Day 8: Hope
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:3-5
Peter shares with us this incredible good news that causes him to burst immediately into worship: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!"
What is this good news? We have been given a gift: New birth. That gift comes to us by the mercy of God, our loving and merciful Heavenly Father. Salvation is His gift to us. A gift of mercy means you did nothing to earn this gift. It is freely given to those who will receive it.
There's a bonus: This gift of new birth is a gift that comes with many other gifts and benefits. Peter tells us that our new birth results in a living hope. When something is living it is active, vital, fresh, vibrant, fruitful, productive. Just as water that flows from a spring is living and never ceases to flow fresh, the hope we have as a result of our new birth in Christ is always alive and productive in us.
Peter tells us we have this living hope as a result of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We saw over the past few days how Scripture shows us that through our union with Christ by his Spirit we participate in his death, his burial and his resurrection into new life. A benefit of this new life is a living hope. Peter later tells us,
"Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." 1 Peter 1:21
Our hope comes from believing in God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our sins to reconcile us with God. With our new life in Christ we are promised "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade". Jesus described this inheritance in John 11:25:
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die."
Hope is a confident certainty that we have what has been promised. The assurance of eternal life guaranteed by our possession of the Holy Spirit. The confident, full assurance we have of eternal life with Christ is the hope that provides us with the endurance and ability and power to live our lives here and now.
"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming" 1 Peter 1:13
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