1 Peter 1:3-9, Our Incorruptible Inheritance

What does it mean to be a Christian according to Peter? It means to be full of love for Jesus, believing in him, with an absolute hope in the salvation Jesus is bringing to us (faith, hope and love), because we have been given a new life that will never perish, that we cannot lose.

³ Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who, in keeping with his great mercy, caused you to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. ⁴ You were born again to an incorruptible inheritance, undefiled and unfading, guarded in heaven for you, ⁵ who by the power of God are kept through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you are rejoicing, though for a little while, if necessary, you have been made sorrowful with various trials ⁷ in order that the genuineness of your faith, which is more valuable than gold refined through fire, when tested, might be found worthy of praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you don’t see him you love him, and though now you don’t see him but are yet believing in him, you are rejoicing with joy inexpressible and glorious, ⁹ receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

God, who is the Father (from all eternity) of our Lord, Jesus Christ (God the Son), is blessed, praised, honored, because in His ginormous mercy He caused us to be born again. We have been chosen and drawn to Jesus by Him and given new life so as to have a living hope, a hope, as Heidegger says, that is a living hope because it “is the hope of life and continues;  because it is not languid, weak, but has παῤῥησίαν [boldness] and πεποίθησιν [confidence], and is at the same time perpetual and always exhilarating, and never dies away, but is always renewed and refreshed.” It is a hope that is living because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, whose resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection at the last day.

We have been born again to a living hope and to an incorruptible inheritance. Peter is writing to Jewish Christians who were exiled from Israel and dispersed abroad. They lost their land inheritance. But Christians have an inheritance in the kingdom that cannot be lost or taken, an incorruptible, undefiled and unfading inheritance guarded by God Himself. This is equivalent to saying our living hope. And not only is it kept by God, but we are kept by God for this salvation that will be revealed when the kingdom comes. We are kept by faith for this salvation, but kept by God because He keeps our faith. We have been saved (past tense, “born again”) but also will be saved (future tense, revealed in the last time).

Joy is overflowing despite the fact that we are being persecuted and experiencing various other trials, trials or examinations that test the genuineness of our faith, refining it like gold is in the fire, and judged honorable and praiseworthy. It will be so judged at the revealing of Jesus Christ as King and Messiah when he returns to take his throne, that future aspect of our salvation. Faith grasps hold of the unseen Christ, whom we love and in whom we believe despite not seeing him.

The proof of our faith is that we have inexpressible joy that is full of praise for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, our loving and merciful God. That is the kind of faith that will result in the salvation we possess and will possess when Jesus returns. It is the salvation of our souls, which includes our whole person, body and spirit. Wow, what a salvation!