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, [5] who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, [7] so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, [9] obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I find Peter’s words here both stirring and convicting. Stirring because this is obviously not the Peter we encounter before the death and resurrection of His friend and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no hint of fear. There is none of the doubt. There is none of the wavering present here. There is only an explosion of praise and thanksgiving coming from the heart of Peter. What is the reason? The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and its resulting blessings. Look at this language. These are the words of a man whose hearts is filled with praise. The heart of a man who has been captured and transformed by the love and grace of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. This is a man who sees the importance and beauty of the resurrection. This is the Peter that Luke says in Luke 24:12 “ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” The marvel has not been lost by Peter. He intends for his readers to catch the same sense of marvel, the same sense of awe and wonder. The same sense of praise to God for what He has done, for what He continues to do, and what He will do for us in the “last time.”
I also find Peter’s words here convicting. I do not find in myself much of the time that same passion. Maybe it is because I was not the close personal associate of Jesus that Peter was. I did not walk or eat with Jesus. I did not hear his voice. I did not see him cry. I did not watch Him suffer. I did not see the empty tomb with my own eyes. I did not see the risen Christ. I was not personally restored to by Jesus Himself after a mighty betrayal. I did not watch Him ascend to the father. I could use all of these excuses and more for the flatness I often find in my soul regarding Christ’s work on my behalf. But they are not valid excuses.
Even though there is much that is not the same about Peter’s experience and mine, or ours. There is much that is the same. We are all born again to that same living hope because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We all have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. We all are being guarded by God's power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. We all will be tested by various trials that should result in the tested genuineness of faith to the praise and glory and honor of our Lord Jesus Christ both now and at His revelation at His coming.
We also have something that Peter did not. [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. This is our testimony. This is who we are. We have not seen Him, yet we are to love Him. We have not seen Him, yet we are called to believe and rejoice. We are to rejoice with joy that is inexpressible. Do we long to have that kind of joy? The absence of that joy and love can not be because we did not have the same relationship that Peter had. Peter is saying these words to those who have not seen Him. Maybe it is because we lost a sense of the importance and value of what Christ has done for us. Maybe we have lost a sense of the depth of our sin from which Christ has rescued us. Maybe it is because we have not bothered to know Christ as we ought. Maybe we have not meditated on His death and resurrection.
But that is the great reason we celebrate Easter. If we have not spent sufficient time meditating on the wonders of the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, this time of year calls us back. If we have not spent sufficient time thinking on His death, resurrection and its benefits to us, this time of year calls us back. This time of year gives us pause to drown out the noise of the world that steals our joy. This time of year gives us occasion to renew our love for the one who loved us first.
But if we are looking for some great emotional reaction as a test of the genuineness of our faith, we are missing the point. Yes, reflecting on what Christ has accomplished for us may at times move us to great passion. But if we rely on emotional reactions to Christ’s death and resurrection to sustain us or as an indication of our love for Christ, we are deceiving ourselves with things that fade away. We are called to something deeper and more lasting. We are called to joy and love that expresses itself with our very lives. We are called to rejoicing in Christ when life itself gives us no cause for rejoicing. Our eyes may be filled with tears due to the crushing weight of life, or the trials that come our way, but in our hearts we have the “Blessed Assurance that Jesus is Mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation. Purchased of God. Born of His spirit. Washing in His blood. This is my story. This is my song. Praising my Savior. All the day long.” That is joy that does not fade with the testing. That is peace that is not tossed about by the ebb and flow of life. That is faith that is steadfast, faithful, obedient, tested, and sure. That is faith that results in praise, glory, and honor. It may not be a loud joy. But it will take “blessed assurance” and the unshakeable knowledge that whatever comes my way no one take away the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. That is joy and hope.
3 comments:
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