A Living Hope 1 Peter 1:1-12
Bible Devotional
May 3rd, 2026
Church Scripture Verse for today:
1 Peter 1:1-7 (ESV)
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctifi cation of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 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, 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. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
How do you tough it through in life? I remember when I was a kid, and I would get hurt, my older brother would tell me, “Tough it up!” And then he would punch me again. But, how do you tough it up when you have so much going on in your life? How do you make it through? So, what we want to do is to address that question. How do you make it through a tough life, not just to survive, but to thrive and live a life that is worthy of your calling?
Let me first share with you some background on the author of this book. The author of this book is Peter, and his Greek name is “Petros,” which means “stone” or “rock.” And the rock symbolizes Peter's strength, stability, and solidity. A man who has a strong backbone or character that will not waver to the left or to the right when trouble comes their way.
But Peter was far from his name in the beginning.
Peter’s personality was at a whole new level.
In fact, when Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Peter on his third visit, he said this to Peter. Jesus’ confrontation with Peter.
John 21:16-17 (NLT)
16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love [agapaō] me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love [phileō] you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. 17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love [phileō] me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love [phileō] you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
Jesus, for the third time, asks, “Do you love me?” He uses “Phileo” instead of “Agapao.”
Agapaō: A Higher form of love, selfl ess, and unconditional love.
Phileō: Is a lower form of love, brotherly love, or an affectionate love.
So when Jesus came down from “Agapao” to “Phileo,” Jesus came down to Peter’s level. Jesus is saying, “Peter! Can you at least love me like a brotherly love?” And Peter responds the third time that he can love Jesus like a brother, and that he will feed his sheep, and take care of his lambs. Jesus was willing to take the lower form of love from Peter and turn him into the name Petros, solid, stable, and firm in his faith.
And you know what is so amazing about this story is that Peter ends up loving Jesus at the highest level. Traditions tell us that Peter was crucified upside down. Peter wanted this method of execution because he felt he was unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. To the very end, he did not deny Jesus, but loved him like Agapao. That was the question for me. Can you love God like agapao when in your suffering, when things don’t work out, in the most difficult times of your life?
With that in mind, let’s begin the story of 1 Peter 1.
1 Peter 1:1 (NLT)
This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia are all in modern-day Turkey. Now these are Christians who are already living there as their hometown, but Peter is addressing them as “foreigners.” Some other versions will say, “elect exiles,” or “pilgrims.” Why? Why is Peter calling the believers who already live in their hometowns foreigners?
Peter is telling us that, as believers, where we live is just temporary. Our life in this world is just a temporary place, and we should not consider our life
here to be permanent. Because when we die as believers, we will have an eternal dwelling place in heaven. For Christians, death is just the beginning. So consider yourself a “foreigner,” not a permanent resident.
Pastor Joe, what was happening around this time? Did a lot of believers go through some very difficult times in their lives? That’s a great question.
The city of Rome burned
In 64 AD in Rome, a huge fi re broke out and lasted up to 9 days. Scholars tell us that at least 3 districts were completely destroyed, and another 7 were severely damaged. Now remember, these are not 3 homes, but 3 districts that were completely destroyed. Long story short, the emperor at that time, Nero, decided to put the blame on Christians. However, scholars said that it was Nero who actually started the fire. Nero wanted to rebuild the city and also wanted to expand his personal palace. You have to remember that a Roman Emperor was considered a small god. And he didn’t like Christians anyway, because they would not worship him or any other Roman gods. In fact, Nero used to put tar on Christians, put them on a pole, and light them on fire for entertainment.
So, you have the city that is burned and destroyed, and now it is attached to Christians. So from 64 AD to 67 AD, there was a heavy persecution of Christians all throughout the Roman Empire. I mean, life was already tough as it was, but adding to it makes you want to not be a believer. That’s why verse 2 begins with this.
1 Peter 1:2 (NLT)
God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.
“God knew you and chose you long ago,” or in other words, God had foreknowledge of you before you were born. God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, meaning He knew in advance who would belong to Him. God knew in advance those who would become followers of Christ. God is Omniscient, meaning He knows the past, present, and future. Let me give you an idea.
Matthew 26:34 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
“Hey Peter, I know what you are about to do, the things in the future, and you will deny me three times before the rooster crows.” But because I have the foreknowledge of calling you Petros (solid like a rock), you will fulfill the mission that I have given you. “I have chosen you long ago.”
Pastor Joseph, what about Peter’s free will? Peter was given free will to either receive Him or deny Him, and Peter chose to deny Jesus. Peter, out of his own will, decided to reject Jesus, but later, after the resurrection, Peter, on his own will, decided to follow Jesus, and even to die for Christ.
Even though Jesus is an all-knowing God, our heavenly Father will not force anyone to go to heaven. Can you imagine someone with a bad heart attitude in heaven, “Well, I didn’t want to be here and be in this peaceful, beautiful, joyful, happy, all the time. I don’t want that! Why am I in heaven? All this joy and peace are not good for me!” God will not force anyone to go to heaven. So, yes! God knew you and chose you long ago, but Peter is the one who decided to follow Jesus.
God does have a purpose and a plan, but it’s up to us to find out what that purpose is. And in order to find that purpose, 1 Peter 1:2 tells us that “His Spirit will make us holy,” and the word “holy” simply means set apart. And what is the reason for us to be “holy” or set apart?
1 Peter 1:2 (NLT)
God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.
So the fruit or purpose of becoming Holy is so that we can obey God’s Words. Now, remember, the word “Holy” does not mean you are to be perfect, but simply that you are set apart for God’s purpose. Why?
1 Peter 1:3 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,
Now remember, grace means you are given something of important value when you do not deserve it, and mercy is God withholding his wrath. When my brothers would beat me up, I would say, “Have mercy on me!”
So, when you believe in the resurrection of Jesus, you will be “born again,” meaning God will give you a new start in life. In other words, you have a second chance in life. Your old ways of thinking, doing, and behaving are being changed to a new way of thinking, doing, and behaving. And when you pursue God’s holiness of thinking, doing, and behaving in Christ till God calls us home, Peter tells us that we have a present in heaven.
1 Peter 1:4 (NLT)
and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
When you are born again, you will have an inheritance that can never be lost - it is yours forever. It is imperishable, meaning it will never die. Your inheritance can never become corrupted or broken and can never lose its value. And it is there for us to have when we go to heaven.
Listen, everyone, our life here on earth is just a spec, a tiny dot, in the history of time. All of us will go through a time of suffering and trials. So Peter is trying to encourage us by saying that we will have an inheritance prepared for us in heaven. And when we get there, we will enjoy it for eternity. That is God’s promise for all believers.
Pastor Joseph, that is when we die, but what about when we are still alive? Thank you for addressing that question, because the next verse gives us the idea. This is another promise from God.
1 Peter 1:5 (ESV)
who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Now, I want you to hone in on this word “guarded,” meaning that God is guarding our faith. I want you to look at the original language. Remember that the Bible is written in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and a bit of Aramaic.
Guarded in Greek is phroureō pronounced froo-reh'-o, meaning to guard, protect by a military guard, protection, and secure. (Strong shelter)
Peter is saying, “Listen, as a believer, when you die, you are guaranteed to have an inheritance that is pure, imperishable, and perfect, but until then, you are under divine protection.” And not just any type of protection, but the most elite military protection you will ever have. What does this “froo-reh-o” look like? Or, what does that “strong shelter” cover?
Does it mean protection from physical harm? God will guard us or keep us from spiritual defeat. God will preserve your faith until the end. In other words, you are not done till God says you are done. So keep on fighting the good fight to the end, and God will guard you as you move in your faith. And the power that keeps you guarded or protected is this.
Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My friends, is this not a great promise from God? This is “froo-reho-o” that only God can give, and not just any type of guarding, but the most elite military and unhackable love of God for the believers. Once you receive Christ, God doesn’t say, “Good luck, I hope you complete the finish line by yourself.” My friends, you will go through hard times, but God will not leave you alone. So the following two verses make sense.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fi re tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Peter is telling us that in our journey of life called “Faith,” there will be times, and maybe for a season, or “for a little while,” you will go through a temporary suffering. Each and every one of us will go through some type of trials in life, and every one of those trials of life will be tested. And how we come out of those tests will show your genuine faith.
Life is tough - “I quit!” or Life is tough - “God, I cannot do this on my own. God, will you guard me and keep me? Hold me steady and strong. Help me to endure to the very end!” That is genuine faith.
And listen, my friend, as long as you hold onto Jesus, you will never fail. As long as you keep your eyes upon Jesus, your faith is genuine. And, “when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” And the purpose of your suffering or hardship is to refine and strengthen your faith.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
So, my friends, your troubles are small and insignificant, and they will not last very long. So hold onto your genuine faith, and your faith that went through fire will outweigh all your troubles.
Many Trials - Suffering (hardships) - Refining Fire - produces genuine Faith
1 Peter 1:8-9 (NLT)
8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
I want you to relate the word “faith” to “trust.” Because anytime you put your faith in Jesus, that means you are trusting in Him. So, I tend to do this a lot, every time I go through a season of trials or testing in life.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
I have memorized the ESV version, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Every time I am going through a test in life, I repeat these words. Because every time you go through a trial in your life, we humans tend not to trust that God is in control. When we are going through a shake-up, we tend to try to fix things we cannot fix.
Am I the only one raising my hands? A lot of us have the tendency to put trust in ourselves to fix the spiritual issues that we cannot fix. Sometimes, we say, “God! Step aside for a moment! I got this! I got this under control!” And then later, we are just breaking down, crying, “I don’t have it under control!”
This is the reason why I love what Peter wrote. He knows that the readers are going through a lot of trials in their lives. He knows that these people cannot control the circumstances of their lives. God knows their suffering and hardships in life, and that is why He writes this letter to encourage us and to give us hope.
1 Peter 1:10-12 (NLT)
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
This has a lot of information, but simply put, Peter is saying that the salvation promised in the Old Testament through the prophets is now being revealed through Jesus in the New Testament. The prophets in the Old Testament spoke of the coming Messiah, who means "savior," who will come and redeem you.
So, in other words, what they wrote about the future Messiah was not for themselves, but it was written for you. This good news that was written in the past is now for your benefit today.
Now, it is very interesting that Peter would add this.
1 Peter 1:12 Amplified Bible
It was revealed to them that their services [their prophecies regarding grace] were not [meant] for themselves and their time, but for you, in these things [the death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ] which have now been told to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the [power of the] Holy Spirit [who was] sent from heaven. Into these things even the angels long to look.
Peter says there are angels watching us right now. The angels are studying us right now. Listen, I cannot go into extensive detail about angels for now, but here are a few things to keep in mind.
Angels
That’s why 1 Timothy 3:16 makes sense.
1 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
You and I are being watched by angels right now. Let that sink in a bit. They are observing everything that we do. Angels gain knowledge through long observation of humans.
I want to close with 1 Peter 1:3
1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
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,
That is why Peter says that Jesus is the “Living Hope,” and not dead hope. Listen, it’s not that you will never go through trials and testing, but it is a matter of when you do go through trials, suffering, hardships, testing, and challenges in your life, know for certain that you have a living God that will
keep you, guard you, shield you, and care for you like an elite military soldier guarding you to your destination. You are born again to a living hope.
So, how do you tough it through in life? Trust in the Living Hope.
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Church Scripture Verse for today:
1 Peter 1:1-7 (ESV)
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctifi cation of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 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, 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. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
How do you tough it through in life? I remember when I was a kid, and I would get hurt, my older brother would tell me, “Tough it up!” And then he would punch me again. But, how do you tough it up when you have so much going on in your life? How do you make it through? So, what we want to do is to address that question. How do you make it through a tough life, not just to survive, but to thrive and live a life that is worthy of your calling?
Let me first share with you some background on the author of this book. The author of this book is Peter, and his Greek name is “Petros,” which means “stone” or “rock.” And the rock symbolizes Peter's strength, stability, and solidity. A man who has a strong backbone or character that will not waver to the left or to the right when trouble comes their way.
But Peter was far from his name in the beginning.
- As a fisherman, he was already rough and tough. In the first century, nighttime fishing was very common. Can you imagine staying up late at night trying to catch fish in the dark? So this was his tough life, and a tough occupation. So your mindset was already tough, right?
Peter’s personality was at a whole new level.
- Did you know that Peter’s name is mentioned more times in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John than any other disciple?
- Peter speaks more than any other disciple.
- In fact, Peter has a habit of speaking and acting without thinking. One time, on the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of one of the guards for the High Priest. Jesus had to put the ear back on the head. In other words, he was impulsive.
- Peter was the only one who dared to rebuke Jesus.
- Probably the biggest one was when Peter denied Jesus three times in public. I mean, Peter followed Jesus and witnessed God's supernatural work for over three years, and when Jesus needed him most, Peter abandoned Him. That’s a lot of shame and guilt, he was carrying. Can you imagine abandoning your Lord and close friend? That’s what Peter did.
In fact, when Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Peter on his third visit, he said this to Peter. Jesus’ confrontation with Peter.
John 21:16-17 (NLT)
16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love [agapaō] me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love [phileō] you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. 17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love [phileō] me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love [phileō] you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
Jesus, for the third time, asks, “Do you love me?” He uses “Phileo” instead of “Agapao.”
Agapaō: A Higher form of love, selfl ess, and unconditional love.
Phileō: Is a lower form of love, brotherly love, or an affectionate love.
So when Jesus came down from “Agapao” to “Phileo,” Jesus came down to Peter’s level. Jesus is saying, “Peter! Can you at least love me like a brotherly love?” And Peter responds the third time that he can love Jesus like a brother, and that he will feed his sheep, and take care of his lambs. Jesus was willing to take the lower form of love from Peter and turn him into the name Petros, solid, stable, and firm in his faith.
And you know what is so amazing about this story is that Peter ends up loving Jesus at the highest level. Traditions tell us that Peter was crucified upside down. Peter wanted this method of execution because he felt he was unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. To the very end, he did not deny Jesus, but loved him like Agapao. That was the question for me. Can you love God like agapao when in your suffering, when things don’t work out, in the most difficult times of your life?
With that in mind, let’s begin the story of 1 Peter 1.
1 Peter 1:1 (NLT)
This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia are all in modern-day Turkey. Now these are Christians who are already living there as their hometown, but Peter is addressing them as “foreigners.” Some other versions will say, “elect exiles,” or “pilgrims.” Why? Why is Peter calling the believers who already live in their hometowns foreigners?
Peter is telling us that, as believers, where we live is just temporary. Our life in this world is just a temporary place, and we should not consider our life
here to be permanent. Because when we die as believers, we will have an eternal dwelling place in heaven. For Christians, death is just the beginning. So consider yourself a “foreigner,” not a permanent resident.
Pastor Joe, what was happening around this time? Did a lot of believers go through some very difficult times in their lives? That’s a great question.
The city of Rome burned
In 64 AD in Rome, a huge fi re broke out and lasted up to 9 days. Scholars tell us that at least 3 districts were completely destroyed, and another 7 were severely damaged. Now remember, these are not 3 homes, but 3 districts that were completely destroyed. Long story short, the emperor at that time, Nero, decided to put the blame on Christians. However, scholars said that it was Nero who actually started the fire. Nero wanted to rebuild the city and also wanted to expand his personal palace. You have to remember that a Roman Emperor was considered a small god. And he didn’t like Christians anyway, because they would not worship him or any other Roman gods. In fact, Nero used to put tar on Christians, put them on a pole, and light them on fire for entertainment.
So, you have the city that is burned and destroyed, and now it is attached to Christians. So from 64 AD to 67 AD, there was a heavy persecution of Christians all throughout the Roman Empire. I mean, life was already tough as it was, but adding to it makes you want to not be a believer. That’s why verse 2 begins with this.
1 Peter 1:2 (NLT)
God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.
“God knew you and chose you long ago,” or in other words, God had foreknowledge of you before you were born. God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, meaning He knew in advance who would belong to Him. God knew in advance those who would become followers of Christ. God is Omniscient, meaning He knows the past, present, and future. Let me give you an idea.
Matthew 26:34 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
“Hey Peter, I know what you are about to do, the things in the future, and you will deny me three times before the rooster crows.” But because I have the foreknowledge of calling you Petros (solid like a rock), you will fulfill the mission that I have given you. “I have chosen you long ago.”
Pastor Joseph, what about Peter’s free will? Peter was given free will to either receive Him or deny Him, and Peter chose to deny Jesus. Peter, out of his own will, decided to reject Jesus, but later, after the resurrection, Peter, on his own will, decided to follow Jesus, and even to die for Christ.
Even though Jesus is an all-knowing God, our heavenly Father will not force anyone to go to heaven. Can you imagine someone with a bad heart attitude in heaven, “Well, I didn’t want to be here and be in this peaceful, beautiful, joyful, happy, all the time. I don’t want that! Why am I in heaven? All this joy and peace are not good for me!” God will not force anyone to go to heaven. So, yes! God knew you and chose you long ago, but Peter is the one who decided to follow Jesus.
God does have a purpose and a plan, but it’s up to us to find out what that purpose is. And in order to find that purpose, 1 Peter 1:2 tells us that “His Spirit will make us holy,” and the word “holy” simply means set apart. And what is the reason for us to be “holy” or set apart?
1 Peter 1:2 (NLT)
God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.
So the fruit or purpose of becoming Holy is so that we can obey God’s Words. Now, remember, the word “Holy” does not mean you are to be perfect, but simply that you are set apart for God’s purpose. Why?
1 Peter 1:3 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,
Now remember, grace means you are given something of important value when you do not deserve it, and mercy is God withholding his wrath. When my brothers would beat me up, I would say, “Have mercy on me!”
So, when you believe in the resurrection of Jesus, you will be “born again,” meaning God will give you a new start in life. In other words, you have a second chance in life. Your old ways of thinking, doing, and behaving are being changed to a new way of thinking, doing, and behaving. And when you pursue God’s holiness of thinking, doing, and behaving in Christ till God calls us home, Peter tells us that we have a present in heaven.
1 Peter 1:4 (NLT)
and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
When you are born again, you will have an inheritance that can never be lost - it is yours forever. It is imperishable, meaning it will never die. Your inheritance can never become corrupted or broken and can never lose its value. And it is there for us to have when we go to heaven.
Listen, everyone, our life here on earth is just a spec, a tiny dot, in the history of time. All of us will go through a time of suffering and trials. So Peter is trying to encourage us by saying that we will have an inheritance prepared for us in heaven. And when we get there, we will enjoy it for eternity. That is God’s promise for all believers.
Pastor Joseph, that is when we die, but what about when we are still alive? Thank you for addressing that question, because the next verse gives us the idea. This is another promise from God.
1 Peter 1:5 (ESV)
who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Now, I want you to hone in on this word “guarded,” meaning that God is guarding our faith. I want you to look at the original language. Remember that the Bible is written in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and a bit of Aramaic.
Guarded in Greek is phroureō pronounced froo-reh'-o, meaning to guard, protect by a military guard, protection, and secure. (Strong shelter)
Peter is saying, “Listen, as a believer, when you die, you are guaranteed to have an inheritance that is pure, imperishable, and perfect, but until then, you are under divine protection.” And not just any type of protection, but the most elite military protection you will ever have. What does this “froo-reh-o” look like? Or, what does that “strong shelter” cover?
Does it mean protection from physical harm? God will guard us or keep us from spiritual defeat. God will preserve your faith until the end. In other words, you are not done till God says you are done. So keep on fighting the good fight to the end, and God will guard you as you move in your faith. And the power that keeps you guarded or protected is this.
Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My friends, is this not a great promise from God? This is “froo-reho-o” that only God can give, and not just any type of guarding, but the most elite military and unhackable love of God for the believers. Once you receive Christ, God doesn’t say, “Good luck, I hope you complete the finish line by yourself.” My friends, you will go through hard times, but God will not leave you alone. So the following two verses make sense.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fi re tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Peter is telling us that in our journey of life called “Faith,” there will be times, and maybe for a season, or “for a little while,” you will go through a temporary suffering. Each and every one of us will go through some type of trials in life, and every one of those trials of life will be tested. And how we come out of those tests will show your genuine faith.
Life is tough - “I quit!” or Life is tough - “God, I cannot do this on my own. God, will you guard me and keep me? Hold me steady and strong. Help me to endure to the very end!” That is genuine faith.
And listen, my friend, as long as you hold onto Jesus, you will never fail. As long as you keep your eyes upon Jesus, your faith is genuine. And, “when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” And the purpose of your suffering or hardship is to refine and strengthen your faith.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
So, my friends, your troubles are small and insignificant, and they will not last very long. So hold onto your genuine faith, and your faith that went through fire will outweigh all your troubles.
Many Trials - Suffering (hardships) - Refining Fire - produces genuine Faith
1 Peter 1:8-9 (NLT)
8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
I want you to relate the word “faith” to “trust.” Because anytime you put your faith in Jesus, that means you are trusting in Him. So, I tend to do this a lot, every time I go through a season of trials or testing in life.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
I have memorized the ESV version, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Every time I am going through a test in life, I repeat these words. Because every time you go through a trial in your life, we humans tend not to trust that God is in control. When we are going through a shake-up, we tend to try to fix things we cannot fix.
Am I the only one raising my hands? A lot of us have the tendency to put trust in ourselves to fix the spiritual issues that we cannot fix. Sometimes, we say, “God! Step aside for a moment! I got this! I got this under control!” And then later, we are just breaking down, crying, “I don’t have it under control!”
This is the reason why I love what Peter wrote. He knows that the readers are going through a lot of trials in their lives. He knows that these people cannot control the circumstances of their lives. God knows their suffering and hardships in life, and that is why He writes this letter to encourage us and to give us hope.
1 Peter 1:10-12 (NLT)
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
This has a lot of information, but simply put, Peter is saying that the salvation promised in the Old Testament through the prophets is now being revealed through Jesus in the New Testament. The prophets in the Old Testament spoke of the coming Messiah, who means "savior," who will come and redeem you.
So, in other words, what they wrote about the future Messiah was not for themselves, but it was written for you. This good news that was written in the past is now for your benefit today.
Now, it is very interesting that Peter would add this.
1 Peter 1:12 Amplified Bible
It was revealed to them that their services [their prophecies regarding grace] were not [meant] for themselves and their time, but for you, in these things [the death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ] which have now been told to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the [power of the] Holy Spirit [who was] sent from heaven. Into these things even the angels long to look.
Peter says there are angels watching us right now. The angels are studying us right now. Listen, I cannot go into extensive detail about angels for now, but here are a few things to keep in mind.
Angels
- Personal spiritual beings with intelligence, emotions, and will.
- Angels are created beings to fulfi ll God’s purpose.
- Angels are subject to God’s will and help believers.
- They are limited in their knowledge. (They are not omniscient)
- Angels gain knowledge through long observation of humans.
That’s why 1 Timothy 3:16 makes sense.
1 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
You and I are being watched by angels right now. Let that sink in a bit. They are observing everything that we do. Angels gain knowledge through long observation of humans.
I want to close with 1 Peter 1:3
1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
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,
- Listen, Buddha died and cannot give us any hope.
- Muhammed died and cannot give us any hope. (The prophet Muhammad's burial site is in Saudi Arabia and is visited by millions of people because his bones are still there.)
- My friends, Jesus’ bones cannot be found anywhere because he is not dead. He is alive.
That is why Peter says that Jesus is the “Living Hope,” and not dead hope. Listen, it’s not that you will never go through trials and testing, but it is a matter of when you do go through trials, suffering, hardships, testing, and challenges in your life, know for certain that you have a living God that will
keep you, guard you, shield you, and care for you like an elite military soldier guarding you to your destination. You are born again to a living hope.
So, how do you tough it through in life? Trust in the Living Hope.
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Posted in Weekly Devotional