One House : 1 PeterSample

Living Hope through the Resurrection

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

One of Peter's aims in this letter is to teach believers how to view their present suffering in light of God's plan and purpose for their lives. But before suffering is ever mentioned, Peter places hope in the spotlight. Many people think hope is synonymous with desire or anticipation, but the biblical idea of hope is more like confident expectation.

Before Christ was crucified, he said he would rise again, and he did. His word came to pass—he's no longer in the grave, but alive. Christ is our living hope, and through him God has prepared an inheritance for each one of us that can't be taken away. Christian hope isn't wishful thinking; it's a confident expectation that what lies in store for us is bound up with our resurrected Savior. If he lives in eternal glory, then so will we.

Lastly, verse 5 teaches that hope and faith go hand in hand. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen". (ESV) Faith in God is what gives our hope legs to stand on. It is what makes our hope sure.