke 24:25-27). Peter explains later in the chapter that the Lord’s sufferings and death were for our redemption and eternal blessing (vss. 18-19).
We live today in the time between the sufferings of Christ and His coming glories, when there has been a full report given of the Christian revelation of truth. It is a time of suffering and of faith. Of suffering, because we are identified with a rejected Christ, and when we confess His name, we share in His (martyrdom) sufferings. Of faith, because we are still on our journey homeward, whereupon we must “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
The Holy Spirit Sent From Heaven to Reside on Earth
(Vs. 12)
Peter goes on to speak of yet another characteristic feature of Christianity—the Holy Spirit dwelling on earth in the saints (John 14:16-17). This is something that did not occur until Christ rose from the dead and ascended on high as a glorified Man (John 7:39). Peter says that the things concerning the salvation of the souls of believers “are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost [Spirit] sent down from heaven.” The Holy Spirit being “sent down from heaven” to reside on earth was also something new and different to the Jewish mind. In Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit worked on earth, but never resided on earth. He came “upon” men and “moved” them to perform certain acts for God, and then departed (Num. 11:25-26; Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6; 2 Chron. 24:20; 2 Peter 1:21, etc.). In contrast to this, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God came to dwell on earth, taking up permanent residence in the saints who compose the Church of God (Acts 2:1-4, 33; 5:32; Rom. 5:5; 1 Cor. 2:12; Gal. 3:2, 14; 1 Thess. 4:8; 2 Tim. 1:14; James 4:5; 1 John 3:24). By doing so, He has linked believers together in “one body” to Christ, the Head in heaven (1 Cor. 12:13). Today, by virtue of His indwelling presence, believers are “led” (not moved, as in Old Testament times) by Him (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18), if they are “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:17) and “walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16, 25).
The difference between the way in which the Spirit worked in Old Testament times and is now working in Christianity can be illustrated in the difference between a sailboat and a motorboat. A sailboat is moved by the force of the wind coming upon it from without; when the wind blows, the sailboat moves. Whereas, a motorboat has the power on board at all times, and it can be used whenever the operator chooses to engage the engine.
Thus, the same Spirit who was “testifying” of soul-salvation in the Old Testament prophetical writings has now given a full report of it, and of many other Christian blessings, due to His coming to dwell on earth (John 16:13 – “all truth”). It has been “announced” by them who have “preached the gospel” to us and has been delineated with great plainness in the writings of the apostles. We now know the full meaning of salvation, and with it, the full truth of redemption, eternal forgiveness, justification, reconciliation, etc. (Rom. 3:21–5:11). The Messiah’s rejection and consequent sufferings have opened the way for soul-salvation to be offered to all who would believe. Peter adds: “Which things the angels desire to look into.” This is because angels are fascinated with God’s ways in grace toward sinners.
In this passage, Peter has stated three successive stages of the revelation of the grace of soul-salvation:
• There were prophecies given in Old Testament times of the salvation that would come to the saints in this day (vss. 10-11).
• There is the present testimony of the Holy Spirit who has been sent down from heaven to communicate to the saints a full understanding of its blessedness (vs. 12).
• There is going to be a public manifestation of this grace at the Appearing of Jesus Christ (vs. 13).