1 Peter 1

Grace and peace to you,

Well, I was having trouble deciding what to study next, and here we are; 1 Peter. After Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and a few random studies, I decided to dig into 1 Peter. It has been a coon's age since I studied the letters of Peter, and I found myself drawn to it for some reason. I would like to go back to a Gospel at some point, but I have to figure out how that memory study would play out given the length and content.

So, the memory passage for 1 Peter is
1 Peter 1:3-4, 13-16 (ESV)
³ 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, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
¹³ Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, ¹⁵ but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

The outline acronym for 1 Peter is 'HOPES' (had to make it plural to cover all 5 chapters), so the first chapter outline has words beginning with 'H'.
Hope in Christ, Holy living.

Peter begins this letter by identifying himself and asserting his apostleship. He sends this letter to many churches 'of the dispersion' and blesses them with a very Trinitarian phrase; according the the foreknowledge of the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ. Then we find a phrase very common in Paul's writing, but Peter kicks it up a notch; may grace and peace be multiplied to you.

The next section is the first outline section starting with 'Hope in Christ'. He blesses God and proclaims that by the work of Christ we have been born again to a living hope that is sealed and secure in heaven. The words imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven, and guarded through faith provide much encouragement and hope to those facing current trial or hardship. In this knowledge, we can rejoice in that the genuineness of our faith is being tested by fire; and unlike gold that perishes, we can trust that our enduring faith will result in praise, glory, and honor to God when Jesus returns.

While our faith is placed in One we have not seen, we can rejoice with certainty that He will fulfill His promise and bring to completion the outcome of our faith; salvation! This plan of salvation is not new, but has been searched out and written about for many years by the prophets. Peter includes the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories to remind them that the complete picture of the work of Christ was prophesied in the Old Testament.

The second outline section begins in verse 13 with Holy living (or 'called to be holy'). We are to prepare our minds, with sober thinking, to set our hope fully on the future grace we will receive when Christ returns. A way we do this is not conforming to our former ignorance, but seeking to be holy as He is holy. Peter uses the phrase 'as obedient children' to remind us that we have an active, loving, attentive Father in heaven who wants to train and discipline us into a life of holiness and righteousness. Our Father is impartial in His judgment and will evaluate our conduct during this time on earth. But, because He ransomed us with the precious blood of Christ, the pure and spotless Lamb, our inheritance is secure and our adoption final. While our works and deeds will be tested with fire (1 Cor 3:13) at the judgment seat of Christ, our lives are now hidden with Christ (Col 3:3) and we will appear with Him when He returns (Col 3:4).

Again, the Person and work of Christ were known fully before the foundation of the world, and through that Person and work we can be certain that our faith and hope are secure in God. Our part in holy living is a lifestyle of obedience to Christ and love in the body of Christ. The fruit of our sanctification leads to eternal life (Rom 6:22); like an imperishable seed that does not wither, but remains forever in heaven according to the living and abiding Word of God.

How does this affect my worship?
Notice the times Peter uses the word 'rejoice'? We are to rejoice when we are grieved by various trials and if we are having feelings of doubt (though you do not now see Him). How do we do this? We all sing the songs with the theme 'no matter what, I'll still praise You!', but how does that actually play out. Trials and doubt are two of the first things I would think of that would rob my praise and worship. And yet we are taught, commanded, to rejoice in the face of it all. This shouldn't be grudgingly or half-hearted; but filled with joy. Can I really do that?

How does this affect my discipleship?
What is my role as a disciple-maker in the holy living of those I teach and disciple? I so quickly want to jump into 'behavior management' so that their lives look more like holy lives. I'm having a hard time trusting the process. And that is helpful to remember; we are all in process. I don't have to be Holy Spirit; that's His job. Isn't that why wisdom and discernment are on the top of many lists of prayer needs for the maturity of believers? As I increase in knowledge of Christ and in knowing Him, I also must increase in how to appropriately apply that to my life and the lives of those I disciple. Lord help me.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you!

Ethan