1 Peter 1:1-12 - Our Heavenly Inheritance

1 Peter 1:1-12

Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

A Heavenly Inheritance

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

This letter to the dispersed Jews around the area of Asia Minor, now Turkey, was written by the apostle Peter who spoke authoritatively for Jesus Christ as did Paul who also penned these New Testament letters as God’s Word.  He was one of the twelve and one of these few true apostles along with Paul who all saw Jesus face to face and had been given the words to write for us as from God’s own mouth, not as imposters claim today such as in Rome and among other divergent religious groups claiming the name of Christ.  The final word is of the Lord and these twelve plus one are the only ones whose writings were divinely inspired by God’s creative breath (2 Timothy 3:16) that put life into us.  This messenger and spokesman for the Lord wrote to these Jewish believers across the area around Jerusalem in their respective local churches to assure them of their calling in Christ as chosen from before creation by God’s plan and hand to be further sanctified in Him as they increased in personal holiness by the power of God’s Spirit working in them.  This was because they had been cleansed and made holy in the sacrifice of Christ whose blood offered for theirs and ours leads to willing obedience to the gospel for salvation and subsequent following of the Master.  This was an assurance and reminder of the grace of God given them and the peace with Him as a result (Romans 5:1).  Peter went on to praise the Lord for saving them all by such abundant mercy that gives us a living hope of certainty and not a wishful hope without substance that we have as proof (Hebrews 11:1) of conviction according to the gospel word of promise.  This proof of our hope was demonstrated in His resurrection from death to life in the flesh (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) as assurance of our own resurrection first of our souls in their life as a new birth of our regeneration and then in the end of time as our bodily resurrection with an incorruptible new body (1 Corinthians 15:49-50, 53-54) to match that lasts for eternity.  That is our hope proven by Jesus Christ rising from the dead to which we cling in absolute hope (1 Corinthians 15:13-14, 21-22) and no mere wish.  This is our promised inheritance of eternal life in God’s presence that has been reserved for all whom He has already called and chosen as we are kept by His grace and power until that day with salvation that cannot be taken or given away (John 10:28-29, Ephesians 1:13-14) by our sin or forfeited and taken back by displeasing Him!  We have eternal life, not temporary or conditional, in Christ.  That is our foundation of hope.  Yes, His power keeps us until the day of judgment on all those who reject the gospel work (Hebrews 9:27-28, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17) of Jesus Christ who alone can deliver us from that certain judgment (Romans 3:23, 6:23) for which we all are guilty of, our inherited and inherent sin out of our corrupted nature that we commit every day.  When we therefore suffer trials we find our faith tested to reveal these core beliefs in God’s work upholding us through them all and end up passing through them that we may “praise, honor, and glory” Jesus Christ at His revelation on that final day.  We are tested in trials by fire to refine out our faith (Zechariah 13:9) as we call upon Him who is our God and no other as His people in Christ, both Jew and Gentile.  We love Him even though we cannot see Him as the apostles did when He walked among us as Immanuel, yet we believe with unbounded joy in the hope of the salvation of our souls in the end!  This salvation had been hidden as a mystery throughout the Old Testament in the writings of the prophets (Luke 24:26-27) which had the gospel message there in veiled descriptions how Jesus Christ the Messiah would come and suffer on a tree of our curse of sin (Galatians 3:13) to die and rise again to be our Passover Lamb (Isaiah 53:7, 11, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8) who take away our sin forever and show us divine heavenly things that even the angels in God’s presence yearned to see and experience.  This is the gospel which we have heard and received the Word of God Himself (John 1:1, 12, 14) that we might know Him and make Him known through the proclamation of this good news of deliverance from the wrath of God which we all deserve to obtain the grace and saving mercy which we do not deserve.  This is our heavenly inheritance which has been prepared for all whom He calls our of sin’s darkness into His marvelous light (Acts 26:18, 1 Peter 2:9-10) of glory!