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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
1:3-2:10 Called to Salvation as Exiles. Those who have trusted in Christ are to praise God for his promised salvation and live out that salvation in their daily lives.
1:3-12 Praise for Salvation. Peter begins the body of the letter by blessing God because he has given believers new life and guaranteed their future glory (vv. 3-5). Believers rejoice in their sufferings because they are designed for their purity (vv. 6-9). Christians are wonderfully blessed, for they know the fulfillment of OT prophecies, all of which point to Christ (vv. 10-12).
1:3 Salvation is due to God's mercy, grace, and sovereignty, for he miraculously gave sinners new life (caused us to be born again, cf. v. 23). Peter may be connecting "born again" to through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, meaning that the new birth was made possible because God thought of those who believe in Christ as being united to him in his resurrection (cf. Rom. 6:4; Eph. 1:19-20; 2:5-6; Col. 3:1). Or he may be linking the resurrection to the living hope of believers, since that hope immediately follows the resurrection. In the latter case, the hope of Christians is their future resurrection. Believers have an unshakable hope for the future, for Christ's resurrection is a pledge of their own future resurrection.
1:4 The "hope" of v. 3 is now described as an inheritance, which in the OT typically describes the Promised Land and Israel's place in it (Num. 32:19; Deut. 2:12; 12:9; 25:19; 26:1; Josh. 11:23; Ps. 105:11). But the OT inheritance points ahead to an even greater inheritance, reserved in heaven for the people of the new covenant. imperishable. Nothing can tarnish or extinguish that secure inheritance.
1:5 Salvation in this context is a further description of the inheritance of v. 4 and the hope of v. 3. Peter lifts his readers' minds to what will be revealed in the last time. They will certainly receive this future salvation, for God will protect them through his power by sustaining their faith to the end.
1:6-7 Peter realizes that joy is mingled with grief as Christians in Asia Minor suffer various trials. Little while denotes the whole of their earthly life before they inherit future salvation. if necessary. These sufferings are God's will for his people, so that their faith might be purified and shown to be genuine. Such faith has a great reward, for at the revelation (that is, the return) of Jesus Christ, honor and praise will belong both to Christians and to Christ.
1:8-9 Joy is not reserved only for the future when Jesus will be clearly seen at his revelation (v. 7). Even now, his followers love him, believe in him, and rejoice with an inexpressible joy. The end result is eternal salvation--the completion of God's saving work.
1:10-11 Even though the OT prophets did not see clearly when their prophecies would be realized, they did foretell that Christ would suffer and then be glorified. See Overview of the Bible. The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit, who was speaking through the prophets.
1:12 Christians have received astounding blessings, for the OT prophets were serving not themselves but you, that is, NT believers, and angels long to understand fully what has been accomplished. Christians have heard this good news in the gospel proclaimed to them.
