By Stan Cox, on August 10th, 2011
Because of who God is, He deserves every expression of good will and praise we can offer. He is our Creator, and is a caring and just Being.
There is no better reason for our devotion and praise than His efforts to secure our Redemption. As our text shows, His mercy led Him to bring us to reconciliation through His Son, Jesus.
Specifically, we have hope through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This hope is living and sure. Jesus is a forerunner. His victory over death assures us that we too one day will transformed to eternal life (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
That eternal life is a wondrous thing, here described as “incorruptible and undefiled”, and “reserved in heaven.”
As always, however, the Holy Spirit reveals the conditional nature of that hope. It is not reserved for all men. It comes only for those, “who are kept by the power of God through faith” (vs. 5).
He has chosen to save, through Jesus, all who believe (cf. John 3:16). One day Christ will come again, and that hope will be realized. Will you be among the elect, ready to claim your reward?
By Stan Cox, on December 27th, 2009
1 Peter 3:3-6
In this text, the apostle praises God, and gives reason for that praise. He, according to His mercy has “begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
The term “begotten” in verse 3 is the same term in verse 23, where we are told we have been “born again” through the word of God.
The term is found only in these two verses. Interesting, it is a similar term to the one used in John 3:16, where Jesus is said to be the “only begotten” (gk., monogenes). Here all Christians are “begotten” (gk., anagennao).
Where Jesus, in a sense, is the only begotten; in another sense all Christians are begotten of God when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As stated in the text, when we are begotten, or born again, we are granted great privileges. We have hope, and an undefiled and incorruptible inheritance reserved in heaven.
This is so because we are kept by God’s power. We are protected by Him because we are His children. This is a reason for rejoicing, no matter the present circumstances of our lives. We are the begotten of God!
By Stan Cox, on January 17th, 2008
1 Peter 1:13-16
Whenever the word “therefore” is used to begin a passage of scripture, it is necessary to refer to previous verses to obtain a context.
In verses 3-12 of 1 Peter 1, the apostle wrote eloquently concerning the salvation and eternal reward we receive through the “sufferings of Christ.”
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind…” Peter’s exhortations to dligence and holy living in verses 13-16 are in response to the hope we have in Christ (cf. Titus 2:11-12).
It is also because of the holiness of God Himself. When God requires holiness of His people, it is not an arbitrary thing.
God is perfect in His holiness. James states that, “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (1:13).
As God is holy, and cannot countenance evil, it is required of his people that they be holy in all of their conduct as well. You can’t court the world and serve God!
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