The Excellency of Christ

  A greater Hope! A living Hope! Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." The Lord Jesus is true, and He is life.  His patience, tender mercy, and kindness are amazing — never surprising, but truly amazing.  In this text, we are reminded that God has begotten us who have received Jesus as our Lord, to a living hope through his resurrection from the dead.  That is, God has united us with Jesus in His death and in his life ( Romans 6:5 ).  Jesus came down to this earth in the likeness of man and, under the law, he died to the law by offering himself; He was raised from the dead that He may live to God.  This was according to the goodwill ...

Thinking back to Our High Calling Part 1, you'll recall that we are exhorted in 1 Peter 1 to be holy as God is holy.  You'll recall that this is not a calling to be equal with God by any means, rather it is a pull towards the purpose of our salvation.  God has caused us to be begotten to a living hope through the death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Christ is our life and God's will is to conform us to his image ( Romans 8:29 ); a work that he will bring about.  This is a redemptive calling. Continuing on, we will look at 1 Peter 1:13-15; considering our great redeemer Jesus Christ, and how the truth of God's word can help us to fight sin, and the pull from the world, flesh, and the devil. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called...

The first chapter of 1 Peter begins by revealing the incredible hope that believers have through the powerful resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This portion of scripture is truly a delight to the soul, as it reminds us just how gracious God has been toward us in saving our souls, and the power by which we have been renewed.  Peter says: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." - 1 Peter 1:3-5 This is an amazing truth of scripture revealing our union with Christ.  Being dead in sin, we were void of any hope of eternal life, therefore God, in his mercy, has begotten us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ...