“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 – kept in heaven for you…” 1 Peter 1:3-6

The Apostle Peter moves from telling them who they are, to all that they have to be thankful for. Certainly there are physical blessings to be thankful for, but Peter praises God for those unseen, Spiritual blessings. These things are apprehended by faith and cannot be seen with our eyes. They are revealed to us.

The primary praise is for the new birth which is a gift from God. Jesus in John 3:1-3 had told Nicodemus that he must be born again, which is the same thing Peter is now saying. The Spirit has recreated us in the deepest part of our being and we have been made new, given a new heart, been born again. Following Jesus is not first of all our own journey or discovery; it is first of all a gift of being changed and transformed.

We may not feel all that different most of the time. But we have to remember that the New Birth is like a seed being planted that grows and develops until we are complete and mature. The new birth progressively manifests itself in actual growth. And God finishes what He begins in us. (Philippians 1:6)

The motive is God’s great mercy. There is no greater motive than that which is in the heart of God. Just as in Romans 12:1-2, it is God’s mercy which moves and motivates us; it is God’s mercy which gave us the New Birth.

The result of the New Birth is a living hope, guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. There are many false, dead hopes out there. Advertising plays upon this, with many good and helpful things, but which are not able to bear the weight of our ultimate hope. There is only one living, true hope and that is Jesus.

The second result is an inheritance that will never be destroyed. Jesus told us the same thing in Matthew 6:19-21 when he said not to lay up treasures on earth where moth, rust, and thieves destroy, but to lay up treasures in heaven, where nothing can affect them. There is a reward in heaven that we wait for and will some day receive.

Lastly, we are shielded by God’s power through faith, until our salvation is revealed. This implies difficulty (more on that next week) as we need help and protection. Our salvation is now, but also in the future. We have many things now: the Spirit, a church family, God’s love, meaning and more. But only in the future will we experience the new heaven and earth, a new body, the eradication of the sinful nature, and be face to face with Jesus. And God protects us until that day – we are secure in Christ.

And so let us thank and praise God as we remember what Jesus did for us and as we live our lives out as new creatures, limping and bleeding, but praising God for all his blessings.

Pastor Tim, November 4, 2007