1 Peter 1:3-13

Exegesis of 1 Peter 1:3-13

Verse 3: Born again to a living hope

1. “According to his great mercy”
   1. The new birth is a sovereign work of God which he performs “in his mercy,” totally undeserved by us.
   2. If anyone is born again, it is because of God’s sheer mercy.
2. We are born again “to” a living hope.
   1. Regeneration is the cause of hope.
   2. Unbelievers are without hope in this world.
   3. Since hope includes faith, this verse teaches that regeneration is the cause of faith.
3. Why are we born again “through the resurrection”?
   1. Resurrection of Christ was the beginning of the new creation.
   2. When we are born again individually, we are participating in the new creation.
   3. When Christ was raised from the dead, we were raised with him.
   4. “In Christ’s triumph God makes all things new, beginning with us …. The time of the new birth for the universe will come when Christ comes again. But for those united to Christ in his death and resurrection, that new day has already dawned” (Clowney).
4. “Living hope” (ἐλπίς ζῶσα)
   1. “Living” is connected to “the resurrection.”
   2. It is not that the hope itself is alive.
   3. Rather, the content of our hope is resurrection life.

Verse 4: To an inheritance

1. Israel’s earthly inheritance was a type of heaven, the new creation, but that earthly inheritance was perishable, etc.
2. “Imperishable”: contrast Isa 24:3-4
3. “Undefiled”: contrast Jer 2:7
4. “Unfading”: contrast Joel 1:10, 12
5. “Kept in heaven for you”: we cannot lose it, unlike Israel who lost the earthly inheritance.

Verse 5: Guarded by God’s power

1. The doctrine of the preservation of the saints. 1. God keeps us, but he keeps us “through faith.” 2. Genuine faith perseveres to the end: if initial faith is a gift of God, he will sustain our faith.
2. “For salvation,” that is, deliverance from the coming wrath and entrance into the inheritance or new creation.
3. It is about to be “revealed” when Christ returns.
4. “In the last time,” ever since Christ’s resurrection, we have been living in the last days.

Verses 6-7: Joy in the midst of trials

1. Trials do indeed cause us grief. But we can have joy because trials confirm our faith.
2. Τὸ δοκίμιον: “the tested genuineness” (ESV)
   1. Just as fire tests the gold and proves it to be genuine.
   2. The outcome may not be readily visible now, but it will be when Christ is revealed.
3. “Praise and glory and honor.”
   1. Not praise that we receive.
   2. Praise that God will receive for redeeming and keeping his people.
4. “When Jesus Christ is revealed, the gold of our faith will shine to his praise” (Clowney).
   1. When our faith is not destroyed but strengthened and perfect by suffering, this brings praise and glory to Christ!
   2. Discouragement in suffering turns into joy!

Verses 8-9: We don’t see him, but we believe in him

1. “Inexpressible joy”—now or when Christ returns?
2. Spirit’s presence in our hearts means we have joy now.
3. “Christians live in a future that is already present, not just in imagination or expectation, but in realization: the reality of Christ’s presence in the Spirit” (Clowney).

Verses 10-12: The OT Prophets

1. The OT prophets spoke of the grace that was to come to us.
2. They inquired diligently to determine τίνα ἢ ποῖον καιρόν - two options:
   1. Taking καιρόν with both τίνα and καιρόν: “what time or what sort of time,” i.e., “the time and circumstances” (NIV).
   2. Taking καιρόν only with ποῖον: “what person or time” (NASB, ESV).
3. “The sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.” τὰ εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα καὶ τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα δόξας = “the sufferings destined for Christ” (NRSV).
4. “The sequence of our lives follows the sequence of Christ’s life. He suffered first, then entered into his glory. So must we” (Clowney).
5. At first, Peter did not understand the necessity of suffering before glory (Matt 16:21-23).
6. The sufferings of the Messiah were foretold by the prophets, esp. Isaiah 53 and the Psalms of David (persecuted by Saul).
7. When we suffer, it is both “a sign of our fellowship with the risen Lord who first suffered for us” and “a sign of the glory that is to follow” (Clowney).
8. “The Spirit of Christ that was in them.”
   1. The Spirit that inspired the prophets when they spoke about the Christ to come was the Spirit of Christ.
   2. They didn’t just speak about Christ, but were mouthpieces through whom Christ himself was speaking by his Spirit!
9. We are in a better position to understand the OT than the prophets themselves were; we have the benefit of hindsight after the prophecies have begun to be fulfilled in Jesus.
10. “Things into which angels long to look.” 1. “The verb Peter uses well describes the action of straining to see: angels peering, as it were, over the battlements of heaven to behold what God has done in Jesus Christ” (Clowney).

Verse 13: Fix your hope completely

1. “Therefore …” (in view of all that has gone before). 1. Some would place v 13 with the exhortation that follows. 2. But key word “hope” (ἐλπίσατε) links back to 1:3 (ἐλπίς ζῶσα). 3. It is the conclusion of the opening statement.
2. “Preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded.” 1. Lit. “girding the loins of your mind.” 2. A man who is wearing a robe would have to gather the robe between his legs and tuck it into his belt so that he would have freedom to engage in swift and decisive action. 3. “The certainty of our hope has a remarkable effect on our lives. Hoping Christians cannot live carelessly, seeking self-indulgence” (Clowney).
3. “Set your hope fully” (ESV), or “Fix your hope completely” (NASB). 1. We are tempted to hope that things will improve in this present age before Christ returns. 2. But Peter says we should set our hope “fully, completely” on what God will do in the age to come. 3. Aorist imperative (ἐλπίσατε) implies decisive, specific action, a fixed resolve: “Fix your hope.” 4. Since we have been born again to a living hope, we must live in light of that hope.