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Lesson 2 -- Written by Marcia McCance
Peter is writing to friends and reminding the harried believers of who Jesus is and what He has done for them. This will not only refresh their memories but will renew their strength to carry on. He reminds them of what they have professed to believe and the joy that comes from believing in Jesus Christ. (And how they should conduct their lives because they carry the name “Christian”!) Peter is rejoicing in God the Father’s very abundant mercy! (As we do, also, when we understand His gift to us!)
1. What it says:
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.
2. What it means:
Peter dictated this letter to a faithful man named “Silvanus” who was acting as a scribe, or secretary, and writing down the words of Peter as he spoke them out loud.
1 Peter 5:12* By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
I picture Peter thoughtfully, and with enthusiasm, pacing back and forth in front of Silvanus, who writes, as Peter exhorts (strongly encourages or urges them to continue believing in Jesus) and testifies (confirms, corroborates, and substantiates) – the true grace of God in which they stand. Peter was an “eye witness” who had seen the Lord Jesus Christ. He had been one of His disciples (students) and walked with him for three years as he ministered, taught, and performed miracles. Peter also witnessed the death of Jesus on the cross and was there when Jesus showed himself resurrected from the dead. Peter knew, first hand, about the true grace of God – forgiveness and reconciliation -- in which you and I now stand.
3* ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy
Who is Peter pronouncing “blessed”?
This sounds like one of those things Peter just cannot keep inside! An exuberant prayer of praise!! Peter is rejoicing because God, the Blessed Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the One who has blessed us with his abundant mercy. Abundant means “plentiful” or even “overly excessive” -- in mercy.
What is mercy?
has begotten us again
“begotten us again” means:
to a living hope
Define “hope:”
What does “has begotten us again to a living hope” mean?
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
We once were “the living dead,” but now we are “a living hope!” We have a living hope, and are born again, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! We live and have hope for our future because He lives!
4* to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled
Define “inheritance”
Only someone who is an “heir” -- can receive an “inheritance”. It does not go to just anyone who is hanging about. An heir is someone who lives under the loving shadow of their father. Without their father’s “shadow” or “influence” they are not an heir. An heir is legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death because that person has said so in a signed will.
Define “incorruptible”
Define “undefiled” :
and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
The inheritance that we have received through Jesus Christ cannot be changed -- it is everlasting and pure -- and it is reserved in heaven for you! It is like there is a table in heaven marked “reserved for (fill in your name)”. And your name is not written merely on paper, it is written on “the palms of His hands”. No one can snatch your place from you unawares. It will never just “fade away” with time. It is yours forever! Read Isaiah 49:15-16
5* who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation
Notice the first word in verse five is “who”… and the last phrase of verse four is “reserved in heaven for you,” Did you notice he went smoothly from the inheritance not fading away to “you who are kept by the power of God…” It is WE who are kept…
Look up the word “kept” (past tense of “keep”) in your dictionary and record the most fascinating things it says:
And what does this verse say we are kept by?
Through what?
Your inheritance cannot fade away because it is kept by the power of God -- through your own faith! His power and your faith are forever intermingled. And what good would an inheritance be if we could not collect it? God keeps both us and our inheritance by His power, and our faith! No one can snatch anything out of God’s hand and He, Himself, is keeping you BECAUSE of your FAITH in the salvation that Jesus gave us! It is by faith in Him that His power works in our lives.
John 10:27-29*-- "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
Read Mark 5:24-34.
What do you see about faith from this passage?
Did Jesus’ healing power come out of Him by His command?
What drew the power out of Him?
What did Jesus say to the woman?
What do you see in this that you would like to remember every day?
ready to be revealed in the last time.
Look up the word “ready” and write the things that stand out to you as they relate to this verse:
Salvation, the rescuing, the relief from pain, is “ready to be revealed in the last time.” We don’t live in heaven now – we know it exists but it has not yet been revealed to our eyes – yet, with continued faith in Christ, we shall see it – because it is ready and waiting for us! It is “already ready already!” Jesus is our living hope – He is our living expectation!
Romans 8:23* Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
ready to be revealed in the last time.
It might be thought that “last time” means the end of the world – or in the last days before His return -- but, it may also mean the end of our lives. For when we die, we will see the salvation of the Lord personally and immediately!
2 Corinthians 5:8* We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
6* ¶ In this you greatly rejoice,
What is the “this” you are rejoicing in?
We “jump for joy” because we are born again and cannot be snatched out of the hand of God! He is keeping our salvation for us -- intact, incorruptible, undefiled, and it will not fade away -- by His omnipotent power.
though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
How long does he say the various trials may last?
What is meant by “if need be”?
Define: “grieved”
Define: “various”
Define: “trials”
Sometimes we suffer pain, loss and grief because we have various (many different) trials that we must face. Sometimes people in our families’ die, or maybe you have gotten divorced and you felt a great deal of pain when that happened. What about losing a job? I think the hardest thing must be to lose a child to disease or accident. And there are Christians in the world (today) who are persecuted or killed -- and the only reason is that they believe in Jesus Christ! This is what was happening to the Christians that Peter was writing to – they were suffering persecution.
Optional, read: www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/voice-of-the-martyrs.htm
Optional, read: Hebrews chapter 11 paying particular attention to verses 32 through 40 and consider what you see there.
John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
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,
What is being tested?
What may be found from this test?
What went through your mind as you thought about this?
We must face these trials so that the genuineness (authenticity, purity, honesty) of our faith may be tested. Through a test we find out whether our faith truly praises, honors, and glories in Jesus Christ -- no matter what trial we have.
How does gold perish?
Peter says here that genuine faith is more precious than gold that perishes. What does this say to you about faith in Christ?
8* whom having not seen you love.
Not many of us have actually seen Jesus Christ ourselves, but we have heard His story and believed in Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have read the eye witness testimonies in the Bible of His life, death, and resurrection for us, and we have put our faith in Him. We love Him, because He first loved us!
Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
What is it that causes the rejoicing?
What two expressions does Peter use to describe the joy? ,
Define: inexpressible:
Define: glory:
Have you ever thought about joy that was so wonderful you could not express it? What about joy that is “full of glory?” One day we shall see Christ in heaven and we shall live with Him eternally! And while we still live on this earth, He fills us with His Spirit.
9* receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.
What does the word “end” mean in this context?
Notice that verse nine is “the rest of the sentence.” Read verses 8 and 9 together to see that the joy inexpressible and full of glory is what we experience when we receive the goal of our faith which is the salvation of our souls!!
Remember what we talked about last time?
1st Peter 1:2 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.
What does Peter’s message, so far, say to you?
What if, after our study, you feel bad? Remember that it does not matter that we sometimes are not focused on Jesus – He is faithful even when we are not – we are kept by His power, not our own. Our “contribution” is simply faith in Him and in His Goodness, in His Truth, in His Patience, and in His love for us.
We may also rejoice in the gift of repentance. Take your concerns to the Lord and ask Him to give you what you lack. James 1:5
Read the following verses and make an encouraging note to yourself concerning what you see there:
1 John 1:9
Luke 15:10
Romans 2:4
2 Timothy 2:13
3. Personal Application:
BELIEVE, TRUST, CONFORM (Your personal space)
Read again the entire passage at the top of this study -- and in another translation – to see if your understanding has expanded!
DEFINITIONS AND SYNONYMS:
begotten -- a father brought a child into existence – given his child life
blessed -- holy, sacred, hallowed, consecrated
end – conclusion, purpose, aim, result, goal, objective, outcome
glory -- magnificence, splendor, beauty, wonder, brilliance, fame, praise, admiration
grace -- the free, unmerited favor of God for the salvation of sinners and the gift of blessings, good will
grieved -- mourn, feel sad, lament, suffer, be distressed, be upset, be unhappy, hurt, afflict, pain, aggrieve, upset, sadden, depress (Antonym: rejoice, encourage)
heir -- a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death
hope -- promise, optimism, expectation, confidence, faith, trust, belief, conviction, assurance;
incorruptible -- not subject to death or decay; everlasting, imperishable, indestructible
inexpressible -- indescribable, ineffable, beyond words, overwhelming, deep, indefinable, unutterable, unspeakable
inheritance -- bestowal, provision; birthright, heritage; “passed down to the next generation”
keep -- stay, remain, be, maintain, go on, persist in, store, hold, stock, hang on to, save, retain, cling to, prevent, limit, curb, restrain, protect, guard, care for, tend, maintain, shelter, honor, fulfill, carry out, comply with, obey, adhere to, own, look after, care for
living – alive, breathing, existing, active
mercy -- compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm
ready -- prepared, set, complete, standing by, geared up, equipped, organized, arranged
trial -- test, examination, experiment, check, tryout, audition, assessment, hearing, tribunal, judgment, ordeal, hardship, pain, suffering, trouble, misery, distress, burden, worry, difficulty, anxiety,
undefiled -- pure, untouched, clean, holy
various -- a variety of, a range of, an assortment of, a mixture of, different, diverse, numerous, many, several, countless
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