1 Peter
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 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,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
The nickname of 1 Peter is "The Letter of Encouragement." It is a letter written by the Apostle Peter to comfort believers who are suffering persecution.
To believers who are enduring suffering under Nero's persecution and harboring fear of death, it testifies that those who believe in Jesus Christ have a "living hope."
If you translate LIVING HOPE literally, it means "a hope that is alive." It is not a vain hope that disappears after a short while, nor is it a dead hope, but a living hope.
The hopes of the world are all dead hopes. They are dead hopes that vanish after a short time. Placing one's hope in money, fame, and power is akin to staking one's life on a dead hope. However, the hope placed in God is a "living hope."
Living hope refers to the hope of eternal life and resurrection. The living hope given by Jesus means the "hope of life."
After Jesus raised Lazarus, He said in John 11:25-26:
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."
This declares the "hope of life," meaning that even if Christians are persecuted and killed for keeping their faith, they will surely be brought back to life.
5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Be Holy
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
The phrase "gird up your loins" can be easily understood if you know about the clothing worn by the Israelites. Their clothing was in the form of a "tunic." When they were relaxed, they wore their clothes comfortably, but when it was time to work, they needed to gird up their loins to be able to work efficiently.
When Jesus washed the disciples' feet, He also "wrapped a towel around His waist" (John 13:4) to wash their feet.
In Exodus, when the Israelites applied blood to the doorposts (Exodus 12:7) and prepared to leave Egypt, they did so with "their cloak tucked into their belt, their sandals on their feet and their staff in their hand" (Exodus 12:11). They were ready to leave at a moment's notice, with their loins girded in preparation.
Believers who have the "living hope" given by God should "gird up the loins of their mind." They should live ready to leave this world whenever God commands, prepared to go at any time.
The term "be sober" translates to "self-control" in English. We should not live chasing the hopes of this world. Instead, we must live with moderation in all things.
When the Lord calls, we should always live with self-control to fulfill the "living hope."
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”[a]
Why must those who have a living hope be holy?
If we achieve the "hope of life," which is the "hope of salvation" and the "hope of eternal life," the place where we will live is a holy place.
That is why it is said, "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).
How can we become holy?
1) We can become holy through the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19).
2) We can become holy by having a reverent faith in God (1 Peter 1:17).
3) We can become holy through the Word (1 Peter 1:22-25).
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”[c]
And this is the word that was preached to you.
