1 Peter 1:3-5: A Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-5: A Living Hope

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of 1 Peter, and today the next passage we come to is 1 Peter 1:3-5. It says,

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. 

May God bless the reading of his Word.

Let’s pray: Father, we understand from Hebrews 4 that your Word is living and active. So may it be living and active in our lives today. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.When someone becomes a Christian, one of the things God imparts to them is joy. And I think we can confidently say that there’s no joy in life like that joy—the joy of being saved from our sins and being adopted into God’s family and having the hope of eternal life in heaven. 

Yet, throughout our lives, there are things that can hinder us from experiencing that joy—much like clouds that block our view of the sun. And maybe that’s you this morning. Maybe you’re under the cloud of stress or anxiety about a particular situation. Or maybe you’re under the cloud of depression or grief or financial hardship. Or maybe you’re experiencing loneliness or suffering from a health ailment or struggling with a particular sin. Maybe you’ve been mistreated by someone. Or maybe the news headlines we’ve seen recently are weighing heavily on you. There are so many different kinds of earthly trials and concerns we often face that function as clouds blocking our view of the sun and robbing us of the joy that’s rightfully ours in Jesus. 

That’s why I’m so thankful for the main passage we’ll be looking at today—1 Peter 1:3-5. In these three verses, Peter takes us high above the clouds of our earthly difficulties and directs our gaze toward the glorious truths of the gospel that fuel our joy. Peter originally wrote these words to Christians living in modern-day Turkey who were suffering intense persecution for their faith and who, like us, were prone to allow the clouds of their earthly difficulties to close in on them and cause them to lose sight of these precious gospel truths. So, Peter sought to encourage them by reminding them of these truths.

I love what the great nineteenth century preacher Charles Spurgeon has to say about these verses. He writes, “Our apostle cheers these troubled hearts by exciting them to a song of praise. I might almost entitle these three verses a New Testament Psalm. They are stanzas of a majestic song. You have here a delightful hymn; it scarce[ly] needs to be turned into verse; it is in itself essential[y] poetry [already]….In these three verses we have a string of pearls, a necklace of diamonds, a cabinet of jewels; nay, the comparisons are poor, we have something far better than all the riches of the earth can ever typify.” So, with Spurgeon’s words in mind, I’d like to open up this “cabinet of jewels” with you this morning and examine the exquisite pieces of jewelry we find in the cabinet one by one. 

Everything in these verses revolves around the idea we find in verse 3 of a “living hope.” Peter writes, “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.” So, we’ve been “born again to a living hope.” Now, when the New Testament speaks of our “hope” as Christians, it’s using the word “hope” in a way that’s much different than the way we typically use that word in our normal day-to-day conversations. Usually, when we say that we’re “hoping” for something, we mean that we want something to happen that, in reality, may or may not happen. We might say, “I hope the Steelers win the football game.” We understand that they may or may not win the football game and are simply saying that we want them to win. However, when the New Testament speaks of our future “hope,” it’s referring to the confident expectation we have of something that’s sure to happen. We’re looking forward with eager anticipation and joyful expectancy to a future in heaven that couldn’t be more certain. That’s the hope we have as Christians.

And Peter refers to it as a “living hope.” It’s “living” in the sense that it’s full of life and vitality. It’s a hope that’s much different than the empty and vain hopes that people have all around us. Many times, people will put their hope in something and end up being disappointed. Maybe they’ll put their hope in their career to provide for them the sense of fulfillment that, in reality, can only be found in God and then end up being disappointed when their career doesn’t do for them what they hoped it would do for them. Or maybe they put their hope in their spouse to provide them with that fulfillment, or perhaps their children. Or maybe they have a vision for the world becoming a wonderful utopia, and they believe that if they can just vote the right political leaders into office, they can make this world into that utopia. There are all kinds of earthly things that people often put their hope in only to end up being disappointed. Yet, in contrast to all of these empty and vain hopes, we as Christians have a “living hope.”

And the distinctive feature of this living hope is that it’s capable of withstanding whatever storms and trials we face in life—which is precisely the point Peter’s making in these verses. Christians have a living hope for the future that transcends any suffering we might face in the present. That’s the main idea. Christians have a living hope for the future that transcends any suffering we might face in the present. In fact, not only does our present suffering not diminish our hope, it should actually have the effect of bolstering our hope by encouraging us to focus all the more on the incomparable blessings that await us in the future. 

And as we look at these three verses 1 Peter 1, we can observe three features of the hope that God gives us: the foundation of our hope, the nature of our hope, and the certainty of our hope. So, I’d like to spend the rest of our time together looking at each of those three features. 

The Foundation of Our Hope

First, the foundation of our hope. And we see in verse 3 that there are actually several elements that comprise this foundation. Peter writes that “According to his great mercy, he [God] has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Now, the first thing to notice from that verse is that the only reason we have this hope is because of the “mercy” of God. We didn’t earn it, and we don’t deserve it. Instead, truth be told, the only thing we actually deserve is wrath and judgment—because we’ve rebelled against a holy God. So, let’s get rid of any idea that we’re entitled to anything better than that. However, “according to his great mercy,” God saw our need and came to our rescue. 

Peter then writes that God has “caused us to be born again.” This is a reference to the spiritual transformation that takes place in a person’s heart at conversion. Just like, in a physical birth, a new person enters the world, that’s what happens spiritually within a person’s heart when they become a Chrisitan. There’s a change that takes place that’s so radical it’s as if they’ve been born a second time. They’re “born again.” And, as Peter points out, this new birth results in us obtaining a hope for the future that we never had before—the hope of being in God’s presence and worshiping at his feet for all eternity. 

Yet, as Peter goes on to say, the only reason any of this is possible is because of the “resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Of course, to speak of the resurrection of Jesus implies that he died. More specifically, Jesus was crucified. And the reason he was crucified was to pay for our sins. We’ve already said that our sins deserved God’s judgment. They cried out for God’s judgment. Yet in his love, Jesus suffered that judgment on the cross. He stood in our place and suffered for our sins. God the Father’s wrath was poured out on Jesus so it wouldn’t have to be poured out on us. 

Then after Jesus died, he resurrected from the dead. And the reason Peter emphasizes Jesus’s resurrection in this verse is because it’s his resurrection in particular that’s linked with what happens to us as we’re raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. Just as Jesus was physically raised to life three days after his crucifixion, we’re spiritually raised to life at our conversion. 

Not only that, Jesus’s resurrection also gives us a foretaste of the ultimate resurrection we’ll experience in the future as our physical bodies are raised from the dead, reunited with our souls, and enter into our glorious eternal existence in the new heavens and new earth. You might say that Jesus was the prototype—kind of like the prototype of a car or something like that. You’ve probably seen pictures of shiny new prototypes that automakers love to display in various auto shows around the world. The point of these prototypes, of course, is to show what’s coming. And that’s the point of the resurrection as well. In the resurrection of Jesus, God was displaying to the world what’s in store for his people. The resurrection is a picture of what God will do with countless others all around the world as he raises them up and gives to them glorified resurrection bodies one day. 

So, those are things that comprise the foundation of our hope—the “great mercy” of God, the new birth we’ve experienced at conversion, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 

The Nature of Our Hope

Then, having identified the various elements that comprise the foundation of our hope, Peter goes on to describe the nature of our hope. Look at verse 4. Peter says that we’re looking forward to “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” An inheritance, of course, in ordinary conversation refers to the wealth that someone who dies leaves to those they care about—wealth that’s passed down from one generation to the next. It’s also a word that’s used in the Old Testament to refer to the land God gives to the nation of Israel. In numerous places, that land is described as their inheritance. 

And I think we can all agree that receiving an inheritance is a wonderful thing. You know, if you were to receive a letter in the mail this week from a reputable attorney informing you that some relative you didn’t even know you had passed away and left you with a small fortune as an inheritance, I imagine you’d be very happy about receiving that inheritance. 

Yet, as great as an earthly inheritance can be, the heavenly inheritance Peter describes here in verse 4 is infinitely superior—because it’s an inheritance that’s “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” Notice that all three of these terms are an attempt to help us understand what our inheritance is by telling us what it isn’t. As one commentator named David Helm writes, “Evidently Peter finds it difficult to find words that do justice in capturing the greatness of this future inheritance. In describing it, he can do no better than use three words that tell us what it is not.”

So, let’s look at those three words. First, Peter says, our inheritance is “imperishable.” As you know, we use the word “perishable” to refer to certain grocery items that will quickly go bad if they’re not refrigerated. Milk, for example, is perishable. And even if you put it in the refrigerator, it still goes bad within a week or two. By contrast, then, for something to be “imperishable” means that it never goes bad. It’s permanent. It can’t be destroyed or ruined or spoiled. 

In addition, Peter says, our inheritance is “undefiled.” It’s entirely pure and free from anything that would pollute or contaminate it. And this is a quality that’s kind of difficult for us to imagine—because we live in a world in which everything has been affected in some way by the fall—that is, by human rebellion and the consequences of that rebellion in the entire created order. Everything we’ve ever known has been stained and polluted and, we might say, defiled by sin. There’s no such thing as a blessing that we enjoy on this side of heaven that doesn’t have at least something that’s not-so-great about it. You know, that exotic vacation might be amazing in many ways, yet you’re usually dealing with jetlag. That new job might be wonderful, yet there’s that one coworker who gets on your nerves. Welcoming a new baby into this world is phenomenal, yet you’re going to be wiping their butt for a least at least the next two years.

So, even the best earthly blessings are diminished or “defiled” in certain ways. With babies especially, some of those diapers are severely defiled. However, Peter teaches us that our heavenly inheritance will be strikingly different from anything we’ve ever experienced on this earth in that it’ll be “undefiled.” 

Then, finally, Peter says, our inheritance is “unfading.” That word “unfading” translates a Greek word that was used in secular Greek literature to refer to a mythical flower that would never wither or die. It speaks of something that never loses its luster or magnificence.  

I remember how, when I was a young child, I really liked getting new shoes. And I got this one pair of new shoes that had Spiderman on them. They had this shiny material on the side with a picture of Spiderman shooting out his web. They were pretty cool. And I was so proud of them I would walk around like this so I didn’t have to bend my toes when I walked and, by doing so, put a crease in those shoes. And obviously, I would also clean them on a regular basis. After all, that’s just basic new shoe maintenance. But I remember how, despite my best efforts, the day finally came when I discovered a scuff mark on those shoes. And it wasn’t just a small scuff mark either. It was big, and it had some depth to it, so I couldn’t just wipe it off. And I remember how that ruined my whole day. 

But as you get older, you eventually figure out that that’s just what happens. New shoes become old shoes. New cars become old cars. New furniture becomes old furniture. Everything on this earth inevitably fades away. Yet Peter says our heavenly inheritances is “unfading.” Its splendor and magnificence won’t ever deteriorate, and the joy and delight we experience there won’t ever diminish. 

So, that’s the nature of our inheritances—“imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” And as we consider these qualities of our heavenly inheritance, it’s difficult to escape the question of why we’d ever even think of devoting our lives to pursuing anything else. Why would we ever focus on what’s perishable, defiled, and fading when God’s set before us an inheritance that’s “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading”? How crazy would that be? Yet it seems like that’s exactly what so many people do—losing sight of what’s eternal in their pursuit of what’s temporary. So, hopefully, Peter’s words here are an encouragement for us not to be so shortsighted but instead, to borrow a phrase from Jesus in Matthew 6, to lay up treasures in heaven rather than treasures on earth. 

The Certainty of Our Hope

Then finally, after Peter speaks of the foundation of our hope and then of the nature of our hope, he turns his attention to the certainty of our hope. At the end of verse 4, he tells us that our inheritance that he’s just said is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,” is also “kept in heaven” for us. The Greek word translated as “kept” is also translated elsewhere in the New Testament as “guarded.” Just as guards carefully watch over whatever or whomever is entrusted to their care, God is likewise carefully watching over our heavenly inheritance. 

We then read in verse 5 that believers “by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Now, this word translated as “guarded” is actually a different one, but it means more or less the same thing. God’s guarding his people for their future inheritance, protecting them from anything that threatens to derail them from their journey heavenward. So, we find two parallel truths in these verses. God is guarding our inheritance for us, and he’s also guarding us for our inheritance. Our future couldn’t be more secure. 

And it’s interesting to observe the word Peter uses here in verse 5 to refer to our future. Back in verse 3, he referred to it as our “hope.” Then in verse 4, he referred to it as our “inheritance.” And now in verse 5, he uses the word “salvation” to refer to it. He says that we’re “being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” “Salvation” is a word that simply means rescue or deliverance. And we typically use “salvation” to refer to the point in time when someone puts their faith in Jesus and is born again and has their sins forgiven—essentially, their conversion. So, when we talk about a person being “saved,” we’re usually talking about them being converted. 

Yet, the New Testament actually uses the word “salvation” much more broadly than we often use the term. In the New Testament, there’s actually more than one way and more than one sense in which a person is saved from their sin. The first way is indeed the way we typically use the word “salvation”—as a reference to a person being forgiven of their sin at conversion. We might speak of that as being saved from the penalty of sin. Yet the New Testament also uses the word “salvation” to refer to a process that continues throughout the Christian life. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, for example, Paul describes Christians as those “who are being saved”—that is, they’re in the process of being saved from their sins. They’re growing in godliness and Christian virtues. We might speak of his as being saved from the power of sin.

And then a third way is the way Peter’s using it here in our main passage. He speaks of us being saved—or obtaining “salvation”—at some point in the future. And it’s pretty clear that he’s talking about the return of Christ and our entrance into heavenly glory. Essentially, “salvation” here is a reference to heaven and to us being saved from the very presence of sin. So, that’s the range of meaning of salvation in the New Testament—a past salvation from the penalty of sin at conversion, an ongoing salvation from the power of sin throughout the Christian life, and a future salvation from the presence of sin when we enter heaven. And again, it’s salvation in this last sense that Peter’s speaking of here. 

And he’s emphasizing how certain and secure our future salvation is. He says it’s being “kept in heaven” for us, and we’re being “guarded through faith” for it. This means that nothing can stand in the way of us experiencing this salvation one day. This is what’s often known in theological studies as the “perseverance of the saints”—the biblical teaching that true Christians will persevere in their faith all the way to heaven. And the reason they’ll persevere is because God will make sure they persevere. They won’t be able to turn away from God in any definitive sense or, as we might say, lose their salvation. 

Now, there are some who would disagree with that, but I think it’s pretty clear in the Bible. In addition to what Peter writes in our main passage, consider what Jesus says in John 10:28. Speaking of Christians, he states, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” And in Philippians 1:6, Paul tells the Christians of Philippi that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.” God won’t fail to bring to completion the good work he’s begun in us. And in Jude 24, God’s described as “him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory.”

Then, perhaps the clearest passage of all is Romans 8:30. Paul writes, “And those whom he [God] predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” I know there are a lot of theological terms in that verse, but just look at the end of it. “Those whom [God] justified, he also glorified.” Every single person who is “justified” at conversion is also “glorified” in heaven. There’s no attrition. Nobody drops out or slips through the cracks between justification and glorification. Every single one of the “justified” is also among the “glorified.”

So, these are just some of the verses that support what we read back in verse 5 of our main passage, and they give us incredible assurance that our future is secure. This “living hope” we’ve been talking about is also a sure hope, a certain hope, and a hope that won’t be disappointed. 

Of course, this should never lead us to be presumptuous about our salvation. If you think you’re a Christian but have no interest in following and obeying Jesus in every aspect of your life, you might want to think again. It’s possible for a person to think they’ve become a Christian and yet actually be self-deceived. But for those of us who have experienced genuine conversation—as evidenced by the fact that there’s been a genuine change in our way of living—we can have incredible peace and confidence as we look toward the future. Unlike so many of our earthly hopes that are so often disappointed, this hope is one that won’t be disappointed. 

Conclusion

So, let me encourage you, no matter what you’re facing right now, to let these truths Peter shares with us throughout this passage to sink deep into your soul. As I mentioned at the beginning, we all have a tendency to allow the clouds of our earthly circumstances to close in on us and block our view of the glorious gospel truths we hold so dear. Don’t let that happen. Instead, consider going home this afternoon and letting your mind marinate in what we’ve seen. You know, if you really want to start living your life in light of these things and with an active awareness of the “living hope” we have in Jesus and experience the joy and the peace that come from that, you don’t get there just by opening your Bible for five minutes every morning and reading something real quick before you rush out the door and get on with your day. You’ve gotta let your mind marinate in these truths. 

As I’m sure you know, when you’re marinating something—like a steak, let’s say—you can’t just leave the steak in the marinade for a few minutes and then expect the steak to be full of that flavor. You have to give the marinade some time to soak in. And likewise, if you want the kinds of truths that we see in 1 Peter to soak into your soul, that doesn’t happen in five minutes a day. It requires that your mind marinate in this passage and in other biblical passages for a meaningful amount of time and on a very regular basis. Only then will you find the “living hope” Peter speaks of here becoming more and more of a reality in your life. 

And make no mistake: having this hope for the future changes everything about the way we approach the present. It enables us to have joy even in the midst of earthly difficulties and peace in the midst of earthly uncertainties. It also has a profound effect even on the most basic disposition of our heart as we go through the day. It transforms us into a different person. 

And maybe you’re here this morning and have never experienced this hope at all. If you were to be completely honest with yourself, you’d have to admit that you have no transcendent hope. Instead, your hope has only been in various earthly things, and they’ve all let you down. If that’s you, I want you to know that, before you even leave here today, you can have a hope that’s real and enduring and that transcends whatever circumstances you may be facing—the “living hope” we’ve read about in 1 Peter 1. That hope is found in Jesus, and he offers it to everyone who turns their life over to him and puts their trust in him to rescue them from sin. If you haven’t done that yet, will you do that before you even leave this building today?