Born again to a Living Hope
1 Peter 1
Born again by the power of God.
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
God made us creatures, and gave us a natural being, born of the flesh but how much more should we praise him for making us new creatures. Begotten again, born again.
Our old nature was conceived in sin, Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Corruptible, as opposed to our new nature, spiritual, holy, and heavenly;
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Without verse 4 we would be in and out of salvation.
How can anyone argue that one can lose their salvation, when we consider verses like this.
“an inheritance incorruptible”, “undefiled”, “that fadeth not away”, “one reserved in heaven”.
This is a salvation that is not based on any merit of own, there was nothing that we could do to merit salvation. We were not born into it, we could not attain it through our fleshly works, we could not attain it by our own will because salvation is of God.
John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Kept by the power of God.
Neither can we keep our salvation by our own power but we are kept by the power of God, for v5 tells us:
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
What a wonderful promise kept by the power of God. We could not be in better hands.
On the 1st of September 2019, was my 48th year as a Christian, if I had been left to my own devices, I would have surely fallen away, but praise God He held me in His hand, it was He who carried me through all the testing times, all the trials and tribulations over the years.
Isa 46:4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
Isaiah 40:11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young.
Deuteronomy 32 :11 As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, He spread abroad His wings and He took them, He bore them on His pinions.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
This is a continuous promise, till the end of our days, for surely the will be many trials and manifold temptations.
1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
Should our salvation be based on works, through living a good life, we would surely lose it, for outside of Christ we can do nothing good.
Romans 7:21 So I find that this law is at work: when I want to do what is good, what is evil is the only choice I have.
7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.…
Faith more precious than gold.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Our faith is tried daily, God allowing trials to try our faith. Just like gold is tried by fire, bringing the dross to the surface and skimming it off, so by His providence He is doing the same with our faith
This is the principal end which God has in afflictive providences, to try the faith of his people; so the faith of Abraham, Job, Habakkuk, and others, have been tried:
Our faith much more precious than of gold, that perishes, but when it is tried, it comes out the other side more pure.
James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
An unbreakable promise.
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
God’s keeping power will not fail.
29 For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those He predestined He also called; those He called He also justified; those He justified He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?…
To God this is a done deal, predestined, called, justified and glorified, all past tense, it is already done.
